p é c h é s m i g n o n s

hanako — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:44:38 GMT

I've quite obviously been neglecting my LiveJournal for months now. I swear every time I post an entry here, I say something along the lines of 'Eeek! The last time I wrote here was months/a year ago!'

A while back I mentioned that I had been working on building a domain blog. After a few months of slacking, I finally sat down and coded the whole thing in about two weeks. I wanted to wait to have posted a few entries before advertising it anywhere. I think the moment has come! So, if you are interested, please come over to my new abode, Tonight at Noon! Pretty similar to my LiveJournal in that it's still me, it's a little less intimate, but I'll try to make it interesting and worthwhile. :)

hanako — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:11:31 GMT

oxford shirt / cable sweater / peacoat / silk shirt / knit sweater

You'd think that with a Joe Fresh store (well store within a store) 5 minutes away from my house, I would go pretty often. Truth is I've never stepped into that section of the grocery store (yes, yes, grocery store), in fact I haven't gone to that grocery store at all since 2006. I'm quite tempted to go take a look though, as soon as I'm done with these school projects (or perhaps the next time I feel like winding down).

hanako — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:22:46 GMT

I just want to get my Bachelor's degree, is that too much to ask for? I'm constantly being rejected here and there, when all I want is the required education to have a career. :( I try my best, but my hard word is still not being recognized.

At the very least I am getting work experience. But man, I just wanna be out of school already.

hanako — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:34:06 GMT

Eeesh, last time I wrote an entry on here was close to a year ago. That's some big failure for someone who tries to blog at the very least once a month, but alas, I had other projects and things to keep myself busy with. That's not to say I didn't often want to rant on here.

The main reason I hadn't been writing though is because I've been trying to set up my own domain name blog. I love Livejournal and have been here for almost 10 years, but let's not deny that it has its limitations. I wanted to have a blog that could reach out to a wider audience and that could give me more liberties. Mostly, though, I wanted to have a better platform to express myself, and a place to evolve as a blogger. In fact, I don't really care about the number of followers and readers I would get eventually, but it would be a great way to motivate myself to write more and to write better.

The project got sidetracked due to school and work, however, and right now I only have a domain name and a server. Now that I am officially on summer vacation, I will try to spend more time on it and hopefully have it up within... a month. I give myself a month to do this!

The content would be no different from what I had been writing here though. My interests remain the same, that is, fashion, beauty, food, just about anything about everyday life. I'm not interested in trying to make my blog a fashion blog because I don't have the ropes or the content to do it. It will remain personal and will be used mainly to document my evolution as a person, or just to rant about the latest material item I've added to my wishlist. ;)

hanako — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:44:34 GMT

That black and grey striped dress is the one I coveted in this post. Yes, I got it! Apparently there had been a return, and my friend happened to pass by Mango and saw it hanging there, and she bought it for me. How sweet, right? I'm extremely happy! This dress suits me perfectly, I think the shape of it is very flattering for my body type.

The photos above represent my summer closet. Only in the summer do I allow myself to be so girly. When fall comes back around, I'll be back to my usual black garments.

Right now, we're having an intense heat wave. I'm speaking temperatures of 40°C and over, from morning to night, without a single cloud in the sky. Although, it did start raining today; big, strong, torrential rains, in fact. It's still very hot and extremely humid, I feel like I'm living in the tropics.

hanako — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:32:03 GMT

(Look, look, I'm being whimsical oooh!)

hanako — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:11:33 GMT

You know when you go shopping, you find something you like, but are broke as fuck and tell yourself it wouldn't be wise to buy it?

Then you leave, go home, and regret your decision. You try to get someone that's already out to buy it for you, or go back as soon as possible, except to realize that the item is sold out at the store you visited, and that you're gonna have to run all over town to look for it at other locations.

Happens to me way. too. often. And most often I tell myself 'OK, so it wasn't meant to be, let it go.' EXCEPT I CAN'T.

URGH.

I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THAT DRESS.

hanako — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:31:56 GMT

Has anybody heard of Pinterest? I just recently found out about this website from Bonnie Tsang's blog (she's a very talented photographer I admire, by the way). Those familiar with Tumblr will quickly find similarities between the two sites. Pinterest basically allows you to pin images that you find and want to keep as well as share. What's interesting about it is that you can make different pin boards, for example one for fashion, one for photography, etc., as opposed to Tumblr which displays all the pictures one after the other. Although you could tag every entry on Tumblr to oraganize your stuff, I personally like the interface of Pinterest. You can easily make mood and inspiration boards, for example! I, for one, started using it yesterday, and I already have lots of pictures pinnned. :D Board of cute things (mostly animals ♥) shown above.

With that, I decided to minimize my number of list website and social network accounts. I had so many! I got rid of The Things I Want and Shelfari (two websites where the interface didn't please me), and I will get rid of my Formspring eventually! Maybe later my Tumblr will see the boot too. I used it only for personal purposes, i.e. saving pictures I like, but if I can replace it with Pinterest, I'm fine with that too. ♪

Because all my entries somehow end up talking about shopping and my incurable materialism (although, honestly, I'm not THAT bad), and because it's been a while since I last did one of these, I present you my recent purchases.

Cream lace dress from H&M, black military-style romper from Zara, oatmeal ruffle tunic/dress from Forever21

The lacy dress doesn't look like much on the hanger - in fact, if it weren't for another customer looking at the dress, I wouldn't have noticed it. However it looks really good on! I fell in love with the lace and the romantic appearance of the dress. *sighs* Here, have a picture of me wearing it in the dressing room (albeit at one size too small). Please excuse the lack of rotation, the stomach bulge, and *ahem* the VPL.

The Zara romper is actually pretty old. I bought it at the end of last year, but never really showed it here. I've worn it only once so far, paired with a beige cardigan, but I love it!

As for the ruffle tunic/dress, I had been stalking it on the Canadian Forever21 website ever since it appeared on the American one. As soon as I saw it in stock, I bought it! Very cute, and suitable for work (with a cardigan or blazer), although I do find it makes my bust
larger than necessary.

Black silky culottes from H&M, beige skirt from Zara, black drape jacket from Urban Behaviour

Those culooooottes, I LOVE THEM. So silky, so comfortable, and flattering. I can't wait for it to be a bit warmer again to wear them! They were pretty cheap, too. Around $20 CAN.

The beige skirt from Zara is most definitely my favourite buy of the season. The cut is classic, it's flattering and chic. I would love to wear it everyday, but it would get old quick and it'd make me sad. :(

The black drape jacket was a random buy... I tend to avoid Urban Behaviour and Costa Blanca unless they have something I REALLY like, but most of the time I'd rather not buy there for various reasons. This jacket however cost me something like $8, and, paired with a belt, makes a nice light jacket for when the weather will be more chilly.

...Can you see a trend in colours? Hahaha.

These aren't all I bought in the recent months, but I got lazy taking pictures hehe. The rest isn't as interesting. My most favourite buy, however, has yet to come in the mail. It will be revealed soon! ♥

hanako — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:56:30 GMT

Riceboy Sleeps - All the big trees from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.

hanako — Fri, 07 May 2010 07:16:01 GMT

I did a little bit of retail therapy to celebrate the end of my first semester back to school and to congratulate myself for my good grades! I got very worried during the finals period, almost getting a panic attack over my accounting problems, but I ended doing very well in each class. I got such good grades in fact (much higher than anything I ever got when I first started university) that I am sooo motivated for what's next to come! Call me crazy, I almost wanna go back to school already. In a week's time, I'll change my mind... ;)

What I got is nothing extravagant at all (we're talking American Eagle Outfitters and Forever21 here) because my budget doesn't allow me to offer myself any luxuries, but they are cute stuff that I think will fit well into my spring closet. Like every trend whore out there (:P) I'm really into pastels right now... That Miu Miu collection? Brilliant, beautiful, gorgeous, sweet, amazing baby! ♪ I got a bit of pink for now (but not enough! NEED MOAR.) and I DO want some dusty light blues... But still staying with my monochrome palette, at the same time! I also needed some more accessories... Isn't that bunny ring the best thing ever? Thank you nilavanilla for helping me order it! ;)

I do feel a little bit down due to my intense weight gain during the semester though (I'm at a weight I've never been before), and I'm having a hard time sticking to my workout routine, which, really, isn't that hard. It's just running, stretching, situps, crunches, squats... but I haven't really done any physical exercise since my last gym class in CEGEP, which was... eeek, 4 years ago! :X If I don't do something, it's just gonna go up, up, up...

I better run, run, run, run, ruuuun! ♪

hanako — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:37:09 GMT

I just want nice things...
I have one final exam left, and I'm procrastinating AND stressing out at the same time. Yay me.

hanako — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:11:13 GMT

Anyone here heard of Fashionary? It's this really cool Moleskine-like sketchbook which holds a lot of design-related information, along with dotted figure templates for you to sketch your clothes on! Now I'm no fashion designer (I'm comfortable being the consumer), but I like to draw out my outfits, or outfits I see on other people, only for inspiration purposes. For that sole reason, I want this sketchbook. They actually have templates available for download on their website, but it's way more fun to have something you can bring everywhere with you. The information contained within it can be pretty interesting too. I don't know if there are any designers/aspiring designers on my friends list, but you guys should consider this. It's only $16, too!

(I sound like an infomercial 90% of the time. Trufax.)

God I have so many things to write about, but I simply have noooo time. Been busy with work and school lately. It's exhausting, but comforting, in a way. If I compare with this exact time last year, I must say my life has been more constructive and productive. I'm nowhere near where I wanna be right now, school-wise, but I can at least say I'm given opportunities at work which will allow to make me grow, and I'm really grateful for that. :)

Other entries will come later this week... If I can. Finals time, people! I didn't miss this aspect of school, obviously. But I am not too stressed about them. Yet.

Ah, about the issue mentioned in the last entry (about the upcoming project with the partner I don't agree too much with), I decided to talk to him about it, and see what happens... If I see that it won't work out, well, there's no contract that binds us together. :/ But thanks everyone for the advice. ♥

hanako — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:32:14 GMT

How do you tell someone that you don't wanna work with them anymore?

Ok so long story short: a good friend of mine told me about this idea of a website project he had in mind and he asked me if I wanted to join in. Truthfully, that idea, I had thought about it as well (it's nothing spectacular, just something that hasn't been done extensively locally), but since he mentioned it first and we were good friends anyway, I happily agreed to work on it with him. That was a few years ago however, and nothing happened yet. No concrete plan, in fact, no concrete talk at all about anything we're supposed to do.

Part of it is due to us both being so busy and being trapped in difficult situations (well, I was, anyway), but it's mostly because we can't seem to agree on where this is going. I'm rather open-minded and accept all suggestions, but he seems so stubborn and stuck on his original idea that he won't agree with anything I say. He'll just keep saying 'Hmm but I was thinking of was more along the lines of ___________.', without ever being clear enough.

Anyway, basically, I'd really like to go ahead with this project, and I have other people in with me (OK, one person, you know who you are!) but I don't know if I can do this with the aforementioned friend. It requires lots of teamwork and time investment and I just don't feel like this is ever gonna happen with him! However, I don't know if it's fair to just tell him 'Hey, I wanna do this without you!', because he did after all suggest this idea first. What do I dooooooooo~?

*
My friends and I had a cupcake day on Saturday! I'm just telling you this because we took pictures and I wanna show off our cute cupcakes wuahahaha.

They are chocolate-orange and vanilla cupcakes, if anybody was wondering. :D The decorations are a mix of fondant, sugar pearls, sparkly sparkly sprinkles, orange zest, piping jelly, chocolate icing and regular sugar icing (made from scratch nyak nyak)! We had the chance to take over my BFF's parents' bakery, so we had all the necessary tools and ingredient, yay! I only got to eat three of the cupcakes I brought home though, since I gave the rest to my sister, my mom and my niece. :( They were so good!

*
On another note, is anyone a 2PM fan in my friends list? ... *crickets chirp* Hooookay. So many things happening lately with them. I, at first, felt sad, then angry, then disgusted, then upset, now I just feel sorry and I just wished everything went back to the way it was. These guys, as stupid as it may seem (because, hey, they're only Kpop idols in the end) provided me with hours of fun and enjoyment. They made me feel like 15 years old again. Wait, that's not a good thing is it? Hmmmmmm... Whatever. Just buy me ice cream.

hanako — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:20:03 GMT

formspring, anyone?

Even though I don't have that big of a blog and probably all my LiveJounal friends already know lots about me (I find I reveal quite a bit, hey hey no shame hey!), I still thought it'd be a fun thing to have. Ask away hahaha... My formspring doesn't have anything on it sniff.

hanako — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:45:39 GMT

This entry is gonna be sooo loooong. I'm hitting myself on the head, writing this entry when I'm so sleepy.

So I keep complaining about 2009 yadda yadda. While it ended up not being much better than 2008 for me (maybe worse, in fact, considering 2008 was only bad at the end), 2010 seems to have started off well! I've made it back to school, of course, that's the best part. I've still had a string of bad luck in the last weeks, but with I always had some good luck to make up for it.

Gap (which is where I've been working since December) has barely been giving me any hours in the last few weeks. I could work 8 hours one week, and none the next. I got my schedule for this week and the next. Total hours: zero. What if I had rent to pay?!

HOWEVER.

Desperate for a new job (again, yes), I scoured online job offers. I found an interesting listing on Craigslist (and OMG I would never trust Craigslist job offers but this one seemed legit) for an interesting non-sales telemarketing position in a business solutions company. And DUN DUN DUN DUN! I got the jooooooooob! :DD Today was my first day and while I haven't made any calls, it seems super easy, and the department I'm working with is super chill. And I'm getting paid quite a lot for the job asked... I'm quite excited about this! I'm quitting Gap soon... The discount was good, but to buy clothes one needs money so yeah. :P

The government took a whole lot of time to study my student loan file and told me four weeks later and one week before the school fee payment due date that my request was incomplete! And I sent in all the papers, too! So I don't know what happened, but my BFF basically helps me paying my fees meanwhile (I love you bb ;_;), I send the documents they were asking for again, and the same day, I come home to an e-mail telling me that my loan is being deposited into my account.

...

YAH OKAY.

I tried to access my bank account via online services the other night and found out my access was blocked. I call customer service (Friday at 3 p.m.) and they tell me that there had been a fraud attempt and they had blocked my bank account for security measures. Now they want me to go to a branch to replace my card and be able to access my account again, EXCEPT IT'S THE WEEK-END AND THE BANKS ARE ALREADY CLOSED. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

That said, I have plenty of money coming in soon so I'll be able to pay my debts and stuff. ♥

Other issues arose, but I'm getting too tired to list them all.

I just wanna say though, that even with all the bad things I've gone through in the last year, there is one thing that kept me going all along, and that's the incredible friends I have. They've been encouraging me to go back to school, congratulating me on every good step I took, and helped me on numerous occasions. On my first day of school, everybody asked me how my day went and if I'm integrating well in my new school. On my first day of work, whether at Gap or the new company, everybody asked me how I liked it, as well. I just feel really lucky to have such friends that always care enough to just ask me those little questions, it really makes me warm in my heart.

That said, who's ready for spriiiiiiiiiiing? The mercury just dropped really badly over here (-30C, meh) and I want to wear light spring layers and muted colours already. I want pinks and beiges (!!!) and greys and silk and lace and light jersey and ahhhh.

ASOS Magazine

ShopBop lookbooks

TopShop, few seasons ago but still relevant

Essie Spring 2010

Mango dress I'm gonna buy myself when I have the monies.

By the way, anyone seen the Zipia redesign? It looks more like Dahong now! They brought back the lookbooks (I used to love that feature), where you could browse based on coordinates. They also have that new Monomori collection that I like quite a bit.

Also, I redesigned my LiveJournal layout a bit. Not used to it at all.

hanako — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:30:59 GMT

I lost my camera remote control, so I've had a really hard time taking self pictures. I really can't work with a timer! D: I always have to make a bazillion poses before I get the right one, and even then, it sometimes needs some tweaking. Basically, that means no outfit post in a while (I've already ordered a new remote control, I'm vain like that), because I hate mirror pictures, they never look right, and all the mirrors in the house are somehow dirty, and I can't be bothered with cleaning them. Anyway, I haven't been dressing particularly well lately. Tomorrow will probably be one of those days I'll be wearing a v-neck with jeans. So uninspired.

The other night, I almost burned down my house! I was a bit hungry for a snack, so I put a croissant in the small oven and left it there for a few minutes. I came back, and it was in MOTHERFUCKING FLAMES. The oven's door was already becoming a bit black, the croissant looked like a meteoroid, and my first instinct was to pull the door down and blow on the fire. T__T;; Needless to say that didn't help AT ALL, so I ultimately yelled for help, waking everyone up. I also splashed the croissant with water, which, in retrospect, could have made things much worse. My mom grabbed it with pliers and put it in the sink and drowned it in water. What would I do without my mom? :D; The kitchen and hallway smelled like smoked till morning. T_T Sniff. I was scared shitless.

Now I'm hungry and I don't wanna go near the oven. :|

hanako — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:47:21 GMT

A long time ago, I discovered the song I Love You by Yutaka Ozaki, and I immediately fell in love with it. This rendition by ayaka combines this great song with one of the greatest voices.

Just a little post dedicated to ayaka, who is taking a break from her singing career due to illness. Hopefully, she will get better soon, and we'll be able to hear her sing again.

♥

hanako — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:39:11 GMT

A very belated happy new year to you all! I hope you guys spent nice holidays with your family and friends. :) For my part, I simply enjoyed dinners with my family and my boyfriend. I also worked almost full-time, but I am now down to having almost no hours. *blinks* I miss the days when I was required to work a minimum of 17 hours. I was guaranteed to have a paycheck at least. So, I am back to looking for a job, but it is less urgent now as I still, theoretically, have a job.

That said, I had an interview this afternoon at Forever21. It was a group interview, and let me tell you, the people there were... pretty special. I won't go into details as to how each of them were, but I didn't have a good feeling about most of them (as in, I don't think I can get along with them). It's wrong to judge based on small introductions, but first impressions do matter, and I have a hard time picturing myself working with any of them, unfortunately. Anyway, they had only 6 positions available (we were about 15 being interviewed) and considering I was probably the most boring out of all of them, I think I'll be at my current job for a while LOL.

In other news, yours truly has officially started school again yay!! \o/ Only completed one week so far, so who knows how I'll feel in a few weeks from now. But the feeling of saying 'I have class' is a good one, strangely enough. I made sure to not have any classes too early in the morning so I don't get frustrated too quick. So far, so good!

It's crazy how picky I've become with my purchases, especially clothes and accessories. While I used to buy LOTS and LOTS of pieces, these days I seem to only buy maybe 3-4 items per month? Ideally, I'd buy more, but tight tight budget doesn't allow me to do so. I just visit online shops every day and save items, admire them, and convince myself they are not worth it. It's hard. Really hard. Right now I'm back on a lingerie kick. ASOS is really good at making me want to spend over $30 on a bra (which doesn't happen, usually).

Some sets I want currently...

*sighs*

I did offer myself some gifts over the holidays however, even though I could afford them only thanks to gift money haha.

Suede over-the-knee boots from Zara
I loved these ever since I first laid my eyes on them. Now, I sort of wished they were leather, but I think the suede allows me to wear them and not feel too... hooker-ish. Anyway, since it's sale season for Zara right now (or... any other store, really), I copped these for 50% off the original price. Woot!

Faux leather buckle boots from Zara
What is this--flat shoes?! Yup, I can feel my feet thanking me. I still dislike my body proportions and would prefer wearing high heels all the time, but the reality remains that they are painful and uncomfortable after long hours. These will help me soothe my feet from time to time.

I also bought some jeans from my workplace, and they're honestly the best jeans I ever owned. But I'll have another entry on those soon enough...

hanako — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:50:37 GMT

U guise, I is so bored ryte now!

Did I mention I got a new job? I did. Actually I got hired a long time ago but they didn't make me start working until recently. So, I am now working at a well-known clothing store, and this is my first time doing retail sales. On my first day, I was exhausted from lack of sleep (I had slept an hour and started work at 7 AM) and disliked it a lot. I'm all for customer service and being nice to customers, but having to smile and say hi every time someone walks in, and inform them of our promotions, was not something I saw myself do everyday. At least that's what I thought. As days went by, I got used to it, and folding clothes became kinda therapeutic and helping customers and seeing them happy with their purchases made my days. So it's safe to say I kinda like my job so far! The pay could be better, but a job is a job. I'm just happy to have paychecks coming in again.

That said, today was my first day off in a while. I usually see my boyfriend on Fridays but he is currently in his exam period so he's too busy studying. I haven't seen him in a week, but I understand! I woke up at 10:45 AM and hurried to get to my shower, thinking that I was gonna be late for work. When I realized I had no work, I went back to sleep and woke up only at 5 PM and there my boredom began. What the hell did I do back when I didn't have a job?!

Boredom makes a girl shop around. Instead of doing it physically, I did it online because the weather today was too cold to handle. Also, rather than actually spending, I just lusted after some stuff. I made a list of what I'd like to get eventually.

(Look, ma, I'm so bored I even got a bit too Photoshop happy with my wishlist collage.)
Pocket tees and 'Today, I'm a Boy' sweatshirt from Zipia
Truthfully, I already ordered the sweatshirt through a survey. I fell in love with it when saturnchen posted it on her blog! I hope it looks good IRL.

Knit sweaters from Zipia
Knit knit knit I love knit!! I WANT MORE KNIT!

Proenza Schouler PS1 bag in black leather
ASUS UL30A laptop
Moleskine soft cover weekly planner
Joseph Marc glasses
I'm so happy to be back to school next semester! Like a kid, I want new school supplies. I wished I could get that bag, but it's not gonna happen in a few years, so I think I'll settle with a $130 replica... *ahem*

That laptop is my dream laptop, and I might or might not be getting it in the coming months. It's hella thin and light and just perfect!

I, of course, need a new planner. I started using moleskine planners only last year and I understand the hype. I wanna get a sketchbook too, but feel that I don't sketch enough to justify the purchase.

Aaaand those glasses I already got, but I was such in a hurry to purchase them. There was a free glasses promotion at ClearlyContacts.ca recently, and these cost me only $50 (due to me needing a higher lens index) instead of my usual $300+!! But because of the hurry, I didn't have time to get my most recent prescription from the eye doctor. So I can't see too well in them and I'm gonna have to get the lenses changed, but I love them to bits! I always wanted black, 'trendy' eyeglasses and these just fit the bill. My last (well, current) ones are red and just don't go with anything I wear. I'm happy to have finally found a pair I won't be embarrassed to wear in class!!

Crappy webcam picture of me wearing them (excuse the silly face):

Looks good y/n?

hanako — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:40:35 GMT

I love the feel of this room... The brick wall (I love brick walls, painted or not), the soft lighting and the soft colours, those dear heads on the wall... Love, love it. I'm back on my home decor obsession! I think I wouldn't be able to rent an apartment by myself. Unless I become really rich in the near future, finding a suitable apartment will be near impossible with what I'd be able to pay. I'm talking under $600. :( If I can move out with my boyfriend, that'd be best. No need for two rooms (well, except maybe to use as an office), and we still get to share the rent. Perfect! Now, just gotta wait a few years...

I love that print/collage with the music sheet!

Ugh, I feel like a whale lately... I've been gaining pounds like crazy. I tried running, but I tend to uh forget to do it everyday. :( I have to motivate myself a bit more! Also, I just got my periods so my face EXPLODED these last few days. I have pimples everywhere, I HATE IT UGH, I want to go to sleep and wake up only when everything is over. -_- But doing that will make me gain more weight. Whoopee.

hanako — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:39 GMT

Last time I was a real fangirl was... well... a few years ago. Back then, Tackey & Tsubasa were very active, going to variety shows, performing here and there, releasing singles and albums, up until they released 愛想曲 (セレナーデ). Now I don't know what happened, but they seem to be doing only solo activities? I'm not sure anymore, I don't keep track. :(

Recently though, I've been spazzing hard over 2PM. The Jaebeom situation made me very sad (even more so because he was my favourite member), and Wooyoung crying at the MAMA awards, after they won Best Artist of the Year, totally broke my heart. I've been watching their variety shows and performances over and over on Youtube, and I talk about them all the time hahaha. I feel like a high school student! It got to a point where my boyfriend is annoyed, oops! So I try to avoid the subject when with him. :P

That aside, it was birthday yesterday. Happy 22nd anniversary to me! Ugh 22 already and I barely did anything with my life. *sighs* School-wise, things are already not going according to plans and it bugs me, but I try and stay positive. I told someone the other day that I am positive 360 days a year, or I at least try to. I must say, I have wonderful caring friends who are always, always there to support me. Even if I don't get to see them as often as I'd like to (even though we don't live so far apart), I still talk to them everyday and they're probably my most prized possession! :)

I had a birthday dinner on Sunday night with some of my best friends, here are some photos.

Me getting my birthday cake, a strawberry shortcake that my boyfriend got. ♥ It was delicious!!

Making a wish before blowing the candles...

With my dear Maude, milkcho, whom I don't see as often as I'd like!

With my BFFs Karissa and Caryl that I've known since I was a little girl!

Me, Kang, Van and Jenny, whom I've known since the beginning of high school! My hair looks so frizzy...

This guy makes me so so happy everyday. :)

I also got some gifts, yay! I never really expect gifts, but I can't deny that they make me happy. ^^ Who doesn't enjoy presents?

100% wool scarf, and classy leather gloves. Can't wait to wear them! My mom saw them and said that all I need now is a driver's license and a car so I can drive while wearing them... Hahaha.

Nana volume 21. I've been waiting for this for so long. This book made me cry like a fucking baby. ;_; No doubt, Nana is my absolute favourite series, and the only manga I still read.

Some cute muffin and cupcake cookbooks and silicone muffin molds. XD My friends know I have a major sweet tooth! I drool just looking through the pages ahh...

hanako — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:17:18 GMT

I wanted to write an entry for the heck of it. I thought that I didn't update this journal enough. But then, I didn't know what to write about! So I'm going to do a fall 2009 wishlist post...

Frankly, when I started to prepare this entry, I realized that there wasn't much on my wishlist. In fact, apart from some general ideas of what I want, I had nothing specific. I think the fact that I have no income at the moment keeps me from dreaming a bit too much. It might be better this way in fact.

Some quick browsing quickly made me change my mind though. I must say though, I have grown insanely picky and I am starting to prefer simple pieces over complicated ones. I think my ideal closet would be 75% basics and 25% fancy items.

Anyway I have made a collage, and I think I pretty much suck at these! I never know how to place the pictures. I would suck at scrapbooking, I tell you.

Clockwise from top left...

Rompers (romper from Forever21): I have no idea if rompers are still going to be in next summer, but I know I still want one. I haven't been able to acquire the perfect one this summer, so I'm really sad about it. This one seems perfect in picture, but who knows about the fit and texture...

Skirts (skirt from H&M): Although I liked this one when I first saw it, I don't want just this one in particular... I just want more poofy-ish skirts in colours other than black. Grey, cream, maybe navy, would be interesting.

Boyfriend shirt (shirt from BlueNotes): Again, not this one necessarily. I lack this very basic piece that I've been longing for these past few weeks! My boyfriend doesn't even have a white shirt for me to steal.

Quirky accessories (glasses necklace from Zipia): I have started liking necklaces again, but I have only one. It's an old one that I got as a gift three years ago from my best friends. I had stopped wearing it for a while, and started again recently, after I've changed the chain to a longer one. I want more of them, whether with simple dangling charms or funky pendants, like this one from Zipia.

Oversized sweaters (sweater from H&M): I love love oversized sweaters, but not all of them fit me right. :(

Rings from (stackable rings from Forever21(: I mentioned before that I was trying to start a ring collection. These seem cool. I like the feather one most.

Boots and booties (Abaeté for Payless Antoine bootie from Payless ShoeSource): While I'm not much of a shoe girl, I really really love boots and booties. Right now, I really want over-the-knee boots (not pictured). I tried some really nice suede ones from Zara, I love them!! Park and Cube has them. Those Payless booties would be so hot for a night out (who am I kidding, I never have nights out!), but I have never seen those designer collections at Canadian stores... -_-

Chain necklace (necklace from Forever21): Oh, I like draped chain necklaces too hehe. Although, I have difficulty wearing them properly most of the time due to my cleavage... -_-

Studded ring from Ardene: I can't find the picture, but H&M had a very similar one, but it had one row. I actually prefer that one.

High rise jeans (jeans from Urban Outfitters): I really dislike low rise jeans, they just don't flatter my body type. Yet, that's all I have! I want some with higher rise, around 9" rise and up. But I really dislike the 'high-waisted panel' type of pants that was really popular a year or two ago.

Leather jacket (jacket from Rick Owens): Real or faux, I want a nice classic model. I have a faux one right now but I don't like it that much. In my wildest dreams, I would own this Rick Owens one...

Oversized cardigans (cardigan from Zipia): I just love the oversized fit!

Basics, embellished or not (sequin pocket tee from Forever21): I need more well-fitting basics... Most of the ones I have are too long, too short, too sheer, the neck is too tight, etc.

I also need 100 den black tights, and a new woolen coat. The current one I have is babydoll-style a bit too tight and childish. I have my eyes set on this Zara coat, I just hope it doesn't sell out until I can get it!

To finish this entry, a recent outfit from last week...

Key point is the white skirt from French Connection. I've had it for over a year and this was my first time wearing it. I had actually put it up on eBay, for about 5 minutes! I just didn't know what to wear with it, then I thought it was probably to stick to something simple. I'm glad I didn't go through with the auction haha...

Also, I wear those boots way too much. :( I need alternatives!

hanako — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:39:37 GMT

Aside from fashion, photography, food, I also really really like home decor. I love looking at home style magazines and blogs, and also like to look at available housing for rent/sale just for fun. I pretend that the latter is gonna help me look for a place when I move out in a few years. I'll know what I want, what to avoid, etc. Having moved so many times though, I kinda learned a lot already.

That said, when I moved back to my mom's last year, I painted the then-yellow room into white, thinking I could make it into something really minimalistic, with only blacks, whites and neutrals. As the months passed however, I started regretting my choice of wall colour. My room looked bland, I wanted to paint my walls a mushroom colour, or maybe a medium grey. I just really wanted to change everything.

I spent the last two months on a high home style kick, and kept saving pictures and pictures for inspiration for my future home. I never realized though that I could use the very same pictures for inspiration for my current room, and yesterday it finally clicked!

I really like the sort of style you see in the picture above: white walls, white furniture, and splashes of colour integrated through pillows, frames, accessories. So I thought I would just do that. I basically have the canvas ready; I have white walls and white furniture. I just need to change my comforter (which I like but it's ripped) and add some pillows, frames, and desk accessories. That's it! So simple, but so right.

I never thought of doing this before because I was basically scared of colour. But I think I've overcome my fear! Only for home decor though, not on myself haha.

I wished I could do this to my closet haha!

Gosh I love damask wallpaper.

Not really white-dominant, but I thought the combination of colours was too pretty.

This apartment is amazing! I wished it was mine.

I also really love the look of antique and quaint mirrors, frames and accessories... I have a framed mirror that's really cute and I want to keep it, so I'll incorporate it into the whole look. I just wished it was longer!

Biggest picspam I've ever done haha. Urgh, I feel horrible for not keeping track of where the pictures come from, but there are so many! Most of them come from Desire to Inspire, Home Sweet Home, Dwellings and Décor, We Heart It and Freshome!

hanako — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:00:54 GMT

Basics for about $30 shipped total? Yes please! I came across a 50% off coupon code for BlueNotes last night, and couldn't resist picking up some stuff. They were also having a BOGO 50% off sale on all tops, as well as free shipping on all orders, so everything ended up being very cheap. I never shopped at Blue Notes before, considering they don't have any locations in Montreal (or anywhere in Quebec for that matter), and I didn't bother when I went to Toronto since the style is a bit too young for me. But hey! Can't be that bad when it's just simple tops right? And yep that's a mens shirt, but the one size left was so small I thought it could fit me. :D

Concerning the previous entry, my photos with the Wonder Girls and JYP were taken at their concert in Montreal last Saturday. As most of you probably know, they were opening for the Jonas Brothers, so it was a wonderful opportunity to meet them. I bought the cheapest ticket since they were singing only two songs, but wow, what I got out of that cheap ticket was wonderful! We got to go backstage during the concert to have 'private' time with them, take pictures, talk a bit. I was so awestruck, I didn't get to tell them anything that made sense LOL. :( I got to hug them however (there's a video of me hugging Yoobin floating on Youtube!11!!1). Later on after the show, they had a general meet and greet with everybody and I could once again take pictures with them and got their autographs. Haha, telling this story, I feel like such a fangirl and a child, but it's probably the only time I'll ever get to meet some of my favourite artists in my hometown, so I don't feel at all embarrassed, but rather overjoyed!

hanako — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:10:56 GMT

fdskjsljdsjksldsdjksdhfjh!!!!
IT'S THE WONDER GIRLS!!!
IT'S JYP!!!
UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT, YOU GUYS. ♥