Hair issues.

Due to my hair rut, I've been wearing my hair up almost daily.  Not a bad look, but not a great look.

I don't know if you can tell how long my hair is, but it's UP and it's reaching mid-back!  Ugh.

 Please excuse my half-overexposed "bitch face."  Didn't feel like posing haha.

I do enjoy the french braid in the front to keep my greasy bangs out of my face.  Greatest hair idea EVER to whoever thought of it.  But, I can only wear it like that so often to keep the charm of it intact, haha.

I shall take a before and after picture the day I get my haircut :)

 I miss "happier hair" Kristy :(

In a rut.

Don't you hate it when your shampoo stops working for you?

Well, it's finally happened to me after using Redken All Soft for the past, I don't know, 6 months?  So disappointing...

It was the first shampoo and conditioner set that made my hair soft AND shiny without weighing it down, causing buildup, or feeling greasy.  Now, I can't even use it two days in a row without my hair feeling weighed down.  Perhaps it's due to how long my hair has grown?  It's past mid-back now!

Well, I'm going to try and get a haircut within the next few days.  If that doesn't help me... I'm going to have to ditch my former favorite shampoo forever!

Done!

Today was my last final for the summer.  I can't believe I'll be taking my first grad. school class in a few weeks!  It's been a fun journey getting here with the rest of my COMD cohort :)

Fall quarter is going to be hell, but at least I'll be able to commiserate with others.  One thing that I know will make school a bit easier is a new laptop.  After the first couple lectures this summer, I knew I needed a laptop so that I could take faster notes during class.  I was able to find a SUPER good deal on Amazon.com for an Apple MacBook (Apple MacBook MC516LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop), though.

I was going to get it through the Apple store originally, but on Amazon I was able to get the student discount automatically, free shipping with an Amazon Prime for students account, and NO TAXES!  So basically I saved like $100.  It's still expensive, but it'll help when I have to take copious amounts of notes in the graduate classes.  And it'll get me through boring breaks between classes :)

Can't wait for my upcoming vacations!  Seriously, people, comment with recommendations for places to eat and go to while I'm in SF, Napa, and Palm Springs!  I will appreciate it so much!

Inspiration.

Such cute outfits... my most desired item is a silky, flowy button down like in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th pictures.  Second most desired item is a pair of black wedges that would look adorable with tights.

Birthday wishlist #1...

Just some ideas for my clueless boyfriend and whoever else reads my blog and buys me things, haha.

In rank order of my desire for it...

1. Sephora by O.P.I. in "Arm Candy"  
2. This Michael Kors watch, also available at Nordstrom, $225, and other retailers.
3. or this Michael Kors watch, $195.  Available at Amazon.com for $150ish.
4. or this Swatch watch, on sale!  Not as practical as the other two since it's so casual, but it's surprisingly cute--saw it on a blogger. 
5. Gift card to Nordstrom
6. Gift card to Madewell
7. Nordstrom - Remain lace racerback tank in Gray (size: small), $48.  I might want this more than the gift card, just cause it might sell out....
8. L'Oreal Lineur Intense - felt tip eyeliner in black.
9. Burberry Brit Sheer eau de toilette 

There are more things on my wishlist, but that can wait for a later post!

Shopping ban!

I've been buying way too many cheap things that all add up!  $15 shirt here, $12 skirt there, $25 shoes here, $25 shirt there.

The BF put me on a shopping ban until classes start up again (September 23.)

I'm gonna try and extend that ban for my own financial sake, haha.

You will be seeing a shopping wishlist very soon.  My birthday IS in a little over a month haha!  Gotta give people time to shop since I can't... ;)

Wrap it up.

Even though it's getting hotter as the days go on (yet the nights are getting surprisingly chillier...) I can't stop thinking about winter clothing.  One item that I can't wait to start wearing: a scarf!

I don't own any eternity/infinity/loop scarves, but I'm really liking the punch of color that this Echo French stripe knit scarf would add to any outfit.

Echo French stripe knit scarf ring (primary blue), $38.

So chic, but I would rather not spend $38 + $9 shipping on a scarf... I'm cheap when it comes to certain things haha.

A cheaper option is this other Echo scarf with smaller stripes for only $11.40 at Bloomingdales!  It doesn't come in primary blue, but Navy is close enough.

Echo Mini Spectator Stripe Infinity Loop (shown in green), $11.40.

I'm so mean...

Okay, so if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I hate awkward proposals.

Awkward proposals = in front of an audience of friends and family who are all anxiously waiting for you to say "YES!"

Perfect example:

Um... Hello videographer wearing socks with sandals.

Hello teenage cello and violin players.

Hello poor awkward girlfriend who would probably have rather had a less public proposal!  Homegirl looks like she doesn't want to be there.

Sorry if any of you know this couple, but I would not want my boyfriend to subject me to this kind of thing.  Any guy who thinks that THAT up above is romantic... ugh, I feel for you and pity your girlfriend.

As another blogger (thefrisky.com) so eloquently put it about another public proposal:

Why he decided to allow a film crew to capture this moment, I have no idea, but seeing it made me really uncomfortable. Honestly, I kind of think that viewing any proposal would be totally awkward. I get all squirmy whenever I have to watch a marriage proposal, even in movies. I think it’s because the man’s nervousness is so apparent. This is why I think all proposals should take place in private—only one person should have to witness the guy’s agitation. What do you guys think?

Chambray, sashay.

So I finally jumped on the chambray button-up bandwagon and bought this surprisingly adorable shirt from Old Navy today.  For something that I'll probably hate in a year, I didn't want to spend $100 on the J.Crew version.

I was going to get it online, but it's kind of a need-to-see-in-person thing.  It was cute in person, but the darker colors were not as cute.  Also, the Stripe Chambray is made of a thicker material than the other two colors.

Old Navy Western Chambray Shirt in Stripe Chambray, $24.50

I'll probably alternate wearing it with black skinny jeans and colorful shorts and skirts.  I just bought a bright pink bandage skirt from H&M for $12.95 that would look amazing with this.  I've been wanting a coral-colored bandage skirt, but alas, I cannot find one ANYWHERE!

Also, get 25% off with the Old Navy coupon code: ONSAVE25.  Not sure when it expires, but it was working last night.

Good weekend.

This is a late post, but this past weekend was good.  Nothing but relaxation and fun!

Golf at Birch Hills in Brea.  BBQ at a friend's in Irvine.  Pool and jacuzzi.  A live fantasy football draft (not so hot, but nobody ever keeps the same team throughout the season...)  By the way, BOO Sidney Rice for having surgery two days after I draft you!!  Ugh.

I meant to take pictures, but who wants to lug around a camera on an 18-hole course?  Not me!  Also, fantasy football live drafting is stressful, not the time for pictures.

I swear I'll put more real pictures up!  I love blogs that have a more personal feel (the blogger is present in each post), so I'm assuming other people do too.

Natural woman.

I love it when he says "woman" at around 1:22 haha.

Lovely knock offs.

I've been wanting to buy the Dolce Vita Cajun gladiator heels since they debuted a few years ago, but they were just too expensive for a girl who wears heels maybe once every two months.

As luck would have it, Target decided to knock them off, and DAMN did they do a good job!

Target's Mossimo Black "Palani" gladiator sandals in natural, $24.99

I forgot about the Dolce Vitas for a while, but KCav is always wearing them around so she renewed my love of them.  She looks a bit like a high class hooker here (I still love her <3), but if my legs looked that good I'd be wearing booty shorts every day of the week, too.

After trying on some other Mossimo shoes at Target, I decided I'm a 9.5, so I bit the bullet and ordered the knock offs!  Let's hope they work out :)

8 oz. Burger Bar - Los Angeles

One of the great things about living in Southern California is the food.  You can get the best Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, brunch, Indian, or plain old American food in pretty much any neighborhood due to the cultural diversity.  In this case, I went to Melrose Ave. for an amazing burger.  It isn't super close to my house, but it was worth the drive!

 The original 8 oz. burger (no onions).  Doesn't look that amazing before biting in....

 But O M G... then the juices start running and the special sauce delights my taste buds.

Thanks to a deal from Livingsocial.com, I got a $20 gift certificate for $10.  I was also able to get another $20 gift certificate for free just by using a certain credit card.  Even though I couldn't use both deals at the same time, I don't mind heading out here again!

Darryl and I also loved his pastrami burger (August special).  We got the kennebec fries and chorizo mac and cheese as our sides.  We were not disappointed with those either!

No picture of the fries, but you can imagine what they look like :)

Next time we'll have to get an "adult" milkshake and maybe customize our own burger.  I can't wait til then!

Work it out.

Tone It Up Tuesday: Say Goodbye to THARMS!

These girls are so adorable! I love that they're silly and engaging during their videos.

I definitely need to work on my arms, and after going to Vegas (and not exercising for those 4+ days) I need to work out my WHOLE body! I tend to work out late at night, which is probably not the best thing for my internal clock, but at least I'm working out, right? :)

Kids' names.

So one night when Darryl and I were trying to fall asleep in Vegas, we somehow got on the topic of weird kids' names.  Darryl isn't afraid to talk about the future, thankfully, so we tend to talk about things like this.  For example, what the hell are some parents thinking when they spell their kid's name NOT how it's pronounced?  There's this girl in my class who is ALWAYS getting her name mispronounced--our prof says something like "Na-kuh-she-uh" but she is always correcting him and her correction is NOT how it's spelled, like "Natalie" or something haha.

Darryl thought it would be funny if we did that to our kids since the names I like are kind of weird.  I love the name "Kayleigh" but even I don't know how to properly spell it.  If it were up to him, he'd spell it funny, and I told him, "Yeah, and then we can name our son something normal like 'Tim' to piss our daughter off!"  Darryl then decided that we could piss our son off by using a silent "p" like in pteradactyl.  Ptim!

We're weird, but that's why we get along so well :)

Life update.

I've been doing a LOT of fashion posts, so here's a personal one.

Summer classes have been stressful beyond belief!  As some of you know, I received my Bachelors in psychology in 2008 but have decided to switch to the area of communication disorders (COMD) to become a speech-language pathologist.

I just took my final for a cleft palate/CP/dysarthria class on Monday, but I barely studied for it since I was in Vegas for the 4 days leading up to it.  I drove back home on Monday morning and pretty much slept until I had to drive to class! 

My research class is all I have left, but thankfully I don't NEED to do well in it.  The rest of my grad. school cohort and I are SO over school, it's funny and sad at the same time.  We've only been taking 2 undergraduate classes this summer (albeit hard ones) and we want to die, and next quarter we're going to be taking 3 graduate level classes and 1 undergraduate class at the same time!  I think we're just unmotivated because we're already in grad. school and have been working our asses off getting straight "A"s the past year.  We deserve a break, right?

Some things to look forward to this fall (since school will suck):

• UCLA football - the BF and I always get season tickets, but our tailgating group is slowly dwindling as people move and go to grad. school.
• Cute fall clothes, hehe.  Like new boots!
• My birthday in October.
• Kacey coming back home from Japan for a little while!!  :)
• Going out drinking with classmates?  Yes, please?  We'll need it!

I planned two trips with classmates for the few weeks prior to Fall quarter.  San Francisco + Napa with one classmate, and Palm Springs with a few others.  My friend and I are planning on going to SF for one day and Napa for another.  I can't wait to eat at Blue in SF and visit a few select wineries up in Napa.  I'm SO mad that Ad Hoc will be closed when we're there, though.  Boo.

One of the Viceroy pools.

Any must-eat or must-do things in Palm Springs?  I've NEVER been as an adult so I have no idea where the hot spots are.  We're staying at the Viceroy and cannot wait to relax with drinks by the pool.  It's going to be amazing.

"Blue light"

As you know (or SHOULD know), I love Madewell.  Yes, it is expensive, but the clothes are just too perfect.  Great basic tees, cardigans, and jeans for those casual days, and lovely dresses, skirts, and blouses to dress up in.  They also offer a student discount!

I'm really into this royal blue dress that just showed up in the new arrivals.  I've been looking for a flowy royal blue racerback tank to tuck into high waisted shorts and skirts, but I've yet to find one I like.  This dress, on the other hand, is perfect all by itself--no skirt or shorts required!

Madewell "Floaty Cami Mini Dress" ($138)

For those on a budget or who want a more modest dress:

Forever 21 ($22.80 - Product Code: 2079766386)

Modcloth (Steamboat Springs dress, $49.99)

 Old Navy ($25.99 - Product #772370)

For sale: Rebecca Minkoff MAM in Wine

Hello ladies!  I know you all love designer bags just as much as I do, but I haven't used this bag in so long that I feel it is useless to keep around.

Me with the MAM + strap.

This is actually the MAB, and mine is more structured (piping around the bottom).

I have it up for sale at eBay.com, so please take a look.

Oui!

I think the idea of a promise ring is cheesy and it usually never works out (from my friends' experiences), but this would be a really cute one (Christian Dior, circa 2007).

Emma Watson's in white gold.

It makes sense that a celebrity like Emma Watson would wear it since she's young and it's kitschy and fun.  If I were younger I'd probably buy it, but I've been trying to look my age rather than like an 18-year old in puppy love.  Looking old is a bit tough considering I'm Asian, but I'm getting there.  I only got carded once out of 4 days in Vegas!

I also had a crazy dream while in Vegas that Darryl proposed.  He did a great job on the ring, but the proposal, not so much!  It was pretty funny.

The ring reminded me of this, but with more side stones:

What's weird is that this ring and the ring in the dream were rings that I never really considered something I'd like.

Back from Vegas.

I spent this past weekend in Vegas and ended up losing lots of money... but at least I had fun in the process!

I played my usual blackjack, three card poker, pai gow, and slots, but it was my first time playing craps!  It was exciting, stressful, lucrative, and wasteful, all at the same time.  I guess that's how most things are in Vegas, huh?  I was SUPER stressed when I was rolling because some people had hundreds out on the table.  I did an okay job at rolling, but Darryl's sister was so good once that 2 people gave her money!  She was also the only one who didn't end up down $300+ for the weekend haha.

I should have stopped the first night while I was up, or I should have at least gone shopping one day to turn my money into a physical possession...

Some items that have been on my mind (and I should have bought):

• Anything by Yumi Kim.  Sadly all of her cute prints/tops are gone for the season (e.g. that cute top below).

• A new pair of boots to prepare for fall.

Preferably something in black.  

I love my Dolce Vita boots in brown (above), so I "need" something tall in black.  

"Need" as in "want" of course.  :)

• A gold watch is STILL on my mind, sigh.

Centerpieces

This one is a little bit too simple because it's monotone, but that can easily be changed by using different pots, or a different bowl, or different flowers.  Sadly, I do not like butterflies.  They're too tween birthday party-esque.  Blech.

This one is more my taste, but the colors are also a bit too bland.  Also too much stem is showing for the flowers.  Good inspiration, though.

"Rock that body"

Since I'm bored and unmotivated to study, I figured I'd look up my favorite hot men on the internet haha.  I was inspired by my classmates who were looking up their favorite hot actors yesterday in class.

I don't really want to rank them, but Ryan Gosling used to be my #1.  Now, eh, he's probably #2.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was always a fave, even when he was a geeky teen.

Last but not least, Justin Nozuka.  I'm not really feelin the long hair he's been rockin lately, but when he first came onto the scene, I loved him with a shaved head!  I also love how he always calls his fictional song girls "darlin'."  It's adorable.

"The only exception"

Lately I've been wanting to invest in a watch, but all of the ones I like are kind of trendy.  Trendy being oversized, gold, and flashy, haha.  Oh, and super expensive!

Case in point:

Michael Kors Men's Oversized Watch, $250.

But how gorgeous is that?  It's the perfect accessory for any outfit.  If I could do the hipster look I'd definitely wear the watch with Matt Bernson gladiator sandals, ripped jean shorts, a slouchy racerback tank, and a fedora/panama hat.  The hotness.  Too bad I don't do hipster.  I can do the watch, though! :)

Tanks by Alexander Wang
Sandals by Matt Bernson

I've been trying to take advantage of the Amazon Prime free trial for college students, but it's been tough finding clothing and shoes I like on such a vast website.  I decided to look for very specific items, and found another Michael Kors watch I've tried on for $50 cheaper than retail!

 

Available at Nordstrom.com for $225.  Available at Amazon.com for $175. 

Since it's a midsized watch it's much more universally flattering than the trendier oversized watches.  I've tried on the oversized and midsized MKs at Nordstrom and I thought the midsized looked better.  The only problem is that I prefer having numbers on the face of my watch!  Sigh.

"Like the angel"

I love flowy blouses in sheer fabrics, but most of the time the really gorgeous ones are $100+ (e.g. my favorite Joie blouses that are NEVER affordable).  The only reason I have a couple fancy blouses is because I've won 2 Shopbop.com gift certificates through contests.

Since my Joie blouses are flowery and have a pattern to it, I've been looking for more affordable solid blouses.  Dreamy pastel pinks and creams are at the top of my list. 

The Equipment "Signature Blouse" (left) from Shopbop.com is a ridiculous $178, but I love how it drapes and it's the perfect pale, subtle pink. 




Although the cream-colored Patterson J. Kincaid "Harlow" blouse (right) is a less ridiculous $98, Urban Outfitters has a very similar style for a much nicer $58!

 

Silence & Noise Printed Chiffon Button-Down Blouse in White, $58.

I'd say it's pretty similar the the PJK blouse, yeah?

"Love the way you lie"

I've been hearing that song and seeing that video EVERYWHERE!  But, it is a pretty good song.  Strange video, though.  I enjoyed Dominic Monaghan in Lost and Megan Fox in... not Transformers... but them together is strange to see.

Anyway, productive weekend so far, and it's only Friday night/Saturday morning.

Got all of my data for my group research project.  Read a bit for my cleft palate class (SUCH an interesting area in speech-path.  I think I may want to go into that!)  Now all that's left is to read some more (boo), get my car serviced, possibly get a haircut?, start working out like DAILY (I'm getting fat again haha), and some other little errands.

I've been wanting some new sandals, and I think I found some that I'm willing to buy.  They're less than $10 at Target!  They're also REALLY good knock offs of Dolce Vita ones I like.

 

Target sandals, $9.98

They would be great with my preppy (as my brother says) outfits of white shorts and t-shirts, blouses, and tanks.  Perfect summer outfit :) 

Some upcoming trips that I need to prep for: Vegas, Palm Springs, and SF!  Super excited about Palm Springs and SF, but Vegas is not at an opportune time.  I need to get into bikini shape for Palm Springs, especially if I'm going to be dancing around the pool with my SLP girls!!  HAH.

"Light grenades"

A variety of pink-ish roses as the centerpiece.

4 candles surrounding it.

White table cloth.

Black chairs.  

Outdoor reception?

Yum!

I love the simplicity of the centerpiece and tables.  I can't really tell if the chairs are black or just dark wood, but I wouldn't mind either. 

Gorgeous!

Blueberry scones.

New food post on "It's not done until you see smoke."

Enjoy!

"She paints me blue"

This weekend was probably one of the first in a while where I didn't have much school work to do.  On the other hand, I had a lot of stuff to do at home and outside of the home!

First, I went to a funeral for one of Darryl's distant relatives.  Afterward, instead of hanging out with a friend from UCLA before he left for med school, I ended up hanging out with my boyfriend and his family for a whole day.  Scheduling just didn't work out well, but I always enjoy hanging out with the BF's family.

After that, lots of golfing, working out, and a trip to the OC to pick up something.

I also went to a Yelp event that could have been at a better venue.  A dark, crowded art gallery with NO AC in the summer??  Ugh.  Instead, Darryl and I ended up walking around Little Tokyo, eating at Koraku, and buying candy and goodies from Marukai.  I went to Japanese markets twice this weekend, and I cannot get enough!  Some of my haul: Calpico, dark chocolate Kit Kat, mochi, Hello Kitty strawberry honey balls, Choco Gummi, rice candy, and more.  I really wanted sushi this weekend, but ended up not getting any.  Now I have plans for next weekend :)

Then, my boyfriend and I decided to take on the task of painting my parents' kitchen, and it was a multi-day process because my mom was being fickle and we were tired, haha.

With the new cabinets and black granite, but no paint.

The planned updates are around 75% done, but there is a lot that has not been planned for but needs to be remodeled.  My mom didn't want to do the whole kitchen in the new color, so we painted the wall leading to the family room white to create a transition.... or something...

"Aqua Pura" paint by Behr.  We need a new wall phone as well!

The cabinets have been completely re-done.  We added a black granite counter to the buffet-ish thing.  We're in the process of getting the 2nd and 3rd pieces of granite counter that go with a new stainless steel sink next to the stove.  The counters, sink, and a subway tile backsplash should be installed this upcoming week.  Exciting!!

 New fridge.  Old counters taken off and plywood counters put on to prep for new granite.

 Bare walls for a subway tile backsplash.  Some drawers removed as well.

All that's left to change is the stove, various small appliances, popcorn ceiling removal, light fixtures/ceiling fan (we need to get those out of the 1970s and into the 2000s), and a new dining table + chairs.  Nothing much, right?......