slowjamtherapy

Buy 1 get 1 Free

2011-06-23T00:32:00.002-04:00

Special buy 1 get 1 deal on Jewelmint right now!

Meaning, you can get this Gold Luxe Duo set for the price of 1 item.

Also, I'll share a discount code (GLITTERS50) that can will give you 50% off your first purchase.

Less than $15 for pieces of jewelery and free shipping. What are you waiting for?

Click here to visit Jewelmint.

FREE POLISH

2011-05-24T14:41:00.003-04:00

Zoya is having a special promotion for 1 day only. You can choose any of their NEW summer colors for free, just pay the shipping fee.

You can choose from any of these 3 collections.

The promo code will be SUMMER1

Act now because this offer expires at 11:59 PM EST TODAY! (5/24/2011) Do not wait! You only have a few hours to take advantage of this awesome promotion! I'm definitely going to pick up a bright color that will be so much fun to wear this summer.

If you do take advantage of this offer, let me know which color you got :)

NOTD

2011-05-19T09:36:00.001-04:00

Nails of the day: ORLY ‘Prince Charming’ & ESSIE ‘Tart Deco’

Jewelmint

2011-05-15T15:11:00.018-04:00

I'm currently obsessed with Jewelmint! It's a jewelry club founded by Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter. Basically you sign up and take a personality quiz then based on your results, the site selects pieces that fits with your personality. It's pretty cool!

Most important, the jewelry pieces are pretty much amazing. They are definitely not your average everyday pieces. These pieces are definitely very unique and artistic. Some pieces are runway inspired while others are more old school, which I love because there's pretty much something for everybody.

"Bosworth's new line manages to feel both artistic and totally appropriate for every day." - Lucky Magazine

I've been a member for 3 months or so now and I haven't had anything bad to say about Jewelmint. I didn't want to share it with you guys until I was absolutely sure that I loved it. I wouldn't want to recommend something for you all to check out if it's not something I wouldn't use myself.

"Art Deco-inspired earrings, sleek metallic bangles, and ornate cocktail rings: in short, an eclectic mix that reflects Kate's own chameleon style." -TeenVogue

Most of the pieces valued over $100 but Jewelmint offers them for $29.99. Shipping is very fast and the best part, it's free! The packaging is so cute it's ridiculous. Everything is packaged in mint boxes with cute ribbons and velvety pouches to make sure your jewels arrive in perfect conditions.

I'm going to show you some of the pieces that I have gotten from Jewelmint just so you can get some ideas of the style and quality of their products. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Marakesh Earrings / *Spotted on Leven Rambin at Rebecca Taylor Fashion show

Golden Goose Bracelet

Mumbai Bracelet / *As Seen On: Emmanuelle Chriqui at The Sundance Film Festival.

Forever Yours Bracelet

Time Square Earrings

Rachel Earrings / Created by actress Rachel Bilson in support of her charity 'Invisible Children'

Mosaic Dream Necklace

If you're interested in checking out Jewelmint,

please click on this invitation link:

http://jmnt.me/esCzoz

Also, because I love you all very much. I searched the internet & found a 50% discount code (Kalel50) for your first purchase. Meaning, you're getting any piece of your choice from Jewelmint for less than $15 dollars.

That's a pretty good deal. I hope at least one of you take advantage of this offer!

Coupon code expires 5/31/2011

2011-05-09T18:37:00.002-04:00

I've got a major headache right now. Work was ridiculously stressful today. To think that the semester is over and my 'summer' has official begun, I can semi-relax & kick back? Wrong. I forgot that this little thing called J-O-B! Don't get me wrong, I love my job on most days. However, it does have its fair share of stressful moments.

Anyways, enough rambling about that.

Yesterday was Mother's day! We went out to brunch at the Ritz, one of our favorite's sunday brunch spot. They do such a spectacular job! Definitely one of my favorite brunches.

Afterward, I helped the bf pick up some garden supplies for his mom. His mom recently got into the whole gardening thing so he wanted to go pick up a few things for her garden.

Then, I came home & took a little cat nap. God, I love naps. I never used to like taking naps until I started college. Now, I can't function properly if I don't take a nap. Lol.

For dinner, mom & her bf took us out to this restaurant right on the water (Grille 66). They swore up and down it was going to be one of my new favorite restaurant. They sure was right on the money! I had a wonderful time. The place had really great atmosphere and the food was just terrific! It sure will be added into my list of fav. restaurants in Florida.

I hope you all are doing well. I'm in the process of making lots of fun traveling plans for this summer. I cannot wait to share it with you all :) It's good to start blogging again. I forgot how therapeutic it can be. Haha

I miss you all so much

2011-05-07T22:25:00.003-04:00

Hi gorgeous people,

I'm backkkkk! I have lots of fun things to talk about and share with you all. Perhaps, I'll even starting doing hauls too (if anybody is interested?).

I shall go catch up one everybody's blogs & such. But in the meantime, go check out Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's new exclusive tshirt line StyleMint! I'm sooo excited and I wanted to share with you all as soon as I heard it :)

What I'm loving right now: Staton James

2011-03-23T20:00:00.001-04:00

I love all the pieces on Stanton James's site right now.
http://www.stantonjames.com/

you make my heart go boom boom supersonic

2011-02-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

Hi darlings.

I won't start out this posting apologizing for being MIA, yet again.

What can I say? Life happened and uh.. I didn't pause for a second and said to myself, "I need to blog about this!" If this was two years ago, I'd jump onto my macbook in a heartbeat & blog to death. However, that's not a main priority for me anymore.

*shrugs

I've stopped trying to capture life and just been enjoying the moment. Life is good.

I have a new job, which I'm soo excited to share with you all. I left my old job (waitressing @ a vietnamese restaurant) at last. I'm grateful that they took me in when I didn't know a darn thing about waiting tables but it was time for me to move on. I'm now working for a wine & gourmet food marketing company. I'm the Promotions Coordinator meaning I'm in charge of scheduling food & wine tastings throughout the state of florida for places like Crown, ABC, BJ's &Whole Foods. I get to hire people to work at these events, prepare all the demos, provide the brand ambassadors with product info, coordinate schedules and that's pretty much it. It's only my 1st week but so far I'm having a lot of fun. It's a change of environment, which is what I drastically need.

Oh. My hair is like an auburny-reddish-brown now. I like it, for now. You know me & my hair, I get bored with it so easily.

Valentine's day is coming up. It will our 2nd Valentine's day together. This year, we're both working on that date so we're going to take a rain check on that. Instead, I'm thinking I should take mom + Vicky out for dinner. Spending valentine's day with my family? Might not be so bad. What are your plans for Valentine's day?

Bring in the new year with free nail polishes!

2011-01-06T23:38:00.003-05:00

Hi loves, I'm so excited to share this new Zoya promotion with you all. For a limited time, you can receive 3 free nail polishes with the coupon code "FB2011"

You do have pay for shipping, which was really inexpensive. My order came out to $6.95 for shipping and that's pretty cheap for 3 fabulous nail polishes! If this your first time ordering Zoya polishes, feel free to ask any questions.. I'll gladly try my best to answer them.

And in case you were wondering, these are the 3 polishes that I ordered from Zoya with this promotion: Valerie, Ivanka & Crystal. I googled pics of these 3 beautiful polishes online so I can share them with you all :)

Valerie is a beautiful purple.

I already know it's going to be a great color for me to wear throughout this winter!

Ivanka - I can't get enough of this green but then again, I can't get enough of green polishes.

Crystal - this is a dupe for OPI 'reflection pool' which is a really rare color to find

I'm def. excited to wear this color in the new year!

I hope this post was helpful. If you do take advantage of this offer, leave a comment and let me know which color you got :)

holiday movie marathon

2010-12-26T21:28:00.006-05:00

I had a wonderful Christmas. I spent my day with some of the most amazing people on this planet along with the most decadent christmas brunch ever! To recover from all the festivities, I kicked myself in a movie marathon!

Black Swan is probably one of the most interesting and captivating psychological thriller that I've seen. I adore Natalie Portman's role in this film, terrific work! She's one of the actresses that I can just cannot wait to see what she'll do next. She's a pleasure to watch. The storyline is quite thrilling. Def. one of the must see film of the year!

The Fighter was terrific. At first I was real hesistant about going to see this film, it seemsed like a snooze fest. Plus the last time I saw Mark Wahlberg was in Planet of the Apes when his ass was making out with an ape-lady! Fortunately, I was terribly wrong. It was such a terrific film and very inspirational too. I'm so glad my bf dragged me out on Christmas night to see this movie :)

The Tourist was sooo much to watch! The storyline won't leave you with some profound inspirational message like the first 2 films but it's fun! I fell in love with Depp's charm all over again in this film. The ending is quite a shocker, you'll never see it coming. Well, at least.. I didn't.

Today, I spent all day in my pjs watching movies through On Demand with my mom & baby sister. We snacked on all kinds of yummy food and even cracked out a couple bottles of bubby too. Oh yeahhh!

Wall Street is a real treat to watch. It was so enlightening to see a young actor like Shia to take on roles in films like this and for that, kudos to him! Great little twist in the plot that nearly made want to jump off the bed & hit somebody. I can't tell you what happened, you'll just have to see it for yourself. Promise me you'll see it, it will help you gain some insight into the complexities of the money market in this country.

The Town was just a so-so film for me. I watched the whole thing because well I already paid for it so I might as well stick it out. The storyline was pretty dumb. The story follows these robbers in this small town and their pathetic lives. Blake Lively played the white trash girl well, it's a nice change to see her doing something other than 'just standing there & flaunt her pretty hair.' Once again, Ben Affleck failed to amused me. The only time I actually cared about what he was to was when he was still dating J-lo. He need to fall off the face of the Earth asap!

Vampires Suck is hilarious and a fun film to watch. I saw it twice, lol. They're coming out with a sequel and I cannot wait to see that either :)

Whew! It didn't seem like a lot but I guess I did see quite a lot of films in the past few days huh? What do you guys normally spending your Christmas weekend doing? Shop? Watch movies? Parties?

I love this time of year, don't you?

2010-12-22T19:11:00.005-05:00

The bf decided to get a Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree as our first tree together. It's really cute and fits perfectly onto of my desk. I adore it! I've gone ahead and added a new gold ornaments I picked up from Walmart to make it look more festive!

We picked up a couple boxes of gingerbread house & gingerbread villages. The plan was to show my sister how much fun this can be. Unfortunately, the actual construction of the gingerbread houses was too hard for her. She'd rather just lick off the icing and stick the candy onto the houses once they were done. Despite all that, we all had a good time. Messy, but fun!

Painted my nailsy to bring in the holidays the proper way :) I wasn't sure which design I liked more so I did 2 different designs. Take a peek and tell me which one you like more?

Overall, I'm having a lot of fun buying gifts for my little sister, staying up late at night gift wrapping presents, making gazillion trips to the mall, making hot chocolate, wearing fuzzy boots and spending lots of time with my loved ones. I have a feeling, this just might be one of the best Christmas I have ever had. Let's not jinx it *keeping fingers crossed

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Lots of love to everyone :)

wonderland

2010-12-15T21:02:00.007-05:00

South Florida was hit with a cold front so it's been pretty much the perfect weather to cuddle up in bed & watch movies. And that's exactly what I've been doing! Here's 3 films that I've seen recently:

Requiem for a Dream

This film came highly recommended by my bf & bff. However, it failed to make the same impression on me. I do not recommend this movie for anyone with a weak heart or weak stomach (like myself). There were a lot of parts where I had to turn away. It was truly terrifying, I guess that's what they were going for huh? Perhaps so, still.. I didn't care for it too much. This is not my type of film.

Grand Torino

This movie was terrific. Well done! I laughed and cried with all the characters. Truly an inspirational movie & I highly recommend it for everybody. There's several parts where it pokes fun at the Asian people & their stereotypes.. oh gosh, that was soo funny! The ending will really shock you & the message of the film is quite powerful. Check it out!

Public Sex - Dogging: A love story

For this film about strangers having sex in their cars, this film is strangely sweet and shy about sex. It's a quirky little british film about romance in the unlikest place. It's really charming. You'll laugh your ass off, I promise. There is a lot of nudity and british men & women doing what bunnies do! However, the ending is quite sweet :) Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot!

Q: What movies what you seen lately? Also, recommend some holiday movies for me to watch please & thank you.

I love us.

2010-12-10T01:31:00.003-05:00

Ahh! HE BITES!

LOL @ the two of us looking like we're audition for a toothpaste commercial.

He gave me 1 one of christmas presents early - a fluffy flabbit from kidrobot

Brrr

2010-12-09T12:40:00.002-05:00

I wanted to make another vlog for you guys. However, the weather is awfully gloomy today so I'll reschedule that for another day when it isn't so depressing out.

Onto more important things, I'm officially on winter break. I finished up my last final exam on Monday afternoon and could not be any happier. I've been spending the last couple of days doing absolutely nothing but everything at the same time.

Bundled up in bed all day long watching movies & catching up on my fave TV shows.
I had the time to reorganize my jewelry collection.
I was able have breakfast & lunch in bed.
Lots of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.
Plenty of time to cook and bake again!
The bf & I made Nutella, strawberry, blackberry crepes with whipped cream yesterday. It was soooo yummy!
Went to see Burlesque & really enjoyed it. The costumes in the movie is just to DIE FOR!
Plenty of idle time to online shop ;] it's really therapeutic, ya know?

Anywho, Today is his birthday. We're going out tonight to celebrate at a very nice restaurant. I'm really excited and will mostly blog about it later on. Until then, have a good one loves.

Stay warm!
xoxo

Currently loving:

2010-12-06T20:14:00.004-05:00

Anarchy Street - Leopard Print Faux Fur Jacket

I've so into faux fur lately. Coats, Jackets, Vests, Handbags.. love them all. I think it's so easy to just make our ordinary casual outfit super glamorous by adding a little fur coat. Plus, since the weather is a tad bit cooler now in South Florida, I'm so glad I have these warm coats to keep me warm. What kind of outer wear/coats/jackets have you been reaching for a lot lately now that the weather is a lot cooler?

Alice + Olivia Tessie Tulle One Shoulder Dress

This dress is just so gorgeous and feminine to me. The one shoulder is really in these days. What really cuaght my heart was the tulle skirt on bottom. Gosh, that's just so delicate and perfect. This dress will be great for the holidays!

Howdy ho!

2010-11-07T16:02:00.002-05:00

First of all, don't laugh @ my lame attempt of vlogging
Secondly, Somehow in the process of uploading my video to vimeo, my video got a little bit messed up. My voice is about half a second faster than the actual image :/
Lastly, enjoy the video & tell me if whether A) make more vlogs or B) stick to blogging

quick vlog saying hello from Lizzy on Vimeo.

Candy Corn Cuteness

2010-10-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

Sorry for being MIA lately, a lot has been going on. I used to be able to broadcast all of the most intimate details of my life on the net, on this blog. However, I can't do so anymore. I'm not really sure why that is. I mean, I don't really care of what people will think of me. I never did. I guess, I just don't have the energy to do so anymore.. which sucks because blogging about it might be a good outlet for me to 'vent'. Idk, maybe. I'll work on that.

On a lighter note, what are you guys doing for halloween? I want to dress up but I don't want to buy a costume or anything. Any ideas of what I can use around the house/closet to create some sort of halloween look? I'm trying to be resourceful lately.

P.S. If you're interested in the polishes I used for the candy corn nails, check my tumblr.

A glimpse into my world

2010-08-31T23:33:00.007-04:00

I had this Ceviche in South Beach & it was the best Ceviche I have ever eaten in my life (thus far)

Even though I have a pretty large bed with plenty of room for me to roll around, I still like to sleep on the right side of the bed better. I'm weird.

This antique elephant fixture was a wonderful addition to my bedroom.
I named him 'Francisco' because he's just so cool like that :)

The bf brought these beautiful peacock feathers back from his trip to Colombia a few weeks ago. I recently went to Home Goods & brought this beautiful vase to put them in. It's my newest addition to my room decor & I absolutely love it.

I'm wearing an old favorite 'prince charming' by ORLY. I think it's a great color for the fall, don't you?

P.S. Shoutout to Elizabeth for sending me such a lovely little package in the mail. It pretty much made my week that much sweeter! I especially love the little beaded bracelets ;] Follow her blog if you haven't already!

And the final 3..

2010-08-29T23:19:00.000-04:00

(#16) Adam - I heard great things about this film at last year's Sundance so when I was browsing the shelves at Blockbuster one night & saw it.. I knew I had to rent it. It's an interesting love story with a major twist. It's kinda like an indie version of time traveler's wife meets 500 days of summer. You'll want to laugh and cry with the character 'Adam' in the movie. I especially love the ending of the film. My bf didn't care too much for it but it really stuck with me. I like movies that leaves you thinking..

(#17) She's out of my league - Laugh out loud funny. I saw it by myself one night because I couldn't fall asleep. I spent the next 2 hrs laughing so hard my cheeks was starting to hurt. I recommended to the bf & we watched it together. He really enjoyed it as well. This is one of those films that combines bromances & romantic comedy into one. You can watch it with a bunch of girlfriends or guy friends & I'm sure everybody can find something to laugh about.

(#18) Mr. & Mrs. Smith - I'm probably the last person on Earth that haven't seen this film. I saw it 2 days ago, I know I know.. pathetic. Movie was enjoyable. Angelina Jolie bother the heck out of me & I can't help but think how much of a homewrecker she was for ruining Jennifer & Brad's relationship from this movie. Aside from that, it was cute. Brad is the bees knees!

And this wraps up my summer movies marathon. It was a lot of fun. I'm back at school now & I'm taking some really interesting classes. Actually I'm just taking electives and 1 DIS lab so it should be a relatively stress-free this semester. I've always worked so hard in previous semesters so this is my time to chill out a bit & focus on 'life AFTER college'.

3 very different movies

2010-08-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

(#13) When in Rome - Saw this movie twice because I adore it. Kristen Bell is so cute to me. I love her since the Veronica Mars' days & still love her now. It's a cute romantic comedy that you can watch with your bf because it's not overly cheesy. I watched it with my bf the night before he left on his trip & he really enjoyed it. We had the whole house to ourselves so we made chocolate fondue & cuddled onto the couch to watch this movie. That's beside the point but yeah, we really liked the movie. Lol, check it out!

(#14) The Time Traveler's Wife - This movie made me cry like a baby. My gosh, I wasn't expecting it to be such a tearjerker. Rachel McAdams is beautiful & I love her. In this film, I wasn't too impress with her acting skills. However, I do love the storyline. It's def. very unexpected & really held my attention the whole time. Plus, I'm all into the whole tragic love story of lovers that can never be thing.

(#15) A Single Man - It's a Tom Ford film, need I say some more? Beautiful imagery through and through. Dramatic storyline but very realistic. I'm a sucker for tragic love stories. I'd recommend for people who are tired of seeing mainstream movies & is looking for something with a little more artistic view.

everybody wants to be in love

2010-08-08T20:22:00.007-04:00

Thank you to all of your kind words on the last post. Thankfully, things are slightly looking up.

(+) I did a lot better on my stats final exam that I had hoped for. I'm very thankfully for that. Heck, I'm happy as hell. I thought I was going to fail but I did better than passing. GO ME!

(+) I came to the realization that my relationship with mom will never be perfect (or normal) but it's okay. At the end of the day, she'll always be MY mom. There's not much I can do but make the best of the situation. I took actions into my own hands & purchased a pair of diamond studs for her. It's my 'I'm sorry' present, I guess you could call it. Along with it, I gave her a vanilla cupcake with strawberry & white chocolate icing. Needless to say, she forgave me.

(-/+) I miss him a lot. During the day, it's not so bad because I'm constantly going out or doing something. But when night time comes around, it's hella lonely without him. Luckily, he will be home in a few days so I won't have to wait too long.

(+++) Today, I fell in love with the Atkins Roll. It was super hard to capture the magnificent colors due to the poor lightning inside the restaurant, but you get the point. I really really love this dish. It's just like 4 different raw fish wrapped together by a thin layer of rice paper. No rice, no cream cheese filling, no cucumber.. none of that 'fluff'. Just straight up RAW FISH goodness & natural flavor. UGH, the bomb diggity! Just talking about it right now is making my mouth waterrrr!

atkins roll

went to the beach saturday morning for mom's baptism

got new locks & new keys for the house :) i feel a lot safer now!

waffles + strawberry sauce

planted some flowers at the new house

goofing off in the car with my little sister

What a mess.

2010-08-05T11:10:00.003-04:00

Just when I thought my life was becoming somewhat stable, more crap happened. At this exact moment, I feel so life-less. Isn't that terrible?

I've got the next 4 hours to review for my statistics lab final exam (tomorrow morning @9am). Unfortunately, I can't focus. I'm emotionally bruised. I'm physically drained. I keep reminding myself that after tomorrow, I'll have the next few weeks to enjoy what's left of my summer. Even knowing that, I still can't focus. There's just too much on my mind. I won't go in details about everything since I feel like I've already said it all in my other blog. It's funny, I've been using the blog I've created to write to Cristian a lot more than I even use THIS blog. I'll do a quick recap for now but if you want the full details, you can read it over there.

There's been a series of break in & robberies in my new neighborhood. They broke into my mom's bf car a few nights ago. They took everything from his car, as well as a spare key to our home. We're so worried that they might come back & try to rob the house next.
Mom & I are in a fight, what else is new? I wish she would just grow the freak up sometimes. I feel like I'm the adult in our relationship. It's so pathetic.
I thought moving into this new house would help bring our family closer together, help us realize how much we need each other. I was wrong. I need to save up major $$ so I can start moving out. All this glitters is not gold.

lonely was the song I sang till the day you came

2010-08-02T23:06:00.005-04:00

Me, mom & Victoria went to ikea earlier this morning. I have never seen ikea so EMPTY. It was weird. I didn't mind having though. In fact, it gave me plenty of time & space to look through everything .. and my goodness.. I looked through EVERYTHING! Unfortunately, it was a very unsuccessful trip. All I got was 3 jars of candles & a toothbrush holder. Seriously?! A freaking toothbrush holder! I could've gotten that silly thing at Walmart!

Whatever, enough about that .. one good thing that came out of that trip to ikea was my new found appreciation for lingonberry. Oh my my my it smells heavenlyyyyyyy. I wanted to buy ALL the lingonberry candles I could get my hands on!!!! They even had lingonberry juice & lingonberry jelly too! I want to try them all because if it taste anything as good as it smells.. I'll die happy! Did anybody try them? If so, let me know! I'm so interested!

Here's a recap of my day in photos:

Saw this cute stationery set @ Marshalls. It's so me!

Tuna sandwiches for lunch.

Baked Cod Fish with Papaya Salsa & Sauteed Veggies = dinner!

Instead of GPYW, this will be Gratuitous Picture of Dolce!

from me to you..

2010-08-02T16:43:00.002-04:00

The bf left for Colombia yesterday for a little vacay. I'm so happy for him. He deserves it. Unfortunately, that means I won't see/talk/hear from you him for at least 10 days. So to occupy myself with something productive (besides from settling into the new house & studying final exam for my summer course) .. I've decided to write to him for every day that he's gone. I'll write about everything and even snap a few photos too. This way, when he comes back.. he can read through it & it will feel like he was there with me the whole time :)

So it's not exactly the most original idea but who cares? I'll be writing to him daily on another blog in case anybody is interested. It's separate blog from this account b/c I doubt anybody beside Cristian & myself will actually read it. Plus, I might decide to make it private later on. Not sure yet...

does it glow in the dark?

2010-08-02T00:53:00.006-04:00

Due to the moving process, my nails were all ruined (broken, peeled & chipped). So now that everything is pretty much in place at the new house, I knew I needed to take care of my little fingers. I cut all the nails down super short & clean up all the cuticles. I soaked them in warm water & applied cuticle oils. Afterward, I used hand cream to lock in the moisture & keep my hands nice and soft. Then of course, I painted them in the brightest shades I could possibly find. I’m wearing all China Glaze polishes (pool party, purple panic, yellow polka dot bikini, kiwi-cool- ada & orange knockout). People are constantly commenting on how 'bright' & 'colorful' my nails are (especially when I'm at work). I love it. It's so in-your-face!

I had a fun night.

2010-08-01T01:28:00.000-04:00

Just washed my face, brushed my teeth & slipped into a comfy tee.
Let’s just call it a night folks.
Sweet dreams!

mhm.. it's all for the best

2010-07-29T13:16:00.003-04:00

The boy + me visisted this cupcake shop in Wilton Manor a few weeks ago when I was on the hunt for Isa's & Jeanne's birthday gifts. We fell in love with the place. It's a small but clean bakery and the only thing that's sweeter than the cupcake itself is probably the wonderful staffs. Overall, I was very happy with my experience at 'Sweeter Days' that day. I went back twice since then & plan on visiting quite often in the future. It's my go-to spot for a little pick-me-up treat when I'm having an icky time. It works every time. You can't frown when eating a cupcake. It's just not possible. Try it!

raspberry sorbet + cupcakes = perfect afternoon

and the list goes on..

2010-07-26T20:48:00.002-04:00

Hi girls. I'm in the process of moving so no real 'updates' for now. Moving to a new house is hard work. The constant hassle of packing everything, loading it into the card, unpacking it, reorganizing and rearranging everything, filling out 'change of address' paperwork and all that jazz is super stressful. It's making super cranky & stressed out. Thankfully I have friends and a helpful bf that's reminding me that once it's all done.. it will be all worth it. I hope so! Hope you're all doing well & is enjoying this summer heat. Enjoy it now, once that first winter breeze comes through.. you'll miss this summer weather.

More movies that I've seen:

(#9) Toy Story 3 - This movie was just bizarre for me. I was recommend by many people to see this movie because it was terrific (in their opinion). I couldn't agree with that. While there was some funny moments, the rest was rather 'dark' for a family & kid-friendly movie. If I was a little kid seeing this film, I'd be scared to death to the evil teddy bear & evil baby doll. Eeek! Thumbs down for me!

(#10) Kick-Ass - Another film that was recommended to me by friends & family as being 'really funny.' I must admit, I did laugh a little more than while watching Toy Story 3 but it wasn't that funny at all. In fact, it was really bloody with tons of action scenes. I was not expecting that at all! Also, the character HG in the movie annoy the crap out of me. If that was my little sister with a potty-mouth like that .. she would never see the age of 12.

(#11) Inception - This movie was truly fantastic!!! It kept me interested every second of the film. Well-done. Excellent cast! The storyline is nothing like anything I've seen before, I truly recommend this film to everybody. This is a must-see movie for 2010!

(#12) The Last Song - This movie wouldn't be so bad if Miley wasn't the main character. Idk, maybe it's just me but she's got this ugly ass pout that just makes me want to smack her. Besides from that, the movie was cute. It's a family friendly movie. It has tons of cute little quirky moments. At the end of the day, we can all use some light hearted humor.

Just a little hairspiration

2010-07-24T00:53:00.002-04:00

Tomato Tart

2010-07-22T00:27:00.007-04:00

puff pastry

fresh tomatoes

thyme

A super delicious and light tomato tart is the perfect afternoon snack or can even make a great appetizer for your next summer party. I had lots of fun making it with the bf & my little sister today and even more fun eating it. It was light and buttery. The fresh tomatoes was juicy and the flavor from the thyme as perfection. You can even add a little bit of Parmesan cheese on top & serve it like that as well.

Summer time is movie time

2010-07-11T22:46:00.008-04:00

So I've continued to watch more movies during my summer break. In fact, I've watched so many movies that I've started a list. In my last post, I've mentioned (#1) Dear John, (#2) Youth in Revolt, and (#3) Valentine's Day. Well here are the movies I've seen since then:

(#4) Karate Kid - This movie caught me by surprise. It was extremely entertaining & very funny. Great movie to watch with your family, or even just by yourself. I'm very impressed with Will Smith's son in this movie. He did a nice job with this role. I'm excited to see him in future films.

(#5) I Love You Beth Cooper - this film failed to capture my attention. I got bored after the first 10 minutes. Eh, don't really care for it.

(#6) New Moon - Let me honest & say that the only I watched this film was to make fun of all the hype around the Twilight phenomenon. This ~~shit~~ is not my cup of tea. In all fairness, it's slightly better than the horrible acting & terrible directing fr. the first movie, but it's still nothing special. I swear, our generation ruined vampires forever.

(#7) Remember Me - OMG, love love love loveeeee this movie! I hated Robert Pattinson in Twilight & New Moon but he totally redeemed himself in this movie. It's a low-key indie romance with one of the most demented final twists everrr! You have to watch to find out what happened in the end. Plus, Emilie de Ravin is the bees knees.

(#8) The Runaways - This movie was quite a drag for me. It lacked direction and was too much of a mess. The costumes was terrific though ;)

Seen any movie lately? Recommend some of favorite films to me. I plan to spend my summer watching as many movies as possible. It's like a new summer goal now! Haha.

you're the inspiration

2010-07-07T00:08:00.007-04:00

It's a quarter after 12 and I'm sitting here blogging away. I worked a double shift today (12 hrs) so I treated myself to a LUSH bath after work. I've been working a lot lately, since it's summer time & all. In fact, I've been working the past 6 days straight with no days off. Tomorrow is my day off (that is, if my new co-worker doesn't decide to call & ask him I could cover his shift for him). I plan on turning off my cell phone and spending the day catching up on my sleep, pigging out on ice-cream, watching movies and spending time with family. Nothing extremely 'exciting' to most people but it's quite a treat for me. I need some 'me' time!

So other than turning into a workaholic, what else have I been up to?
I've been..

trying out new products from Lush. It's amazing how every time I visit their stores, I find myself falling in love with more new products. At the moment, I'm currently trying out: Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, American Cream Conditioner, R&B (Hair & Balance) Hair Conditioner & Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub. I am sooooo in love with R&B. I recommend this to anybody who wants to try a great product to nourish their hair.
watching movies. Summer time is movies time. From all of the movies that I've never seen, wanted to see or just didn't feel was worth paying $ to see it in the theatre, I've made a list to watch them this summer. So far, I've seen: Dear John, Youth in Revolt, & Valentine's Day. In short, Dear John had a ridiculous storyline & the ending was just awful. Youth in Revolt had its moments, nothing outstanding. Valentine's Day was cute with the exception of Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner's appearance.

watching CAKE boss. Haha, the bf got me addicted to this show!
painting. Playing around with acrylic paints a lot lately because I recently discovered you can use acrylic paints on your nails. I've been teaching myself how to draw roses on my nails using acrylic paints. So far, it hasn't been easy but I'm still working on it. Hopefully I'll perfect the skill soon b/c I'd really like a 'floral' nail art look. I think that would be so fun to do!
wearing a lot of headbands. It's funny because when I was a kid, I wore them all the time. But as I grew up, I stopped & swore I would never wear them again b/c it was too 'childish'. Now, I love them all over again & can't get enough of them. I got a super cute floral one from f21 last week. Love that darn thing until Vicky came back from Disney world with a Minnie Mouse headband (with the bow) for me. OMG, isn't she the best little sister ever?
shopping for home furnishing stuffs for the new house. My new bedroom is going to be my summer project. I'm constantly searching for the perfect duvet cover or the right shape lamp for it. Perhaps I'll post pictures when I'm all settled in. My new bedroom is green, if you have any color schemes or ideas/suggestions for organization or design.. please share!

good night

2010-06-27T21:26:00.003-04:00

Had a wonderful sushi dinner with daddy + my little sister tonight. My dad & I used to be really close but after my parents' divorce, our relationship just haven't been the same. Tonight was the first time, for a very long time, that we were able to sit down and just have a nice dinner together. I took him to NU Sushi in Coral Springs. We had:

Tiger Eye
Tuna Tataki
Miso Ae
Sweet Potato Fry
Deluxe Sashimi
Tuna Tower
Miso Soup
Chicken Katsu
Deep Fried Banana + Green Tea Icecream

Everything was superb! My dad was skeptical of the place at first but he really enjoyed himself. That made me beyond happy. What can I say? If it's one thing I can do right.. it's picking out a good restaurant. Haha, I'm a foodie.

Anyways, I'm home now & waiting for the bf to come home so I can tell him all about my night. Here's a glimpse of my little sister, puppy dog (Dolce) and me playing around on photobooth.

Nail of the Day

2010-06-22T22:25:00.002-04:00

Robyn - My gosh, this blue is fantastic. It's such a brilliant and bright blue. It reminds me of this old blue polish I used to have from ORLY. It's super easy to apply, goes on smooth & is pretty much perfect with just 1 coat. I like to lay my polish on thick so I went for 2 coats.

Pippa - Tricky application. It's one of those polish that you need to be super gentle when applying otherwise it will get very 'streaky' .. ugh, I hate that. Unfortunately, I have a weakness for a lot of pastel colors & they all tend to be very streaky if you don't glide gently. First coat is hideous, second coat gets better & 3rd coat is wonderful! It's one of those yellow polish that will not make your nails look all deadly & pale. Because I'm asian, I try to avoid a lot of yellow/orangey tone because it just doesn't look flattering on me. However, this is a cool lemony color that works for my skin tone. I like it.

I got the idea to do blue & yellow with polka dots fr. my umbrella. Haha, I've been carrying my umbrella around a lot lately because of this tricky summer weather in South Florida. Why not match my nails with my umbrella? It sure will brighten up my mood on those dreary, rainy days :)

P.S. What are you wearing on your nails this week?

so hot we'll melt your popsicle!

2010-06-16T23:42:00.003-04:00

Help? I cannot get this song out of my head! & the fact that the video is so gosh darn cute & bubbly.. it makes me like it even more! Ahhh! I feel the need to do 'california gurls' inspired nail look soon. Cupcakes? Candy? Ice-cream cones? Hm.. any ideas?

Nails of the week

2010-06-15T16:19:00.003-04:00

Custom Kicks & Liquid Leather by China Glaze
Lol @ my lame attempt of drawing a cute little bow on my finger nail.

Have a good week everybody!
<3

My ZOYA exchange

2010-06-13T17:18:00.003-04:00

As I've mentioned in the previous post about the Zoya Polish Exchange, I traded a bunch of old polish bottles for 16 new ones. Here are ones I got! This might be helpful for those of you that are having are having a tricky time not knowing which polish to choose. Keep in mind, I haven't gotten a chance to try all of the polish yet for a full review. I just quickly swatch each color on a finger nail to see it's consistency & such. I'll post more info about individual polish in a later time (if you girls are interested, if not .. I won't)

Purity - creamy white
Harley - shimmery gray
Skye - nude beige with hint of shimmer
Bailey - baby pink with lots of glitter
Barbie - light pink with a sheen
Sweet - pastel pink (need at least 3 coats)
Jolene - brighter pastel pink
Ali - highlighter pink & is pretty much what i'll be wearing all summer
Creamy- creamy yellow
Pippa - baby yellow
Midori - the prettiest green with a hint of gold shimmer
Robin - aqua blue
Tallulah - navy blue with turquoise shimmer
Harlow - raspberry pink matte
Savila - purpley pink matte
Kalista - burgundy reddish brown with tons of shimmer

P.S. What color are you most excited to wear on your nails this summer?

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange

2010-06-05T16:48:00.004-04:00

Hi ladies! First, I must apologize for this late post because I've been meaning to blog about this since April. I hope you all can understand that as a full time college student & a full time waitress in the process of moving to a new home and maintaining a new relationship .. blogging is the last thing on my mind. Anyways, enough with my apology for not posting this sooner.. let's get to it!

Until June 30, 2010, Zoya is having a NAIL POLISH EXCHANGE.

What exactly is a nail polish exchange? Basically, you send in any old bottles of nail polish (used or unused) and Zoya will replace it with a brand new Zoya Nail Polish. It's that simple!

You get to "choose from over 300 ready-to-wear, formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate free, award winning colors (Zoya Nail Polish was awarded the longest wearing nail polish in Women’s Helath magazine)!"

All you have to pay is $3.50 per bottle for shipping fees, which is pretty reasonable because normally each bottle of Zoya Nail Polish cost $7 and that's without shipping & handling fees. I would highly recommend everybody to take advantage of this offer. I know I did ;] I participated in the exchange the last year so I was very excited to participate in the exchange this year also!

If this is something you'd be interested in: click the link below!
https://www.artofbeauty.com/exchange/default.html

Hair Envy!

2010-06-03T00:21:00.003-04:00

These images were taken from Hair Storm by Solve Sundsbo 2008.

formspring.me

2010-06-02T20:59:00.002-04:00

Hi new friends & old friends!

Have questions? Just ask!
Don't have any questions? Write me a random message :)
http://formspring.me/lalalalizzy1

Fill in the blank!

2010-06-01T22:03:00.011-04:00

1. Favorite hobby?
Scrapbooking! I grew fondness of crapbooking back in junior year of high school. I used to save up all my money to go to the scrapbooking store & buy all sorts of cute papers, stickers, buttons, etc.. Unfortunately, it's a very expensive and time consuming hobby so I haven't made one in awhile. Maybe this summer, I'll pick it back up again..

2. Favorite tv show?Need I say more? This is the only tv show where you'll find an r&b song playing one minute & then a rock&roll song the next. It's fantastic. I plan my schedule each week around Glee! After each episode, it leaves me in such a good mood that will last me all week. I love it!

3. Favorite restaurant food?
I'm a sucker for a good piece of steak. I'm a red meat kind of girl. If I'm at a steakhouse, I'll usually go for a New York Strip with potato au gratin & sauteed mushrooms. Mhmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

4. Favorite thing to shop for?Jewelry! I'm currently obsessed with big cocktail rings, chunky bracelets, chandelier earrings and multi-strand beaded necklaces.

5. Favorite animal?Panda bears! My list of fave animals: panda, seahorse, penguin & dolphins (in that exact order)

6. Favorite song?

7. Favorite word?cuppycakes! Hahha, I just love saying it. It looks cute, sounds cute & you can't help but just giggle after saying it.

8. Recent favorite youtube video?

I'm a big fan of Michelle Phan's youtube videos. Not only b/c she's such a good role model for Vietnamese girls but she's also an excellent guru. I love all of her DIY beauty products.

9. Favorite movie?
10. Favorite childhood memory?When I was young, I would always skip my gymnastic class to go art class. Even til this day, I don't think my parents ever knew that I hardly atteneded my gymnastic/dance classes. Don't get me wrong, they were fun but art classes were BETTER (at least to a 7 yr. Lizzy).

Want to play along? Copy & paste the prompts below, answer each with a photo and a description if you like and leave a comment here with a link to your post so I can read your favorites too.

Spent memorial day @ Sanibel Island

2010-05-31T21:05:00.000-04:00

because you're a star

2010-05-19T01:32:00.012-04:00

Monday afternoon, I was very excited to find a little package from Zoya at my doorstep. As I've previous blogged, there was a special promotion to receive 3 free Zoya Hot Lips a week or so ago. I took advantage of the offer and picked up 6 lip balms! Here's what I got:

From left to right: luck, heatwave, blog, heiress, malvadee & exquisite.

Luck - light pink with gold sparkle; perfect for a nude lip with just the right amount of shimmer

Blog - peachy/bronze color with a gold shimmer

Heiress - it looks pretty dark in the tube but it's actually the prettiest bronzey nude color ever

Malvadee - hot hot hot pink .. like BARBIE pink!

Exquisite - purpley lilac color & reminds me of something Isa would wear

In my package, they also included swatches of the new "flash & sparkle" collection. I thought it was so pretty that I had to share with you girls. Maybe you'll pick up some of these colors for spring/summer.

Flash: 6 bright cream polishes ranging from from a gorgeous sky blue to a tangy orange.

Sparkle: 6 glitter polishes in deeper tones but still rich intensity and shine.

Close up of the amount of sparkle & shine power in these colors. I mean, check it out! Omg, I'm so in love.

*Side note: Zoya has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor.

shiny and new

2010-05-11T20:01:00.004-04:00

I painted my nails with a bright pink color for Mother's Day on Sunday. Unfortunately after going strawberry picking with my bf & his family, most of my nails ended up being chipped. I don't know how most of you girls feel about chipped nails but to me .. that's no bueno!

I didn't want to remove the polish off after 1 day. That's just wasteful & not to mention can be quite damaging to the nails. So that's not an option at all. Luckily, while browsing at Walmart with Isa & Jeanne .. I stumbled upon these french guide line stickers. They caught my attention because I've never seen anything like it before. Plus, they were like dirt cheap so I bought 2 packs to test out the product.

To my surprise, they were really easy to use & work pretty well too. I placed the stickers ontop of my already polished nails & then swipe on a coat of black polish (liquid leather fr. China Glaze) at the tips. Here's my result:

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with how well these guide line stickers worked. It's also a great solution to fixing chipped nails. With this new coat of black tips, I can rock this color until at least the end of the week. Problem solved!

my week in photos

2010-05-09T19:38:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the end of final exam week & the completion of the most stressful semester ever, my family took me to D'Angelo Pizza Wine Bar and Tapas. It's an upscale & super trendy pizza joint in Ft. Lauderdale. I had a great time munching on yummy zucchini flowers mozzarella, beef carpaccio drizzled in truffle oil and doing quite a bit of people watching.

This was my dessert - passion fruit, mango & raspberry sorbet covered in white chocolate.

Stayed in bed watching movies & stuffing our faces with these little petite desserts from Lindt. It comes with Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, Miffefeuille, Meringue & Lemon Tart!

Went to the mall like what, 4 times this week? Mainly because I had to pick up a few things for my mom for Mother's day as well as dropping my laptop off @ the Apple Store for minor repair.

Aside from purchasing super cute bodysuits, headbands & the perfect straw hat, I did manage to find my new favorite summer sandal. It's snake print in the front strap. On the back is a bunch of straps filled with these colorful beads that hug perfectly around my ankles. Since, I probably suck at the description .. I went ahead and included a photo.

I was a little hesitant about purchasing them because I have so many strappy sandals & this sort of thing already. Fortunately, my bf convinced me to get them & I'm so glad I did :)

With mom & her bf in Greece for the next 2 weeks, I've made it my goal to spend as much time with my little sister as possible. We're currently searching the ultimate summer smoothie recipe as well as a killer costume for her school project on Princess Diana.

And spending time with puppy dog too! Hes still wearing his St.Patty's scarf because we think green looks good on him. Haha

Hot Lippy!

2010-05-08T00:01:00.005-04:00

Back in November, I got my hands on a few Zoya Hot Lips Lip Gloss and could not stop ranting & raving about it. It's an excellent gloss with lip therapy all in one. It applies really smooth and is flavored and scented like Starburst candy! Yes, Starburst!

Okay, enough of me sounding like a cheesy infomercial & onto the fun part! I was so excited when I found out about this special promotion & could not wait to share. You can now receive 3 free Zoya Hot Lips Gloss here with a special promo code "LIPPY". How cool is that? Who doesn't love free stuffs? Take advantage of the offer, it expires May 12th!

Happy glossing!

we won't stop til it's over

2010-04-30T15:33:00.002-04:00

Sleeping 3-4 hrs. of sleep per night, drinking an insanely disgusting amount of coffeemissing episodes of my fave tv shows, denying invites to go hang out with friends, having dark circles under my eyes, making 8am visit to Jamba Juice for oatmeals & peach pleasure smoothie before heading off to the library, conjugating french verbs & memorizing trigonometric functions = my final exams week

+ Knocking out 2 exams already, so I've only got 2 more to worry about this Sunday & I'm done!
- Having 2 exams (French & Trig) on Sunday isn't exactly the most ideal situation. They are my hardest class this semester so you can imagine the amount of stress I'm dealing with here..
-- Getting myself sick during final exams week sucks major donkey balls! I'm conflicted between the need to get some rest so I can feel better or study day& night. Of course, the studying wins! My professors aren't going to want to hear me saying, "Oh, I didn't do so well on my final exams because I was sick & needed to rest." Pooey. That's life for ya.

Thankfully, my bf came to the rescue this afternoon and brought me lots of homeopathic medicines, vitamins, soup & orange juice to I can regain a little bit of strength to get me through the next 2 days.

I'll be so damn happy when this semester is over. I'm going to treat myself to lots of trips to the mall, a movie night, margaritas, cupcakes, a facial, pedicure & manicures too!

Reflecting.

2010-04-21T23:20:00.004-04:00

I'm a little bit sadden by the inconsideration I've had to deal with lately. Truthfully, I'm used to it. But lately, it's just been an overwhelmingly larger amount ... especially from the people closest to my heart. That sucks.

The people that you care about most are the ones capable of hurting you the most.

Ain't that the truth?

I go out of my way to put myself in other's shoes and to try and imagine how they feel so I can understand their situation better. I try to be considerate of their feelings and their situations. But why can't they do the same about mine? Aren't my feelings important too?

They all claim that they understand the circumstances and situations that I'm in. But they don't. They all claim that they know how I'm feeling. But they really don't. How do I know that? Because actions speaks louder than words.

Show me that you're considerate of my feelings like I've shown you, then we'll talk. Until then, I just want you to know that I'm a little bit disappointed ..

can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?

2010-04-18T15:09:00.006-04:00

This post will pretty much be all over the place but then again, most of them are. It's just the way my mind operates. Deal with it.

+ Airplanes by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams was this week's anthem. I had it on heavy rotation during the last week and still haven't gotten sick of it yet. Go listen to it if you haven't already.

- Rain. Heaps and heaps of it. Rain, rain .. go away. Please ~~come back another day~~ don't come back anytime soon. I've got tons of cute floral tops and matching flippy flops that I'd love to wear on a sunny day. Doesn't look like that will be happening any time soon.

- Mom is driving me bonkers. Yesterday, we got into a HUGE fight but I think we needed to have one. At least now we both got all out of our feelings out in the open, no more built up tensions. We'll see how the rest of it will play out..

- I've got 3 weeks left in the semester so it's def. stressing me out. Don't expect regular updates on this blog or tumblr in the next few weeks. I've really gotta buckle down and pull through. Failure is not an option. Never is, never will.

+ I made a 'formspring.me' account and have been doing a pretty good job at answering people's questions. So far, it's mainly for my followers on tumblr because I have more followers there than I do on blogspot. However, you guys are more than welcome to ask me/tell me anything. I love receiving random messages & things. It makes my heart flutters. Haha.

++ Picked up 4 new polishes this week. 2 ORLY matte colors in gold and copper, ORLY 'prince charming' & China Glaze 'Custom Kicks.' Btw, I'm head over heels for Custom Kicks. It's such a vibrant shade of turquoisey-teal. Absolutely fantastic!
- Work has been super slow lately, which means I'm not making money. Normally, I wouldn't complain but I'm planning on taking 3 courses this summer term & I'm paying for all of it so I kinda need the money, ya know? Unless I plan on robbing a bank or something? Eh, I'm not slick enough to pull off some shit like that.

+ Cristian and I cooked dinner for his family on Monday night. The dinner was a success. Everybody loved the meal and we all had a wonderful time. He's got such a terrific family, it sure does make up for mine.

++ Finished my 14 page citation paper this past Friday. Thank you baby jesus! It's such a load off my shoulders.

-/+ About 5 months ago, I dyed my hair red. I know, dumb move. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Oh that's right, I probably wasn't thinking. Thankfully most of the red has fade away. (Btw, red is the worst color to dye your hair doesn't it fades so much faster than any other colors) Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for a haircut and possibly coloring as well. The boyfriend loves my old coloring so I might go back to that, either that or possibly light brown. Idk yet, any ideas on what I should do?

Here are some of photos of my hair for comparison.

Brown + honey high lights

vs.

Dark plum red + strawberry blonde high lights

Your smile is so elastic.

2010-04-11T14:38:00.003-04:00

Lately, it haven't felt quite right. I've got a lot on my shoulders. I'm the foundation that is holding my family together, or at least what's ever left of it. I'm not complaining. If any one is better suited for this job, it's me.

It just sucks sometimes, you know? Especially since I'm at that stage in my life that I'm ready to spread my wings and fly away. As I go through the motions of the everyday mundane events in my life, my wind is constantly daydreaming of being somewhere else and doing other things. Mentally and physically, I'm ready to fly away. But emotionally, I can't quite do it just yet. My family needs me. Vicky needs me, whether she knows it or not. And as much as mom won't ever admit it, she needs me too. I can't afford for her to pull one of her suicidal/psychotic episodes like she did earlier this week. I'll admit it, it scared the living crap out of me. But I have to be strong .. for her .. for Vicky. I have to be strong for myself too. I mean, who else is am I going to lean on?

Enough of this rambling..
What I'm trying to say is that this past week has been a trying one. I'm physically exhausted due to the workload from school and working long hours waitressing. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted from the heartaches at home. This led up to the event of me walking out of work last night. I threw my apron down and just left. I was tired. I needed sleep, food & most importantly.. a mental break!

I plan on continuing my 'resting' phase for the remainder of today also. I plan on taking a Lush bath (bubble bars, bath bombs, message bars, etc..). I plan on spending time with my little sister (taking her to the store to get a few dolls, buying nail polishes to do each others nails, etc..). I plan on staying in bed and reading. I plan on catching up on my sleep (as well as GossipGirl's episodes).

With that being said, have a great Sunday!

long hair, don't care

2010-04-06T21:33:00.006-04:00

Over the weekend, I received the Hana Professional 1" Pink Flat Iron from the Lily's giveaway & courtesy of Misikko! My hair is very thick and is naturally wavy so I don't bother with straightening it everyday. However, upon receiving this beautiful flat iron, I could not wait to try it out on my hair.

Needless to say, my hair is silky soft but still full of body. I love that you can adjust the level of heat you'd like to apply to your hair. I straightened my hair on Sunday afternoon & it's now Tuesday night .. my hair is still absolutely perfect. I know these aren't the greatest photos & def. does not do the flat iron any justice whatsoever. Perhaps I'll try to take some better photos during the daytime tomorrow at school so you guys can get a better look.

I'd just like to say thank you to Lily & Misikko for this wonderful prize. It's now the only straightener I'll ever use.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T19:04:00.006-04:00

Aside from the unexpected phone call from my bf's mom this morning, it's been a pretty laid back and semi-relaxing for me. Cristian and I had lunch with my mom and her bf at The Office in Delray Beach. It's an upscale and hip burger joint with an office theme. With names like the "CEO burger", a turn table, and utensils that comes in cute little manilla envelopes, how could I not love this place?

Not to mention, their food is outstanding. This is by far the best burger I have eaten EVER, and trust me, I have eaten a lot of burgers. I ordered the CEO burger which is a blend of US prime meat, sweet onions & tomato confit, gorgonzola, Gruyere, arugula and really good bacon! It was pretty much amazing.

I'm so glad mom and Milan introduced us to this place. It's soon to be my favorite burger joint!

And in the spirit of Easter Sunday, I painted my nails in 3 of my favorite pastel colors! Hope you had a lovely sunday.

the smell of you in every single dream i dream

2010-03-29T23:38:00.004-04:00

The weather was just terribly ugly today. Woken up to flashes of lightning & a tornado watch in effect. As you can imagine, I wasn't too thrilled. Especially since I have to commute at least 30 minutes to school every day. I was not looking forward to venturing out onto the road in this nasty weather & risk having my car flying off to the side of the road. No way Jose! So Cristian came by the house & picked me up so I wouldn't have to worry about driving.

I swear, if it wasn't for my French exam today.. I wouldn't even leave my bed PERIOD! There's nothing like hiding underneath the covers when there's a thunderstorm outside. Plus, I haven't been feeling very well in the past 2 days. I've just been really woozy and weak. I get headaches really easily and I constantly feel nauseous. So I would've loved to take the day off & stay in bed to get some much needed rest.

But about my French exam..
That darn thing just dampened my spirit. I think, by far that has to be the hardest exam we've had thus far. It sucks knowing that you've studied so hard to prepare yourself for an exam then when you get to the actual exam & it's like, "What the flying heck is THIS? We did not learn this!" This terribly upsets me and secretly hope that I pulled through with at least a C. Even though that is not up to my personal standards, a C is better than a failing grade right?

So after we finished our classes for the day, he came up with the idea that we should discover a new restaurant for lunch. We came upon this lovely plaza in Boca that had all sorts of neat little restaurants and stores. At last, we decided on Japanese food. I'm amazed at how well he's enjoying his new-found discovery of Japanese cuisine. Yesterday was his first time having real authentic Japanese food & he took it like a pro. I was very impressed. You would think that since he's a newbie to Japanese food, I would start him off with something like California rolls right? Nope. I made him try conch, smelt eggs, deep fried eggplants with miso sauce, tempura as well as sashimi. It didn't seem to scare him off at all so I figured I would test him by purposely choosing to have Japanese food again today.

To my surprise, he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he enjoys every bit of it. We shared an AB-10 roll which consist of shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, smelt eggs with cream cheese. We also had a lunch portion of sashimi for two. It was just delightful.

After lunch, he dragged me to cute little French bakery for dessert. The minute we stepped into the place, I spotted pate fois gras and french onion soup. My heart skipped a beat. Mhmm, I knew I was in the right place. There's nothing I love more than a good authentic French bakery that does not handle their butter intake lightly. Haha.

Their pastries selection was amazing. After consulting it with another customer in line, we decided to get 1) pineapple & rum tart along and 2) pistacio and raspberry mouse. Omg, they were both equally delicious. I honestly cannot pick a favorite. All I know is, I cannot wait to come back and try all of the OTHER pastries.

After we finished up our delicious treats, he leaned over & asked if I was feeling better. I couldn't help but smile. Of course, I felt ten times better. #1) Just having him around offers great amount of comfort to me and #2) I needed that stress-free afternoon to cheer me up after that dreaded French exam. He's a sweetheart, he really is. Sometimes, I sit back & wonder if I even deserve someone THIS thoughtful, THIS sweet, THIS kind, THIS patient & THIS loving? It's quite mind-blowing.

I'm currently loving:

2010-03-16T19:16:00.005-04:00

1. my new snow white mac book decal

2. candy fluff dusting powder from Lush, which by the way is my current obsession.

It's a company that makes handmade soaps & all natural cosmetics. I simply just cannot get enough of this store. I'll probably be spending the next couple of paychecks strictly on Lush goodies only.

3. cupcakes from the cupcake couture store
(especially the cocoa chanel cupcake)

4. urban decay rocket pocket lip glosses

The boyfriend got them for me for valentines day & it's pretty much the only lip glosses I've been using for the past month. They have these holographic images of sexy men on the cap & as you turn the gloss towards or away from the sun, the clothes on the men comes off! It's the cutest thing ever! I have Kirk, Eric, Timothy & David. Kirk is by far my #1 choice, he's a nude beige color that's just perfect for my every-day wear.

Here, let me demonstrate! Here's when the clothes are off!

.. And this is when the clothes are on!

5. the four nail polishes that I've been constantly reaching for are: chinchilly by essie, done out in deco by OPI, hot&spicy by OPI, and jade is the new black by OPI

6. Buzz, this miniature toy poodle that I'm taking care of for 2 weeks.

It belongs to my boyfriend's family but they are currently in Colombia so I'm taking care of the little pooch for them :) needless to say, I've grown quite attach to it & just might not give it back.

Let's go somewhere where they won't find us

2010-03-09T18:38:00.010-05:00

I'm currently on Spring Break right now and I'm loving every single minute of it. This has got to be the most stressful semester thus far. The workload is quite overwhelming. And to make matters worst, my family life haven't been going well at all and it's really bringing me down. I won't mention it here because it's quite personal and the people I wanted to share it with, they already know.

So Spring Break officially started for me this past weekend. I worked all weekend. On Sunday, we woke up bright & early for a drive to Naples. Spent the last 2 days with my family and the boyfriend doing nothing but dining, shopping and relaxing. No drama. No stress. Just pure relaxation!

It's quite unusual for me to bring someone I'm dating around my family. I've always liked to keep my love life separate from my home-life. It's just easier that way. But seeing that Cristian is so comfortable around my family and vice versa, there's just no need for all of that. In fact, it was actually mom's idea to invite Cristian along on our little get away trip this past weekend. Either way, I'm glad he was there :) it wouldn't have been the same without him.

a week has gone by..

2010-02-21T09:38:00.009-05:00

This time last weekend I was in the kitchen making creme brulee with him for Valentine's Day. He came over super early in the morning and we spent the majority of the morning mixing this and boiling that. I never realize how simple it is to make creme brulee. And my god, the whole house smelled heavenly afterward. Within the first hour and a half, we managed to crank out a whole batch of creme brulee and enough banana foster to last us for the rest of the week.

The creme brulee needed at least 3-4 hrs in the fridge to set. During the meantime, we went out to Sunday's brunch with my family for it was the Vietnamese New Year as well as Valentines Day. We went to Houston's because I've been dying to take Cristian there for months now!

For the exception that Victoria wasn't able to be there with us, lunch was nothing short of amazing. We all really enjoyed ourselves. Even grandma was having a good ol time. Lol

After such a big lunch, we went back to the house for a much needed nap. Then he left for church and I spent the remainder of the afternoon/night working on our Trig hw. Exciting right?

We met up after he got out of church. Managed to get 100% on both of our Trig's online quizzes so we spent the rest of the night celebrating with a creme brulee (and banana foster) fest!

Unfortunately, I won't be spending the day making tasty treats with him today. Instead, everybody is coming over my house (the girls & Cristian) and we're going to have an all day study session. This upcoming week is midterm exams so that's why we've gotta hit the books! Trig exam is on Tuesday. Research Method exam is on Wednesday. Our 6 page paper is due for citation! The pressure is on!

All I know is, after this next week is over.. I deserve a movie night, cake batter ice-cream & a pedicure!

like we never loved at all

2010-02-08T23:15:00.002-05:00

"Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?
Maybe that's just your way
Of dealing with the pain
Forgetting everything between our rise and fall
Like we never loved at all.."

To be completely honest, I felt like our relationship didn't even exist at all. Seeing the way Carmine is with Sammy & how they just picked up the pieces exactly where they left off amazes me. As if nothing has changed, nothing happened. It's funny how things turned out huh? He called me the other night. I jokingly said, that one day he'll look back & thanked me for making the last year or so miserable for him because if it wasn't for that.. he wouldn't be back with her. I guess a part of me wasn't really kidding, I meant it. He's a great person and he deserves to be happy. He's very happy now and that's all that matters.

As far as us being friends, I advised him that it wouldn't be such a good idea. Not right now at least. It's too soon. Plus, I can imagine it would be awfully uncomfortable for her knowing that Carmine & I are being friendly. Cristian might not like that idea too well so for the time being, we'll just have to set some sort of boundary.

As complicated as the boundaries between our relationships, my friendship with the girls are just as complicated (if not more!). There's so much I need to say but I simply just don't have the mental energy nor time to do so. Part of me wants to just brush it off and let it go, but I can't. My feelings are hurt. I'm not sure if I can just pretend like everything is all peachy keen. I mean, Jeanne and I have reached somewhat of an understanding & we're semi-okay. But as far as Isa is concerned, it's a lost cause. There's this unspoken awkwardness tension in the air. What makes it worse is that we hardly see each other anymore so it allows the walls between us to grow even further. I'm not sure what this will mean for the sake of our friendship, I'm holding on with all the strength that I have but I can't do it alone. I'm not sure how long I can keep holding on either..

On top of all this, work is starting to develop it's own little dilemma also. I won't mention much details right now because it's still fairly new & I don't want to assume the worse of the situation just yet. Let's just say, I might find myself trapped in a triangular love affair with a delusional married man. He took my kindness for blinds and has managed to overstep our boundaries. I'm putting my foot down but if this continues, I might have to take drastic measures. The last thing I need to deal with is #1: sexual harassment @ the workplace & #2: a married man.

Ay caramba! This is my life? Yup, sounds about right. If it wasn't so difficult and constantly bombarded with shit like this, it wouldn't be my life.

On a lighter note, I've been spending a lot of time with Cristian and surprisingly I didn't drive him crazy yet. He's some kind of wonderful. He does just about the sweetest little things. He surprises me when I least expect it. There's something awfully comforting about his unpredictability. He'll do just about anything to make me smile, or in some cases.. laugh so hard that I fell out of my chair. He actually listens when I'm babbling on and on about some useless information. He even likes the weird animal noises I tend to make when I get bored. And I always catch him looking at me with this goofy grin on his face, it's cute.

We spent the weekend making lists of 'food we have to try' and 'restaurants that we have to discover' in 2010. We drove around the city to get La Spada's subs & cake batter ice-cream (it's my absolute fave. ice-cream flavor in the whole world). We made plans for Valentines day, we're going to spend the day doing what we love most.. cooking & eating. Aside from all the fun, we studied our asses off too! Research method this, trigonometry that. French this, french that. That's never fun but we motivate each other to get the work done. It's nice to know, at the end of the day.. I have a shoulder to lean on & someone who believes that I'll get all the work done.. even if I don't believe in it myself.

2010-02-03T17:24:00.006-05:00

Gosh, was that Lady Gaga & Elton's performance at the Grammys amazing or what? I'm just now getting around to watching it. I know, I'm late. I didn't get back from Vegas till nearly midnight on Sunday. Needless to say, I missed the entire award show. On the other hand, I spent all weekend in Vegas so I can't complain.

So, my birthday trip to Vegas was pretty awesome. Even though it was just a short trip, I enjoyed every minute of it. I needed the time to get away from all the mundane drama of my everyday life. I needed a break from school and work. I also needed a little time away from him, to miss him a little. Anyways, here's a recap:

Had the most extravagant birthday lunch at my favorite Italian restaurant in the country, Il Mulino. Probably one of the best meal I've had.
Had the VIP suite with a gorgeous view of the city, thank you Planet Hollywood.
Saw "O" by Cirque du Soleil. It was out of this world!
Took a hot air balloon ride. It was like living a moment from the movie UP! So surreal.
Shopped at every mall/plaza I got myself into.
Got to try Creme Brulle gelato!
Tried banana foster for the 1st time & totally loves it!
Took a Gondola Ride at the Venetian
Went to Tony & Tina's wedding. Hilariouss!

I can't seem to locate where my camera is at the moment so I'll post photos later. Or maybe they'll just be uploaded onto my flickr at the end of the week, I'm not sure yet. We'll see.

For now, I'll just end this post with something .. I've been meaning to blog about.

“On the afternoon of Jan, 12th, 2010, a major earthquake dealt a major blow to the country of Haiti. Thousands of lives were lost, millions are now homeless, and chaos is the new normal. Haiti was already one of the poorest countries in the world, with 1.2 million orphans.”

As an effort to raise funds for their relief efforts in Haiti, Help End Local Poverty is selling these t-shirts for $25 & 100% of all proceeds will go directly to Real Hope for Haiti, so they can care for the kids of Haiti. I've ordered one for myself. Go get yours today! (HOPE FOR HAITI)

"You're not Sammy.."

2010-01-26T18:11:00.004-05:00

Those very words have been replaying in my head like a broken record. Except, I can't seem to stop listening to this record. I've tried everything to tune it out but I just can't. I've surrounded myself with piles of school work and friends, yet.. I still could hear your voice saying those exact words. I could hear the emotions in your voice. I could hear your tone. I could hear the sound of my heart break as I come to realization of what was happening. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to be the person you wanted me to be. I can never be Sammy nor will I ever want to be. It's too bad that it took you this long to realize who you've wanted all along.

It wasn't me that you loved, it was her.

Maybe you just loved the idea of me, I doubt that that either. You wanted somebody that could smoother you with love, miss you with every second of the day, and all that jazz. I couldn't be that somebody. I don't think I could ever be either. You knew that, didn't you? You knew that from the second you met me. I'm just not that type of girl. Maybe we just don't know each other at all, at least not like we thought we did.

I guess, all I can say is .. I'm sorry for wasting all those odd months of your life. You don't deserve it. I'm not being biter or sarcastic either. I've never been as 'sorry' as I do now. I've shed more tears last night than I can remember. I don't even think I've cried that much when dad walked out from our family.

I've realized now that I cried for what could have been, for the ways things ended and most importantly.. I cried because even till this day... You never truly believed that I actually loved you. That I whole heartedly loved you with every bone in my body. Because if you did, you wouldn't have said those things that you did nor would you have questioned how I've felt about you. I never questioned your love. I just believed you. Simple as that. You don't believe me.

And that is exactly why our relationship fell apart.

I could go on for days but I won't. I've made a promise to myself last night that I would not speak of it again. Why constantly remind myself of such heartache? In the same way that you're going to learn to deal with it on your own, I'll do the same. Whatever it takes, I'll figure it out. I'll find my way again and eventually you will too. Carmine, I wish you all the best with her. Hopefully this time around, you guys can find it in your hearts to love each other again.

Life is too short.

2010-01-18T00:21:00.003-05:00

It's almost 1 in the morning & I'm sitting here taking a mental break from rigorous trigonometry hw. He just left a few minutes ago. It feels like all we have time for these days is schoolwork. He attends classes together Monday - Friday. He's over almost every day so we can study or do homework together. We don't even have any time to do anything "fun" anymore.

To my surprise, I don't mind it at all. It's hard for me to find motivated individuals that can keep up with my pace. When it comes to getting things done, I don't play around. I like to get it done & get it done right. Yeah, when it comes to leisure time.. I play hard. But when it comes to work, I don't mess around. I'm not wasting all this $ and time to just fool around, that's just dumb.

He's been pretty patient & supportive thus far. We share the workload and help make each others lives a tad bit easier. We spend a majority of our afternoon and nights reviewing for french, keeping up with trignometry & of course reading for research methods. Not to mention, we both are workaholic. He has 2 jobs & therefore works 6 days a week. I only work during the weekend but I work extremely long hours. As you can imagine, that doesn't really leave room for much "relaxing" time. The only non-school work related time we share together is when we take naps in between studying for classes & though are very rare!

Luckily, tomorrow is MLK & it's a holiday so that means NO CLASSES! Woo wee! Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day with nothing but perfect weather so I'm taking full advantage of it. He'll probably call to wake me up in the morning & then come over the house. We'll go grab some breakfast & go by the pier to unwind. I've loved that spot ever since the first day he took me there. Perhaps, we'll even bring some snacks & books. Yeah, that's it. I'll bring a good book so I can just lay out by the pier & get lost into lalaland.

Oh, that sounds really good right about now. I supposed I should go hit the sack & get some rest. I've got one day off tomorrow & I plan on making the most of it.

two is better than one

2010-01-10T21:43:00.004-05:00

I still cannot believe that school starts TOMORROW! Yup, tomorrow! And you wanna know how I'm preparing for it? By sitting here painting my nails & checking tumblr updates. Holler!

I'm wearing 'A Grape Fit' by OPI. Since all my nails broke this weekend, I figure I would just do a light color on my nails & not draw so much attention to them. Plus, you can't go wrong with starting a new semester with purpley finger nails, cannnn you? LOL!

God, that conversation was so unsatisfying.

2010-01-10T00:37:00.004-05:00

After working 11hrs straight at the restaurant, there's nothing more wonderful to me than having someone to talk to about sweet nothing-ness. I'm surrounded by people all day & I'm constantly engaging in conversations with people (customers/co-workers/etc..). However, often times.. those conversations aren't satisfying enough. Those are the people that I have to talk to, not because I want to!

I need/want to talk to you. I want to hear your voice. I want to hear about your day. I want to tell you about my day as well. I want to be able to tell you all the funny moments that happened to me today. I want to tell you about the crap I had to put up with at work today. I want to tell you how many times something happened at work that reminded me of you. I want to tell you how much I adore this weather and how I wish you were here to keep me warm. I want to tell you how much I've missed you.

No text messages. No emails. No tweets. Just simply pick up the phone and hear your voice on the other line is all I could've asked for. I waited all day to get off work so I can do what? Talk to you, you big doofus! But instead, I'm just left disappointed. I find myself, once again, looking for things to do so I can past the time.. at least till I drift off to sleep. That's all I've been doing anyways. Work. Eat. Sleep.

Eh, I don't even feel like typing anymore. I wish this wasn't such a problem. I mean, am I weird from craving a good satisfying conversation?

Don't you know, don't you know that you're beautiful?

2010-01-07T12:26:00.003-05:00

I'm very thankful that the new year has started off extremely well for me. I'm learning to take it easy & just enjoy each moment as if it was my last. Sometimes you get so caught up in trying to capture the moment in a photograph, tweet about it & blog about it .. that you forget to actually fully take it all in (mentally & physically). Well, as you can see.. I've been neglecting my blog/twitter/tumblr/flickr and the reason being.. I'm just so busy taking it all in. The good & the bad. All of it! This is good for my psychological well-being, right? I think so.

Work is going well. The staffs have taken me in & treated me like I'm apart of their family. Whether it's my co-workers or the chefs in the kitchen, they make work quite enjoyable. I haven't had a day of work where I'm not constantly laughing at something (or someone). The only part about working here is that.. it's the hottest Vietnamese restaurant in the area right now. That means, everybody wants to be there. The restaurant is packed every night with a waiting line out to do the door. That's good for business but it can be quite exhausting on my little feet. Can't complain though, I make good money & I'm just glad to have a job at this point.

Speaking of work, I went to the country club on Sunday with the family & 3 people came up to tell me how they recognized me from working at the restaurant & how much they love the food there. Lol, never in a million years would I thought I would be recognized the country club for waitressing at a Vietnamese restaurant. It's just too funny.

OH! I almost forgot to mention I met childstar Bailee Madison while having brunch at the country club. She's been on a few nickelodeon shows like Drake & Josh Christmas special and she plays the older daughter in the movie Brothers. I saw that movie with Cristian a few weeks ago so that's how I recognized her. But yeah, she's super cute & sweet in person. Hopefully we'll run into her again in the near future.

Things are going well with Cristian. We're taking it slow. He promised to give me all the space I need and that's very important.

First of all, after the way things ~~ended~~ with Carmine.. I'm not exactly sure if I'll ever want to fall in love again. And no, I'm not being dramatic either. Love is just so messy & complicated, people's feelings get hurt & then what? For what? Nothing.

Secondly, I've never dated someone that I go to school or work with. As horrible as it might sound, I go through dosage of people. If I have to see you everybody, I'm going to grow to hate you. If I see you once a week, I won't find you so annoying. I'm weird, I know. It's just, distance makes my heart grows fonder. As cliche as that might sound, it's totally true. Plus, when you're with each other every waking moment of the day.. when do you get the chance to actually 'miss' each other? You don't. I'd like to think I'm an independent woman & I like my space. I'll do my own thing & you do yours. If at the end of the day, we come together .. that's fine. But DO NOT expect me to drop my whole world & revolve it around you. That is just not happening.

With that being said, he took it quite well. We're just going to take it one day at a time and see where it will go, no point in trying to predict what will happen. No expectations. No pressures. I'm just going to simply take it all in, one step at a time.

This entry is long enough. Let's end it here. I'm going to fix myself something yummy for lunch & do my hair.

P.S. Thank you mother nature for this beautiful weather. I can finally walk around comfortable in warm coats & have an excuse to make hot chocolate.

I used to rule the world..

2009-12-29T19:33:00.005-05:00

A lot happened since the last time I blogged, I'm not sure where to start exactly so I'll just make a list. That's it. I'll make a list :)

-/+ Lost & found love, in more ways than you can possibly imagine.
+ Saw Sherlock Holmes & highly recommend it.
+ It was nice seeing Kim again, we haven't talk in ages.
-/+ Eating fast food for the past 3 days & surprisingly, I don't hate it.
+ Found the perfect planner at Barnes & Noble last night. It's a beautiful teal/aqua color and isn't too big or too small. It's got plenty of room for me to write everything. I adore it so!
+ The girls came over for a little afternoon fun. They got me watching Notre Dame in french and I love them for that.
++ Currently loving this weather in South Florida. I can walk around comfortable in boots and cute jackets.
+ Watched 500 days of summer for the 5th time today, still love it as much as the first time.

I might be missing a few things but this is all I can remember at the moment.

Last Christmas I gave you my heart..

2009-12-24T22:46:00.003-05:00

So on Wednesday, I was supposed to take the day off to do some last minute Christmas preparation.

go to the bakery to order a buche de noel (christmas log): This is absolutely crucial around our household. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't have a buche de noel at the dinner table. This year, I wanted to surprise my mom by ordering the cake for the family.
wrap all the presents 'santa' got for Victoria: With my parents being separated, both gave up on 'pretending' to be Santa Claus so I took over the position. I went out to the stores at 8am on Monday morning to pick up all the toys my sister had asked for, now all I need to do is gift wrap them nicely.
go pick up a few bottle of wines for the house & to give as gifts: Knowing that I'll be working throughout the holidays, I wanted to pick up a few bottle of wines to send to some of my relatives to excuse my absence.

Unfortunately, I got called into work & didn't get out of work till 8pm. Needless to say, I couldn't get anything done & I was pretty upset. Truthfully, I was more upset that I couldn't get to the bakery to order that cake for Mom. Knowing how important that is to her, I wanted to do everything I could to get it but by the time I got out of work.. the bakery would already be closed.

I was bummed out all day & wasn't so much in the mood to do anything. Cristian came over and brought a new bottle of wine for us to try. Afterward, we watched The Hangover and snacked on gummi bears, popcorn & sour patch kids. My god, that movie was hilarious! I haven't laughed that hard in a longgg time. I swear, I could watch this movie 50 times & never be tired of it. It was awesome!

When the movie was over, I crawled in bed with Dolce and watched tv while Cristian was filling out a job application online. I tried to stay awake but kept drifting off to sleep. Finally, he finished with the application process at 2am and just crashed on my couch.

This morning.. I woke up with Victoria all up in my face saying, "why is Cristian sleeping on our couch?" It was such a LOL moment for me. Besides from my little sister, everyone else didn't seem to mind that he crashed on our couch.

Anyways, we got up fairly early to go our for breakfast. He surprised me by confessing that he went ahead & ordered 2 buche de noel for my family because he knew how important it was for me. It totally caught me by surprise. I mean, I HATE when people do things without consulting it with me first. But then again, this was REALLY thoughtful of him. I thanked him but asked that next time, he should at least mention it with me first.

When we got to the bakery to pick up the cakes, we had to wait a few more minutes for the baker to put some last minute finishing touches on it. She said to me, "You have a really great boyfriend to do something like this for you. My boyfriend would never think to do something this thoughtful for me."

Oh god, that was beyond awkward. I just smiled at her and quickly changed the subject. He's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend. Knowing the kind of person that he is, I'm sure he would've done that for anybody..not just for me.

I'm not sure why I didn't correct her by saying that he was just a friend. Perhaps, I didn't want to embarrass him and I didn't care enough to correct her anyways. Plus, it's not her place to be making assumptions like that about people.

Thankfully, he's a pretty good sport about stuffs like this so it didn't turn into an awkward situation for the rest of the morning/afternoon. We eventually had breakfast and coffee, did a few errands and he dropped me back home.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Vicky till it was time for work. Yes, I had to work on Christmas Eve. How lame is that? Ultra! I got to work & it was pretty much dead. Go figured. My boss gave us our Christmas bonus and let us off early. I managed to make it home just in time to have dinner with my family. Now I'm stuffed like a fat little piggy and is ready to crawl into bed.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

soap opera ensues with more clichés than one movie can survive

2009-12-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

After a long day at work, I grabbed dinner with Mom at my new favorite Italian restaurant Romantico Ristorante. It's a hole in the wall type restaurant but my god, it's fantastic. It definitely is a best kept secret. I had the best lobster ravioli and roasted duck breast with rosemary of my life. I can still taste all the wonderful flavor in my mouth as I'm typing this right now. Mhm, it was amazing.

*Sidenote: I really want to go back there soon for dinner. Perhaps I'll drag Kim and Cristian with me. We can wine and dine, plus it will give me & Kim a chance to catch up.

Then afterward, I went to see 'Brothers' with Cristian and the boys. I don't mind hanging out with them at all. I was laughing at their goofiness the whole time and made me appreciate the fact that I don't have little brothers. It amazes me how the littlest things can entertain them. LOL

The movie was an 110-minute yawn fest . I felt that the story was a bit undeveloped. The acting wasn't outstanding either. Natalie Portman's main purpose in the whole damn movie is just to cry every 5 seconds, gosh it was so annoying. They could have definitely worked on the ending a little bit more, I wasn't satisfied with the way it ended. I've waited over 3 weeks to see this movie & overall, I was disappointed. If you've seen it, let me know what you thought of it.

I see you

2009-12-22T12:31:00.003-05:00

I went to see Avatar on Sunday night with Cristian. Originally we wanted to see "Brothers" but we have such a bad habit of not checking the movie times prior to arriving at the theater, we just ended up seeing Avatar because it was the next available movie.

Surprisingly, the movie was a lot better than I expected. It is probably the most visually appealing film I have ever seen in a long time. Its story is certainly rough around the edges, but this is simply a means to appeal to all audiences & that it certainly does. As a “blockbuster action epic” it has everything, for everyone regardless of age or gender.

Yesterday, I spent the morning doing errands. I was running to the post office mailing stuffs out, picking up last minute christmas presents for Victoria, cleaning the house, going to the bank, and the list goes on & on. It's my day off and the work just never ends.

Then I got a called from Louis asking if I could cover the night shift for him at work. Being the nice friend that I am, I agreed to it. What a big mistake that was! It was such a nightmare at work yesterday. Two of the chefs was on vacation, the dishwasher & the soda machine was broken and the bus girl never showed up. Basically I worked my ass off all night, don't get me wrong.. I made good money (and tips!) last night but I was freaking exhausted. The restaurant closed at 10pm but I didn't end up getting home till midnight. I wasn't too thrilled about that. Not to mention, I didn't have dinner till midnight. So not kosher!

Oh well, what can you do? Work is work. Nobody said it was going to be easy. Plus, I'm a waitress so times like these is when I can make some extra bucks and lord knows.. I need it too!

Hope you're all doing well. I'm not sure who reads this anymore but if you're still reading this blog, I hope all is well on your end :)

I'm contemplating closing this blog

2009-12-21T13:08:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time. I've had this blog over what.. over 2 years now? I used to depend on these blog posts as a source of emotional outlet. There was a lot of things I couldn't possibly say to people and expect them to understand, but then again.. do I even want them to understand? For so long, I've kept it all in. Write my feelings and emotions about these people and the situation they put me in, hardly do I ever mentioned anybody's name. I guess, part of me didn't want them to know but then the other part of me that was so angry that I needed to let them know (even if it wasn't face to face).

Oh god, I'm just rambling now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't have much to blog about these days. The stuff I want to write about, nobody wants to read and doesn't concern any of them anyways. Half the people that 'follow' my blogs are just here to look at what photos of my nails or my dog. Does anybody really care what I truly felt deep down in my heart? I doubt it.

I've comtemplated closing this blog for awhile. If it wasn't for blogs like Ashley's, Suzy's, Giz's & Isa's .. I probably wouldn't even bother.

I don't know. What should I do? Should I keep this blog but keep all non personal issues (photos of dolce, nail polish reviews, etc..) to tumblr. OR should I just delete this blog all together & start out a new private blog?

waking up in the morning feeling like p diddy

2009-12-16T17:46:00.005-05:00

We spent the majority of the morning cleaning out my closet & sorting clothes that I don't wear anymore. I believe that if there's an article of clothing in your closet that you haven't reached for in 4 months, chances are.. you're never going to reach for it in the next 4 months. Get rid of it! First step to having a happy lifestyle is un-cluttering your life, even if it means YOUR CLOSET!

With that being said, I gathered up a giant bag full of designer jeans, blouses & a few dresses that was just sitting in my closet. Sad part is, half of those things still had price tags on them. I figured, if I hadn't worn it already.. what are the chances that I will wear them in the future? Not very likely.

We took the bag of clothes to a "Closet's Trends" & "Plato's Closet" (stores that sell/buy gently used clothes) and got $75 all together. Awesome! Usually, I just donate my old clothes to church but never thought about selling them before. It's a great idea. Plus, I can use the extra cash right now for Christmas shopping.

We went back home and he decided to cook us lunch. While he was in the kitchen preparing filet mignon wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes, I was in the living room playing with Alexander Snicker-doodle. He's a little toy poodle that can fit into my purse. (Sidenote: It's his grandma's dog but I plan on stealing it one of these days. It's just entirely way too cute & I have fallen in love with it about 2 weeks ago.)

Lunch was scrumptious. I had a glass of wine with my steak and since no one was home, we had a chance to talk. I wasn't expecting to share so much personal detail about my family but it just kinda happened. There's very few people that I can talk to about my dysfunctional family because it's a sensitive subject for me.

After lunch, we wanted to go see a movie. However, on the way to the movie theatre.. we got a little distracted. We ended up going to the Vietnamese's supermarket to get Vietnamese coffees, a Colombian's pastry shop to get guava pastries & then to a French's bakery to get creme brulee.

To think that after that gigantic lunch, I wouldn't have any room for dessert & coffee. But no, I always have room for sweets. Lol, I'm still full just thinking about the amount of food we ate this afternoon.

He eventually dropped me off at home so he could get to work. I hung out with my little sister for a little bit and then Isa & Jeanne stopped by. They brought my early Christmas present. It's this beautiful sterling silver ring that fits perfectly on my finger. I love big cocktail rings but I have really tiny fingers so it's hard for me to find rings that fits. However, this ring fits beautiful and quite flattering too! :)

Overall, it's been a great day. Let's just hope this continues onto the night as well.

Thank goodness, final exams are over!

2009-12-09T16:17:00.004-05:00

I’ve got 3 boxes of textbooks that need to go back to Chegg today. I'll take it to the post office in a few to drop it off.

I refused to pay an arm & a leg for textbooks so I rent them from Chegg.com. Just for this semester alone, I saved $400 by renting instead of purchasing my books.

Also, Chegg plants a tree every time you rent, sell or buy and that’s awesome! I’ve introduced all my friends to Chegg & they all love it.

If this is something you’d be interested in, I’ll share my discount code with you » CC104563

Turkey day

2009-12-01T16:54:00.016-05:00

I'll just stop apologizing for the lack of updates, you already know. I'm a busy person and I don't go through my days thinking, "OMG! I totally have to blog about this!" LOL! The only reason I'm even blogging right now is because I stumbled upon Isa's blog earlier this afternoon. I had no idea she even had a blog but boy oh boy am I glad I found it. Oh goodness, she's too funny. I read a few entries out loud & couldn't help but giggle. It reminded me how much I used to love blogging about the daily events. Plus, it's so therapeutic to write daily. Did you know that? I've learned in my abnormal psychology class that by writing out your feelings and events that happened to you, it actually helps you better cope with it.

Anyways, in case you didn't catch my twitter updates over the last week or so.. I went to Cleveland for Thanksgiving weekend. It's always a joy to visit Barry in Cleveland. I spent the majority of the weekend stomping around in the beautiful weather and the cooler winter air. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Barry's family and felt so welcomed into their home. It's nice to be reminded of what it's like to spend time with family. Too bad my family is pretty dysfunctional and is incapable of any kind of closure what-so-ever. I won't get to that right now, we'll save it for another day.

Oh, I got my hair cut & colored about 2 weeks ago.
I got 4 inches taken off, layered & long bangs.
As far as the color, it's a dark plum colour for the whole head & red highlights.

My current love: creme brulee latte from starbucks.

The love the colors of fall leaves.
Also the nail polish I'm wearing is OPI INK!

On the way back, I sat on those sunglasses & broke it.
Now I'm on the hunt for a new pair of shades!

2009-11-30T17:38:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow GAS’D is dropping a brand spankin’ new lookbook. If you have a blog/site and is interested in some exclusive photos and more info, just send me an email at skeptical.heart@gmail.com

Picked up some new nail polish earlier this week

2009-11-23T23:21:00.009-05:00

These are 3 of my fave all time nail polish: mod about you, a grape fit & you don't know jaques!

Mod about you -Creamy powder pink color
that i oh-so-love!
A grape fit - The perfect lavender in my book
You don't know jaques! - This color never fails, it's pretty much my "go-to" color when I don't stuck in choosing what to wear for my nails. It looks great with anything & you'll get plenty of compliments while wearing it

These 2 are a little something new I wanted to try out:

Red square - This beautiful cherry red color perfect for the holidays. Plus carmine has been telling me to try wearing red nail polish on my fingers. I have a weird thing with red polish. I just feel all slutty with red on my fingers, lol don't ask.
My private jet - It's one of the color from the Night Brights Collection. It's a nice smoky black with that fantastic smooth holographic glitter that OPI has perfected so well. I’m in love with this shade, so much so that I went out last night and bought 2 more bottles to share with my best girlfriends.

You’ve got us on your tips, now get us on your HOT lips!

2009-11-17T16:50:00.003-05:00

I wanted to try the new Zoya Hot Lips glossy lip balm so I ordered 3 to try out. My little package arrived this afternoon & I couldn’t be any happier. I got Brody’s Girl, Kisskiss & Sorbet. It has a nice application and smells good enough to eat.

The gloss comes in a many great shades & are available for $6 each.

Brunch

2009-11-15T14:54:00.004-05:00

Just came back from brunch with my family @ houton's restaurant. The weather was so beautiful out. Actually, it's been pretty lovely weather for the last couple of days. Unfortunately, I was not able to enjoy very much of it because I work all weekend long so it was pretty nice to soak up some sunshine by the boardwalk & grab lunch with my family.

Here was my lunch: traditional salad with vinaigrette dressing & Hawaiian rib eye steak with a loaded baked potato

And here's what I wore to brunch: black speckled knit top, leopard leggings & louis vuitton epi yellow cluny shoulder bag

I'm going to enjoy the rest of my afternoon before heading off to work. Hope you all had a lovely weekend :)

You and me could write a bad romance

2009-11-11T19:02:00.004-05:00

Man oh man, I cannot get enough of this video. Only Lady Gaga can pull off this type of shit and I love her for that. I mean, that big headed polar bear fur coat was originally designed as an animal cruelty statement but re-worked for Gaga. Then those Alexander McQueen shoes that she wore!! When those shoes appeared @ the spring 2010 runaway, the whole world was shocked! And Gaga had to wear it in her video!

I watched the video and pretty much just died. I can go on & on for days about all the different parts in the video, lol. I absolutely love it and cannot wait to see what she'll come up with next.

Love is the grease that allows the wheel of life to continue turning.

2009-11-05T08:38:00.001-05:00

I've declared loudly that I needed a break from love. I love him to death and all but I feel like this is something I need to do. I just have way too much on my plate right now and the last thing I need is to worry about our relationship. Oh god, that sounds terrible. What I mean is that, we're going through a rough patch in our relationship. We're at that point in time where we need to figure out what is it that we're really doing here? Of course, this cannot be taken lightly and I feel like with everything else going on in my life.. I simply will not be able to deal with it properly.

My family is in a wreck! My mom is going through a breast cancer scare. We're currently searching for another doctor to get a 2nd opinion to make sure she really has it. My dad's new home got robbed twice in the past 2 weeks. It's quite unsettling for him & his new wife to leave for work each morning not knowing what can happen to their home while they're out. Not to mention, my dad put all of his lifesaving in order to purchase this home so it's pretty heartbreaking for them. My grandma is desperate need of knees surgery on both legs but she's refusing the treatment. She's pretty much immobile but is terrified of the procedure.

You can probably imagine the stressful atmosphere around here. I'm surprise I haven't gone crazy yet. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I do. I mean, the stuffs I go through in a day can make anyone dizzy just thinking about it.

On top of this, I've got less than a month or school left so it's not a time to play around. I have to buckle down for the last set of exams & finals of course.

Work is the only that seems relatively stable at the moment, watch that will change just because I just said that. *keeping those fingers crossed* Let's not jinx it, shall we?

I was talking about love but totally got sidetracked. Like I was saying, if love is patient and kind.. then he'll give me my time. Right? In the movies, when the villain gets himself involved in a big mess .. he can freeze everything for a second to just clearly figure everything out before acting on it. Well, that's what I'm trying to do. I need to put us on pause, just for a brief second. Everything around is happening all too quick and it gets very overwhelming. I can't bear to have our relationship be added onto to the chaos too.

Busy bee!

2009-11-02T17:59:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been quite a roller coaster ride on my end. Thankfully, midterms are over with and I couldn't be any happier. Also, I started a new job about 2 weeks ago. I'm waitressing @ a new Vietnamese restaurant & it's been quite an experience. It's not exactly the ideal situation but it seems to be working out so far. So here's what my schedule looks like:

School
Monday-Thursday: 8am-2pm

Work
Thursday: 5pm-11pm
Friday: 11am-11pm
Saturday: 5pm-11pm
Sunday: 10am-9pm

Yup, this doesn't leave me much room to breathe .. let alone do something fun. But I can't complain, I'm just grateful to have a job! I'll try to do a better job @ updating more regularly.

2009-10-18T22:56:00.002-04:00

2 exams this week.
3 exams & 2 papers next week.

If I'm not around as often as usual, I'm probably busy hitting the books or walking around like a zombie from the lack of sleep!

I need the Zoya "DARE" collection.

2009-10-11T15:56:00.002-04:00

Now accepting early Christmas/Birthday present :)

Let's play a lovegame!

2009-10-09T12:02:00.003-04:00

FYI: If you follow my twitter updates or my tumblr, you've probably know by now that I work for GAS'D. I'm apart of their creative management team. For that reason, I can be your go-to-gal for all the latest info and upcoming promotions. Speaking of news & promotions, here's a really fun one that I want to tell you guys about!

GAS’D have joint forces with 80’s Purple as sponsors for LOOKBOOK.nu’s first ever #LOVEGAME via Twitter! We believe in love and its power to bring people together. It is because of this very idea that we want to invite everybody to join us this Sunday, October 11th for a world wide #LOVEGAME! This is an EASY and great chance to win awesome prizes from GAS’D and 80’s Purple!

There will be no entry forms to fill out in order to participate. At 8pm Pacific Time, FIVE trivia questions will be tweeted every 10 minutes from the official LOOKBOOK.nu twitter account @lookbookdotnu. Just use your Twitter account to tweet answers to the questions as they come into your feed. To qualify you must reply to @lookbookdotnu with the correct answer to each of the questions along with a “#LOVEGAME” hash tag!

For the 1st trivia question, the first 20 to tweet the correct answer win a 35% coupon off all GAS’D merchandise.
For the 2nd trivia question, the first 10 people to tweet the correct answer win a 45% coupon off all GAS’D merchandise and a free pair of the 80’s Purple glasses.
For the 3rd question, the first 5 to tweet the correct answer win a 60% coupon off all GAS’D merchandise and two free pairs of GLASSES from 80s Purple.
For the 4th question, the first 2 to tweet the correct answer win a free “LOVE” unisex t-shirt from GAS’D, a pair of glasses from 80’s Purple, and a $50 gift card from 80’s Purple.
For the 5th and final question, the first 1 lucky person to tweet the correct answer wins 2 free GAS’D t-shirts of their choice, a 2 free pair of 80’s Purple glasses, and a $100 gift card from 80’s Purple

Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate in this trivia #LOVEGAME this Sunday. The reason being, Imani (the founder of GAS'D) and I came up with this whole idea and presented it to LOOKBOOK.nu. It wouldn't be fair for me to play if I already know all the answers, would it? Nope! But I do want you all to participate, it's just an easy and great way to find some awesome prizes. I mean, who doesn't want free GAS'D merchandise or a $100 gift card from 80's Purple?

With that being said, good luck to you all. Let me know if you're going to be participating!

This is what I came back from the mall with..

2009-10-08T17:15:00.006-04:00

1. Super fun & sexy ruffles top. It has a zipper down the middle so when leave it half open, it look so bad-ass! This is one of those tops that can be really bold and edgy because of the broad shoulders and zipper or it can be really sexy and fun from the movement of the ruffles. I freaking love it.
2. Really cute high-waisted linen skirt with rose patterns. The one I got was in black and a soft charcoal purpley color. The color was so unusual and I had to get it.
3. The shoes was on sale @ Aldo for $80. They are really comfy and has a little nice structure.

Also, I got a birthday present for mom. That was the whole intention of going to mall but I kinda got distracted. LOL!

I also ran into Raziel at the shoes store. He said that the minute he heard my voice, he recognized exactly who I was. He's so cute. Raziel was my first best friend. We've known each other since gradeschool but lost contact during highschool. It was so fun seeing him again, we promise to make an effort to keep in touch & stay updated with each other's lives (at least via facebook!).

Okay, that was my short little update for today. Gotta go watch this week's episode of Gossipgirl since I didn't get a chance to catch it on Monday!

OPI ESPANA COLLECTION

2009-10-04T00:11:00.003-04:00

In reference to my nails detox, I've been nail-polish-free for 3 months now & still going strong. Refer back to this post if you aren't familiar with what I'm talking about. My goal is staying polish free for 6 months or until my nails are whitened, which ever comes first. Even though I'm not wearing any nail polish, that doesn't stop me from expanding my collection either. A good friend of mine was sweet enough to get me the entire OPI espana collection. I yelled at her for spending a fortune on it & how dare she tempt me with beautiful nail polishes knowing that I can't wear them at the moment. But when she saw them, she immediately thought of me and knew that I need them in my life. Lol, she's too cute!

Upon request, I've made a little review of the entire collection. Keep in mind, I used my mom's camera so the photos aren't terrific in quality. Also, because I can't put polish on my nails.. I used a polish testing thing that came with the entire collection instead of my finger nails.

Here are my swatches:

Here's a breakdown of the colors:

Here Today… Aragon Tomorrow - it reminds me of christmas trees! it's this dark emerald green that will make anybody green with envy over your polish!
Manicurist of Seville - it's a dark purplish red, not too much purple .. not too much red. this color will work on anybody's skin color
Pamplona Purple - this rich plum color looks great on tanned skin or olive skin
Conquistadorable Color - vibrant red color with lots of blue undertone
Bullish on OPI = orangy-red color that reminds me of candycorns
Pink Flamenco - super flaming hot pink that reminds me of las vegas showgirls.

No Spain No Gain - darker pink pigment with a hint of berry, again a color that will work on anybody
Ate Berries in the Canaries - lighter than it looks in the bottle, almost like a lilac-purpley pink
Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees - dark blue-gray color that is devilishly sweet
Barefoot in Barcelona - creamy beige nude
Can You Tapas This? - fantastic rum-raisin color that's great for the fall
Give Me Moor! - very similar to Siberian Night but with more red undertone, reminds me of dark red grapes

Here's a small photo of the whole collection that is now displayed in my bedroom. Overall, my top 3 pick from this collection would have to be Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees, Pamplona Purple & Here Today… Aragon Tomorrow! These are the 3 colors that is the most unique and the most versatile. If you're going to get 1 or 2 polishes for the season, I would recommend either of these 3 polish. The other colors aren't really anything new, I'm pretty sure there are colors quite similiar to these from past collections.

Sidenote, I'm currently wearing Pink Flamenco on my toesy right now. It's the brightest shade from the entire set. I figure I would use the bright pink for my last pedicure before fall sets in & everybody is wearing dark polish :)

P.S. New layout for SJT, let me know what you think?

sicilian me crazy

2009-10-02T21:30:00.005-04:00

He made this awesome little 'apple universe' graphic yesterday. I swear, he's gotten better and better with his crafts over the years. Fyi, he made the banner as well as the background for this blog (SJT). I always get so many compliments for it and it's old. I used to be one of those people that change their blog layout weekly but it wasn't until he made me this banner that I fell in love with it. I haven't messed it with ever since. Haha. Well, he's working a little somethin' somethin' new for my blogy at the moment. I'm loving what I'm seeing so far. Perhaps when I have some free time, I'll give put it up & give SJT a makeover!

http://twitter.com/lalalalizzy

Leggings

2009-10-01T16:04:00.004-04:00

I stopped into Forever21 yesterday after finishing my social psychology exam. I wanted to return that hideous bubble skirt (reference to the last post). I walked around the store for what seems like a gazillion times & couldn't find anything that jumped out at me. Everything is all plaids & florals. There's only so much of plaids I can take. I'm so over it now. And as far as florals is concerned, too much florals makes me want to puke. Don't get me wrong. I wear florals all year long & it's been that way for as long as I can remember. I like wearing florals because it's very feline, soft & super romantic. However, because it's so "in style" now.. everything is all decked out in floral designs. It's making me hate wearing all things floral. Grr!

So anyways, I got restless & as I started walking out of F21.. I noticed a rack full of leggings that the sales girl just brought out. My eyes lid up in delight! She told me that they just got in a full shipment of new leggings. Ahhhhh! I'm the first person to go through them so I took full advantage of it. Plus, everything is in my size? SCORE!

I took 6 pairs of leggings into the fitting room & had a freaking fashion show up in there, lol. Here's what I tried on:

- an electric neon blue chrome: This was really funky but not versatile!
- acid washed: I didn't expect to like this one so much but it was so nice. I'll probably get them on my next shopping trip.
- snake skin: This was my least favorite! They run big so it didn't fit me too nicely.
- sequined: These were so fabulous. I felt like a freaking discoball.
- liquid glittered cheetah print : My 2nd favorite out of the bunch. They are really different and has a nice fit.
- spotted cheetah print: I ended up getting this one because I liked it a lot. It fits nicely and lovely material. It would go great with boots when the weather gets a little cooler here!

Since it is fall now, you migh want to invest in a pair of legging that is of a thicker material. Most of the leggings I have are just for fun & dressing up, not necessarily for warmth. I have so many pairs because I freaking them to death. However, I'm going to start looking for something of warmer material.

e-shopping is an addiction

2009-09-29T15:13:00.002-04:00

When I first saw this outfit @ Forever21, I knew I had to have it. This outfit has my name all over it & I couldn't resist. I ordered the top & the skirt, which came out to about $39. That isn't bad at all considering how freaking cute it is! I didn't get the necklace because I already had something quite similar to the one on the model. As far as the shoes was concerned, I'm sure I can pair it with much cuter shoes.

So the package arrived at my doorstep this afternoon...
I couldn't wait to rip it open & try it on. To my disappointment, the bubble hem skirt wasn't as cute as I thought it would be. The material looks so soft & delicate in the photo but in real life.. it's just droopy and lopsided. I didn't like it at all. I adore bubble skirts but this one was not flattering at all. I plan on returning it tomorrow.

Even though the skirt didn't quite work out, I am quite pleased with the top. It's a semi sheer satin top with flutter and it's so perfect. The material feels nice on the skin. I love satin flowy tops like these. It's also very easy to wear. I paired it with a pair of slacks from Cache, a long mixed tone drape necklace and a pair of black pumps. That came out quite nice, a little more conservative for my usual style but I liked it a lot. Then I tried tucking it into a high waisted yellow skirt and that was just too cute. So at this point, I'm in love with this top. It's so versatile and I can wear it pretty much anything. It's going to be my new favorite going-out-top! I'm excited to wear it the next time I go out :)

Enough about my little fashion rant, I've gotta get back to studying. I have an exam tomorrow so I've got tons of things to do in order to prepare myself for it. Toodles!

currently

2009-09-27T20:12:00.012-04:00

wearing: a little ~~black~~ brown dress

obsessing over: a faux fur vest/jacket
There's one @ forever21 that is actually really cute and super cheap. Unfortunately, after paying all the bills this weekend.. I can't really be shopping any time soon.

looking at: my social psychology textbook

working on: a really exciting project for GAS'D
I can't talk about it just yet but it's really big. When all the details are finalized, I'll def. make a post about it here & share with you guys.

wishing: I was in St. Tropez right now
Mom is having a great time over there. It's about 70degrees with plenty of sunshine. Beautiful people & the best food in the world. I'm so jealous that I couldn't come along.

hoping: that my monthly friend will leave soon
I hate being all hormonal!

loving: the OPI espana collection
Yup, I got the whole collection. It's really hard to choose favorite since I like them all so much! Perhaps I'll make a post about it.. maybe a review? I'm not sure. Would anybody want to read about it? Would anybody care? Probably not. Would I mind? Not really, lol.

using: softlips chapstick

I'm on the bed taking a break from studying. I'm not sure if I'm more embarrassed that my room is so messy or that my hair is even messier.

2009-09-27T20:09:00.002-04:00

“ A pessimist sees the difficulty in every oppotunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

— Sir Winston Churchill

Adding the following items to my wishlist

2009-09-24T22:13:00.004-04:00

This charm bracelet is just lovely. I would really like it to wear it during the fall.

It's super hard for me to find rings to fit my tiny fingers. This ring comes in a size 5 (perfect!) and it's got a vintage look to it that I really love!

This last one is my current obsession. I think it's soo cute. I could totally wear this everyday. Okay, maybe not everyday but I'm sure if I had it.. I would wear it a whole lot! Lol. Plus, he knows my weird obsession with rhinestones incrusted red lips.

Who needs men when you can have chocolate?

2009-09-23T19:58:00.003-04:00

I received a huge ass box from the UPS man this afternoon. Barry was on a business trip in California last week and he knew how much I love See's Candies so he got me a few things. Apparently a few things became like 20 pounds worth of chocolate and candy. I have cinnamon pumpkin spice lollipops, butterscotch, chocolate balls that looks like pumpkins and chocolate shaped ghosts. It's just way too much for me to even describe. Let's not even talk about how yummy everything is either because then I can be here for hours. LOL! Needless to say, my room smells heavenly right now. I'm breathing in chocolatey goodness and it's bloody fantastic.

My favorite are these little pumpkin box that you can fill up with your favorite chocolatey treats. I'm going to keep one on my desk so I can have anytime I want. I'll probably bring one to work on Friday to share with some co-workers also ;] there's nothing like candy to get everybody in food for the holidays!

1st degree burn

2009-09-21T12:38:00.004-04:00

While helping my dad install a brand spanking new chandelier in the our dining room last Thursday, I managed to burnt my right hand on one of extremely hot light bulbs. It's just a minor 1st degree burn but it's important enough that I'd like to blog about. I won't take photos because it's quite ugly. It's been 5 days and I'm getting more and more self conscious about it. I stick my hand in my pockets so it won't be seen. While taking notes in class today, this one chick was staring dead @ my scar. Ughh, it was just so uncomfortable. Eventually, I explained to her what happened but still.. I'd like this thing to heal asap.

Here's what I learned on how to treat a minor 1st degree burn. It's always useful to learn about thing before it happened.

- Immediately wash with cold water
- Put aloe vera on the infected area daily
- After about 3-4 days, the area should swell up into a bubble like blister. This is the stage I'm currently at & I hate it. Imagine a red bubble-like-blister the size of a nickel on your hand, it's not exactly cute!
- At this point, put a band-aid over the blister & leave it alone. A lot of people tends to pop and break the blister. This is not a good idea. Underneath the bubble blister is filled with liquids as well as a new layer of skin. The blister will pop on it's own, when the time is right & the new skin is ready. Just leave it alone & continue to keep the infected area clean!
- It should heal all on it's own but depending on how large the infected area is will determine how long it will recover completely. (usually around 4-12 days)

If the burn is a 2nd or 3rd degree burn or if your 1st degree burn does heal properly, see a doctor immediately for proper treatment.

2009 VMAs

2009-09-15T08:58:00.004-04:00

I was going to make a post about highlights & lowlights of watching the VMAs right after watching it. But I didn't care enough to do so. Then I was going to do it last night but once again.. I didn't care much to do so. Now today is a different story. I've got some time to kill before going to my first class so here we go..

+ Madonna surprised me with such a heartfelt speech about MJ!
+ Janet's tribute to MJ was fantastic.Well done mm'lady!
- Russel Brand wasn't as funny as usual.
++ Taylor Swift arriving in a horse carriage was beyond cute. Her performance was unlike anything I've ever seen, very creative! I adore her and can proudly admit I actually enjoying listening to her music.
- Beyonce's performance gets an F in creativity. It's nothing we haven't seen from her already.
+/- Lady Gaga did a great job with her performance. Her outfits choice was a tad bit bizarde for me but then again.. I can't wait to see what she'll do next.
+ Pink's performance was breathtaking. I was very impressed. It takes great strength to do those tricks dangling in the air.
- Kanye taking Taylor's moment and saying that Beyonce's video is the best video of the decade. I must admit, I was royally pissed off & was in utter shock that he actually did that on a LIVE show. Such an asshole.

And no, I don't really care that he "apologized' on his ignorant ass blog as well as on the Jay Leno Show last night. I'm so over it now but people are still talking about it & it drives me crazy. I mean, why are so hung up about the outbursts of celebrities and what they do in their personal lives when we have a nation in 2 wars, a trillion dollar deficit , the economy down the drain, and America is losing jobs. WTF!!!!!!!

With that being said, I'm out for the day.

2009-09-10T16:01:00.002-04:00

I have to read this entire relationship book & write a review for it by tonight. Gahh! There will be no tumblring, twittering, or tv watching until this book is finished. Let's hope I can do it. Wish me luck!

currently

2009-09-05T22:12:00.003-04:00

listening to: sweet about me by Gabriella Climi
Ain't nothing sweeeet about meeee!

wearing: the softest bathrobe in the world

(according to bed, bath & body works)

obsessing over: The XX
This 4 piece indie group is bloody brilliant!

looking at: my inspiration collage above my desk

not doing: my school work !
It's a long weekend, can you blame me for procrastinating?

wishing: that he's around so i can tell him about my day

hoping: tomorrow will be nothing but sunshine.
I'm so sick of the sticky-icky rain!

wanting: Mayer Hawthorne to add South Florida to his tour schedule!
His album has been on heavy rotation all weekend. I can't get enough of it! I even wrote to him via twitter telling him to come do a show here! It would make beyond happy.

craving: a vanilla cupcake with butter cream icing!

loving: my new bathroom decor.
I had a little creative outburst today & decided to give my bathroom a complete makeover. It came out amazing!

using: blogger, twitter, lookbook, tumblr, itunes & gmail
multi-tasking is my middle name!

Well, that was fun. I wanted to make a length update but I didn't know where to begin so I came up with this idea. I kinda like it. Perhaps I'll do it more often. Heh.

love sale

2009-08-30T11:52:00.000-04:00

For 2 days only, you can get 25% off everything in the GAS'D Station using the promo code "LIFEUNTOLIFE"

MAC OS X SNOW LEOPARD

2009-08-29T16:10:00.005-04:00

MAC OS X Snow Leopard was released yesterday & of course, I had to get it for the macbaby. I installed it last night and I must say I'm quite pleased with the result. There's a lot of new modifications to the original operating system, Leopard. My macbook boots a lot quicker & shuts down a lot quicker too! The new safari is incredible!

Here's a screenshot:

It's still fairly new so I'm still exploring a lot of the new features. So far, I'm loving everything & is very happy with it :)

Green tea!

2009-08-27T18:12:00.003-04:00

I just finish my first week of school. I don't have classes on Friday, thank goodness! It's only been the first week & I'm already counting down the days till winter break. School can be so stressful, I'm sure we can agree on that. I don't want to talk about my classes right now so we'll save that for later this weekend.

I do have something quite exciting to share. I used a homemade green tea facial scrub as well as green tea toner just now. I absolutely love it and really wants to share with you girls.

For the green tea facial scrub, I used the following ingredients:

1 tablespoon of lukewarm green tea
3 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of babyoil (optional)*

Instead of the babyoil that I used, you can substitute with the following:

Honey to moisturize
Lemon to cleanse
Yogurt to soothe

So once I mixed all of the ingredients into a small dish & I applied it onto my face using a cotton wipe. When I got enough of the facial scrub onto my face, I massaged the scrub in circular motion gently. After doing so for about 10 minutes, I rinsed and finished off with the green tea toner.

For the green tea toner, I just took a cotton wipe and dipped into some green tea. Green tea is not only good for your health but it's also great for your skin. Green tea by the way, has rich sources of antioxidants benefits and is great for anti-aging.

That's all for now. If you try it, let me know how it works out for you. So far, I'm loving it & will continue to use it regularly.

2009-08-23T17:38:00.000-04:00

I'm currently obsessing over this cute panda hoodie for dogs. My puppy would be so cute in it! I shall find out where I can order it for him this christmas. Teheee!

Love is real.

2009-08-22T10:12:00.005-04:00

I forgot to mention a few weeks back that I'm a writer at the GAS'D blog once again. There are many wonderful writers over at GAS'Daily so be sure to check it out. You can expect to see lots of exclusive downloads, beautiful photography, behind the scene photoshoots as well as upcoming projects & collaborations.

For those of you who follows my blog/twitter/myspace/tumblr, you guys are probably quite familiar with this clothing line already. But for those new friends, I want to introduce you guys to GAS'D and what this clothing line is all about.

GAS'D is a clothing line created to uplift the masses by relaying the message that "LOVE IS REAL". We believe that there is a universal love in all humanity, that is stronger than the ignorance and hate that seems to breed in areas of our world. We are all human and humanity is what matters. Love for all humanity and each other can overcome so much in this life. GAS'D will forever embrace this ideal and use our art and clothing to spread this message.

I'm a huge advocate of the message GAS'D is sending and have been for quite some time now. If you are interested, feel free to check out their website & look around for yourself.

P.S. As a special promo, you can get 25% off all merchandise with the code “AUG22TRILOGY” !!

nails nails nails

2009-08-21T15:37:00.003-04:00

I want to talk about manicures and pedicures today. It doesn't matter if you go to the salon or do it yourself at home, either way .. it's still fun & we all love to do it! I mean, I'm a nail polish fanatic. I've been getting getting manicures and pedicures since I was a freshman in high school. I get manicures weekly and pedicures every 2 weeks. During the semester, I can't always make time for it so I will give myself manicures at home & it works out quite nicely actually. Anyways, before I start rambling on & on. I'll get to the point of this blog now.

Due to the fact that I wear a lot of nail polish over such a long period of time, my nails have now become fairly yellow. Eeek! I know! I started noticing it @ the beginning of the summer & I freaked out. I mean, wouldn't you? I googled all types of treatment that I can do to eliminate the yellow-ness and get my nails back to its usual self. It is recommended that I do not wear polish for at least 4-6 months in order for my nails to go back to normal. There is nothing physically wrong with the nails itself. My nails is still very strong and seems fine. However, the yellow-ness does bother me a lot. For this reason, I'm going to try and not wear any polish for at least 4 months to see if the condition improves. During the mean time, I will continue to give myself manicures and still take care of my nails. In addition to that, I will also rub a piece of lemon on my finger nails every other day because supposedly that's supposed to get rid of the yellowness. Whatever helps, I'm willing to try anything at this point. I mean, 4 months of no nail polish is going to be not much fun on my behalf.

Basically, it's going to take a lot of work & a long time for my nails to get back to normal. I'm def. going to have to work at it. That really sucks because I just ordered a bunch of new polish fr. Zoya that I'm so excited to share with everybody. Just because I won't be wearing polish, I will still be posting any new polish I purchased and all that good stuffs. And of courses, I will wear polish for special occasion (birthdays, thanksgiving, christmas, etc..) and I'm allowed to do so as long as I remove the polish within 48 hrs.

I wanted to write about it & share it with you guys. I know it can be great fun painting your nails & toes but you should also becareful.

Do it moderation! Keep it to changing your polish every 7 days. There has been times where I would change my polish every other day & that is very bad!
Dark color polish (black, brown, red, navy) tend to cause yellowing of the nails like in my case. If you like wearing those colors, you must take really care of your nails. Do let your nails breathe in between manicures. Don't wear dark colors for a long time or your nails will turn yellow. I learned it the hard way! Don't let it happen to you!
Most importantly, only buy nail polish that is formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate and camphor free!

With that being said, have a lovely Friday and take good care of your nails ;]