Cherry Blossom Festival in SF Japantown +

Hello all!!

( ^_^)／ やぁ！

As many may know, the past few weekends have been filled with activity in Japantown due to Cherry Blossom Festival!

I had missed out on it during the first week, so I tried my best to make it to the second week!

FOTD

I finally took the time to use my 3-prong Conair hair curler/waver that was gifted to me on Christmas by Rayna! A light mist of hairspray all over and my mermaid waves stayed on the whole day! FOTD courtesy of Rayna again, because she got me Naked 3, which has pink neutrals and browns.

To go with the pinkish theme, I wore a dusty pink/neutral flowy blouse (H&M) with a black mini peplum skirt (Zara) for some contrast. To give a more tamed look, I wore the pointy maryjane flatforms (unbranded), and finished it up with a pop of color with my orange Kate Spade cross-body bag.

Upon arriving Japantown, Obiwon and I started hunting for parking..

..for at least an hour.

We gave up and parked at a market nearby, only to later find 3 tow trucks removing cars from the lots (the parking is for customers only). We ran into Nijiya market to grab some food quickly, ran to the food booths and shoved our faces, and left to find something else to do. We did not want to risk getting the car towed.

Sadly, that was how my one hour in Japantown was during the festival. At the very least we were able to enjoy the festival food, but with such a short amount of time, I did not take any photos.

ヽ(　￣д￣;)ノ オテアゲー

Green tea daifuku from Nijiya Market

Filled with red bean!

Kirin Peach & Raspberry drink. New favorite!

Trying to find something to do, Obiwon and I decided to stop by to get some coffee then peruse around Muji.

I feel quite lucky that Muji is now more available in California. More recently, a store has opened in SoCal! The one that Obiwon and I went to is in SoMa.

I love that Muji gives us such simple designs that do everything we want. Getting the innovative Japanese products we want is always hard since it usually costs more than I can really afford. Fortunately, Muji makes everything easier for me! My small haul:

Face brush, wire organizer, cotton L/S shirt, wash bucket

I made these small purchases as a way to start migrating towards a more simpler design lifestyle (though I tend to go back and forth). The face brush is typically used by men to apply shaving cream to their beards before shaving. However, I purchased this as a manual version of the popular Clairsonic face brush. My skin is relatively sensitive, and Clairsonic is quite pricey for me, and so I opted for a manual brush. This face brush is made of white horse hairs and hinoki wood, and gives a wonderful fresh and woodsy fragrance! The wire organizer is for my sink as my facial products are taking up space and makes my sink area look messy. It looks a lot better now! The L/S shirt is so soft, and the colors are nice and mellow, great for lounging and wearing out casually. The wash bucket is mainly for face-washing since my sink is so deep, I end up taking forever filling my sink and use up more water than I need to.

That was essentially my Cherry Blossom Festival experience. Quite disappointed as I did not get to take my time to see everything (but no regrets on the Muji purchases!).

On another note, I have taken a few photos of my outfits since I had just recently got a mirror in my room!

ASOS, Uniqlo, Zara, Sperry, Coach

H&M, vintage, Gap, Sperry

H&M, Zara, unbranded, Kate Spade

And some food!

Homemade dumpling with noodles

Homemade pork ribs

Homemade pork chops and chicken soup

Homemade sandwich

Homemade...epic bread lol

Talon Update

I finally took the opportunity to take better photos of Talon in the new apartment. He seems to enjoy his new home!

Though I was not able to go to the festival, my apartment-mate Stef came back from SakuraCon with a small gift for me:

This super cute pencil pouch! Light colors and big size, great as a makeup bag, or pencil bag, or even a small errand bag (ex. for receipts, pen, checklist, small change, etc.).

Thank you Stef!

Hopefully I get to go to Japantown events earlier and miss out on the traffic and parking havoc next time.

How was your weekend?

Mini Photo Update!

Hello girlies! Hope you have all been well!! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/

It's amazing how warm and sunny it is, and as the nation is going through a snowstorm, us Californians are enjoying the extended Spring/Summer.

This image explains everything. LOL!!

--

So I realize I have been quite MIA lately, and trust me, there is good reason! (even so, I should have a bunch of posts on queue :l ) This reason is..

...

....

.....

..I'll be moving..

..BACK TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA!

It is quite funny how life is working out for me for the new year. I was previously up north, but had to move back down to SoCal. Months later, I have been presented an opportunity to move back to NorCal. How funny things work out! Though I am an LA girl (forever in my heart, LA is the best haha), I love being in new environments as it gives me the opportunity to explore unfamiliar terrain.

That being said, I have not been able to review some items I have purchased or take photos of my OOTDs.. So for now, here is a (small) photo update~

My cooking!

@ The Bureau. Emeryville, CA

@ La Note. Berkeley, CA.

@ Cassava. Richmond, CA.

@ The Plow. San Francisco, CA.

Muji wool sweater and (citrus) candle, Lush bath bomb

I'll end this post with my face, only because I have been quite lazy and this was one of the days I actually put in [a little more] effort on my makeup! X__X and even so, the pink-based shadows do not show up lol!

How has everyone been?!

October Haul Post

This post is for my purchases in October and my thoughts on them!

My OOTD

Now, let's get started!

Beauty Products

Love More Snail Mucin Healing and Hydrating Mask, Face Q Peony and Snow Lotus Mask, Face Q Ocean + Aloe Mask

I got some face masks from Sasa because the weather is slowly getting colder, which means my face will soon start feeling the cold dry air. My skin is complicated, so I need to hydrate accordingly. I have not used the masks yet though since the weather keeps jumping from chilly to hot.

Something I got extra in the order was the Nivea Body Whitening Treatment Cream. I have been using it on my arms since I have been doing more activities outdoors and have been getting an uneven tan because of it. Highly recommend this product since it smells lightly of berry yogurt, hydrates well, and is not oily! I will purchase a larger bottle once I finish this product!

Clothes

Zara, ASOS, ASOS

 I have been trying to stock up on some transitioning clothes; clothes you can wear at the end of summer towards autumn. It is still warm, but I can feel the chills starting to catch up. Let's get a better look at the items!

The Zara top is actually quite nice! The color is actually a dark blue-grey (I apologize for the poor lighting!). A bit soft and quite airy. I liked that this simple muscle tee has a quilted pattern on the shoulders as it would keep me a tad warm, but  not too much. The scalloped hem is also a nice touch.

This ASOS top is something quite unexpected! I purchased this top on the whim since I had a stripes moment, and I ended up loving this shirt so much (I'm wearing it in my OOTD photo!). It feels quite liquidy and light. It is a bit loose, but not overly-so. Its length is just enough for a tucked-in look or left untucked for a simple lounging feel. I wish there were more colors available for this!

I am madly in love with this top. The color is that of Cammy's (Street Fighter) uniform, and even the fit is similar to her bodysuit! The top fits me just perfectly, leaving no ruched sides and accentuating my mildly broad shoulders. I loved the fit so much, I also own this in black.

Saturday

Kate Spade's newest brand, Saturday is definitely made for the ladies who want to dress up for work, but want some more pop! in the monotonous workplace styles. I purchased this blouse because the pattern was a lovely mix of floral and geometric, and is also suitable for a variety of other occasions. If it wasn't enough, the fit is perfect for my dainty figure! I purchased a leather wallet clutch as well since my current wallet was taking up more space in my bag than need be.

Uniqlo

I am back in SoCal now, and so the convenience of a Uniqlo is now gone. ･｡(｡/□＼｡)｡･ﾟ Fortunately enough, there is a webstore! I purchased a cotton plaid button-up for my winter wardrobe and an alpaca sweater for the colder weather. The plaid in the photo is horrendous, but trust me, the actual item is a lot more contrasted. The alpaca sweater purchase was a no-brainer since 1) I have never owned anything made of alpaca fur, and 2) I have a weakness for sweaters. I don't actually own a light grey sweater (with the exception of my angora cardigan), and I have been loving crewneck sweaters lately, so a $20 investment was not too bad in my opinion! The sweater itself feel like a soft wool, something like an angora and wool mix. There are a lot of colors available for this sweater too, so I do recommend this!

Supreme

This was a gift from Obiwon when I went on the Yosemite trip! The color is of a dusty mustard yellow, quite true to the photo. It is from the A/W 2013 line, and has quite a nice fit. LOVE the pom-pom on top. This will be a wonderful staple for my casual outings during the cold season.

Forever21

To be honest, I have been avoiding Forever21. When I was younger, I felt that the brand was a savior for those with pocket change, but as I got older, I realized that a lot of the clothes are difficult for transitioning into a more mature look, at least professionally speaking. However, I passed by today and my eye latched onto this button-up, so I had to have it. I tried it on and it fit perfectly! Then on my way to the register, I also caught a glimpse of this adorable sock pattern! Nabbed that too! Just glancing at this, it looks like I went shopping at Madewell. Button-ups work for just about every occasion, so I am quite happy with this!

I am so happy with my clothes for the colder season! I feel like I dress up the most as the season turns chillier.


What staples will you be having this season?

May, June, and Birthday 2013

Hello all!

( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ ﾀﾀﾞｲﾏｧ

I know I have been lacking on posts, but that is because I left my transfer cable/charger for my smartphone at my home in LA! It has been a whole month (or more) and now I am FINALLY uploading.

Truth be told, I have not been taking that many photos. I have been trying to take in everything as it happens and not worry about documenting everything all the time..

HOWEVER, I do have a few photos!

And yes, my birthday was last week! More on that later though.

Food and Travel

So the company I work for finally finished a long and tedious project that everyone had been slaving for until last month. To thank us, they provided us with food trucks!!

We had the Falafel truck, Chairman Bao, an Indian truck, and the Creme Brulee truck! The food was so good...I did not take all the photos because I was busy devouring everything.

Daikon on pork belly with sauce wrapped in bun

Garlic fries with lime

Falafel sandwich

Super delicious!! I should have kept eating the fries the whole time. Haha.

MORE FOOD!

Also occurred last month, I went to New York for the VERY FIRST TIME!! Funny, majority of my photos pertained to food!

Tapas from Caracas

These were amazingly delicious. Do not let the amount fool you, they were quite filling and rather large in size!

The biggest thing I wanted from New York was really to watch Phantom of the Opera as it has been on my list of must-watch musicals since... forever. I finally got to watch it in a lovely house. Here is a vertical panoramic of it:

I was dead center and had the best view. I was super excited!! It was a fantastic show, and I recommend this to EVERYONE!

Had delicious food afterwards at Kenka! Definitely difficult to find since the name isn't written in English..

Outside the restaurant

Inside restaurant

The beer is like $12/pitcher of Japanese beer! If you are not a beer person, try their mixed drinks. My favorite is Kenke Cooler (lychee flavor mixed drink!).


NOW onto my birthday..

Birthday.

I was surprised and taken to Catalina Island for the day! I highly recommend this to everyone as it is FREE entry (ferry) if you go on your birthday! Along with that, a lot of the other activities are free as well!

First thing's first. I needed food in my stomach:

Eggs Benedict

I have a weak spot for Benedict and Florentine. It's impossible for me to not order it if it is on a menu.

And then on to another thing I have been wanting to do for a while..

Yes, I went parasailing. 600 feet up in the air.

Of course, it wasn't that bad since I have done skydiving before! （￣ー￣）

Snacked around and walked and bummed and NACHOS!

After a long day, I met up with some friends at a relatively new tea house called Macchiato.

Things.

A few things I have received as a gift and/or bought recently..

That happens to be navy. I have a love for the color, and forget how much of it I really own. Now I have two regular go-to bags in the same color. (ノД`)・゜・。

Fjallraven Kanken backpack in Original size and Navy color (bought)

     

A navy Michael Kors convertible clutch/shoulder bag/crossbody bag (gift). This is probably the most versatile bag I have had in a while as there are so many ways to work with this! Comes with an extended strap if I want it to be a crossbody.

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have found out that I also have recently purchased a gently-used SEWING MACHINE. I can finally get into making the items I have been eager to own!

OOTD's

Let me start with my exhausted face. I apologize for the lack of makeup!

My bangs finally started to grow out, and since the summer is normally hot and sticky, I am trying to grow my bangs out and try different styling.

My girly Gyaru-esque look for Fanime:

H&M, ASOS, H&M, Taobao, Jeffrey Campbell, Michael Kors (my new bag!)

 Quick on-the-go Otona-esque look:

Tobi, Zara, Karmaloop

H&M, Theory, Sperry

 Mode-esque

Forever21, Rayban, Taobao

?? boutique, H&M, Shoemint

Pre-owned men's cashmere sweater, APC, Sperry, Michael Kors

I have much to blog about. Do wait for more! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉｲｯﾃｷﾏ-ｽ!