Bliss.

What better way to unwind than to watch the sunset with a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos (con limon) and a drink carried in a traditional men's basket? (Yes, you heard right--a man's basket. Kinda like a man bag, but way cooler and culturally-significant.)








Stay tuned for more scenes and stories of the island of Yap in Micronesia. Although brief, it was by far the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken. I can't wait to go again. I probably won't be able to go again, but it'll always be a memorable experience.

This Old Home (in the city)

"Busy" is an understatement when it comes to describing my life right now. I don't have time to do the fashion-oriented shoots at the moment, but there are other topics of conversation. I took hundreds of pictures when I was in Hong Kong. What good are those pictures if they're not shared? Here's another installment in the series; hope you'll enjoy it.

Because Hong Kong is such a tiny place, there is nowhere to expand but up. Particularly with public housing, older buildings get torn down, replaced by even taller residential towers. Even though the newer buildings are gleaming and modern, I do miss the character and soul of the older buildings.

During my trip, I got to see a mix urban architecture. Here's a selection of pictures of residential buildings that fascinated me, a comparison of the old and new:

Urban sprawl


Pastel trim



The Makeover (you just don't see this age-old setup of bamboo scaffolding in the U.S.)


Junior Mints


Not to Scale


Mean Green


Fading away
[Edit: Oops...after zooming up close and seeing some of the signs, I just realized that these might be light manufacturing units. I thought they looked residential because the layout resembles American apartment complexes.]








[Edit: As an aside, the car in the third picture has one of those incredibly expensive and hard to get license plates that allow the car to be driven around both in Hong Kong and in Mainland China; such plates are primarily for people who do business on both sides of the border, so getting through customs won't be such a pain. Even though it's now the same country, it isn't like the U.S., where it's OK for the short term to drive with California plates into other states, and vice versa, without going through special procedures.

Oh, the things I discover by zooming up close...I didn't even spot these little things when I was actually there, because it was too far away for me to see the details.]

A bit Gaudi


Out to Dry

I'm going (going) back (back) to Cali (Cali)

Well, I'm physically here, but I'm mentally not. I thought I was over jet lag yesterday, but I practically slept all day today and am now in great need of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Having ate so much delicious foods in Hong Kong and Mainland China, I kinda miss the culinary delights right now...although there are great restaurants around me, it's just not the same, and I'm too lazy to drive around.

My trip was very packed with family activities and could be exhausting at times, but I got to see a lot, and got to eat a lot. It's going to take me a while to sort out my life now that I'm back to the States, so posting will continue to be a bit slow, but I'll leave you with a few pics. There will be a few more HK-related posts a bit later.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Wool Over My Eyes

I spent much of the last week in hot weather, both at home and on the road. I had an unexpectedly long stay in Arizona, where it was 115 degrees every day. Looking professional and staying cool was something of a wardrobe challenge, especially when I expected only to be there one day and ended up staying for three.

By now, I've gotten pretty good at packing very few clothing items that could be mixed and matched should an extended stay become necessary. Too bad I didn't have any time to take any pictures of my actual outfits, but I think I can cobble together a description.

My go-to pieces are things that will not wrinkle despite much jostling around. The pretty and light blouse that I actually paid full price for from Target (about $20) is definitely worth the money spent--I wear it all the time, and it never wrinkles no matter the abuse (and I mean never). I wore this blouse on Day 1. You can see enough of the blouse from this older outfit of mine:


[Target blouse, Mike & Chris blazer, black pants from Ross, Bloch London ballet flats]

I also packed a pair black pants, which was worn on the first and last days. Yes, the weather is really hot, but you really can't go wrong with a pair of black pants because no one can tell you've worn the same pair of pants for a few days in a row. If you know that you will be in air-conditioned spaces for most of the time, it really won't be too bad.

My PJs double as an emergency change of daytime clothes. The top I brought to sleep in is comfortable, and definitely not a pajama top--it is an H&M cotton top with a ruffly collar and floral print. I wounded up wearing that top on the last day I was there.

The clothes that I wore to the airport the night before work started also serves as a backup outfit. I wore an Old Navy sleeveless tie-neck, tuxedo-front shirt, Marc Jacobs low-heeled "mouse" slingbacks (which I wore everyday), and my new Rick Owens cropped wool pants (which I got from The Outnet for 80% off). I ended up not wearing the Old Navy shirt again because it got too wrinkled (and I had no time to iron), but I did end up wearing the wool pants again on Day 2. Yes, you've heard right--wool pants in 115-degree heat.

It is actually not as loony as it sounds. I have a couple of pairs of lightweight wool dress pants that are very light and do not feel like wool at all; in fact, I get to wear them year-round because they stay cool in the summer but keep me warm in the colder weather. This new pair of pants was something I got as an alternative to linen pants--I wanted the lightness and the rough texture of linen without the propensity to wrinkle the minute it is worn. I also wanted something that was clearly office-appropriate but relaxed enough for the weekends. I test-drove the pants in a casual weekend outfit before the work trip. I felt like wearing earth tones that day and blended into the urban landscape:




[Forever 21 tank, my own Rock Paper Scissors necklace, Liz Claiborne bag, Rick Owens pants, Maison Martin Margiela shoes]

The "summer-weight" wool is just perfect. It was a hot day, but the fabric felt very breathable. The wide pant legs also make the pants very comfortable. When I wore the pants in 115 degree heat, I didn't feel remotely like I was going to fry. Who would have thunk that wool would be good for summer?

Since my Old Navy shirt was too wrinkled and my H&M shirt did not look right with the wool pants, I had to buy something for my Day 2 outfit, something that I can get a lot of mileage out of. Although I could have just gotten something really cheap from places like Charlotte Russe, I opted for an embellished tee in "Montana Grape", which I bought from Ann Taylor Loft. I love that a) it's essentially a t-shirt, so it was comfortable, b) it is machine-washable/easy to take care of, and c) the petals are just downright pretty and looks professional. It also does not wrinkle easily, which makes it an ideal candidate for travel.

Help Wanted

I hope everyone will have an enjoyable and safe 4th of July weekend! My office is closed today, so I'm trying to take some time off relaxing before fitting in some work in between the festivities throughout the weekend. I haven't fleshed out my weekend plans yet, but just getting caught up with sleep would be fine by me.

I'll be travelling overseas for a wedding in November. It'll be my first real (i.e. lasting longer than a couple of days) vacation in about 5-6 years, and it'll be the first time I'll see some family members in roughly 20 years. I'm definitely excited about that, but the planning has to start now. Since I expect to be very busy for work in the next couple of months, I'm going to have to do a lot of planning, etc. and spread out the vacation-prep labor over time.

One of my biggest concerns is getting souvenirs, gifts, etc. to my many family members. Obviously, I'll need to get a wedding gift for the bride and groom, and then gifts for aunts, uncles, and cousins. What kind of quintessentially All-American, practical, and compact gifts do you recommend for $20 or under?

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Straighten up and fly right,
Straighten up and stay right,
Straight up and fly right,
Cool down, Pappa, don't you blow your top.

-Nat King Cole, "Straighten Up and Fly Right"

By this time tomorrow, I would probably be driving off to another remote location for work, a place where the address is a highway mile marker (that's a first). Even though business travel can be awfully tiring, I do like to take a look at how life is in different parts of the country, even if only for a short time. Another bonus is that I get to collect those frequent flier miles.

As of last week, I finally travelled enough to get my free flight from Southwest. Instead of wasting my free ticket for somewhere fairly local, I decided that I want to head over to Philly to visit a friend who is there for school. I've never been there before, so I figured it would be a good destination. I've been trying to plan this thing for a while, and was quite excited about going until a few days ago, when I found out a case I'm working on has been assigned a trial date at the same time I wanted to go on this trip.

I felt like I was about blow a gasket at that point.

Oh well...it is possible that I may end up going at a different time, or if that doesn't work out, I might switch to a different location. New York is another place I'm considering, as I did not get enough time to really see the place the last time I was there, and I really miss the friends who are now living there.

I'll open this up to you guys--what's there to do/see in Philly? What are some other places you'd like to use your free ticket on? Other suggestions/comments? Fire away.

Phoenix

Just got back from another work trip, this time from Phoenix, AZ. It was quite a challege, both professionally and sartorially. Deciding what to pack was rather difficult, since the weather of the two places I shuttled between could not be more different--it's in the 60s in LA, while the rental car's thermometer measured 95-97 in Phoenix (and I was actually told that is actually "nice weather" and "unseasonably cool" for this time of the year, which is usually in the triple digits). On top of that, I had to stay an extra day, which I didn't plan for.

For my work outfits, I made do with everything I brought with me. Good thing I travelled with an extra pair of shoes and a pair of flip-flops (for walking around my hotel room). The footwear really helped make the outfits look different. The only reason why I actually had to shop was because my PJs kept me too warm, and I had to find something lighter to sleep in during the second night. I ended up finding something fabulously great for $1.07. More on that next time.

Here's my wardrobe remix, starting from the time I left the office and headed straight for the airport. I decided to wear flats to make security checks easier, and kept the pumps in my duffle. I had planned out my work outfit for the second day, but the post-work outfit (on Day 1) and the Day 2 work outfit were improvisations.

[Items remixed: F21 coat, Vivienne Westwood Red Label drapey blouse, Express tank, Citizens of Humanity Catalina jeans (almost forgot I had them; they were so comfortable for the flight), Bloch London flats, BCBG green sleeveless top, Forever 21 pants, Calvin Klein pumps, Bobbi Brown for Havianas flip-flops, Issac Mizrahi for Target cardigan.]








I'm just glad to be home.

Business Travel: Home(wood) Suite Home

One thing I dislike about travel is having to eat out. Trying out new restaurants may seem fun at first, but after a few meals, I'm sick of the grease, even from the "healthier" options. Worst of all, eating out is just plain expensive. In the past, I have cut down on breakfast costs by a) eating the free breakfasts at hotels, or b) stocking up on bagel, buns, and granola bars where the free breakfast is not available. However, without a refrigerator, the other meals are hard to manage. There is usually a microwave in the vending areas, but what good is that if there isn't a spot to keep food fresh?

In the past, I have enjoyed my stays at the Hampton Inn, which is pretty comfortable and provides great breakfast and snack options. I remember that when I checked in, there were fresh baked cookies at the check-in desk. That was pretty nice. The Marriott Courtyard hotel is another good option as far as being big, new, comfortable, and quiet, but there is no free breakfast. This week, I heard learned of another good option: an attorney indicated that the Homewood Suites is actually a pretty good option for the same price as other hotels, and it has even more amenities. The one that was "reviewed" was fairly new and quiet, came with meals that people could order off a menu (which came at no additional costs...wow), and had a kitchenette in the room. That is definitely an option I'll consider for my future business trips.

Anyone have experiences with the Homewood Suites? What are your favorite hotels for travel, business and otherwise? Any special perks? Do tell.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Ah, the first day of Spring. Being a city girl, such a day would have been like any other, since I wouldn't have been able to see the signs of change. I just knew that the weather would be nice, so I wanted to wear something more suitable for the Spring/Summer season. A new seersucker striped top that I picked up recently from the BCBG outlet seems to do the trick--light and carefree, but dresses up well:


Since I was in a rural area today, I was actually able to see the rolling green hills and miles upon miles of blooming poppies. The flowers are not in full bloom yet, but the fields are already pretty. Imagine what it would be like when the fields are filled with orange blossoms.


[Ray Bans, BCBG top and skirt, L'Autre Chose navy patent leather flats. Worn with Issac Mizrahi for Target cardigan for work.]

Weekday/Weekend: The Funky Dress

I am incorrigibly attracted to stripes. I just can't help it--stripes are so simple, but they add pizzazz and they're just so easy to wear. When I went to a local boutique last weekend, I was drawn to yet another striped piece on the half-off racks--a dress with black, gray, and hot pink stripes. Stripes again?!? At least the stripes are vertical!

This dress is obviously fun and very comfortable to wear. What I really love about it is the potential to rework it for work. The batwing sleeves and drapey collar, not to mention the hot pink stripes, would contrast very well with conservative pieces, while the black and gray stripes keep the wildness factor a bit more tamped down. I think the dress would look funky yet professional with a cardigan or a blazer, but if it needs to be toned down more, a well-fitting pencil skirt will do the trick.

Here's how I wore it on the weekend:


[Miu Miu silver framed sunglasses, 'T ain't dress, Michael Kors leather hoodie, Target tights and bag, vintage boots]

Here's how I wore it for a deposition. I had to look professional, but since I have been working in a relatively remote area and the drive is very long, I wanted to wear something fun and not too constricting. That's why I decided to pair the dress with a charcoal gray blazer, a black skirt, and black pumps.


[Ray Bans, 'T ain't dress, BCBG blazer, secondhand skirt (from clothing swap), Payless pumps]