back on the daily grind

back on the daily grind

That sweater makes me look so chunky! Actually, I put on some weight because of my long winter vacation. I had nothing better to do than sit in front of the television and computer and munch away on snacks. I need to start eating healthier and stop snacking so much! But I just can't help it! Midnight snacks are always the tastiest...

And I'll get to doing a jewelry close up one of these days. The ring on my thumb is definitely my favorite. It's a gold band with lions carved in it. The sentimental value behind this gold band is that it reminds me of my mother. Although her zodiac is a tiger, the lions are close enough of a resemblance for me to dedicate this ring to her. To be honest, it actually belonged to my grandparents, I believe. I always end up finding lovely jewelry scattered in the forgotten corners of our house.

After a long winter break, today was the first day I went back to school since early December. To be honest, I had been eager to escape my house and see my friends again, but I also sort of resented the fact that the vacation ended. I wanted to be able to sleep in until whenever I wanted, take my time making breakfast, and not fight for space during morning rush hour commute. I started class at 8:40 A.M! I haven't been up that early since, well, high school. And to top it all off, I have a three hour and fifty minute break from 12:25 P.M to 4:10 P.M. I have no idea what to do with my spare time!

Because I'm so super prepared, I slept around 5 A.M, only to wake up an hour later to get ready for class. So far, the teachers are pretty nice and it doesn't seem like much work - yet. The only class I'm really dreading is Speech Communications. Although I'm a big blabber mouth and I love talking, I just don't feel comfortable speaking formally to an audience. I'm sure I'll do fine, but I'm just a bit anxious to see all the unfamiliar faces staring at me when I attempt public speaking. Does anyone have a fear of speaking in public? I know that no one is judging me (except for the teacher for my grade, of course), but it's just weird when people stare at me. I tend to get self-conscious and wonder if my hair looks like a bird's nest, or if my mascara ran a little and I have raccoon eyes, or if my skirt is stuck in my pantyhose (luckily that hasn't happened to me yet).

Tomorrow's class schedule is a little better. Instead of class at 8 in the morning, I'll have class at noon. It seriously took me a lot of willpower and dedication and strength to churn this little post out. Can you tell by the dark circles under my eyes that I'm super super pooped out? I'd really love a back massage too! Carrying a laptop around is hard labor, you know!

I'd also like to say thank you so much to everyone who visits my page - whether you comment or follow or even e-mail me. I love connecting with you guys, even though I might not have a lot of time to get back to you or I accidentally overlook you. And it really means a lot to me to see that people actually care what I write and what I wear and what I eat, haha. Actually, I'm just really flattered you guys are interested in my bland lifestyle.

I hope everyone had a better Monday that I did. ♥ And I hope the rest of your week is wonderful too! I'm probably going to go make some tea, snack on something, and fall asleep while watching television.

lots of love,

julia

Outfit Details:

blue sweater - Gap

aztec dress (worn as a skirt) - Forever 21

grey tights - American Eagle Outfitters

green military jacket - DKNY

brown boots - Timberland

white purse - Coach

ruby ring, lion ring, & pearl necklace - family heirlooms

BOSTON: DAY 1 • day 15 | 365

BOSTON: DAY 1 • day 15 | 365

The journey to Boston was incredibly fun. I hadn't slept at all because I went to the Skins party. When I got home, I immediately rushed to finish packing for Boston. By the time I was done packing and making myself breakfast, my friend was coming to pick me up from my house to go to the subway so we could head over to Port Authority where we'd take the Peter Pan Bus Lines (You can head over here on Yelp to read my review on my experience on the bus line? And if you have a Yelp account, you guys should totally add me as friends! And if you don't, you should make an account, write some reviews, and still add me as a friend!). After a rather sketchy comment from the employee who helped loaded our luggage onto the bus, we were on the bus and rather excited!

My dad managed to pack me my favorite snack in the world - hummus and pita bread. Of course, he had forgotten some extra virgin olive oil, but I dealt with it. We dozed on and off during the ride, and took use of the free WiFi that was on the bus. However, there were no outlets in our side of the seats, so we only went online for an hour. I was playing Sims 3, instead! I love that game. It's really addicting. I like to make all sorts of weird characters and sometimes I like to make my enemies and trap them in a burning house...not like that's mean...or anything, haha. But, seriously! The game has a kleptomaniac personality option! Who wouldn't want to see a Sim run around and steal things from their neighbor?

In Boston, we stayed with my friend's aunt, Sheila! She's the most amazingly hospitable person ever. She made sure we were housed, fed, and enjoying our time in Boston. She even gave us little gifts! Honestly, I was really appreciative of her. Her cooking's amazing, by the way. I mean, I know you guys can't go over to her house and eat her food, but she made chicken tandoori and I almost died from happiness. I gained so much weight.

But in this picture, my friend Elise is wearing a tissue paper crown that came from this Christmas cracker package that Sheila had leftover from Christmas, since my friend was supposed to visit her during that time, but couldn't make it. Okay, if you read that before you clicked the link and thought that Christmas cracker referred to crackers as in the food, you should let me know so I don't feel too bad. This is the conversation that took place that led to our first inside joke of the Boston trip:

Sheila: Oh, we should open the Christmas crackers after you eat!

Me: Yay! What flavor are they?

Everyone: laughter ensues.

Hey! I didn't know things such as Christmas crackers existed. I was confused! Please don't laugh at me! Just kidding. You can laugh if you want. I won't be offended. It was pretty funny, in hindsight. But I think that these Christmas crackers were racist. The one I opened gave me a package of origami! Just because I'm Asian....

We decided to go to my friend's dorm that night to visit her since she was feeling a little homesick. We went to eat at BHOP (Boston House of Pizza, and you can read my review about it here) before heading back to her dorm to meet her friends and have a little get together. There were just slight flurries that night, so it wasn't too bad!

After her friends left, we ended up sitting in the dark and enjoying the spectacular view outside her window. You could see the tops of the buildings, the traffic down below, and the walkway around the campus of her college. It was so beautiful and such a nice way to end the night.

To be honest, the last picture is one of my favorites from Day 1 in Boston. To the naked eye, it's a lousy photo - the composition is adequate, if not subpar, and it's nothing special. But for me, it's a favorite because every time I look at this picture, I feel the heaviness of being happy and content and homesick and excited all at one moment in my heart - the feelings that I felt at that exact moment, captured in a single photograph.

Outfit Details:

olive varsity jacket - Urban Oufitters

grey dolman cardigan - Urban Outfitters

blue tank top - Old Navy

red and blue striped skirt - Forever 21

black tights - Hue

black scarf - Club Monaco

black peacoat - Kristen Blake

oversized bag - Urban Outfitters

the ballad of mona lisa

the ballad of mona lisa

YES. GLASSES. I haven't worn them since 8th grade, I believe. But they're back (sort of). I lost my old pair of glasses and never got around to getting a new pair, especially since contacts are so gosh darn expensive and my money was being spent on other things (such as clothes....and food...). The flash of my camera was causing a glare on the lens of my glasses, so that explains why they're not in some pictures.

As you can tell...I am a master of striking a pose before the self-timer runs off. Just kidding. I always fidget and the camera manages to capture me amidst my awkward moments, haha. I guess it gives me "character" or something like that.

And how do you like the floral decals on my wall? Since my parents won't let me paint a mural in my room, I decided to just purchase these cool decals and stick them all over the place. If anyone knows of any other places that sells them for a relatively cheap price, feel free to drop a comment or e-mail me about it!

Anyways, after reading Diya's post on a striped blouse challenge (which I encourage all of you to enter!), I remembered that I never got around to posting this outfit. Actually, I haven't gotten around to posting A LOT of outfits...and not to mention, all of my Boston pictures!  I haven't decided whether to consolidate it all into one post or to separate each day of Boston. I mean, certain days were very boring, so I'll probably end up doing two days in one post or something.

So this striped blouse of mine is actually my mother's.She doesn't fit it anymore and we rediscovered it in the luggages that my grandmother brought with her when she moved in with us a month ago. Normally I'm more of a floral sort of girl, so I have no idea what compelled me to pair together two pieces of stripes together. I prefer vertical stripes over horizontal, mostly because I have rather wide shoulders, so anything with horizontal stripes make me look wider than necessary. The woe of having an athletic, inverted triangle figure!

And this varsity jacket I scored from Urban Outfitters was a crazy markdown to $20! It originally was something like $150. And the other day, when I went to Boston, I saw it priced for $50 in stores! Talk about varying prices...

Outfit Details:

olive varsity wool jacket - Urban Outfitters

my mom's old striped blouse - Cache

striped skirt - Forever 21

gray tights - American Eagle Outfitters

gray mary janes - Urban Outfitters

i feel the cool air

i feel the cool air

So last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the Skins MTV party. As an avid fan of the Skins UK version, I couldn't help but go to the premiere party of the US version. Plus, the appearance of Rusko and Sleigh Bells didn't hurt either. I wore about three pairs of socks because I knew my feet were going to be cold waiting in line. It was FREEZING. All those socks did nothing for my friend and I, especially since we felt like we had gotten frost bite already waiting in line. It was a nice experience though. We bonded with a few cute boys in line and danced the night away. Of course, we gave up seeing Neon Trees to go to this party, which I'm sort of bummed about. But either way, the experiences were worth it. Beforehand, we ended up going to Pomme Frites (one of my favorite places for fries) and grabbed an order.

I got these Wool-Like Lady Gloves from Urban Outfitters. For the value, they were great, but they started to pill after the first use. It might have something to do with me rubbing them almost everywhere, but they keep me warm - even when I started to make slush balls to throw at my friends, haha.

 I have no idea who these people are, but they insisted that my friend and I take a picture with them, haha!

Outfit Details:

aztec print blouse - Urban Outfitters

sheer lace tank top - Calvin Klein Intimates

sparkly blue body con skirt - Forever 21

lace tights - American Eagle Outfitters

black knee highs - ???

grey thigh highs - American Apparel

grey mary jane flats - Urban Outfitters

black scarb - Club Monaco

black gloves - Urban Outfitters

black peacoat - Kristen Blake

off to boston!

off to boston!

Sorry for the horrible quality! My camera is packed away and my laptop is going in next. But by the time you read this, I'll be in Boston (or on the way to Boston)! I probably won't have time to update, but I'll definitely try. Maybe the Peter Pan coach bus I'm taking will have WiFi so I can go on twitter and tweet you guys things or maybe I'll be too busy sleeping! I went to the Skins party today (more on that in a later post) and I haven't slept since, haha. I'm a little crazy. I still haven't finished packing yet, but my friend and I are meeting in two hours at 6 AM to head to Port Authority! YAY! I'm so excited.

I'll miss you New York!

And even though he doesn't read this, I'd like to wish my not so little anymore brother a happy fifteenth birthday! YAY! He's such a brat but he's still family.

day 12 | 365

day 12 | 365

day twelve out of three hundred sixty five

my room is in constant disarray. but even more so this week because i'm packing for boston! i can't decide what suitcase to bring. i'm definitely an overpacker. those paintings on my dresser are my own original artworks. and that magazine on that large suitcase is a Victoria's Secret Magazine. and on the white little dresser is an incomplete painting of an underwater scene.

that door that's blocked by a dresser is actually connecting to the master bedroom. this room used to be my nursery, which is why my parents had the adjoining room layout. you guys could play iSpy with this, hahaha.

i always like seeing what other people's rooms look like! i'm so nosy.

day 10 | 365 & getting to know...me!

day 10 | 365 & getting to know...me!

day nine out of three hundred sixty five

So while I have no worthwhile outfit to post (because they're all packed away in my suitcase for BOSTON (refer to the post below this)) I figured I might as well let you guys see my 365 Project and get to know me a little better! I mean, I know all about like internet safety and everything, but I feel like I can let you guys know my full name and address and phone number and everything like that. Okay, maybe not the last two things, but everything else is free game!

I. TOP SONGS I'M CURRENTLY attempting to SINGING IN THE SHOWER:

1. FOR THE FIRST TIME - THE SCRIPT
2. in the next room - neon trees
3.  JUST MY IMAGINATION (RUNNING AWAY) - THE TEMPTATIONS
4. in the cut - wiz khalifa
5. infinity guitars - sleigh bells
6. love - matt white
7. obsessions- marine & the diamonds
8. JE VEUX TE VOIR - YELLE

or you can just stalk my LAST.FM AND PLAYLISTS

I can't even sing well. I promise. You won't be seeing me on America's Got Talent or American Idol or anything like that! Unless it was a competition for the most tone deaf person. That'd probably be me. I still like to sing in the shower. Something about the bathroom makes everyone turn into an award winning vocalist.

IIa. MY DAILY ROUTINE (ON A WEEKDAY):

1. WAKE UP.
2.  HIT SNOOZE 4 TIMES AND CURSE MYSELF FOR STAYING UP LATE DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PRODUCTIVE.
3. STUMBLE INTO THE BATHROOM. SIT ON THE TOILET (COVER DOWN) FOR FIVE MINUTES AND NAP. THEN SHOWER.
4. GET DRESSED IN OUTFIT I PICKED OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE.
5. GET UNDRESSED BECAUSE I HATE THAT OUTFIT.
6. TEAR MY ROOM APART FOR SOMETHING DECENT TO WEAR.
7. PHOTOGRAPH MY OUTFIT (STEP CAN BE SKIPPED).
8. END UP IN SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT I PICKED OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE.
9. HEAD DOWN TO THE KITCHEN TO MAKE MYSELF BREAKFAST. USUALLY IT'S BACON, EGGS, AND TOAST. OR BANANA HONEY OATMEAL. OR HOTPOCKETS (YUMMM). OR LEFTOVERS (YUMM-ER).
10. TAKE MY TIME EATING AND FORGET I'M RUNNING LATE.
11. TAKE THE BUS TO THE TRAIN STATION.
12. TAKE THE TRAIN TO ANOTHER TRAIN.
13. GET OFF AT MY STOP.
14. END UP EARLY FOR CLASS. ALWAYS. NO MATTER HOW LATE I'M RUNNING.
15. GO BUY A BAGEL.
16. GO TO CLASS. SLEEP IN MOST OF THEM. COPY HOMEWORK DOWN WITH NO INTENTION OF DOING IT.
17. TAKE THE TRAIN TO ANOTHER TRAIN.
18. TAKE THE BUS FROM THE TRAIN STATION TO HOME.
19. GET HOME.
20. PHOTOGRAPH OUTFIT (DISREGARD IF STEP 7 WAS COMPLETED)
21. GO ON THE COMPUTER AND WASTE AWAY MY TIME.
22. eat dinner.
23. shower again.
24. DON'T DO MY HOMEWORK.
25. have a midnight snack.
26. WAIT UNTIL 2AM to start an essay/homework assignment due in approx. 8 hours.
27. fall asleep, finally.
28. repeat step 1 - 28.

IIb. MY DAILY ROUTINE (ON A WEEKend):

1. wake up whenever i want.
2. eat whatever i want.
3. go on the computer. watch tv.
4. do laundry.
5. nap.
6. eat more.
7. go on the computer. watch more tv.
8. eat dinner.
9. stay up til whenever i want.fa
10. repeat step 1 - 10.

Yes! That's basically the breakdown of my routine. It's definitely very flexible. Not like I actually have anything to do, or a job to work at (then again, if anyone knows anywhere that's hiring, my bank account and I would appreciate it that you let us know). I lead such an exciting life. I mean, for all you know, I could totally be lying about my daily routine and I'm actually some secret super cool CIA operative. I wish.

Iii. TOP favorite reads/authors, ever:(BEware: super cliche girly reads)

1. THIS SIDE OF PARADISE - F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
2. LOOKING FOR ALASKA - JOHN GREEN
3. 13 REASONS WHY - JAY ASHER
4. L'ETRANGER - ALBERT CAMUS
5. Tell-All - Chuck Palahniuk
6. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith 
7. uglies - scott westerfeld
8. the truth about forever - sarah dessen
9. Forever - Judy Blume
10. Lolita - Vladmir Nabokov
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Ken Kessey
12. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
13. THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN - MITCH ALBOM
14. THE HARRY POTTER SERIES - J. K. ROWLING
15. ANYTHING:
    SYLVIA PLATH
    EZRA POUND
    TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
    EDGAR ALLEN POe
    EDNA ST.VINCENT MILLAY
    sHeL SILVERSTEIN
    WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS.

I definitely included my guilty pleasures in that reading/author list (like Sarah Dessen). I've been in a reading rut, lately. I haven't had many good things to read. I scavenged books from various places, but I never find the motivation to actually read them. If anyone has suggestions, I'd definitely love to hear what you suggest I read. I know my demeanor doesn't really exude 'eloquent' or 'brainy' or even 'graceful', but I've got a vast vocabulary! I don't get to use it often, but vocabulary has been something that's been enforced in my childhood thanks to a strict Catholic school upbringing. I remember we had to do exercises everyday from a book called 'Wordly Wise'. I don't know who else used these, but they actually really helped me in the long run. I remember every Friday we'd have a test and all 32 of us (we were a very small class) would be frantically studying from index cards during recess, haha.

Iv. shows i'm currently obsessed with:

1. misfits
2. skins
3. modern family
4. house
5. anything on food network.
6. law and order: svu
7. jerseyshore (don't judge me!!)

Don't judge me! Jersey Shore is like a car accident scene. It's so horrifying you can't help but to stare. It's actually pretty funny. My dad and I bond together while watching it. Seriously. 

Um. Well, I don't really know what else to let you guys know about me because I totally have an "About Me" page which tells you guys most of my general facts. Except maybe the alien part. But that'd be really cool if I was an actual alien. I shouldn't even be allowed to blog at 2:22AM because the by product is that you end up with a huge post with words and useless rambling that no one wants to read. I can hear you guys think, "OH GOSH JULIA. WHERE IS THE SUBSTANCE IN YOUR POSTS? WHERE IS THE FASHION?". I think I should totally do a fashionable post of me in my sweats and glasses and unbrushed bed hair. I have no one to impress. NO ONE. Right, so before I bore you all to death even more, here's a few more boring and useless facts about me:

v.use less facts about julia:

1. my favorite color is purple.
2. I WEAR CONTACTS. I AM BLIND AS A BAT. I'VE JUST RECENTLY BEGAN TO WEAR GLASSES AGAIN AFTER BEING MADE FUN OF IN GRADE SCHOOL. SO TRAUMATIC (JUST KIDDING).
3. I WAS A BULLY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. SORRY :(
4. i was captain of my high school track team.
5. i'm second generation chinese-AMERICAN. translation: i am very americanized.
6. I WAS BORN IN NEW YORK CITY. AND I STILL LIVE HERE TODAY. MY DAD WAS BORN IN NEW YORK CITY TOO, EXCEPT HE WAS A DELINQUENT YOUTH (SORT OF) AND GOT HIMSELF SHIPPED OFF TO CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN WASHINGTON D.C. (AND HE COMPLAINS THAT I'M A BAD KID, GOSH!)
7. i love to eat AND THUS I HAVE NO MOTIVATION TO LOSE WEIGHT. FOOD IS TOO DELICIOUSSSSSSS. (SERIOUSLY, PICK TWO: DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, OR INEXPENSIVE).
8. i'm left handed.
9. are you asleep yet?
10. i got my first kiss when i was 17, in my senior year of high school, by my first real boyfriend. (AND THEN WE BROKE UP BECAUSE HE'S MOVING FAR FAR AWAY :( )
11. I HAVE 4,300+ SONGS IN MY MP3 PLAYER. I LIKE ANY SORT OF MUSIC.
12. I LIKE LISTS.
13. i am majoring in accounting and i plan to go to law school.
14. i am always hungry. always. that explains the midnight snacks. so delicious.

day ten out of three hundred sixty five.

i know i am but summer to your heart,

i know i am but summer to your heart,

and not the full four seasons of the year.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

YESSSSSSSSSSS. I KNOW. An actual outfit post, OH MY GOSH. To be honest, I always photograph my outfits. Updating my blog is a different story.You see, my life is rather uneventful, so I don't have many things to really blog about. The premise of my posts would probably be along the lines of, "UM, YES. I WORE THIS TO SCHOOL. I GOT WEIRD STARES. I ALSO GOT MYSELF CAUGHT ON THE DOOR KNOB, AS USUAL, NO MATTER WHAT I'M WEARING. I ALSO FELL ABOUT TEN TIMES. THEN I WENT HOME."

I love love this top except I have wide shoulders so I really shouldn't be wearing stripes (and the fact that it's baggy will probably make everyone think I'm a new cast member on 16 & Pregnant except I'm not 16 anymore), but it's such a warm, soft, cute sweater that I can't help it!

AND ALSO, I'M GOING TO BOSTON NEXT WEEKEND, YAYYYYY. Sorry for the caps and extra letters. I'm just really excited because this is my first trip away from home because, as a newly 18 year old girl, I can finally travel with my friends without parental supervision or any laws saying that I'm too young to purchase a ticket or something. I'm going with my friend, Amrita, and we're going to visit our friends at Boston University and Northeastern. But yes, I'll be in Boston from the 15th to 19th of this month and I promise I'll take LOADS of pictures. So, if any of you have any good recommendations for restaurants or anything, definitely comment below or even tweet me! I totally tweet. Sort of. I'm really bad at it. And I'm pretty wordy so the character limit makes me SOSOSOSO sad that I have to abbreviate or use chat speak shorthands like "u" for "you".

Outfit Details:

striped sweater - Forever 21

DIY tapered cargo pants - Old Navy

grey jacket with sailor buttons - Forever 21

brown circle scarf - Forever 21

brown moccasins - Minnetonka

blue bow hair clip - American Apparel

pearl necklace - grandma's/heirloom