I'm 24 now!

I spent most of my 24th birthday at work today, from 8 in the morning to a little after 6 in the evening. But before you say anything, it wasn't anywhere near as depressing as it probably sounds! I'm lucky enough to have gotten a job at the same company where my best friend Faustina works. We work in different departments, but I've met some really nice people in my own department (including my supervisor and his manager).

When I walked into the office this morning, the first thing I noticed were all the pink and green balloons. I'm not even joking when I say that there were probably about ten balloons - give or take a few - taped around my cubicle. I have my coworker and new friend Tania to thank for that. :) In addition to the pink and green balloons was a cake with a mylar balloon attached and a bouquet of flowers with even more balloons attached to it. There was a Post-it note from Faustina by the cake and I assumed that the flowers were from her too.

The very first thing I did after clocking in was call her on her extension. This is how our conversation went:

Me: "Faustina!"

Faustina: "Happy Birthday, BestFriend! Did you see your cake?"

Me: "Yes! OMG, thank you for the cake and the flowers!"

Faustina: "Flowers? What flowers?

Me: "Wait, you're not the one who left these for me?"

Faustina: "No...I'm pretty sure those are from Andrew."

Now before I continue the story, allow me to fill you in: Andrew is another one of my coworkers. We met at this party back in December. He then accompanied my newly single self to this party for New Year's Eve. And just because I feel like being coy, that's all I have to say about that for now. ;)

Anyway, I wasn't sure if Andrew had arrived at the office yet, so I texted him. Now this is how our conversation went:

Me: "Thank you for the flowers!"
Andrew: "You got them today?! They were supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I'm kinda bummed out. I had a birthday set of flowers and then the Valentine's set of flowers."
Me: "Awww really? I only got one. Either way, thank you!"

Now here's the funny part: those flowers that I found on my desk weren't from him. They were from Tania. And apparently we both accidentally ruined his surprise. Oops!

My cubicle was so bright and cheerful and festive that I couldn't help but smile every time I'd come back from a break. Also, it attracted so much attention that I got "Happy Birthday!" greetings from just about everyone who walked by, including coworkers whom I hadn't even introduced myself to yet. Oh and throughout all of this, I managed to stay productive too. Haha.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and even though I'll be at work most of the day again, I can't wait to see what the day will bring.

November Recap

It's funny how quickly time flies now that I'm older. (Haha. I sound like an old lady, don't I?) It seems like it was just yesterday I was putting together my October Recap post. I mentioned before that November is probably my favorite month of the year. Even though I didn't take the time to blog about these events as they happened, here they are: the highlights of my November!

Yes, Election Day. While I do care about politics (I'm a proud Democrat, by the way), I was beyond relieved when this day was over. For one thing, I despised watching political ads on TV and listening to them on the radio. I also hated logging on to Facebook and seeing pointless debates going back and forth between people who hardly knew what they were talking about. Despite the extreme annoyance that Election Day brought upon me, I was quite happy with the results. I promise I won't get any more political than this on my blog, but I do support President Obama. :)

I know what you must be thinking: "But Gayle! Breast Cancer Awareness Month was in October!" I know, I know. Despite being a month late, I couldn't resist these fabulous pink items from Target. I purchased this adorable glittery pink clutch/wallet, a Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in "Smitten", and a Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in "Berry Smoothie." The lip butters are my absolute favorite drug store makeup items ever. I own 5 or 6 of them - yes, I'm just a little bit obsessed. Haha. I think I'm wearing "Raspberry Pie" in this photo. 

This lakeside date was one of my favorite moments of November. One day, I sat down with Lucas and said something to the effect of, "You know, a lot of our friends do things like work out together and stuff. You and I eat and sit on the couch watching TV." He responded by suggesting we take a walk around the lake and watch the sunset. (Who said couch potatoes can't be romantic?) 

Another awesome November memory is from when Faustina and I - along with some friends old and new - had dinner and went dancing in Downtown Fullerton. I don't want to brag, but I'd also say that this was the night I perfected my new signature "going out" hairstyle: loose curls pinned to one side. Interestingly though, I have my hair in the exact same style in my profile picture. My hair just happens to be long enough now to make this style not look like an updo.

This month's Disneyland trip was quite interesting. Everything was already decorated for the holidays, which was the good news. The bad news was that we went a couple of days before Thanksgiving. It was so crowded that we only went on two rides before we decided to go home. And here's something else that's kind of random: We saw Mitt Romney. Lucas and I joked that this was the first time we ever saw a famous person at Disneyland and it wasn't even anyone cool.

Thanksgiving! I'll be brief here since I already have a Thanksgiving Style Post. I will say this though: It's already the first week of December and I still want more turkey and crescent rolls and pumpkin pie!

Speaking of food, feast your eyes on this glorious display of meat! Faustina had free tickets to The Laugh Factory in Long Beach. After watching a very funny show with her, we were starving. It was already around 11:30-ish by the time the show ended, but we still managed to find great food at a Korean BBQ restaurant that stayed open until 1 AM. Note the picture on the bottom right. Yes, those are giant slabs of bacon.

We celebrated the last night of November by having dinner at a Turkish restaurant and going to a club in Anaheim. (I hope you don't think that all I do is eat and dance!) I recently rediscovered this high waisted peplum pencil skirt in my closet and it has quickly become my new favorite wardrobe staple. For this night of dancing, I paired this fairly conservative skirt with a sheer lace top and a black lace bra. I'm thinking that this outfit would also be great for family parties too if I wore a tank top instead of just a bra under the lace. ;)

August Recap

Happy first day of September, dear followers! I don't know about you, but September has always been an exciting time for me. There was always the anticipation of starting school again and the promise of cooler weather. I do (kind of) miss being in school, but I know there are still exciting times ahead...and of course, job hunting. For now, I'd like to share all of my favorite August memories. Enjoy!

Beach day with Lucas. Believe it or not, this day was the first time we had gone to the beach together in two years. I know, we're not the typical Southern Californians. I am really glad we went on this day about three weeks ago because the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We started the day off by having lunch on the sand at Newport Beach, but we left right after because it was way too crowded. Afterwards, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway and found the most perfect little beach in Corona Del Mar. It was quite a long and exhausting walk to get down there (see the middle photo), but the crystal blue water and endless sunshine were worth the hike. Oh and by the way, I almost lost my bikini top while trying to swim under a wave. Even with that embarrassing moment, this beach day was amazing.

Several days later, Lucas and I decided to go on a nighttime adventure. We usually just go on short walks or bike rides, but on that night, he drove us to Laguna Beach. We drove past a eclectic town full of art galleries, gay bars, and little boutiques and ended up in a very nice neighborhood with very expensive houses and a private beach. Is there anything more romantic and magical than walking along the beach at night? I think not. It was so dark that we couldn't tell where the sky and ocean met. I am pretty bummed that it was too dark to take any pictures that night. Still, I figured it was worth sharing this story with all of you. :)

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that one of my favorite places to shop is the Irvine Spectrum. About a week ago, I had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory with my mom, grandma, and brother. I have a few favorite dishes from that restaurant, but on that day, I was in the mood to try something new. I ordered the Moroccan Chicken which is now my new favorite. Seriously. It was grilled spiced chicken breasts with couscous, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, and almonds. I ate every last bite and my taste buds were singing the   entire time. After having lunch, my mom and I went shopping at one of our favorite stores, Anthropologie. Even if I can't afford half of the things in that store, I always love exploring every nook and cranny. I like imagining how I'd decorate my future house with mismatched plates hanging on the wall and whimsical touches like this tassel light fixture. Isn't that chameleon dessert plate the cutest thing ever? I use mismatched plates and bowls to store and display all of my jewelry. I'm thinking that maybe I want to add this plate to my collection.

Oh yes, and discovering a new bakery that sells French macarons was another highlight of August! I remember how excited I was when I discovered that other local bakery that sold macarons. (See this post.) This new bakery is in the middle of a very busy Asian shopping and dining center so I was surprised that they actually sold macarons too. I love how these are slightly bigger and have more filling than the other ones I got before. I also really love the packaging that these little lovelies come in. This purple box is almost as pretty as the famous Ladurée box! I still have this box and I have no idea what I should use it for - I don't know, maybe a pencil case? - but for now, I am content with having it sitting pretty on my desk.

My mom's favorite bakery is also in that shopping center. 85 Degrees is almost always ridiculously crowded. I remember one evening we waited in line for over half an hour just to get inside the bakery! They don't sell my precious macarons here, but they do have several savory buns and other types of bread. My mom purchased three orders of their Brioche, which is delicious with jam or just by itself. After stocking up on fresh bread and other baked goods, we had a quick sushi lunch. Pictured here are two of my favorites from that revolving sushi place: seared mackerel and fried sweet potatoes.

A few days ago, I ran some errands at Target and Rite Aid. I came home with these four lovely shades of pastel green and pink nail polish. (In case it isn't obvious yet, can you tell that pale green and pink are my favorite colors in the world?) I had a really hard time deciding which combination of pastel and sparkle to try first. After all, who can choose between two favorite colors? In the end, I ended up painting my nails with my new pink Essie nail polishes. I used "Sugar Daddy" as a base and topped it with "A Cut Above." I must say that so far, I am really impressed by Essie nail polishes. I'm not sure why, but almost all of the pastel nail polishes I own tend to bubble. I'm happy to report that my nails were bubble free!

To conclude an amazing month of August, I went to a Angels game with my boyfriend, mom, and brother. I've lost count of how many games Lucas and I have attended, but it was my mom and brother's first game. We had AMAZING seats. Like, almost in foul ball territory amazing. I don't remember what the score was that night. I want to say 9-2, but whatever it was, YAY! The Angels won. I know I've been complaining about the heat and wishing that fall would just get here already, but to be honest I'm really going to miss summer mostly because of baseball season.

By the way, I hope you don't think I look too creepy in the bottom right photo. Why yes, I was posing with a huge picture of Dan Haren. And yes, I was wearing a t-shirt with his name and number on it. Creepy? Yeah, maybe just a little. Haha. The best part was that my wonderful boyfriend took this photo. He told me that the next time we go to the mall, he's going to do the same thing with a picture of a Victoria's Secret model. I told him that somehow that would be a whole lot creepier than what I was doing. ;)

So that's it! Those were some of the best moments of August for me. How has your summer been?

The Adventures of Gayle and Faustina

As I welcome the month of July, I have to pause to reflect on how awesome - no, how epic June has been in terms of opportunities to spend time with my BestFriend Faustina. We've been to beach bonfires, clubs, parties, a local bar, restaurants, and a dollar movie theatre. Sadly, I only have (mostly so-so quality) pictures of two of our adventures: clubbing and a photo booth set. Enjoy!

As I mentioned in my last post, Faustina and I were crazy enough to go clubbing right after a shopping trip and attending a beach bonfire. I learned two things that night. First of all, it's amazing how much fun we can have in one day. Second of all, I am NEVER wearing 4" heels to go out dancing ever again. I honestly don't know how so many girls can do it. My feet didn't even hurt after a while...they were NUMB, which I took as a not so good sign. Do I look incredibly uncomfortable in this picture? I hope not!

Me with my friends, Dianna and Faustina. Forget the actual time we spent at the overcrowded club; my favorite part of that night was getting ready in my bathroom. We always have so much fun doing our hair and makeup together. 

I love this picture of us. No crazy filters or Photoshop effects were used. Those were simply the dance floor lights. As you can see, we were right up against the speakers, which in hindsight probably wasn't too good for our ears. That was honestly the only place where there was room to dance. Also, notice the um, stuff that's in my cleavage? I promise that I did not stuff my bra. I didn't have pockets or a clutch so I had to carry cash and my ID in my bra. Yes, I know...very classy. ;)

These photos were actually from yesterday. Faustina and I attended our 5 year high school reunion at a local park (which turned out to be a complete failure since hardly anyone showed up) and then decided to turn the whole day into a BestFriends day. We took pictures in an Asian photo booth, which is always a blast. And when I say Asian, I really do mean ASIAN. The machine gives instructions in Japanese, so it's always a little tricky making sure our poses don't turn out too herp derp. I will admit that a lot of the other people who come to use these photo booths are middle school-aged or younger. You know what though? I don't think you can ever be too old to take silly pictures with your best friend. ♥

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.

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!

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.