Got some plants! and boots.

So excited. Their new home is on my windowsill.

Now I've been doing some reading on how to keep these babies alive. :)

Separately... Nick has been on a Breaking Bad BINGE. He's almost done with Season 4, and he only started watching a few weeks ago. Ridiculous!!! It's been driving me crazy!!!

And, I have also majorly been breaking my "no shopping ban." Oops!

I picked these two up on sale at the L&T friends and family sale online. I'm actually not a HUGE Nine West fan, but occasionally a shoe here or there surprises me.

I first read about the bootie on this blog You Look Fab. Looks like they are on even more sale right now at Zappos!

(image: Zappos)

I figure these will work well in the winter, for work events/meetings, to wear with my long wide-leg work pants that need heels... Practical, I know.

I haven't gotten the booties yet, but I got the riding boots and LOVE them!

(image: 5th village)

... However, the shaft is a bit big for my calf, so I'm debating whether or not to keep them. Is that the style?! Probably not. I guess I have small calves. I'm not a fan of those boots with the elastic part, to fit tight across the calf!

Here's a pic of me wearing my tighest jeggings (jean leggings!) + the new boots. Sorry for the grainy pic, I used my iphone. (Not like my digital camera would take anything better... That's another thing on my want list! A nice digital SLR!)

Sigh. Doesn't look great from this angle.

I put it on with a coat, and Nick said I looked fine!

I'm still deciding!

Edit: I found this forum thread from 2 years ago that debates this very topic... But still no conclusion. One comment that was helpful was - Riding boots (derived from riding horses) should fit snug, like their origins.

Sigh... I'll have to try them on again tonight with some other clothes and see. I really do love them! I love how simple and clean they are, and the leather is very soft/smooth. Although, for boots, I do like the grainy/pebble leather.

EDIT 11/4/13: I returned them! A co-worker said they were too wide at the top, making me look like a PIRATE!!! Or, I realized, they made me look like SANTA.

However, I found another pair, which I'll post about soon... I don't LOVE the *toe* part of the boot, which is important to me, but it's TOO LATE -- I've worn them outside and thus, un-returnable. (It's obvious they've been worn.)

2 great commercials lately

First one...

Second one...

Baaaaaaaahaha. Love it.

Letter to Tote Makers

Dear Tote Makers,
Why can't great totes have zippers? I don't understand this.

SO MANY bags do not come with zippers.

Um, hello. I live in NYC. I don't want someone reaching their arm into my bag and stealing my wallet while I'm on the crowded subway.

Is it unfashionable?
More cool to have an open bag?

More rustic/indie/hipster/whatever when the leather or canvas tote just has a button closure or no closure at all?

Really, I would prefer it if my bag was pickpocket-proof.

Example: Tote with a button closure. No zipper.

Example: High-end designer tote that many NYC girls and women carry:

... that is sooo easy to pickpocket...

If I were a thief, I would totally reach my hands into all these open bags and grab something!

Just sayin'!

HELLO BAG MAKERS. PLEASE ADD ZIPPERS! Make them hidden or something!

Thanks,

Jane

P.S. My old bag didn't have a zipper either (below). I've finally given in and bought a Longchamp this summer.

Tom Brady's new do

... looks just like Nick's haircut!!!

Image Source: Mike Reiss @ ESPN

Me and Nick in Hong Kong, May 2013

Eyeing...

So I'm on another "shopping ban" until Black Friday (and really, going to try to hold myself off until the BEST sales come in January!!!) - I thought I'd use the blog to collect some of things I've been eyeing lately...

Here it goes:

Chunky chain necklace (This one is sold out already!)

Fur vest (but I've recently already bought a fur snood...) - Do. Not. Need. But. Want. Ahhhhhhh.

Black leather biker jacket - This is tough ... I'm having a hard time figure this out. Real leather or vegan/faux leather? How much do I really want to shell out for one? This Madewell one is pretty cute...

Classic suede pumps... but in blue! - I keep coming back to these... So... Cute...

Stacked heel booties - Do I need? No. Do I crave? Yes.

Can you believe these are H&M? Not bad, right?

And check these, also from H&M...

Sigh. ... Must exercise self control :). Lusting until end-of-November...

Today, I ...

.... while eating my 4th munchkin at work, I got jelly on my shirt and a co-worker public shamed me, calling it out as a "sign of gluttony" ... Sigh.

Dreaming of grits

Linky-dink...

I'd like to go to this Sunday ... but on Sunday, it's all-day-and-night of NFL football-watching... ! (Well, this is more of a problem that Nick won't go with me...) ... I think I will have to find friends to come with me!

Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park

Saw this on TV (Unique Sweests. Great show. I'm not kidding.) and drooled... On my to try list. I hope my friend Kate will come with me to try this! She's always trying unique food in NYC.

Victory Garden NYC

An article about the state of indie music today...

Is the guitar disappearing from indie rock music?

xoxo
Jane

Um, I must make this

Spanish Tortilla (Not what you think it is)

Photo credit: James Ransom

UM, YUM!

Happy Monday

I've moved!

Apartments!

Nick and I moved in together one month + one day ago! I've been getting questions from my parents and friends, like "How is it?" - "What's it like living with a boy?" etc.

My report is that so far, it's been natural and no surprises! Is that surprising? Nick and I had similar living habits already, before we moved in together, so that made the transition very easy. (I didn't have to have a freak-out session and learn how dirty this boy was.) (... He's very pretty clean!)

And we were excited to be productive and save money by making dinner as much as we can.

I'm running out of recipes and meal ideas, though.

Good thing my lovely friend Kate has been cooking up a storm the last year and tried all sorts of recipes that I now need to try out ;) ... Hehe!

Anyways, I'm back at the blog and giving it another go after a few months hiatus!

Plus, I'm on another shopping ban................. Do we see a pattern here?

I think shopping bans are good to have from September to Black Friday, then again from February to May! Best time to shop is the summer, from sale to sale (Memorial through Labor Day!) and then from Black Friday through the end of January sale! Eeee! That's what I'm doing from now on, at least.

Giant fail

Why can't I wake up in the morning to go work out ?!

What a crazy week

1. Boston bombing & chase + capture of the bombers
2. Letters with poison to DC
3. Fertilizer plant blew up in TX

What a crazy week!

Not in the mood to write tonight

I made a pork chop for dinner and ate leftover risotto. That is all.

I made this tonight:

Photo taken August 2012 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Monday

I've been a bit silent. Muffin on a Monday.

Orchids

Over the weekend, Nick and I went to the NY Botanical Gardens Orchid Evenings show. It was promised to be one of NY's most romantic date destinations (it did live up to its promise)! Nick and I had a great time and an interesting dinner at an Italian restaurant in the Bronx.

Here are some of my fave photos from the show (that I took!):

Web Wanderings

What I'm listening to right now, this second.

Cute artsy stuff to buy, once I'm off my Austerity Program. (See here) *sigh*

"Kids" today. (Us.)

That's it for now. Need some more ideas before another post!

Getting my butt kicked

Exercise has been a recurring New Years resolution for me every year since I was 16. Growing up, I never played any sports ("Does marching band count?"), so by the time I reached college, I didn't really know how to work out. Several kind-hearted friends were temporary work-out buddies for me throughout college - doing machines with me, weights, or even just running on the treadmill chatting next to me, but never lasting more than a couple of months.

In my mind, a panicked voice always said, "You must develop exercise habits in college! That's how they stay with you through life!" (quoting some study I had read somewhere...)

In my short adult life to date, I've made a little progress by buying (extremely expensive) personal training sessions. It's not enough to just have a gym membership because my will to go is just not there. I need someone telling me what to do and making me do it! Thanks Stibens! I almost feel kind of bad because he probably deserves to spend his time training real athletes vs. an immobile being without stamina like me!

I liken myself to a combination between Scarecrow + Tin Man (Wizard of Oz references) - Scarecrow because I have no strength, like being made from straw! And Tin Man because my muscles and joints are always so stiff/tight from sitting all day.

More after the jump...

Web Wanderings, blog edition

Style and lifestyle blogs that I check out on a daily/semi-regular basis:
here
here
here
here
here
here

And there are millions more out there!

Look what I learned online, Ma!

1. How to choose a blazer
2. How to clean your coffeemaker
3. How to remove blackheads using natural ingredients

Have a great weekend!

Austerity Program implemented

This week, I told all my colleagues at work about my shopping ban. My boss responded, "Gasp! No spring shopping? No Forever21 spring clothes?"

Another person on my team told us a story of a former co-worker of his who did the same. This woman would go on what she called the "Austerity Program" and would not shop for 2 months. But then once she was off the "austerity program," whoooeeee, it was a shopping spree!

I thought that was a clever name, so I'm adopting it.

Austerity Program has been implemented!

Now that I'm "on hold," I'm just in a "browsing" mode. I've decided I need to do more research, planning, and careful decision making when I do allow myself to shop again. What do I really need or want? How do things fit into my life? (Really, actually, I need to focus my attention and effort on other things. Like my career. Blehhh.)

(ADD kicks in.) Ohhh, I want this:

My A.P. really should include food. I sooo enjoy going out to eat, and that really does eat up a lot of $$ as well (Hehe, get it? "Eat" up? Hehe!).

Good thing good food doesn't have to cost a lot. Last night, I went out for some delicious ramen with my friend/colleague Ji and her boyfriend Justin. It's a place where REAL JAPANESE PEOPLE go eat ramen, so you know it's good! And it's pumping me up for my trip to Asia.

And yes, I know, we're so typical Asians - All our names start with the letter J! Haha!

Photo credit: R. Chin

After we finished our food, we sat around and repeatedly said to each other, "I'm soooo full... I'm sooo tired..."

Great way to end the week!

Shopping ban imposed!

I have a confession to make. I have an addiction, and this addiction is called shopping.

In the last two eight? months, I went nuts shopping. Absolutely nuts.

I won't put the exact $ dollar amount here. Maybe it's nothing to some people and maybe it's absurd to others, but it's absurd to me! And to Nick, who has switched between telling me, "You shop too much!" and "You work hard! You deserve it!" ... It gets confusing!

Here's an example. In January I bought both a crock pot (even though my roommate already has one, but I didn't realize this when I purchased it because it rarely/never gets used) and a George Foreman grill - and have yet to use either. My visions of beef stew and homemade burgers have yet to be realized.

Ahead of our trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo in May, I am in a *SAVE* mode, sort of.

I'm imposing a SHOPPING BAN on myself for the next 3 months. No purchases of clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, jewelry, fun make-up for 3 months.

I can still buy daily needs, food, toiletries, and go out for dinner and drinks - but nothing outrageous or unnecessary, like if I'm just being lazy about cooking.

Realistically, this shouldn't be HARD. I don't need anything. It's the fact that I've gotten in such a HABIT of purchasing things. Stopping the purchasing habit will be hard.

(More after the jump.)

Pop culture nonsense of the day

I read this in a NY Times article today... The rumor from the "Spring Breakers" (new movie out) set is that Selena Gomez cheated on Justin Bieber with ... Gucci Mane ?!!

NY Times article

Monday's over!

Finished product

From our class last night at Paint Nite!

Web Wanderings

My favorite blog (fueling my addiction, *sigh*).

I'm a new proud owner of this! (Thanks, gift card. Something I wouldn't buy on my own dime but looove! Much more neon in real life than online.)

Hands down best brunch in NYC - especially the eggs rancheros. (I went this morning with a friend from college that was visiting NYC.)

I want to try this!

While I normally swear by this (for $18), this works pretty well for $2.50!

Tonight, Nick and I are going painting!

Have a great Sunday!

So long winter (I hope)

It's been a long winter.

Last winter was incredibly mild and spoiled us into enjoying it. Last winter, I didn't even pull out my ugly (sorry, but it is) long puffy black coat. It's the warmest coat I own, and I only pull it out when it's 20 degrees or colder outside.

This year, I did have to wear it out a couple of times. The coat is similar to this one below, complete with the furry collar (which I do like, actually), except mine is 100x uglier, longer and goes straight down with no defined waist. I feel like I'm wearing a sleeping bag wrapped around me.

SO HAPPY THAT I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR IT AGAIN ... until next winter!

Anyways, TODAY it was finally 50 degrees, SUNNY and not a cloud in the sky! It's beautiful! Happiness! Hooray! No more Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)!

I have been taking Vitamin D on a semi-regular basis on the recommendation of my doctor due to low Vit D levels. *sigh* I obviously don't step out of my office enough during the workweek.

Here's a photo of Nick & me from this winter (February):

Hope spring is here to stay! And remember to "SPRING FORWARD" this weekend with your clocks!

Looking forward

Since I started working full-time after college, I find that at times, the daily grind can really get to me and bring me down. I realized how important it is to 1) have short-term goals as well as long-term goals, and 2) to have things (activities) to look forward to.

At work recently, we went through our one-year goal-setting process, and it helped provide some clarity for what's important for the year and motivation to get through the grind.

While my long-term career goals are pretty fuzzy, setting short-term goals for the next several months has motivated me to work towards improvement!

Secondly, Nick and I have booked our plane tickets to go to Asia in May! We'll be visiting Tokyo for 2.5 days and Hong Kong for 3.5 days! We are going to my cousin's wedding in Hong Kong. While I'm pretty familiar with Hong Kong, this will be my first time to Tokyo!!!
I am extremely excited about this - and I'll blog about it more in another post.

Tokyo:

Hong Kong:

Web Wanderings

Today's daily deal I'm getting: Yes, please!

I'd like to try all seven.

Feeding my browsing addiction.

And the woman behind it.

Laughed so hard!

Let's get cookin'!

... And ending on a more serious note.

Sunday

From my Instagram

New blog! Documenting 2013 and being 26 in NYC.

Whoohoo! NEW BLOG!
I'M 26, LIVING in NYC!
THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR!
... BIG YEAR!

I know, I know. I'm two months late from the start of the year.

But - that doesn't mean I can't make some  resolutions now, right?

It's only March 3rd! So I've got 10 more months!

Actually, the reason why I I re-started up an online blog us because my boyfriend Nick *SAYS* he wants to start a blog about movies/shows, but he has yet to create it or write his first entry.

So I'm beating him. Yay.

I haven't decided on a theme for my blog yet, but I know that I don't want this blog to contain those emo-driven long-winded stream-of-consciousness diary entries from my 15-year-old self!

... Oh, wait. I guess that's what I'm writing now, isn't it?


Till we meet again, internet!