At the crossroads

Wow. It's crazy to log in after not doing so for months...and find out just how many months have passed by. Life had gotten very busy, and my priorities have changed. While my enthusiasm for photography and style hasn't changed, I certainly haven't been following fashion quite as much (a product of having less time), while my love for cooking has grown. These changes have forced me to think about whether it is time to take the blog in a different direction, or give this blog a proper farewell. Since this outlet of expression has been fun, and I've put in a lot of thought and energy into this blog, I've been dragging my feet on whether to pull the trigger. Suddenly, I have a reason for giving this blog at least a last hurrah. I now have the fun yet stressful and daunting task of planning the biggest party of my life...on a budget, of course. I'm shocked to find out how much a wedding costs, particularly in the LA area. While I have a lot of ideas on how to keep costs down (namely, a lot of DIY's), I already find myself having to make difficult decisions on limiting the guest list, which is extremely difficult given the number of good friends I have. Yet, I'm confident that my equally budget-conscious Mr. Right and myself will be able to pull this off--we absolutely refuse to incur debt like some people around us have done. Some of my friends have been able to put together a fabulous wedding without breaking the bank, so I'll be consulting with them for sure. So, for the final season, I bring to you Hot Off the Sales Rack: The Wedding Special. :-P

Trials and Tribulations

My dear readers,

I've travelled both near and far to 2 different countries within 30 days. Who would have thunk that? I would have posted more pictures of my travels, but unfortunately I'm in a rather busy and rough patch of life right now. I just need to take some time away get my groove back, and then I'll be able to get back to doing what I do best--take pictures and tell stories.

Be well!

Programming Note

In the month of June, I'll be pulling a disappearing act again. With 3 trial dates in as many months, and 2 brief trips out of the country in that same span of time, I'm gonna be pretty busy. I have no idea if I'll do any June posts, and if I do, whether it'll be at all relevant to the general subject matter of this blog, but one thing's for sure--you'll be seeing pictures of an exotic location in the near future.

The Show Will Go On

Hi Everyone! The next to the last time you heard from me, I was trying to decide the fate of this blog. A lot was going on in my life at that time, and a lot more was expected to go on in the ensuing months, so I decided to take a break.

As you can surmise from the title, I decided that I will keep blogging.

A lot did actually happen in the last few months, some fairly significant life changes, in fact. There were some things that needed my more immediate attention, since there was a very finite amount of time for it. Now that the changes have occurred, and I'm trying to adjust to life in the "aftermath," I'm trying to regain a balanced life. It will have to start with getting back into all the things that I once enjoyed doing, such as crafting, various hobbies and activities, and of course, blogging.

The theme of living stylishly in an affordable fashion won't change. However, I will be shopping a lot less, as I have more important things to save up for now. There will still be plenty of material to write about, since I did pick up a few things months ago and never got a chance to write about it. There'll be a renewed focus on trying to carve out a personal style in a professional setting, and now I'll have a new and brighter location to shoot pictures in! There will also be more posts about travel, as I will be doing quite a bit of that in 2010. Most trips will be short, but the one at the end of this year/beginning of next year will be longer.

Thank you so much for all of your support. Here's to new and exciting content!

Suspended Belief

I think this is the longest period of time that I've gone without posting ever since this blog started. I'm still around! There's been a lot going on in my life--some good, some bad, others somewhere in between. I still have plenty of material to post about, but it's hard to find the time to take pictures and write about it. Quality control matters to me (even if the blog is just for fun), and I would hate to slap something together just for the sake of having something to post about.

Simply put, there are a few things in my life right now that will have to take priority over blogging, at least in the next couple of months. I never thought the day would come, but I now have to contemplate whether to continue this blog. I haven't lost the zeal for blogging, but doing a good job demands much time and effort. If I decide to continue, it may take a new direction, it may not...I just don't know right now. Future posts may involve a lot more words and fewer pictures, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. All I know is that I'm not ready to shut it down at this point. In any event, I think the long break has been good for my off-line life. Once I get a new GorillaPod for my camera (the pod is currently broken), it'll also make it easier to take pictures. There are a few upcoming opportunitites for some cool posts, such as a picture-taking expedition around the city. I'm looking forward to it!

Whatever I end up deciding to do, I want to say Thanks to everyone who have been reading. I really enjoy interacting with all of you and reading your blogs. You guys are just amazing. Thanks!

Blah.

Blogging will probably slow to a crawl for the next month or two. Unfortunately, I don't have much time or energy to do much of anything these days; I don't think I have been this exhausted for quite some time, and I can't quite figure out why even after accounting for work. I'm just gonna take it easy for a few weeks.

In other news, I finally got the frickin' amazing grayscale colorblock tights in the mail from the UK. (Still waiting for the crazy alphabet tights, which are back-ordered). The gradation between the bottom two panels are awesome, though I don't see much difference between the top two, perhaps because I'm not tall enough to stretch them out as they should be. But they are still frickin' amazing, and I'm just hoping the weather will cool down enough this weekend for me to play with them. It's been 90-100 degrees this week. We're expecting a lull for a few days, and then the big oven will turn back on again. Sigh...

In the meantime, check out how Susie Bubble makes them work. When I bought the tights, I had no clue what I was going to do with them; they were just cool, and I figured I'll figure something out. When Susie's post came out, I was totally stoked and got a few ideas. As much as I'm tempted to get one of the colored ones, which looks great on her, I don't think I can pull them off like Susie. She rocks them like nobody's business.

Facelift

As you may have noticed, I gave the blog a fresh coat of paint and a new banner. Somehow I have been blogging for close to 5 full years (come September) and didn't even know it. Other than putting up a new banner during the second year of the blog's existence, I pretty much left everything else alone. However, as time went by, my tastes changed somewhat, and the blog no longer looked as exciting as it once did.

Redoing the layout has been rather challenging, as I had to troubleshoot a bit of code at a time. This is the first time I have used a "liquid layout," so if you see that font or margins are unusually big or otherwise strange, please let me know. Thanks!

Thrifting Jackpot: The Others

The last 2 items I got from my big thrifting haul finally came back from the dry cleaner's. The first is going to be a good transitional staple. The second is definitely weekend-only material, and boy is it fun.

The oversized brocade coat looks handmade--it was not lined, and there were no labels. I'm a very tactile-oriented person, and the texture of the patterns is certainly interesting. I was initially hesitant about buying it because of the huge size, but once I tried it on, my doubts vanished. While it is many sizes bigger than me, it is oversized in the right way. The back drapes gracefully like a cape. It looks great belted as well, though I have yet to wear it out that way. I paired it with more modern grayscale pieces for a Friday work outfit.

[circle pendant necklace--gift, Forever 21 tunic with side twist (trust me, it looks way better than pictured), Helmut Lang slim-legged pants (still way too long, but looks great cuffed and works in lieu of leggings for a professional look), thrifted coat, Payless pumps]





The last item was something I literally picked up on my way to the cash register. I was browsing the racks on my way out with my roommate when I saw the skirt and said, "take a look at this!" A blue leather skirt. How ridiculous is that? Nonetheless, I couldn't help but try it on and found that it fits in more ways than one. It costs nearly 4 times the price of the skirt (which was $7) to get it cleaned, but I think it's well worth it because of how cool it is. Since this is obviously not office-wear, it's not something that will require that many trips to the dry cleaner's. If I can find a leather cleaner that I can work with myself, I'll save some money.

Wearing a leather skirt, especially a blue one, is tricky. Leather is very rocker-chic, so it's natural to turn to some rock-and-roll accessories, but wearing too many "tough" items at once would be overkill. Also, a blue leather skirt is such an unusual piece that it deserves to shine on its own. Since I needed to head to the hair salon for a quick trim, I couldn't wear anything fancy up top anyway, so I went with a simple black beater. I went with a couple of pieces of simple metallic jewelry, but decided to forego the boots in favor of more laid-back sandals and a straw fedora. It was a hot and sunny day, after all.

[Urban Outfitters fedora, dagger necklace made by me, Kenneth Cole cuff (bought from the Minneapolis Macy's for $5), Forever 21 beater ($1 from the FIDM store), vintage blue leather skirt ($7), Sigerson Morrison sandals]



On a programming note, I am getting increasingly busy with work (yes, on the weekends too), so if I don't reply to comments, please don't take it personal. I don't expect the frequency of posting to change that much, but if I'm gone for an extended period of time, now you know why.

Busy Little Bee

There probably won't be a post for a while. I'm absent, but not entirely gone. It's just that I am really, really busy at the moment. In the meantime, take care, and may the economy take a turn back to the bright side.

Attention to Details

I know that it must be infuriating sometimes for you to squint to see the details in some pictures. I know I have been, but I didn't know how to fix the problem until now.

For months, I couldn't figure out why clicking on the pictures on the posts do not result in a pop-up of the full-size image the way it used to. I finally have some time to research the issue. Apparently rearranging pictures by the drag-and-drop method results in this problem. This problem can be worked around by cutting and pasting the HTML code; moving the code around physically is easy enough to do, but it takes a little longer to execute. I tried this out for pictures in the last 2 posts, and it works.

I'll probably continue using the drag and drop function in the interest of saving time, especially when the details are pretty clear-cut from the smaller-sized picture. However, for details that I think will be better appreciated in a blow-up, I'll make sure to undertake that extra editing effort.

After the Flood

So many ideas, so little time. A flood of things have kept me busy lately, including work, chores I didn't get to do because of work, jetsetting for work in the next few days, catching up on more work, a flood, and things I didn't get to do because of the flood. And yes, when I said "flood," I meant a literal flood. Of water. In my apartment. Fortunately, the aforementioned actual torrent is no longer around, thanks in part to the good folks from the LAFD and one civilian cleaning professional. Although my personal space escaped unscathed, this unexpected event is pushing me to get rid of my junk and clutter, such that both the soiled and unsoiled areas can be thoroughly cleaned. I really should have done this a long time ago.

Regular posting will resume when the tide of things to do recedes. That'll take maybe another week or so. Next time I'll talk about the latest installment of the Mike & Chris sample sale. I only managed to go for a quick peek due to the flood, but at least I got to go.

If Only Time Was Free

Free time. What's that?

I have quite a bit of work on top of travelling for work to do this week (just came home after hours of work and driving), so I won't be doing any posting until next week. Since my other pending work trip later this week involves 2 very, very, very long drives to and fro, I might be a bad girl and reward myself with a stop by a normally faraway outlet, which happens to be on my way home. Every traveller needs a rest stop every now and then, right? ;-) [UPDATE: work trip got cancelled, but lots of work remains. I'll miss the outlet, but I'll also miss the traffic, so I guess it's even.]

Toodles!

Happy Labor Day!

I hope that all the Stateside folks will enjoy a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! I'll be having a little fun but doing lots of work--since I'll be flying out of state next week, I'll need to get caught up on work and errands before I take off. This means (probably) no new posts until another week and a half later.

To salute the hardworking folks who keep this country (and if the folks are not in this country, then in other parts of the world) running, I decided to have a sale in my shop. For the folks that have to forego a vacation and go with a staycation, it'll be a nice little treat.

Have a great holiday!

The Tricks of Bags (addendum)

Thanks for all your comments on my bag post. It was good to get independent viewpoints on the frontrunners. However, I will hold off on the bag purchase for a while.

I've been seesawing between the hunter green and the navy blue. When I finally decided that the hunter green is probably more suitable to my budget and needs, it was already sold. Blasted! Also, there are some pretty good sales at this time of the year, so I think I will scour them first. If I'm plunking down money on something lasting, I figured it would be better if I can see, feel, and carry the bag before deciding to buy it. I might go to the famous Barney's warehouse sale in Santa Monica for once.

If I can't find anything at the Barney's sale, I'll wait until early September. I'll be in Minneanapolis for a work thing. My co-worker and I are so ready to hit the Mall of America.

HTTP 900 Error

The lifespan of some blogs is somewhat like a bell curve: exponential postings and growth in the beginning, then it plateaus at some point. Beyond that, a blog can stagnate or slowly declines into oblivion when the blogger has no time to update, loses interest, etc., or it can take a nosedive plunge into cancellation, self-destruction, whatever you want to call it.

Apparently one of the links on my blogroll turned into some porn-related site. That came at quite a shock to me, as the title of the blog (and the URL) cannot be further away from porn. Thus, if you do click on something that turns out to be a dead link or something of a "surprise," please do let me know. The landscape of Blogland changes so quickly that I can't keep up with it.

Thanks!

Still here...sort of

Sorry for the delays in posting, but I've been out of town for depositions and need to get caught up on work. I'll post again next week.

In the meantime, enjoy the sunny weather if the sun is out in your locale. And enjoy reading my favorite blogs!

Fighting the Sniffles

A lot of people around me are sick, so it was quite inevitable that I'd be next. The bugs finally have me in their clutches. Ugh.

Since my productivity dropped off in the last week AND I'm going on vacation during the President's Day weekend, I'll need to rest up and also get caught up on work. This means I won't have time to post this coming week.

Stay well, or get better soon!

The Home Stretch

This is it--just one more day to finish Christmas shopping. And this year, I will have to use it. Fortunately, I didn't leave all my shopping completely to the 11th hour.

Usually I would have finished my Christmas shopping by now, but unfortuantely, I don't have the luxury of a flexible schedule anymore. So I've been doing my shopping here and there, getting one or two things at a time. I found that I've spent a lot of time wandering around different stores and malls but coming up empty. I was starting to develop "shopper's fatigue."

As the clock ticks by, the pressure was on. Last weekend I finally knocked off a good number of names from the shopping list--it took a combination of online and good ol' fashion shopping to get things done. Throughout last week, I did some more shopping during lunch and after work. Slowly but steadily, my shopping became 90% done. I learned my lesson, though. Next year, I should do more online shopping late at night and regular shopping during regular business hours, which are far more limited. It boils down to a simple game plan of clock management.

What about the people who are still left on the list right now? There are a couple of variations of the same option. Sometime last week, an online portal had an article about how gift cards are the worst. gifts. ever., on the account of being thoughtless gifts. I completely disagree. I think gift cards are very thoughtful gifts indeed. Why should I impose my idea of what's suitable for Cousin Bob on Cousin Bob when he is the one who knows best? Let the gift recipient decide what he or she really wants. I also advocate giving cash, especially if that's what the person needs. Someone who is unemployed this holiday season may be less concerned with getting fancy gadgets than he/she is with paying for rent, utilities, and food. In that event, cash or gift cards to such places as Target or grocery stores may be particularly of help.

Of course, the downside to the cash/gift card gifts is that the gift recipient knows the exact value of what he or she is getting. This might not be so good if you can only afford to give something worth less than $10. People may say that it's the thought that counts, but unfortunately, it's not completely true.

I'm going to take a week off from blogging to regroup and recoup. I wish you all Happy Holidays. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I know that I have especially more things to be grateful for this year. May your family gatherings be happy, may the turkey come out juicy, and may you avoid being trampled by the crowds on Black Friday.

Strict Scrutiny

Hello again, folks. I apologize for not exercising due diligence when it comes to blogging for these last couple of weeks. Work got really busy, and when I come home, I have to cook, eat, and build up inventory for the holiday season. Once I get my license to sue, my crafting time would probably be drastically reduced, which is why I'm bulking up now. I'll still be blogging at least once a week, though I hope it'll be more than just the once.

OK, I'm done making excuses. On to the regular swing of things. Yesterday I actually went on a shopping spree, which is something I haven't done in a while. Another thing I haven't done in a while was to *gasp* pay full price for things. That's right, I actually paid full price. I've searched through many discounted items to find what I was looking for to no avail, and so I had to take that drastic step. You'll see what I got over the course of the next week or so, as I start wearing them.

Usually the things I buy are rather cheap, so I never had to worry about the possibility of returning them. At most, the damage would be a little snag or dirty spot--nothing that would have deterred me from buying or making the purchase not worth it. But with higher-priced items, I do worry about finding something wrong with it once I get home. If I'm going to spend more money on things, I expect them to last for a while; I don't want to think about that costly mistake every time I don my apparel.

Yes, that little phrase was totally intentional. We're getting closer and closer to the holiday shopping season, and it's time to really pay attention. When I bought a full-priced sweater from Forever 21 yesterday, I took a look at the store policy like I've never done before. To my surprise, they now allow only store credit and exchanges, no refunds. It wasn't like that before, to the best of my recollection.

I have no intention of returning my sweater, but this is good information to know when I start shopping for Christmas presents. I don't know if the policy will change for the holiday season, but that goes to show little details like this can sneak by if you don't pay attention. This isn't limited to Forever 21--other stores have either changed their policy permanently or roll out special policies just for the holidays. You certainly don't want your family and friends to be stuck with gifts that they don't want or can't use. Just something to think about when you start gift shoppinig.