28 May 2012

Pixel Me Pretty

I'll admit it, I've pretty much failed both of the Photo a Day challenges for this month. I still managed to take some pretty cool photos these last two weeks, which hopefully softens the blow of my epic Instagram consistency failure. Let's see how much I can remember from two weeks ago, shall we? And here we go... 


Bookstores + Coffee = LOVE. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than that...unless the barista happens to spell my name correctly too. Why yes, I do get excited over little things like that. :) No fancy mocha choco lattes or whatever in here. I was drinking regular coffee with one sugar packet and a little bit of cream.


Forever 21 at the Irvine Spectrum. I am loving all the bright, summery colors that this store has to offer these days. Sundresses are always instantly happy-making, especially in cheerful shades like sunshine yellow. 


While I was at the Spectrum, I also visited the Bobbi Brown makeup counter, just to browse. I don't wear it as often as I probably should, but blush is very pretty. Look at all these gorgeous shades of pink!


My friend Saneeya introduced me to the Native Foods Cafe recently. I'll admit that I was a little skeptical at first. While I'm all for eating healthier, the idea of an all-vegan restaurant seemed a little daunting. I'm a fairly adventurous eater though, and I'll try (almost) anything once. Pictured here is their Rockin' Moroccan Bowl with tofu. DELICIOUS.


Bright, glittery pink nail polish to match a set of colorful bangles. Yes, I know my nail polish is a little bit messy. I'm still working on making my right and left hands equally pretty. 


Having fully committed to growing my hair out, I've finally learned to embrace its longer length. While it no longer holds a tight pin curl, I love styling it into messy waves now. I'm still trying to decide if I should grow my bangs out too. 


Black and while photo of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. I like how this filter actually makes this photo look aged and vintage. 


Ticket booth at the USS Midway Museum. I'm still kind of sad that we didn't have time to go exploring. Maybe next time! :)

22 May 2012

I graduated!


As promised, here are the pictures from my college graduation last Sunday. It's only been two days since then, but I still think it's going to take me a while to get used to the idea that I am no longer a student. Ahhhhh! Finally finishing my undergraduate education after five years of hard work and kicking cancer's ass definitely feels like a major accomplishment. For that reason, this day was a very special time indeed. That being said, having to sit through two long commencement ceremonies (the university ceremony and the English Department ceremony) in 80-something degree heat was not fun AT ALL. I hope my hunger and slight crankiness aren't too evident in these photos. :)


One thing that was nice about college graduation is that we were allowed to decorate our caps any way we wanted. Of course, I went the sparkly route with clear and light blue crystal embellishments. Sitting through four hours worth of speeches actually wasn't that bad since it gave me an opportunity to admire all the other creative caps out there. One girl in the English Department had a painted portrait of William Shakespeare on her cap. I also saw a guy with an actual book attached to his. How he got it to stay on, I will never know.


The English Department ceremony. I'm back there somewhere... 


I am now the proud owner of a Bachelor of the Arts degree. Well, technically not yet since all I got from the ceremony was a certificate of participation. I can't wait to get my degree in the mail. It'll be the most expensive piece of paper I own. Haha.


A family picture taken right after the English Department ceremony. 


Yes, Lucas was there too. 


My graduation cap - as fabulous and sparkly as it was - would not stay on. It almost fell off when I went to have my name called. Of course, I completely forgot about bobby pins. 


Here's another post-ceremony family photo. By this time, it was so hot that I couldn't stand wearing the gown anymore. 


My sparkly graduation cap deserves another photo, don't you think? I like how this picture shows off the blue of the large crystals better.


And here's a random photo that my mom took of my boyfriend playing with my face. I honestly have no explanation for this strange photo.

Well Said

 “I want to live in a world where little girls are not pinkified, but where little girls who like pink are not punished for it, either. We can certainly talk about the social pressures surrounding gender roles, and the concerns that people have when they see girls and young women who appear to be forced into performances of femininity by the society around them, but let’s stop acting like they have no agency and free will. Let’s stop acting like women who choose to be feminine are somehow colluders, betraying the movement, bamboozled into thinking that they want to be feminine. Let’s stop denying women their own autonomy by telling them that their expressions of femininity are bad and wrong.

Antifemininity is misogynist. What you are saying when you engage in this type of rhetoric is that you think things traditionally associated with women are wrong. Which is misogynist. By telling feminine women that they don’t belong in the feminist movement, you are reinforcing the idea that to be feminine and a woman is wrong, that women who want to be taken seriously need to be more masculine, because most people view gender presentation in binary ways. This rewards the ‘one of the boys’ type rhetoric I encounter all over the place from self-avowed feminists who seem to think that bashing on women is a good way to prove how serious they are when it comes to caring about women and bringing men into the feminist movement.”

- Get Your Anti-Femininity Out Of My Feminism by S.E. Smith

San Diego

Hello everyone! Have you missed me? The last few weeks before graduation have been crazy and I didn't have any time to read any blogs, let alone update my own. Oops. Well, I'm back now and I have pictures from mine and Luke's San Diego daycation from last Friday. Also, my photos from graduation will be posted soon. Sorry for the delay!



Luke and I decided to visit San Diego four days ago. We started the day by browsing the shops at the Seaport Village, which is a nice little shopping and dining complex in Downtown San Diego. Afterwards, we walked down the street to the USS Midway Museum, all while people-watching and enjoying the sights and sounds of the boardwalk.



We just had to take pictures by the giant "Unconditional Surrender" statue. We weren't the only ones here. There were several couples ahead of us who recreated the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photograph right in front of this statue. However, unlike those other couples, neither Luke nor I had any desire to have a random stranger take a picture of us kissing. Haha.



Sadly, we didn't have time to go exploring this massive aircraft carrier turned museum. First of all, it was going to close an hour after these photos were taken and there was no way we could explore what was essentially a floating city in only an hour. Secondly, we had to go grab some dinner before heading over to Petco Park for the Angels vs. Padres game. (By the way, the Angels won. YAY!)



Nevertheless, we both had a lot of fun admiring the huge ships and the little fishing boats in the dock. Overall, it was a beautiful day for exploring this fun city, even though it was surprisingly cloudy. 



I can't wait to find out what other amazing adventures we'll go on this summer and beyond. And of course, I'll be sure to let you know all about them!

08 May 2012

Pixel Me Pretty

This is a super late Instagram photos blog post, but never mind. I'm sure the large number of photos in this post will make up for it being two days late. :) Anyway, in addition to taking random pictures of my everyday life, I've also started taking part in fat mum slim's Photo Challenge and the FBFF Photo Challenge.


I did some Googling and I discovered one of two bakeries we have here in Orange County that sell French macarons. This photo is from the Layer Cake Bakery in Irvine. They have twelve regular flavors plus two seasonal flavors that I'm looking forward to trying come fall and winter. Just because of the macarons, this is now my favorite place to indulge myself with sweets.


Speaking of indulgence, yes, I did spoil myself quite a bit. Hehe. Don't worry though, I did share these with my boyfriend and his family. I'd have to say that my absolute, hands-down favorite flavor is...passion fruit (the purple one). The chocolate ganache and hazelnut ones are pretty good too. Lucas says these look like mini hamburgers, which reminded me of this picture. <--- Yes, I do have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to macarons. I may be just a little bit obsessed.


You know what they say about Southern Californians and flip flops. I love how my pale mint green nail polish and gold sequin flip flops looked together. To be honest, I don't even remember what outfit I wore on this day. Oh, and by the way, I took this photo on my way back to my car after my late afternoon class.


Speaking of mint green and gold sparkle, this is what my manicure looked like. This photo was for Day 1 of the FBFF photo-a-day challenge. The theme or subject was "mirror." I decided to not go the typical mirror picture route for this one. Reflected in my pocket mirror is the lighting fixture above the stairs in my house.


I love poetry and I have just recently discovered Pablo Neruda. His love poems are so emotional, evocative, and charged with passion and sensuality. Amazing, simply amazing. This little vignette also features two of my flower hair pins (as seen here) and my Valentine's Day present from Lucas this year. I know it's a little hard to see, but this pretty necklace has a rose gold heart and a heart shaped rhodolite garnet.


Day 1 of fat mum slim's photo-a-day challenge: peace. These are the last lines of Pablo Neruda's poem "Your Hands." He describes a a type of love that evokes comfort and fulfillment and the end of a lifelong search. What could be more peaceful than that? ♥


FBFF Day 2: accessory. I've been on the lookout for pretty bowls and trays to store my huge jewelry and miscellaneous accessories collection. This rabbit jewelry bowl from Anthropology is one of my favorites. Here she is silently watching my necklaces from the boyfriend. 


Day 2: skyline. I live right in the middle of suburban Orange County, so obviously true city skylines are few and far between. I will always prefer a smallish town over a big city though. There's something kind of magical about being able to see more of the sky without any tall buildings to obscure the view. And I can see some of the stars at night, which is also magical.


FBFF Day 3: blue. I've worn these shoes for two Style Posts now (here and here) and I knew that they'd be perfect for the blue theme. As much as I love pastel shades like pale blush and mint green, there's just something instantly happy-making about bright colors.


Day 3: something you wore today. This was my Valentine's Day present from Lucas last year. I wear this necklace all the time because it's simple and pretty enough to wear with most things in my closet. And I know what you're thinking: yes, I am aware that this man spoils me a lot. ;)


I suppose this photo would have been a better example of a skyline. Lucas and I took a drive though the Foothills one night and I snapped this photo of the Orange County night lights. I imagine this is what the title sequence would look like if "Gossip Girl" took place in Southern California. Hmmm, probably not since they'd more likely be in LA. No matter, it was still a gorgeous view. :)


FBFF Day 4: essential. I don't wear foundation everyday, but when I do, I really love MAC's studio fix. For night's out, liquid + powder gives such as pretty, almost flawless finish. For more everyday wear, the powder works just fine on its own.


Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker bobbleheads. For all you other nerds out there, I just couldn't resist posting something for Star War's Day (May 4th). These are pretty cute. Hehe.


Day 4: fun! I remember when I was little and I was obsessed with my jelly sandals. I remember always wanting to wear them all the time, even when my feet outgrew them and I started getting blisters. I found this cute, grown up version of jelly shoes recently and I wore them to an Angel's game on Cinco de Mayo. These are much more comfortable than the little girl versions I wore back then.


Day 5: bird. I love ducks. In fact, - I kid you not - one of life goals is to one day have several ducks as pets. Until then, I am perfectly content with following these birds around and occasionally taking pictures for Instagram. I like  how the female duck is looking back at me. She seems to be thinking, "Stop following us!"


FBFF Day 5: inspiration. I don't even remember what magazine this is from or what month it's from. I had this picture on my phone for a long time and I finally got around to posting it. All three of these outfits are PRETTY.

03 May 2012

Quotable: Bright Star

"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain."
- John Keats, Bright Star: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne

01 May 2012

Pixel Me Pretty

Sorry for the late Pixel Me Pretty post. Ideally, I'd like to have these posted on my blog by Sunday, but life and school get in the way sometimes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my photos!


Getting ready to go out on a shopping date with my girlfriends. I'm not really sure if I like this photo or not. As I predicted, my hair can't hold a pin curl as well now that it's a little longer. Still, I plan on letting it grow even longer. I think I've had short hair for long enough. :)


This is supposed to be an "artistic" snapshot of my steering wheel. I like how my dashboard is blurry in the background. It almost looks like I knew what I was doing when I took this photo.


Doesn't this look amazing? It's spicy Mayan chocolate gelato from Whole Foods Market. When  I say amazing, I really do mean amazing. It has a very rich dark chocolate flavor and a spicy aftertaste of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I think I might be obsessed.


Now that spring has fully sprung, these pretty pink blooms have been popping up all over my city. Just for fun, I went a little editing crazy with this photo. To me, it looks like a shock wave reverberating through the bush. Or maybe it's a force field protecting a curious group of miniature aliens. Excuse me, I think my nerd is showing. :)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...