Thursday, December 29, 2011

Saturday Love



Can't get enough of this.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cowichan Sweater


So, I did it. I made that quintessential kitschy sweater that seems to solidify knitterly dorkdom, but whatever. I love this thing.

It took me almost a year to make, even though it really only took a couple days. It's just that there were those months in between those days during which no effort was being put into this sweater. I even got to the point where I was considering just using the yarn for some other knitting project--I lost my way. But only for a little bit. Somehow I got back on the right path towards this cowichan sweater.

And I have this thing where I like to reflect on what I was doing/what I was thinking when I made one project or another. So for this, here are the sweater shoutouts, without which none of this would be possible.
1. Thanksgiving vacation from work, including the bus ride down to my parents' house.
2. Radiolab
3. Howl's Moving Castle
4. Marwencol
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Soundtrack

Monday, August 22, 2011

best week ever. seriously.

i can't remember the last time i've taken a vacation, but good lawd have i been missing out. getting in real family time, meeting the sweetest baby girl in the history of all baby girls, eating filipino food till i die, running pointless errands (which i love doing). i've got workaholic roots, but if i could vacation every month i'd be the happiest little clam. so in absolutely the wrong order, a series of photos from the best week ever.

1. this week was mostly the best ever because my sister gave birth to literally the most adorable baby i've ever set eyes on. i am not being biased, it is a fact that this baby is the cutest in the world. my sister is amazing. this baby is amazing. both are understatements.

2. my dog has gotten fatter. it's true. but i still love her and her snoring. this is her hiding from my sisters dog, who has way more energy than my little fatty.

3. TUMMY TIME IS THE BEST TIME. i can't even look at this picture, its just too fucking cute.

4. in all the hustle and bustle of the week, i managed to rip myself away for a day trip to richmond, because good god i've missed it more than i ever thought i would. my heart literally aches for this place, so when i was driving around the streets i know like the back of my hand, i was happy, heartbroken, and excited all at the same time. oh richmond. there really aren't any words.

5. ube shakes! all for me! syke. because they're terrible for you. but the one i did have was as amazing as anticipated, and next time i will get the tapioca pearls. because wtf was i thinking saying no to the tapioca pearls.

6. i walked into my closet today and noticed that 90% of my shoes are black. which is fantastic, considering this month i've accumulated three more pairs of black shoes. flats, small heels, and bigger heels. what? I NEEDED THEM.

7. okay, are you kidding me? look at this face. actually, look at those cheeks. actually, don't, because you're face might melt off from all the cuteness hitting you at once.

8. filipino food can be so so wrong, but really, who cares. because cooked blood is delicious, and filipino food tastes like home, and even if uncle whoever is causing deafness in my right ear from his karaoke ballads, i'd rather be sitting in that hot little restaurant eating this food than eat anywhere else.
vacations are rad.

Monday, July 11, 2011

sisters!

i had a fantastic getaway to d.c. this weekend, where i took this pic with my sis. after a long, sweaty, hustly bustly day, there was nothing better than sitting in this perfect restaurant, drinking a perfect smoothie, and eating perfect sandwiches. i miss it already.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Strawberry Loves Lemon

The popsicle madness in my life is apparently just beginning! And I guess it's the right time, as there's inspiration everywhere. Avocado popsicles sound so refreshing, and I can't wait for peach season to start so I can make these (I could just go to the store, but peaches straight from a farm taste infinitely better). In the meantime, I happened to have a whole bag of lemons and a pint of strawberries. Out of that came:
strawberry lemonade popsicles consumed for breakfast (note the epic morning light!)
and a sweet little glass of strawberry lemonade.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

FRESH

I am in full-on summer mode. Got myself:
  • a shorts tan from all the outside strolling
  • a month pass to the swimming pool (after that I'll be in Arlington, so I'll have to hunt down a pool there)
  • SPF everything!
  • popsicle molds and some recipes at the ready (yup, that's a creamsicle pop made with some O.J., Greek yogurt, and honey)
  • new sandals to go trekking through yo' lawn!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

New and Old

Soon I'll be heading out of this town I've called home for the last ten years and rooting myself in a busy little city two hours further north. I'm nervous and excited and am already plotting how to make my experience there the kind I want it to be. My first step towards building a home is finding a home. High rises make me anxious, so those are out. Actual houses are maybe a bit too much responsibility right now (not to mention a little out of the budget), so those are out as well. So in comes this:
Thank God for garden apartments. I'm hoping it all works out and that I haven't just cursed myself, but if it does work out and the curse didn't stick, then more pictures will be coming in the future.

Now for the old. Or the newer-ish stuff from an old favorite (or old favorites--Michael Jackson and Little Wings).

Saturday, May 7, 2011

yea!

how is this website even fair. if you put any kind of clothing on a tiny, adorable, asian girl, of COURSE i'm going to buy it, with the rationale of "if i buy this, i will look like this." MAKE IT STOP!

http://www.yesstyle.com/en/home.html

Friday, May 6, 2011

i'm just trying to be cool, cool, cool

when i first heard this song, i was all like "uh uh, oh hellz no, this is all kinds of mess that i can't understand."


fast forward to a recent am shift where my coworker has his ipod in, this song kicks in, i perk up for a second and realize i actually really, really like it. i don't know what happened, but i guess hearing it in the morning, with no one around me to judge, just bouncin along to an irresistibly cute hook, made me realize, hey, it's not so bad. this song has so many haters ( i was one ), but seriously, how can you even deny this catchy shit. you know you're going to rewind this after it plays out. just let it happen. haters gonna hate.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

lately

table jukebox in a small, filthy little diner. we expected amazing things, but were met with complete awfulness in a sea of grumpy old people. initially i stuck some coins in and played 'my guy' by mary wells, and then in spite of the stinky old diner and the stinky old people, i played 'teenage dream,' and 'back that ass up.' both of which provided a satisfying awkward feeling across the whole restaurant. it's the little things.


opening ceremony can do no wrong. also, i never thought i could be into a guy with neck tattoos, but this awkwardly skinny babe proves me wrong. also, this song is my new spring/summer jam.


oh, and, step clap go! is totally cute. opening ceremony, plz adopt me. i want to be a part of all you do.


Friday, April 22, 2011

PAAARRRTYYYY

okay, so i love the song, but this video is FUCKING AMAZING. caps lock required. i need to find the 22 minute version, because i love just the 5 minutes already.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

ze lotto

today was one of those days where all things just turned out absolutely perfect. i had a half day at work, the morning which was spent sitting in a meeting gussied up in new jersey, the weather was amazing which i actually got to enjoy whilst walking around downtown, where i happened upon a tasty bakery, a total magazine heaven/ hole in the wall, found my beloved kombucha which i've missed so much, as well as a pretty good asian grocery store! i also had time to fancy up my apartment AND have a delicious home cooked dinner! all in all, an amazingly perfect day. now im sitting here with a goopy mint mask on my face, reading through my magazine treasures and feeling pretty dang good. i feel bad for not having taken more pictures lately through all my adventures, but i think ill start up again, esp since my iphone makes it all so much easier. but for now, just some new music i'm listening to



ALSO. i won on one of those scratch of lottery things! two dollars! :) i find that it doesn't really matter how much you won, it's just that you won at all.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

that's whyy

life has been nuts lately. but i baked a batch of blueberry muffins perfectly this morning, started up some laundry thats smelling up the place something nice, and i'm finally starting to find a little bit of consistency.

this song always made me think of a very specific part of my life. it was a fun part of my life, but i always find that for me, reminiscing (regardless of good or bad) is always a bit heartbreaking. but this pumped up remix makes me listen to it in a different light.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011






These songs make me forget it's still only March.

Monday, March 21, 2011

An Afternoon on Skyline Drive



acorn + grass = nature's rugs

ahoy!

tiny succulents growing out of rocks

Friday, March 18, 2011

Just in time to wish cold weather a good-bye

The pattern comes from this neat, little Bernat Irish Aran sweater pattern book from, I think, the 60s. I've been working on this sweater for not too long, but the period that elapsed between the weeks I worked on it were actually VERY long. So, about 2 years later, I have this sweater. Luckily, I finished it right before St. Patty's Day, so I was able to wear it then.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

It's All Uphill From Here

The weather has slowly been climbing to the 60s during the day, shoe are being worn without socks, a three-day weekend is fast approaching, and this concept/online playlist is fascinating me (right now I'm listening to the Sunday Morning mix). Also, I've had a lot of people in my life recently either have a baby or find out they're expecting, and with this population boom comes more knitting opportunities. Below are baby blankets that can be made from PurlSoho kits, which may be a bit much for my wallet, but are inspiring anyway.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

private eyes are watching you

in the midst of all the busy-ness at work, i've made it a point to continue working through my wardrobe in phases. i've done some serious damage as far as cleanout goes, and i think i'm finally in my last phase! i think i've sold all that is considerably cute, and now i have to gut out the old, weird things that no one should ever wear again, and donate it to one lucky (or unlucky) thrift store. i'm trying to get my closet down to things that i definitely wear. none of this "oh but i might wear it one day" stuff. just the nitty gritty. AND when i've finished my closet cleanse i've found THE perfect store to go to to bring my closet back into the right direction. only fantastic quality things, that i will somehow budget in. somehow. in the meantime, i window shopped with my friends at forever 21 for kicks ( i bought nothing! hooray!) and they played this song, which is now stuck in my head.


i usually don't like bird and the bee, but when they cover hall and oates i do :)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

i got a fever

and the only cure is pandan



Sunday, January 30, 2011

Snow Days



After a night of furious flurrying, the morning sky couldn't have been any more beautiful. At the same time, though, I'm torn between seasons. I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to wear a dress and not freeze to death. But not long after I have that thought, I begin to plan a new knitting project. Right now I'm obsessed with this yarn and color, this lipstick, this book I got from the thrift store, these plants, and Italian food (due to watching this movie).

Monday, January 24, 2011

oh na na

i've been feeling much more inspired lately than i have in several years. its odd to think it took this long to re-boot. maybe i'm seeing more things that speak to me lately, instead of boring me out of my misery. i've started keeping a journal. i think that it's doing amazing things in terms of sorting out all my thoughts. more importantly, i love this picture i took of my little fatty.


so regal. so alien-like.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Warm Hands Club

After so many stockinette-heavy sweaters, I decided to go the opposite route for a while: mittens and gloves with varying degrees of cabling. This also gave me a chance to use up some of my scraps and get a feel for what makes a good mitten or glove.


Warm hands for the new year! But, of course, once one fascination has abated, another one rears is head. Now that hands have been taken care of, it'd be nice to have ensure ears are not forgotten. Inspired by the following Steve Alan beanies, it seems like chunkier knits are in my near future. I'm not complaining.