Monday, July 4, 2011

Swing

When was the last time you were on a swing? I remember I screamed "higher..higher..." when I was little taking the swing...Happy Monday!


Top: Club Monaco
Skirt: H&M
Belt: Jcrew
Bag: Coach

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Every day shoes


My new every-day shoes have arrived. Before, I always have mixed feelings toward Tod's flats. Why? Once I was in its store in Rome, the salesperson wore a pair of orange loafers which looked fantastic so I asked her to bring the same pair in my size. When I tried it on, it didn't look bad but it just didn't look as fabulous as that on her...... I finally realized what's the difference - that salesperson was 178 cm tall while I was a mere 164. The 14 cm translated to the different length of our legs. Out of upset, I swore off Tod's flats for several years though it had nothing to do with Tod's. I actually sticked to heels/wedges during that period. Gladly I am over the childish era and now I truly embrace what I have. 


This is another beauty from Miu Miu. Though I like it a lot, I have to return it because the strips actually eat in my feet. This pair is supposed to be another everyday sandals; however, I feel it hurts even by trying them on. It doesn't seem the patent leather will give in in a short time. Bye bye Miu Miu.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Waiting for lunch

My boyfriend's mom is visiting us from Russia; sometimes she brings us lunch. Lunch on the grass is the best! Here I am patiently(impatiently) waiting for my lunch.


Top: Ann Taylor
Jeans: Banana Republic

Wedges: Jessica Simpson

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Office Appropriate


Despite all the inappropriate outfits I have sported in the office, sometimes I want to dress as an elegant office lady. However, it's tricky to do so in the summer. First, it's so hot that I can't bear to wear a suit. Second, as I am concerned, there is still some conservative working environment where females are not encouraged to wear open-toe sandals or no-sleeved dress. The combination of a soft-colored short-sleeved top with a white pencil skirt fits the purpose well. It's visually (and actually) airy so you don't feel hot. It has all the right elements (sleeves, length of the skirt) so you don't feel too exposed. Mission accomplished.



Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Jcrew
 Shoes: Nine West

Monday, May 23, 2011

Dear my love Adeline, Happy Birthday - welcome to my box!

I did something bad. With my extremely busy schedule, I forgot my dearest friend's birthday. There is a Chinese saying "Bring the whip to the person who you want her forgiveness " ( I am pretty sure it is so wrong but hey, it's my blog) . So here I am, Dear Adeline, I come with a whip , please punish me for forgetting your birthday and neglecting your email. I am an asshole.

She is one of my best friends.  Me, her and a small cutie, Amerie, we were "Charles' Angels" in my graduate school. Both girls are my love.

It's hard to describe Adeline. Yes, she has a very pretty face (if she is willing to lose her glasses) but sometimes I am not sure if she is a man trapped in a woman's body - she likes sports and plays all well than majority of men. She likes 3C products. She watches too many movies that some movie critics should feel ashamed of themselves. Most importantly, She eats a lot ....and as fast as a man. However, at the same time, she is way more girlie than I am (not saying I myself am a good benchmark). She speaks soft all the time....mmmm...that's pretty much about all of her girliness.

It's love at first sight - me and her clicked so much. We spent all our classes (or the classes we were supposed to attend but didn't) laughing at our classmates. In short, we were the mafia in the class. One of my classmates who we became very close told me afterwards "I am so afraid to speak up in the class because everytime I did so, you and Adeline would stare at me and instantly said something to each other so I always think you were making fun of me." Dude, you were correct. We did laugh at you.

Yep, that's us. We spent 1.5 years living 2 seconds from each other. She was and still is my best support. I can count on her at eveything. Though she always tries to pursuade me of watching some movies which I dislike (did I mention she was a major movie junkie?) , I love her soooooo much!

A belated birthday wish - dear Adeline baby, Happy Birthday. Wish you all the best of the deepest of my heart.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A love story - a man who worked in Walmart ...and turns out to be more than that

Several years ago when I was still a graduate student.

"Do you know there is a handsome Russian in our PhD program?" my classmate asked me.
"Nope but I don't like PhDs. They are nerds." 

Weeks later, I went to a happy hour hosted by my school. My friend and I stood in the corner happily judging everyone; she suddenly pointed at one man : "Hey check him out!"

That was a handsome blonde man - I never saw him before.
"hohoho very cute!"
"Yeah but he is so weird. He is not our student; he works in Walmart."
"How do you know he works in Walmart?"
"Last time I was introduced to him and his friends said he worked in Walmart but he shows up in every happy hour."

A freebie for our drinks I sense.

Later that night when I was standing at the bar that blond walked toward me. He spoke with an European accent "Hey, how are you?"
"I am okay."
"What's your name? Are you a MBA?"
"My name is Karen. First year MBA. How about you?"
"My name is Egor; I am a PhD."
Please, first, all PhDs are nerds. As far as I am concerned, this one is nothing like a nerd...Second, I am glad that I have heard you are a bullshitter who works for Walmart "Oh suresuresure, where are you from?"
"Russia."....wow
"Why do you want to come for PhD?"
"Who is your advisor?"
"How do you feel about Walmart?"
.....

Anyway, I did my best to investigate him because I wanted him to reveal his true identity as a Walmart employee. The mission failed - he insisted on himself being a PhD.

The next morning when I woke up, I got an email from him.......suddenly I jumped up "he has my school email address...so he is really in our PhD program." And for fuck's sake, he is a Russian PhD? He IS THE HANDSOME RUSSIAN PHD MY CLASSMATE MENTIONED!

We went out the following night and the following night....
The rest is history and today is our fourth year anniversary.

To my baby, my love, my heart.











Wednesday, April 20, 2011

kid's clothes

 

I have been shamelessly purchasing clothing from kids department recently. First of all, it came in my size. Second, kid's clothing usually comes in more vibrant colors, the trend of this season. Third, they are way cheaper.

It started as one day I got a Boden kid catalog in which the teen models looked way taller than me - "lets check the measurement" and surprisingly found I could easily fit into the 14-year-old girl clothing. So, I instantly bought three pairs of color jeans. I was looking for color skinny jeans for long time; I had an eye on the ones of Jbrand but couldn't bring myself to spend $176*3 colors because I don't actually know how often I will wear them.

Moreover, yesterday when I shopped in GAP baby for my niece, I picked up a very cute yellow tutu skirt (when I was young, my parents loved to dress me like a carpenter; I think they thought that was adorable) and on my way to pay, voila! I found an exactly the same skirt which came in my size, a tutu skirt which could heal my still-broken heart for lusting for one in my youth while never getting any. As a result, I bought two!


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Banana + Tomato

One thing I like about American culture: they don't give a damn about what you wear. Women in their fifties want to wear mini skirts - go ahead! Men want to bear love handles - be my guest! It took me such a long time to adjust to this American concept - you are your own boss: do whatever you want to do; then of course, wear whatever you want to wear. For example, I was unable to comfortably wear a low cut top when I was in Taiwan because I feel people staring at me on the street when I dared to do so. On the same token, I never wore too vivid color in Taiwan. Yeshyesh, as a humble Chinese, I very much embrace my conservative side.

So, today's outfit is a first to me. Maybe too much color...a real banana mixed with tomato..but hey, nobody raised a brow in mall today!


HM top and pants
Gap ballet flats, Jcrew belt 

Some outfits from weekdays.

Zara blazer and sweater
Giordano flats

Jcrew cardigan
BR dress

BR trench, HM top
Uniqlo jeggings, Coach flats

Monday, April 11, 2011

Blackjack Ball

I never had a prom in high school, considering the fact that I attended an all-girl high school. Maybe it's not a good excuse, you still can invite boys from an all-boy high school. Anyway, it was not an IT thing to have proms at that moment. The only thing close was a dance party where I was in my t-shirt.

On Friday, I finally got the chance wearing my long gown with my man who was so handsome in suit. Hell yah!!



Thursday, April 7, 2011

Spaetzle

I made a cool side dish, spaetzle, last night. Actually I had it first time in Gramercy Tavern the past weekend. It isn't hard at all so you should try it. The recipe I used was from here.

The only difference is that I didn't use colander to push the batter; I used a plastic bag and cut a small hole at the corner and pushed the batter out. According to the recipe, it is unpleasant to push the batter on top of a pot of boiling water but I happen to like it;  it gave me weird pleasure to watch spaetzleblob "pu-tong" drop into water and to me, it was not that hot. After making the spaetzle, I cut bacon into small pieces, fried it, added minced shallots and added it to the fried spaetzle.

Spertzle, marinated pork chop and asparagus salad made a good dinner for my bf while I still had my routine of great snacks.


Theory shirt, Elie Tahari blazer
pants and shoes bought from Taiwan

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bull in heels

I lost my ability to walk in high heels. During my trip back to Taiwan, I wore flats almost everyday except in weddings. This morning when I put on the high-heeled boots, it took me seconds to balance and walk normally. I like to wear high heels not only for lengthening my figure but also for creating a sophisticated image. I walk in a very fast pace. On one hand, it is time saving; on the other hand, it's far away from being elegant. I believe somewhere out there, some women can manage to walk fast and elegantly at the same time but it's just not me.



HM sweater, Hollister shirt
Vintage leather jacket, Theory pants

Monday, April 4, 2011

Back to US

I become super lazy after coming back to US. I blame this on jet lag, spring fever and homesick. I couldn't fall asleep at the first night even after 28-hour flight + wait in the lounge + mean American custom officer tricking me with ambiguous questions ("How long do you plan to stay in US?" "m...as long as your government allows." "You can't. The working visa only gives you 3-year duration one time!" What a fucking asshole!) Anyway, I am in US safe and sound now (oh, I even made a NYC trip the past weekend on top of my laziness).

This Taiwan trip was marvelous. On a scale of 1-10 of how happy I was, I gave it 1000. Though I missed my baby very much the entire trip, it was so nice being with my family, meeting my new niece who liked to grab my hair, hence some hair went missing, and hanging out with my best friends. After getting to certain age, I found myself cherish my family and old friends more and more. These are people to whom I can talk freely and share my deepest feelings with. More importantly, these are people who I can say "remember ......you .....we ....that's so stupid." They are my heart and my soul. I love them so much.

Enough sensitivity, the food in Taiwan was so amazing. Of course it was always great but it tasted even better than it did in my memory because of 5-year living aboard in a rural place where I am the cook. Of course, during these 5 years, I still travel to New York City a lot where as long as you have money, good food is quite accessible. However, some food is hard to replicate aboard so that's why it's called home flavor. Moreover, it is way more expensive to have food of the same quality in US than in in Taiwan.

On a separate note, do you think I will post pictures? With the excess weight gain during the trip, I don't think so. I am still waiting for my friends to send me pictures that was taken in the beginning of the trip (aka, no round face and okay waistline). They promise it will come at any moment...

My dad and I were in the wedding

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Greetings from Taiwan

Greetings from Taiwan!! I have been in this lovely island for the past 5 days and feeling very much freshened up. As anticipated, I have a very screwed up schedule due to aging. Jet lag seems to stay with me all the time and I have zero power to get rid of it. I feel sleepy at the weirdest timing.

I have been enjoying every bit of this trip. For example, I just finished 3 delicious slices of cakes (different tastes) with a price of 5 USD and plan to have an extravagant brunch for 4 USD. The only thing worth of complaints is that I made a strategic mistake in the beginning. I packed four pairs of tight jeans, super tight jeans and leather pants for the thought of being a trendy global trotter. With the gourmet journey, I have a handle aggressively developed around my mid-section. It coincides with the bottom zipper so everyday I feel painful to zip up my jeans; even worse, after zipping, I feel I am wearing a corsage.

There is so much more to this trip but right now pardon me for going to bed at 6:50 am. Oh another quick update, my beloved just told me we got another bat in the house. Actaully, he emailed me "hey btw, we got another one" with the title "Bat." Though for some mysterious reasons, when I requested more details over phone, he behaved like he just talked to the lawyer "what bat? I didn't see any. Did you?"

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Bat in my house

I would like to share with you a true story that almost made me shxx in my pants situation.

It happened on Saturday night. My boyfriend and I went to a fun party and after going back home, I was very much beaten up so I went to bed directly while my energetic watched a movie next to me.

Suddenly he woke me "hey, wake up, there is a bird in the room."
I opened my eyes and saw a small, black thing circling in the bedroom "oh, what the hell." I closed my eyes "bad bird!"
The energetic jumped out of bed and said "get up, get up, we have to fish it out. It just landed."
"But I don't want to. I am very tired." I said.
"Come on come on."
You know this kind of energy was very contagious so eventually I got up and went to bedroom door where the energetic was standing.
"So where is that bad bird?"
"Behind the curtain."
He went over to shake the curtain; nobody came out so I decided to throw some small goods toward it.

Something fell on the floor. Oh my dear lord, it was a bat. An animal I saw in the movie or in the zoo where I commented "he must have all the blood in the brain."
From that moment on, all my hair stood up and I started screaming "get it out get it out."

Eventually my brave man got it out but I had all sorts of nightmares that night all related to bats. We did some research on bats and found out the presence of bat in a house is not uncommon in America since they are like the rat in attic so it's easy to find their trace in old houses. The next day we started to search for all possible entrances since research indicated that unlike birds, bats don't come in house through open windows - they use the indoor path.

Found it! In one of our closets next to bathroom, there was a long and lean gap (too slim for me but definitely good enough for a troop of bats). It is fixed now but right now I always am very cautious when I open that storage room, worrying that there may be this little creature hung there and say "hey how you doing." Bastards!

BTW, share with you about the Chinese saying about bats. If you find it in your house, it means good luck is coming. It is hard to explain so how about you don't ask :) And please don't ask for the evidence of bats, i.e. pics. I don't have it and I am glad I am near-sighted. All I know they don't look like batman.

HM sweater, leather leggings
AX coat

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Count Down

Hiyo, have I shared with you how excited I am? I am going home in 4 days for a 2-week vacation, during which, I am going to attend two of my best friends' weddings. Since they are my best friends, what role I will be? Of course maid of honor! Moreover, we are having a bachelorette party - each person is bringing her dog to the party. Hey, it sounds lame and not bachelorette party at all but I promise it will be fun!

Jcrew top, Ann Taylor cardigan
Tracey Reese coat

Friday, March 4, 2011

Loose top is the king

Sometimes I like to size up sweater. A belt can be used to create curve while today I prefer a relaxed, loose top matching with two of my current favorites -  big flower necklace and leather leggings.

HM sweater and leggings,
Boden necklace 

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Spring is coming


Spring is coming - though the temperate told me not really. I feel the urge to wear a flowy top and cropped khaki. If I have an apple-green hat, I will wear it. The balloon I held in my hand was from the flower I gave my bf on his B-day. It was exactly Xmas. Till now, it still rests on our ceiling. One day when I opened door, I found it wandered in the hallway. So I was like "oh bad boy, come in come in" and took it back home. It doesn't have a lot of air inside but it's still pretty cute to my taste.

It strikes me that I should have put on a pair more colorful shoes. Next time...

HM top, AF khaki

Monday, February 28, 2011

Black and white

For several weeks I have been absorbing lots of fashion senses from runway and street styles which have been intensified by fashion weeks. I have to say it definitely adds a lot of unnecessary and unpractical purchases. For example, after seeing an array of leather pants worn by models or fashion editors and bloggers, I couldn't help but made my first and second purchase of leather pants. Yes, leather pants are great! However, the point here is that if I live in a big city or work in any creative environment, I have no problem of wearing leather pants matching with leopard print pumps (hey, how about a fur coat on top). Neither works for me for the current moment, or at least for another year. My preferred outfit works from 8 am to 9 am and it is hung on the back of my office door, replaced by more appropriate work outfit, and it re-appears after work. If I don't meet up friends after work, it will be another 20 minutes before it's going back to closet.

This is what I am wearing today -- it's actually a little above the threshold but I am still in it now. Compared with leather pants, this is nothing! Hat is also good friend of bad hair :)

HM jacket & hat , GAP jeans

a scarf I bought in India



Another picture I took during weekend. It stroke me that I never ever lived in dorm in my whole life. Other than my family and my boyfriend, I never share my apartment with anyone. Not saying I feel regret but I do feel I missed something. 

Living with your family or your bf is easy. I am in my pajama or often times just a big tshirt when I am home. Dorm outfit is supposed to be good to go to bed instantly while appropriate to answer your door without feeling under-dressed, presumable cute as well. This is my take - a comfortable romper with a colorful cardigan.

F21 romper and cardigan
Jcrew ballet flats


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Technology Shock

Technology shock is a term used in Economics to describe an aggregate production function being affected by certain events. In my case, it is a simple fact that I am shocked by any technology device. My I-phone recently started giving me headache. The battery only lasts for 5 hours and it kisses me good night. It means on average, I have to charge it 4 times a day. It's okay if I stay at home or in office but I can imagine it will be a pain in the ass if I am on road. It's an one-and-half year phone!

Today's outfit: sequins, stripe, khaki and sky-high heels (to me:)



F21 cardigan, Jcrew shirt
YSL scarf, AF khaki