Little Miss Sunshine

Kohls yellow halter sundress (S) // Mossini strappy gold strappy knot heels (5.5/6?) (old) //

H&M white floppy sunhat // Charming Charlie pink bauble and gold chain statement necklace //

Poshlocket gold metal Celeste Silver Roped Bracelet (c/o Poshlocket) //

NYX black round lipstick in Snow White //

Photography: self-timer/remote and tripod

NEW YEAR, NEW ARM CANDY. My outfit for yesterday (1/6), first worn for dinner at a family friend's house over the summer. This yellow lighthearted sundress was a spontaneous purchase at Kohl's when I visited her in Florida in August. We were searching for princessy clothes for Disney and this happens to be a Snow White skirt-ish piece, but we went in relative casual wear anyway. By the way, booby cups freak me out on dresses and tops. This one cuts a little close .. I believe I got the heels from Target eons ago (high school?) when they were on clearance for $7. This is my first time wearing them ever. 

The newest piece is from Poshlocket, my newest sponsor. This online jewelry store was so kind to send me their beautiful light gold with silver striped Celeste Silver Roped Bracelet for styling and review (thanks Camile!). We also have a little something something cooked up for you lovely readers tomorrow (hint: starts with a "g"!). It's a sturdy bracelet and has a bit of weight to it, which I like in my jewelry. It is easy to match with anything, dressed up or down and is small enough that it doesn't slip off my petite wrists. The only thing that concerns me is the tiny tiny clasp holding both sides together, but luckily this slips on and off with little effort. I'll have to be extra careful - but you know me, I'm a klutz and rough with my jewelry/bags.

Keeping it short and sweet today and soaking up my last week of SoCal rays. 80 degrees in the winter and lovin' it. 1Q84 by Murakami is my new read and Peet's Coffee is the place to be, trying out new teas and daydreams.

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Sweet Sixteen

Photography: me

LITTLE MAN. My not-so-little brother turned sixteen on 1/3 and we went to Fish Market on Harbor Drive the night before to celebrate. A simple celebration complete with an Asian cake with fruit (very different from fruitcake connotations as this was quite tasty) from 99 Ranch, now he's all grown up *tear* Mom's a bit internet-camera-shy right now, so this silly picture of my Dad wearing the Fish Market bib should suffice :D hahaha!

Taking pictures in raw and actually editing them was a pain. The process for editing photos 5000x3000 pixels or so took 3x as long to get through my usual process. I need to figure out a workflow or some trick to make this go by faster or I'll never get off the computer. My old Lightroom presets also seem to have different effects on jpeg versus raw files and they're not as cool. If the photos don't look that much better after an outfit post, I'm going back to nooby jpeg for the sake of simplicity xD Is it just me, or do the photos actually look grainier? o_o If any of you photography buffs are reading this, halp!

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Glamour Photos 1: Sleek and Sexy

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Best of 2011 | 2012 Resolutions

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While it seemed like the entire summer and most of 2011 was Year of the Colorblock for me, I discovered my personal sense of style and realize that I don't have to apologize for not wearing what everyone else is. 2011 gave me the opportunities to earn that Canon T2i that I love so dearly, and these ginorm photos.

Wonderful moments: Taiwan with JJ, met Harry Shum Jr, met Wongfu, published in Style Yourself book, covered STL Fashion Week, raising Chickee, started reading more
Finally, I can't thank my wonderful sponsors enough for all their support and generosity!

2011 was filled with all sorts of exciting ups and downs from the moment we watched the fireworks burst out of Taipei 101 and the dragon slithering up the grandiose tower to the finishing moments with family and vino in San Diego. This year saw my best semester in college, some of the most stressful periods of time, and this was the year I finally accepted who I am: human. Not invincible, not limitless, but full of dreams and passion. We're on the brink of uncertainty, the brink of possibility.

2011 witnessed the whole journey of being accepted into medical school. 2012 will witness me graduate college.

If there's anything I learned from my studies in Chinese literature/culture, it's that time is circular. I believe in balance, and where there's the good, the bad, and the ugly, there's also the worst, the best, and the beautiful. At the beginning of 2011, I realized that I don't need this blog to be happy. At the end of 2011, I realized that just because I don't need something to be happy doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. Where will 2012 take us? With so much support from my friends, family, and you readers, this blogging experience has blossomed. Even if it's time to turn over a new leaf, it doesn't mean we can't use old trees to do so.

Here's to a simplified list of my 2012 Resolutions:

1. Live, laugh, love to the fullest. "Just do what you feel," in the words of a friend.

2. Take care of my body, it's the only one I have. This means sleeping, eating, and skincaring right.

3. Constantly remember my motivations in life.

4. Be nicer to myself. That inner critic can take a vacation every once in a while.

5. The most exquisite things in the universe will never replace the people around you - remember that.

Readers - what are your 2012 New Years Resolutions?