Wedding Dress Shopping

I know, I know, I've been a terrible blogger.  But, now I have more exciting things to post about!  One of my lovely bridesmaids took me wedding dress shopping, and I thought I'd share some of the dresses I tried on.  Now, my fiance reads this blog so I can't post about what kind of dresses I like (I don't want to spoil the style of dress I'm thinking about), but I can definitely post about the not so pretty dresses.  I really wish I had taken photos, but I don't think you can do that? 

I know a lot of girls were excited about the Twilight wedding dress, and have even been faking engagements to try it on.  I haven't seen Breaking Dawn Part 1, bu I decided to try on the infamous dress for kicks, mostly. 

If you are short, small in the bust, and require a bra, this dress will NOT work for you.  It was the only dress I looked absolutely atrocious in.  Really girls, Kristen Stewart has a very special figure for this dress that 99% of the population does not have.  Don't do it!

I was really, really excited to try on some of the Disney Princess wedding dresses by Alfred Angelo.  The bridal shop we went to only had the Cinderella and Snow White dresses, so I tried on both.

Here is Cinderella's dress.  I tried this on, and it is really quite lovely and sparkly, but for my wedding I want something a little bit different. 

Here is Snow White's.  It's very cute and whimsical aka not my style at all.

I really wish they had the Ariel, Belle, or Sleeping Beauty dresses, because I would have loved to try them on.

I ended up painting my nails "Yodel Me On My Cell" by OPI the night before I tried on dresses.  Now, originally I was going to paint my nails a stereotypical light pink for my wedding.  Now I'm not so sure, the nail color really popped against the white dresses.  Maybe I should consider a bright pink instead of subtle?

Now on to something that horrified me a little bit.  I was looking at garters, and I noticed that there was a huge selection with "Prom 2012" and "Grad 2012" written on a ribbon in rhinestones.  Now, garters are really pretty, and really I have no idea what color or style I'm going to choose for my wedding.  However, is it really necessary for 17 year old girls to be wearing a garter to their prom?  It's just asking for trouble, really.

What I Read On The Internet

I would like to apologize, once again, for being MIA from this blog.  Somehow the life transition from working to graduate school did not go smoothly.  In fact, I would say it went quite poorly.  But I'm back, everybody!  I have lots to update (even more since I never did write the posts I promised), but I'm going to start updating slowly.  Thank you to all of my followers who didn't abandon me while I've been neglecting to post, well, anything. 

So, let's start with the websites that I was actually keeping up with on my blogging hiatus.

Give Me Back My Five Bucks - This is probably the only money blog I read.  I can't really recall how I discovered it.  It's about a girl who was in a ridiculous amount of debt, worked super hard to get out of it, and is now giving great money advice in Vancouver. 

Rocket Shoes - I found this blog because the writer wrote a post on A Day in the Life of the Modern San Franciscan, which made me laugh.  I just like the mix tapes the writer posts along with every blog entry.

The Frenemy - I really wish I was real life friends with this girl. She just sounds awesome.  Words won't do it justice.

1000 Awesome Things - Why buy the books when you can read it online for free?  At the very least, the blog posts will make you smile.

Thought Catalog - A smattering of really interesting (and true) observations about life.  There's something for everyone!


Celebitchy - My first choice for celebrity gossip. 

Lainey Gossip - My second choice for celebrity gossip.  She's even based on Vancouver!

Television Without Pity - I go here if I missed an episode of a popular show, or if I want to see what the fuss is about with a show without actually watching it (*coughGleecough*).

I also follow a few Blogger blogs, which you can see from my profile.

So, that's where I waste time on the internet.  I guess we can also count Facebook and Yelp.  I'm kind of over Twitter (though I envy people who post 10+ times a day).  I guess I don't think I'm that interesting?

Why I've Been MIA

Okay, I am officially a bad blogger.  After the whole Anthro ordeal I sort of stopped checking out a lot of blogs for a few weeks.  I unfortunately didn't post anything new on my end either.  I really want to elaborate on a lot of these topics, but here's a quick update on what's been happening with me.

First off, I got engaged!!! My wonderful boyfriend now fiance proposed last Monday at the Rose Gardens on campus.  I didn't expect it at all, and it honestly hasn't sunk in yet.  We're planning to have the wedding next year, but for now I'll post the one thing every girl probably wants to see, which is the ring!

It's absolutely stunning in person.

He also bought me the most gorgeous pink roses.  They lasted so long! 

If you follow me on Yelp at all, you'll notice that I finally got my shiny Elite '11 badge!  This just goes to show that if you put the effort in, write quality reviews, and interact with other yelper's you can become Elite too!  I went to my first event last night with my fiance, and it was really fun!  We met lots of great people, and I hope I can attend another Elite event soon :)

I've been super busy with graduate school.  Between being a TA, my involvement in two committee's, and my courses, I've been jam packed busy.  I didn't realize how much work being the secretary of the chemistry graduate student society was, and I can definitely handle it, but it was a bit of a wake-up call.  I have to give a presentation on a research article in one of my classes next week, which is a bit scary, but I'm sure it will go fine.

So yeah, I feel really bad that I'm not blogging more.  I do have lots to write about, I just haven't had time to write it all out.  Please bear with me followers!  I promise I'll write more posts!

My Thoughts on the Anthro Ordeal

I'm sure most fashion bloggers have heard about the controversy that's unfolded in the past few days.  I don't really feel the need to re-explain the whole situation since it's plastered on blogs and forums.  If you're interested, here are a few links:

GOMI Discussion
The Pursuit of Hippyness: Her Personal Experience
Anthroholic's True Colors
Effortless Anthropologie's Post (read the comments)

I'm really new to the fashion blogger world.  I only started reading the majority of these blogs a few months ago before I started my own blog.  I unfortunately don't blog often, but I do read posts every day on my breaks.  I have been a fan of Anthroholic's blog for months, and even posted at the end of August that I was featured in one of her Reader Outfits posts.  I wasn't even aware that she offered a personal shopping service.  I only knew about recent contests on her blog because I entered a few.

I have a lot of sympathy for the countless victims of this deception.  There is no good reason that this should have happened, and I really hope that everyone receives the refunds they are entitled to.  The manipulation and quite frankly abuse of those affected is wrong on every count.  I fully understand why the victims kept believing the lies and deceitful messages they received, because the impression Kim gives on her blog is one of a sweet girl who's unequivocally in love with fashion and Anthropologie.  When you read someone's blog and exchange messages for a long enough time, you start feeling like they're a friend, and therefore someone that can be trusted.  Unfortunately, this situation has rocked a lot of people's confidence and trust in the fashion blogger world.

In all honesty, I'm just surprised it took so long for all of this to come to light.  If a seller was doing this on any of the clothing exchange sites (Lululemon Exchange or Ebay for example), they would have been banned a long time ago.  I'm just glad this got exposed before even more people got affected.  Whatever the true reason is for why this happened (debt, personal problems, mental issues), the fact of the matter is that it is inexcusable.  The victims deserve more than the apology given on Kim's blog (which isn't even up right now).  I just hope that she can find the help she needs.

I'll close with some links helpful posts from Effortless Anthropologie and J. Crew Aficionada detailing how to avoid getting scammed online.

Alert! Protecting Yourself From Online Transaction Scams - Effortless Anthropologie
Make Sure You Are Protected With Online Transactions - J. Crew Aficionada

Mini Happiness Project - Reflection

I will shamefully admit that I did not succeed nearly as well as I wanted to on my mini happiness project.  Let's break it down:

1. Write A Yelp Review Every Day

This actually didn't turn out too bad.  I ended up writing 23 reviews for the month of August, which is 8 away from my goal of 31 reviews.  I can't really beat myself up for that one.  I wrote a few multiples in a day, but the point of the matter is that I worked towards my goal of being Yelp Elite.  I'm not Elite yet, but I'll keep working at it until I get that shiny badge on my profile.

2. Contact A Different Person From My Past Every Day

Fail!  I wrote maybe 2 lengthy facebook messages.  I wrote an email to a girl I've semi kept in contact with since I moved from California.  I wrote a quick message on a few facebook walls.  Not even close to my goal.  I want to work towards fixing old friendships, but I feel like graduate school is the start of a brand new chapter in my life, and that some of my old friendships weren't exactly healthy for me.  I think I can forge many new friendships while maintaining some of my older ones I cherish.  I think I'll still reconnect with older friends, but I don't know if I necessarily have to write a facebook message to everyone.  Besides, a lot of them haven't tried to contact me at all!

3.  Write A Blog Post Every Second Day

Well I was smart on this one knowing that I wouldn't write a post every day.  According to Blogger, I wrote 8 posts in August, which is halfway to my goal.  August was just such a mess of plans and getting orientated in the lab.  I'm not saying it is going to be easier to write more often in September (I mean, it took 6 days to write this post), but I do enjoy updating my blog and I'm really excited I have some followers!  I'll keep working at it readers.  Don't give up on me yet!

4.  Spend Less Than 30 Minutes Wasting Time On The Internet In The Morning

Bingo! I rocked this one.  So many wasted hours were being spent on the internet in the morning, which made me late for everything in the past.  Now that I'm back to set schedules (and 9am classes!), I simply can't be late.  I'm getting better at checking my internet and facebook on my phone in the morning, and then just letting it go and getting ready.  I have unfortunately noticed that I'm on the internet a bit more in the evening, but old habits die hard.  At least I can make it to school early now!

5.  Accomplish One Thing On My To-Do List Every Day

This has mostly involved household chores, so it hasn't been that successful.  At all.  I mean, stuff is getting done at home.  Things are being dealt with, I'm caught up on all of my forms and duties that way, but there's a pile of laundry sitting in the bedroom that hasn't been sorted since Thursday.  That's 4 days of laziness!  I mean, I've had other things to do, but that 10 minutes I need to accomplish that has definitely been there.

So, what have I learned?  Well, one thing I learned is that I lost interest in keeping track of this on Excel really quickly (like August 6th quickly).  I should really write things down in a book, not on the computer.  I have an agenda for such purposes now.  I learned that I really need to work at things, because I get in crappy habits and I don't change them unless they are brought to my attention again, and again, and again.  I also learned that I don't really need to sit on the internet checking websites constantly. 

So, what's next?  Well, for starters, I need to start setting long term goals that are more meaningful.  I really want to be a better, more rounded person, but I have to work at it.  I think the next step is to try to figure out what I want to accomplish by the time I finish my Masters.  I am going to over-haul my Day Zero List completely, and then write it out and keep it where I can see it.  I will blog about that once that happens (which may take over a week!).

I have so many fashion posts in my head, I just need to take pictures and write out posts.  Look forward to more posts soon!

Recent Adventures

I know, I promised I'd post a few days ago about my adventures.  But then I went and had more adventures!

Let's start with some Jenga action.  My boyfriend and I were at a going away party for some friends of ours who are leaving Canada for Australia, and one person at the party brought Jenga.  Jenga is one game I can't pass up.  The guy who brought the game had a record for 31 levels.  Of course, we had to beat that.  During our first 3 attempts, I kept knocking the tower over (which led me to refer to myself as the tumbler).  On our next attempt, we made it to 31 levels, with one block missing.  It was my turn.  I was really worried that I would knock it over again.  Fortunately, I managed to handle it like a champ!  Here is my victory photo:

32 levels of awesome.  Unfortunately, the tower fell over during the next turn.

I also went and saw The Help on Friday.  I'm very thankful I went with some girls, because the movie was such a chick flick.  I think 12 guys were in the theater.  Regardless, the movie was great!  I heard the book was amazing, and women we talked to afterwards said that the movie is definitely on the same level as the book, which is rare!  The actresses were all great, especially Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.  Bryce Dallas Howard was definitely believable as a villain.  The movie sucked me in, and I am very glad I saw it :)

I also went to the Pacific National Exhibition with my boyfriend over the weekend.  We checked out the Superdogs show, went on a few rides (including the super awesome wooden roller coaster), and indulged in deep fried oreos and deep fried pop tarts.  We could only do a few bites of each, but we mostly did it for the experience.  The oreos were definitely better than the pop tart.  My boyfriend also won me a pink domo from the midway (he popped balloons with darts like a champ!).

On a different note, I got featured on Anthroholic's Reader Outfits!  This was really exciting since I read Kim's blog all the time.  You have to scroll down a bit, but I'm beyond excited to be on there.  I'll have to make another outfit and submit it soon :)

I plan to post more soon, particularly about what I learned from not succeeding at my mini happiness project.  I also want to post more personal fashion!

Some Of My Favorite Things...

I was going to write a post about my adventures lately, but apparently it takes over 8 hours to send a picture from my cell phone to my gmail account.  Who knew?  I feel like the laziest person because my camera battery has been dead for over two weeks and I haven't taken the effort to actually dig out my charger.  Hence the lack of posts and personal pictures in post.

Instead of waiting another day to write a blog post (so much for that vow in my Mini Happiness Project), I thought I'd write about some of the things I've been enjoying lately.

Tiny Tower

Hello Sims wannabee.  Tiny Tower is a free game (yes, free!!) on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad that lets you build a tiny tower and manage the businesses and bitizens that inhabit it!  The style is 8 bit, which makes it feel like an old-school video game.  The type of businesses range from a tea house to a laundromat to a tattoo parlor.  I've been addicted to it since I downloaded it (but that's probably because I was addicted to the Sims).  

Scarves

I really, really like scarves. All kinds of scarves.  I own at least 10, ranging from hand-knitted to light and airy to thick and warm for winter.  There is a reason girls everywhere are wearing scarves, even in the warm summer weather.  They're just so fashionable!  They can complete any outfit.  I actually purchased a second Vinyasa Scarf from Lululemon (more on that later) because I was lusting for a second one.  My first one comes with me to school every day in my backpack since it doubles as a scarf and a blanket.

Reading on the Bus

The one part of my commute I like in the morning is that I have an uninterrupted 20 minute period to (and from) campus to read.  I normally only read late at night, so it's nice to use these 20 minutes for some me time.  I just started reading Water For Elephants, and I finished Mini Shopaholic and Further Adventures of a London Call Girl  in the last two weeks.  I'm a huge reader anyways, and it's nice to start working down my list of books I want to read.

Wraps and Cardigans

I've become a total wrap and cardigan addict.  I recently ordered some more cardigans from J. Crew (well my mom did), and I've been wearing them steady the past few months.  My personal favorites are:

J. Crew Jackie Cardigan

Dynamite 3/4 Sleeve Hanging Sweater

Wilfred Diderot Sweater

Clinique Toner and Makeup Remover

My skin is normally really clear, but when it has problems Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 takes care of all of them.  The bottle costs around $20, but if I use it every day my skin becomes nice and clear. 

As for the make-up remover, I only really wear eyeliner and mascara, and nothing takes it off better than Clinique Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent.  One swipe and most of it come right off.  Only the stubborn stuff needs a second swipe, and that's because I wear waterproof mascara.

Outfit Envy

I've been suffering from some major outfit envy lately.  Now that I'm on campus, I see lots of girls in super cute outfits that I wish were in my closet.  I've been doing some organic synthesis this week, and according to safety guidelines I have to wear closed toed shoes and long pants.  I can't really argue with that, because I really don't want any chemicals burns on my skin (I touched something that penetrated my glove over two months ago and my hand still isn't healed). 

Anyways, here are some of the basics I absolutely wish were in my closet:

Flower Print Skirt (such as the Springtime Floral Skirt from Forever 21):

North Face Rosanova Hoodie in Black (A girl that works in my lab has one and it looks absolutely amazing on her):

Gladiator Style Sandals (even though I'm sure they would cause major blisters before they are broken in):

Wilfred Charlotte Shawl Top (and other Wilfred wraps):

Marc by Marc Jacobs Nylon Pretty Little Tote:

Instead of being jealous, maybe I should go through my wardrobe and see if I can make some cute outfits.  With so many clothes, there has to be some possibilities :)

Now For A Little Chemistry...

At school yesterday one of the researchers snapped a picture of me doing some actual chemistry!

Oversized lab coat? Check. Bright blue gloves? Check.  Real pipetting action? Check.

If you're curious about what I was doing, I was filling a pipet to inject some cell extract into a protein gel to separate out the different protein bands by size.  Are you curious how I did it?  Go here for a chemistry lesson on gel electrophoresis.

On a chemistry related note, I saw this post on J.Crew Aficionada showing J.Crew's incorrect periodic table.

Do you notice what's missing?  They eliminated groups 14 and 15 entirely.  I think it's really awesome that J.Crew incorporated some science into a store display.  It would have been cooler if they were more accurate.   Although, it's not like carbon and nitrogen are important anyways ;)

I always enjoy when science things are used in the fashion and beauty industry.  Here are some examples:

A Clinique magazine ad:

PS: Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 is awesome.  I use it every night.

The use of beakers at MAC Cosmetics:

Aveeno's ad campaign with their own "elements":

I know for myself I stored my makeup in beakers for ages.  I haven't done so in awhile since my beaker is sitting in a box at my parents place.  I just think that chemistry is everywhere, and definitely has a place outside of the lab.

On a random note, if you're bored, go to the Black Acre Brewing Co. website and say you're under 21.  My boyfriend showed me this tonight and it made me laugh.

Goodbye Vacation, Hello Graduate School

Yesterday I started the next stage of my career: graduate school.  I was unbelievably nervous before my first day.  I believe I mentioned this in a previous blog post, but I switched from analytical chemistry to a biochemistry lab where I'll be doing more synthesis and product characterization.  This is completely out of my chemistry comfort zone, but it's something I want to do.  I feel it's a much better fit, at least in terms of my interest and future career goals.  I was mostly worried that I would be completely lost in the lab and have zero idea what was going on.

Luckily for me, my lab group is super nice.  I know all of the theory behind the lab techniques, but I've never done any biology or biochemistry labs.  I'm not really sure why I was so worried.  They don't expect me to know how to do everything.  They are also happy to explain a lot of things, which is good because I'm full of questions.  I know I'm only a few days in, but I can confidently say that I chose the right lab group.

That being said, in terms of my Mini Happiness Project I'm failing.  I missed 3 days of Yelp Reviews, 5 days of blog posts, and 6 days of contacting people I haven't spoken to in awhile.  I've managed to get some things off of my to-do list, but it's mostly cleaning.  The one place where I'm succeeding is getting off the internet quickly in the morning.  I've only been on my computer for 30 minutes twice in the morning this month so far.  The rest of the days I'm able to walk away after 10 or 15 min. 

The best part about this is that I was actually able to fit in Level 3 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred this morning before I went to work.  This never would have happened before.  It felt good to knock out the workout in the morning since I've been slacking the past few days.  On that note, Level 3 is vastly superior to Level 2.  It's much easier on the knees and you really feel the workout afterwards.  I'm especially a fan of all of the jumping.

Okay, enough text.  Let's end on a fashion note.  I'm hooked on these Talula Bustier's from Aritzia.  I now own it in 4 colors: black, white, purple, and bright pink.  They're excellent for wearing when I go out at night, and for $30 the price is definitely right. 

30 Day Shred

It's no secret that I've been taking my fitness a lot more seriously in 2011.  I originally started working out in 2010 with some coworkers because I didn't want to gain weight.  One of the benefits of keeping fit is that my weight has essentially stayed the same since January.  I haven't weighed this little since I cut my calories substantially a few years ago.  There are many more benefits from working out than just maintaining a goal weight, such as the endorphin rush after a good workout and being able to lift things I couldn't dream of lifting last year.  I carried a 56 pound box all by myself on Monday, and can actually help my boyfriend lift super heavy things, like a bbq or couch.

Unfortunately, where I live, I haven't been able to find a gym nearby that doesn't require me to sign a contact for two years.  Two years is a long time to commit, and who knows if we'll be living in the same apartment next year.  The apartment building I live in has a gym with plenty of weights, but when it comes to cardio all it offers is a stairmaster (which is awesome), an elliptical that squeaks and the worst exercise bike in existence.  I go for runs outside, but I miss the structure of the boot camp classes I used to attend at my old gym.

I was reading a fitness blog the other day (I can't remember which one unfortunately), and the writer mentioned that she tried Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and was noticing results.  I was curious about it since it has over a hundred 5 star reviews on amazon, and since it was only $10 at Chapters I picked it up.

The DVD offers three different levels of difficulty.  All three levels are split into 5 sections: a 2 minute warm up, 3 6 minute circuits, and a 2 minute cool down.  Each circuit consists of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.  There are NO breaks in this workout.

I started off by trying level 1.  Level 1 is a decent challenge.  I was feeling good throughout the entire workout, and at the end I was covered in sweat.  It's a great starting level, especially if some of the strength training moves are new to you.  I highly recommend wearing sneakers for this workout.  I started barefoot and had to pause the dvd quickly to throw on some shoes. 

Since I was feeling pretty good afterwards, I decided to try level 2.  Level 2 is much more challenging compared to level 1.  There is one move that I couldn't do.  Holding hand weights, you have your palms facing outwards.  Then you squat down and do a V-lift with the weights.  I don't know why I couldn't do it, but my arms just aren't strong enough.  In any case, there is a significant difference between the levels.  Needless to say, I didn't try level 3 yet, but I plan to tomorrow.

When I first bought this dvd I was skeptical about the 20 minute workouts.  However, after 20 minutes you will feel like you worked out for an hour.  I think if you did one of these levels every day, you would notice a significant difference in your body.  I don't know if I can do it every day right now (since my parents are visiting for the weekend), but I can definitely fit in 20 minutes before or after work.

I will post updates if I notice a huge difference in my body throughout the month.  If you're looking for a cheap workout dvd that won't take up an hour or more of your time, this one is worth the pick up.

Two Nail Colors For The Price Of One!

One thing that I love to do but never do enough is paint my nails.  I always feel more feminine with painted nails and toes.  Unfortunately that feminine feeling goes away when the nail polish starts chipping.  One of the hazards involved with working in a chemistry lab is that you use a lot of solvents which can easily remove the nail polish (both acetone and ethyl acetate are commonly used in both nail polish remover and chemical reactions).

For this reason alone, I swear by OPI nail products.  The key is to use the OPI Base Coat and the OPI Top Coat (I have a bottle of the OPI Base and Top Coat).  I have literally spilled a beaker full of acetone on my hand, and the nail polish survived.  If you're impatient like me, the Drip Dry dries your nails in under a minute.  It's a bit messy but it's worth the investment.

Although 95% of my nail polish collection is OPI, it's fun to change it up a little bit.  When I went to Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco a few months ago, I decided to check out the Del Sol Store.  There I found a bottle of blue nail polish that supposedly turned green in the sun (seen here).  I decided to pick up a bottle.  I didn't get a chance to try it out until this past weekend, but here are the results.

Here is the bottle of nail polish:

Here are my nails inside the apartment:

Here are my nails outside in the sunshine:

 

Voila!  The nails do change color!  Unfortunately the effect doesn't last very long and is gone within 10 seconds after entering a building.   It's still really cool.  If you want to pick up a bottle of color changing nail polish, I'd recommend the Del Sol brand.  I only wish I had picked up more colors.

Mini Happiness Project

Have you read the Happiness Project?  I found it at the library a few days ago in the "Fast Read" section (which basically means you have one week to read it without fines).  I've always wanted to check it out since it's practically everywhere in bookstores.  It also has mixed reviews on Amazon, so I was curious to say the least.  I finally started reading it yesterday and I'm already 100 pages in. 

One of the mantra's I've gotten from the book so far is that you can accomplish a lot by doing a small amount of a task every day.  I spend so much time mindlessly clicking from blog to blog (or facebook) that the days just rush by.  I feel like I use "I just didn't have enough time" as an excuse far too often.  If I didn't waste so much time on my computer, I could get tons of things done!  I could read all of those books collecting dust on my shelf.  I could spend more time with my boyfriend.  My to-do list wouldn't sit there stagnating. 

I mean, look at me now.  I came onto the computer to write a blog post and send a friend a facebook message, and I've been on here over an hour!  I probably couldn't even tell you all of the websites I visited.  I only know how long I've been on here because I wrote a tweet at 9:45pm. 

So I sat here and thought about what I want to accomplish for August.  I know I'm starting my Master's, which is a huge deal.  But I have to have more goals for myself.  I wrote on my blog on Thursday that I wanted to work towards becoming Yelp Elite.  That's not going to happen if I don't keep writing reviews.  I also want to reconnect with some old friends.  I'm always jealous that my boyfriend has stayed in contact with lots of his high school and university friends, and all I can say is that I'm friends with mine on Facebook.  Third, I want to write more posts for this blog.  I only have 9 posts to show for July, and only 5 for June!  This is unacceptable.  Every day I think about things I can write about, and then it never happens. 

I know that these three things all involve spending time on the computer.  I don't think spending time on the computer is harmful for say.  What is harmful is that I waste so much of my day aimlessly going to websites (especially when I wake up in the morning!).  I get notifications on my phone, do I really need to physically check facebook and twitter so often?  I barely tweet!  Do I really need to check blogs so often?  The posts will still be there at 10pm if I don't read them in the morning.  I can't even imagine how much time I'd save if I just didn't waste so much time in the mornings. 

It's time to make a change.  Here is a list of 5 things I would like to accomplish in August for my mini Happiness Project:

1.  Write a Yelp review every day.
2.  Contact a different person from my past every day.
3.  Write a blog post every second day.
4.  Spend less than 30 minutes on unimportant things on the internet every morning.
5.  Accomplish one thing on my to-do list every day.

Will this be difficult?  Of course!  It's not supposed to be easy.  I don't expect to accomplish all of these goals.  I just want to try.  There's many more things I want to work on, but these are things that are "easier" to change. 


I know there are so many more pressing issues out there.  I know that the blog posts and the yelp reviews won't really change anything outside of my internet life, and my life won't be negatively affected if I never wrote a post or review again.  This project is intended to improve my confidence.  I hope that by the end of the month I'll be more confident in myself and not feel self conscious about what I post.  I have to stop being afraid that people will think I'm dumb or unattractive.  Even if one person thinks I should never write again, I have to believe that someone else doesn't feel the same way.

Let's see how this goes.

Random Musings

I feel like I've been wasting so much time on the internet the past few weeks and accomplishing nothing.  I kind of just scan blogs, check facebook and twitter (even though I rarely post anything), and read celebrity gossip websites.  I've started writing some yelp reviews, with hopes that maybe one day I'll become elite.  I'm not sure if the amount of reviews I have so far deserves elite status, but it would be really cool!  A few of my friends are elite but I don't want to be all like "help me become elite!"

The problem with not working the entire month is that my mind has just been wandering like crazy.  Absolute crazy.  I'm also not making money so I'm finding it hard to justify spending money on myself.  Plus there are purchases I can't avoid like my $81 bus pass for August and a birthday gift I still have to get for my dad (I have until August 4th!).  I found him a father's day gift already (he is getting a late combined gift due to the Canada Post strike) but my first idea for a birthday gift fell through so now I'm stumped. 

I also think my running shoes are wearing out.  Today when I was running my right foot started hurting.  A lot.  When my endurance crapped out and I walked the last kilometer home, my foot stopped hurting.  I hope that it is pain from shoes and not my actual foot.  Another note about my run today: I couldn't figure out why everything was so quiet, and then I realized I forgot my iPod shuffle at home!  I tried to keep going but it's amazing how much of an impact music has on your workout, so I had to come home, grab the iPod, and continue my run. 

My iPod shuffle and headphones my boyfriend bought me.

I realized today that I haven't actually posted a picture of myself in an outfit from my actual closet in awhile.  Here is the H&M dress I am wearing today.  This dress is easily 2 years old.  Funny story about it.  I originally tried on this dress in a smaller size, and I got stuck in it!  I didn't know what to do so I grabbed my purse and walked out into the store to try and find my boyfriend and his roommate at the time and had to announce "I'm stuck in this dress, can you please come to the change room to help me?" It was quite embarrassing. Needless to say, I bought the next size up. 

Sorry this picture is a bit blurry.

I know I'm late with this, but hearing about Amy Winehouse's death made me upset. When I was going through a really rough time a few years back, I bought her "Back to Black" album.  I identified with a few of the songs on the album, particularly the title track.  In fact, I quoted some lyrics on my facebook status.  I was subtle like that.  Anyways, it is a magnificent album.  It's such a shame she died so young, but she was clearly troubled.  May she rest in peace. 

Every Shoe Has A Story

When it comes to writing blog posts, I feel I've been lacking inspiration lately.  Not one to abandon posting entirely, I decided to go through my iPhoto library to see if anything jumped out at me.  Fortunately, my shoe collection did.  Before I moved, I took a picture of each pair of shoes I have in my closet that I only wear on special occasions.  I've amassed a nice little collection over the years, so as a test to myself I am going to write about why I bought each pair. 
 
Burberry Platform Wedge Shoes:

I bought these on a break from the first chemistry conference I ever went to.  I was looking for a nice summer shoe that I could wear with a dress or a skirt.  Unfortunately these shoes are absolutely painful!  I wore them for one day of the conference and within an hour I had to hobble over to a store to buy bandaids for all of my blisters.  I haven't worn these shoes since, which is a shame because they're really nice.

Le Chateau Black Heels:

These were purchased for a New Year's Eve party in my hometown.  I found out last minute the party was formal, not casual, and Le Chateau was the only place that was open and had a nice stock of dresses and shoes.  I hardly wear the dress anymore, but I wear these shoes to the bar or club every so often.  If you look at the right shoe, a piece of the silver is missing.  These shoes have been around, but they're super comfortable.

Ugg Boots

I love Ugg Boots.  I love them so much that I have two pairs, one short and one tall.  I ordered both from the Victoria's Secret catalog.  I practically lived in these during my undergraduate because where I went to university it would get down to -40°C in the winter (once it even got down to -50°C) so warm boots were necessary.  I can't wear these when the temperature is above 0°C because my feet get too warm.  I'll never understand how girls wear these in 30°C heat. 


Stuart Weitzman Cachet Satin Black Heels:

These shoes were on sale at Holt Renfrew a few years ago.  I was hanging out with my friend and I made him drive me there so that I could pick these up.  These are my go-to black high heel shoes.  I wore these to the wedding I attended recently, conferences, and many, many other events.  They're wearing out, and sometimes they still give me blisters, but I like them too much to stop wearing them.


Coach Harmony Heels:

These are my break-up shoes from about 3 years ago.  Break-ups are never fun, even if you do the breaking up, so I was a bit down and decided to go to Holt Renfrew to buy myself something nice.  I ended up going with these shoes.  They're comfortable, but they slip off really easily.  


J. Crew Estella Grosgrain Espadrilles:

These are summer shoes that my mom bought me, but I haven't worn them yet.  What a shame.


Jimmy Choo Nova Patent Leather Slingbacks:

These were a present from my dad for graduating with my chemistry degree (with first class honors).  He promised them to me before I started my degree and held true to his word.  I only wore them for my grad but they were very comfortable and didn't give me any blisters.  I need to stop being afraid to wear them and start enjoying them more.

Jimmy Choo Lantern d'Orsay Pump:

I actually won these in a contest at Holt Renfrew!  My mom was browsing the cosmetics counters and taking a long time, so I decided to enter a few draws.  About 3 months later I got the best voice mail message I've received in years, saying I won a pair (with a value up to $699).  I had to order these in from a different store because apparently size 8's are very popular, but they're gorgeous and all mine.


Tory Burch Reva Flats:

My latest purchase.  I blogged about wanting to buy these shoes earlier.  I haven't worn these out yet, but I've worn them around the house and they are quite comfy.  Much love for the Tory Burch flats :)

In other news, my picture was included on Anthroholic's Blogiversary Bash post.  Talk about awesome!

Growing Up/Item Lusting

I made the mistake of walking into Lululemon yesterday when I was waiting for friends at the mall, because I fell in love with the new Method Wrap.

I tried it on and it fit wonderfully.  The only thing that isn't wonderful is the price.  It's $118!  That's really high for a wrap.  I just can't justify spending that right now.  I think what's also stopping me from purchasing it is that I don't like how it looks when it's not zipped up.  I'd have to commit to wearing it zipped up at all times.  Even with this, I still want it.  It didn't help that the store staff were like "you look amazing in it!" (yes I'm aware they probably say that to everyone that tries anything on).  Let's see if I can resist buying this, at least until the inevitable price drop.  Maybe I'll luck out and find it on the Lululemon Exchange on Facebook in a few weeks.

I'm also wanting a new purse.  My old one that is seen in a lot of my previous blog photos has a rip in it.  I know that I can take it to a coach store and they can repair it, but the whole purse is going downhill (probably because I take it everywhere and overfill it) and I fear if I get this fixed another part will rip.  I've been looking at purses online and the one I like the most is the Chelsea Signature Jayden Carryall, which retails for $298.

Then I go and have thoughts like "well if I don't buy the wrap then that saved money can help pay for the purse".  Which is a really good point, and shows I'm growing up.  Grown up me also believes I shouldn't be buying anything since I don't start work/graduate school until August and I've bought enough things lately. 

I think the biggest problem is that now that I'm grown up, I'm no longer interested in a lot of my high school/undergraduate wardrobe.  I suppose it's a blessing that my top half has stayed the same size for the past 7 years while my bottom half has shrunk, but that means I have a ton of clothes that I've acquired over the years, plenty of which is old and not my style anymore.  I've started revamping my wardrobe to make it more adult, but because I was an emotional spender during my undergraduate I have a lot more clothes that I could part with.  I got rid of 10 bags before I moved to California, and a gigantic tote bag worth before I moved back to Canada, but I still have a lot.  Perhaps it's time for some ebay action.

Personal Update

I feel really bad that I haven't had much time to write new posts for my blog, even though I haven't started graduate school yet.  Somehow my days are becoming filled even though it feels I haven't done anything worth mentioning.  Plus it doesn't help that every day I've had to spend an hour on the phone dealing with something, whether it's my cell phone provider charging me for 4 GB of data in one day that I didn't use, a broken phone jack (which is getting repaired as I type this), or problems filling out form after form after form.  I never moved anywhere where I had to reset up everything, so the amount of work that went into setting up my life again was unexpectedly time consuming.  I'm finally at the end of my to-do list, all I have to do is finish writing a report on work I did at my previous job in June (I realize now I should have done this one first, but it just got pushed to the back burner).

One thing I've been enjoying is being able to get back in exercise and running after a 3 week hiatus.  The building I live in has a small cardio gym with an elliptical, stairmaster, and all of the weights you could ever want.  I also live close to the seawall, which has encouraged me to get back into running.  Yesterday I broke my personal record and ran 8.34 km (or 5.18 mi) straight.  I tried out the Lululemon Turbo Run Shorts I blogged about last week and they worked wonderfully.  My ultimate goal is being able to run a 10 km race, and now I think that I can actually accomplish that by next year. 

Another thing I am excited about is having a library card again.  When I lived in California, I lived near a store called Half Price Books that sold tons of books for less than $3 each, so I ended up buying a lot of books instead of borrowing them.  I found out I live relatively close to a branch of the Vancouver Public Library, so I got a library card and placed a bunch of style books on hold that I've been wanting to check out for awhile, such as Lauren Conrad's "Style" and Whitney Port's "True Whit".  I also put "The Four Hour Body" on hold, mostly because I am intrigued by what he has to say and Dr. Oz didn't say the entire book was garbage.  I also put "The Hunger Games" on hold, but I'm hold position 139 so I'll probably get that next year.

As a final note, here is a picture of my absolutely wonderful boyfriend and myself at the wedding we attended almost two weeks ago.  Enjoy!

Lululemon Lab: Big Circle Scarf

One thing I've been coveting for ages is the circle scarves offered at the Lululemon Lab.  Now that I'm in Vancouver, it's really easy for me to travel there.  A few days after I moved here I made a trek to the lab to finally purchase one of these coveted scarves.

I ended up buying myself a black big circle scarf.  I also purchased two green scarves (well my boyfriend bought one), one for my mom for her birthday and one for a friend in the Bay Area who's Lululemon collection and desire for a circle scarf matches mine.  The scarves are very similar to the Vinyasa Scarf that was on sale a few months ago (minus the snaps), and feel absolutely fantastic. 

Actual size of the scarf (it's a circle, so it's kind of folded in half):

It's absolutely huge!  In order to wear it, the first thing I did was fold it in half twice to make it 1/4 the size.

That looks much more like a scarf.  Once it is folded, then I wrapped it around my neck once.

If you make the loops more symmetrical, you can make this look:

If you want to use this scarf for more winter weather, wrap it around twice and your neck will be nice and toasty warm.

I think this scarf is fantastic and I look forward to wearing it when it's a bit cooler outside.  I actually sent these same pictures to my mom to show her how to wear the scarf.  If I could find a purple circle scarf at the Lululemon Lab that would be fantastic, so I'm going to keep my eyes open and watch their facebook page.

A quick story about the t-shirt I'm wearing in the photos.  I saw it in a store on Pier 39 of Fisherman's Wharf in May, but I wasn't a huge fan of it.  A few days before moving, my boyfriend and I went to the Ferry Building at Pier 1 to go to Boccalone to get one last cone of meat.  For some reason, this shirt popped into my head.  We only had 3 hours between arriving at the Ferry Building and having to be home to sell some kitchen supplies, but I really really wanted this shirt.  I managed to convince my boyfriend and the friend we were with to walk with me to Pier 39 (this was not a short walk) so I could buy this shirt.  In exchange, they got some mini donuts and I got this awesome shirt that I absolutely love.