Memosne: February 2011

Zebra


Hello All! I know it's been awhile since I updated and I'm truly sorry for that, but the good news is I'm back in Taipei safe and sound! The weather has finally turned warm again, and I feel somewhat fashionable. =) The sun is shining, clouds are drifting by, and the sky is a bright brilliant blue. I'm still quite homesick though. =(


I've embraced the moderately warm weather in full force and wear sun dresses and shorts, while all the locals are still wearing winter clothing. Too excited? =) I always pay for it in the evenings though, they are always still quite chilly.


I hope it's getting warmer, or staying warm, wherever you are!

 

Thanks for coming. =)

+Love

Business Time~

The title of the post has to be said in a "Flight of the Conchords" like fashion. "Buzinesss Thymmmmeeeee", long, drawn out and twangy. Like this!



Haha, I love those men. I love these pants too. Given to me by my mom, they're Calvin Klein wool gabardine trousers with a very loose cut. They're absolutely lovely! I don't particularly care for harem pants, but this pair walks the fine line between love and loose-y goose-y. This is more business-y than what you would wear everyday, but I have a habits of overdressing, dressing like a business person in completely inappropriate times, and dressing like an old lady. I guess I've learned to "own it." Hee hee haw haw.


The top is fitted and gorgeous, with alternating satin stripes and finely netted portions gives it a nice sexy appeal...that isn't too scandalous.


Then to add sprinkles to the proverbial Sundae, I wear a blazer. Blazers make everything better.

Thanks for coming!

+Love

Lobster Sandwiches



After regaling the tale of underground New York lobster roll maker extraordinaire, Dr. Claw, and his eventual shut down at the hands of NY Health Department, to my parents they were inspired to make their own lobster rolls.


We all weren't very hungry, so a light lobster sandwich for dinner that night was just perfect. We boiled one whole lobster, de-shelled the meat, and made a spread. We mixed the lobster meat with mayonnaise, finely chopped celery, lemon juice, paprika, avocado, green onions, lemon zest, salt and pepper. It was music in the kitchen: boiling water, the clang of pots and pans, and the sharp sound of knives slicing clean through vegetables. Then a lone voice rang through the air "What should we do with the avocado?" All the sounds and movement that danced through the kitchen came to a screeching halt, until only the lobster boiling in the pot could be heard.

It wasn't actually that dramatic, but with the look my dad gave my mom laser beams could've come out of his eyes. My mom didn't want to cream the avocado into the spread, but instead have them sliced thin and put into the sandwich as a separate layer...she thought adding the avocados and mayonnaise together would be far to greasy/creamy. My dad wanted the exact opposite: avocados and spread creamed together as a thick spread, and what dad wants dad gets. So we did it his way and assembled our sandwiches with toasted white bread and a nice crispy layer of bacon.


I still contend that the sandwich is the ultimate light summer meal, and lobster sandwiches rank high on my "Ultimate Sandwich chart". The spread we created was creamy and had the perfect amount of lobster in it, the bacon added texture and cut through the grease of the mayonnaise, and the white bread was simple and unassuming. HOWEVER, creaming the avocados into the mayonnaise was a big mistake. It made the spread far too creamy and made it difficult to eat a whole sandwich...next time everyone agreed to make the avocados a separate layer.


And everyone lived happily ever after....the end!

Thanks for coming!
+Love

Pink Flamingo


I love this dress! It makes me feel really sweet and spring-y. This Best Dress, Best is the brand, is actually two pieces: a sheer peach crop top with flowers embellishments and a longer knee length spaghetti strap dress....also peach. ^__^ The best thing about this dress is you can dress it up or down, adding a cute shawl or dramatic garden hat gives the dress a very different look. It's a very fun piece to work with. 



I actually inherited it from my mother...every time I wear it she sighs and says "Can you believe I used to wear that?" I can believe it, she's very pretty, and after all...she had me. HAHAHA. I'm terrible. 


Don't be fooled by all the pink and spinning, the sky can tell you the truth. It was freezing! A couple hours after we shot this it hailed. Terrible!



Also I just decided to put this in because I thought it was hilarious. KUNG FU KICK. I can't spin properly.

Reebonz Blog Contest

When I saw this contest on Xiaxue's blog, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join. You can look at the details below:

Honestly, when I saw this contest my heart started palpitating, but when I saw the white Tod's bag Reebonz offered as one of the prizes I fell in love entirely. The Tod's D-Styling Small Satchel is absolutely perfect. =) 

The size, color and style are all absolutely timeless and divine. This bag's white color detailed with a neat brown stitch running down the middle and along the handles, makes this purse easy to dress up or dress down. It's the perfect size for a working girl or even a student with space to carry all of her essentials: wallet, lipstick, cell phone, mirror, etc. without squeezing them all into a super small clutch and without the excess material of a tote or hobo. Perfectly lovely!

To enter the contest, I decided to model my "entrance" outfits myself, instead of using polyvore or photoshopping outfits together. If I won the Tod bag, I wanted to wear it with clothes I have and because I know it's timeless enough that I'll be able to pair it with anything I buy later. ;) So without further ado...here are my outfits to match the bag:

This first outfit is a party/date outfit: a simple peach dress that's flirty and fun that can be, like the Tod's purse, dressed up or dressed down. Add a nice dramatic hat for a garden party or wear a shawl for a romantic spring date.

Best Dress, Sofft Shoes


My second outfit is a work outfit. With a nice fitted top and loose Calvin Klein wool gabardine trousers, I mean business. This outfit paired with a nice suit jacket and the Tod's bag I'll definitely get   respect in the workplace. =)


Finally, my third outfit is my fun/play outfit. This skirt and top both have shades of dark chocolate, olive, jade, white, and forest green. I can take this outfit and the Tod's purse out on the town for some spring shopping. I'll definitely have a skip in my step. =) 


Thanks for coming and thanks to Reebonz for this opportunity!

+ Love  


Can I Be Your Friend?


These looks are from Alice + Olivia's Fall 2011 Ready to Wear Collection. I am in love with how sweet they are. While Phillip Lim's collection showed the sleek, mature, sexy woman that I secretly long to be, the Alice + Olivia collection is 100% unadulterated sweet, flirty, girly and yet classy. Is that even possible? Why, yes. I realize I basically put their entire collection down...but it really was just lovely.

The Fall collection comes readily armed with knitwear, fringes, sequins and a very charming attitude. Some of the dresses give me of the 1920s flapper vibe, and the entire collection carries the free spirit and the fun-loving attitude of the "new breed" of women that the world saw as the "flapper." Miss Bendet! I think I'm in love....can..can...can I be your friend?


Orange Orangutan


I love how temperate I think it is in Vancouver after going to Boston. I thought I knew cold, I thought I knew cold. How silly and misguided could I be? I took the opportunity on this temperate cloudy day to shed a down-jacket layer, stroll around with me mum, and walk our cute doggie. 



Although he sometimes walks me instead...
Usually I dislike "matchy-matchy" outfits, but I quite enjoy the "Velma" look I managed to pull off with this fleeced blazer and wool turtleneck. To substitute the creep glasses I wore during my last post, I filched my mother's vintage Chanel Sunnies. 



The lovely pendant I'm wearing is made by my incredible mum. She loves remaking jewelry and creating her own designs. She had purchased this jade charm in Beijing, from an incredibly sketchy lady. My mom and I were joking how all the jade she had was from grave robbing, although I seriously hope it's not true, but I remember very distinctly seeing dirt all over the pendants she hadn't sold. 






Now for a bit of Chinese trivia for y'all! The bat and the coin are very important symbols within Chinese culture, symbolizing wealth and fortune. Wearing a bat is also thought to avert misfortune and bring you "expressions of happiness." (i,e, Good luck)  Bats have this good connotation because the Chinese word for bat 蝠 (fú) sounds phonetically similar to the Chinese word for happiness, wealth and luck: 福 (fú). 

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

+Love

Red Onion Review

I have always been an omnivore. Being more fearless than my female classmates, I am not squeamish about handling raw chicken, beef, lamb, and really any sort of animal carcass. Gruesome I know, but I honestly enjoy helping my mom and dad out in the kitchen...and never really have had the urge to become a vegetarian.

At the grill.
This being said, a couple of weeks ago I was craving a good burger. You know the kind of burger that's juicy, savory, fresh, and tasty. Fortunately, my mom and dad were in the same meat eater mood that I was in. However, seeing that we had just moved to a new city we had no idea where to go to satiate our burger hunger. Fortunately, I remembered a friend mentioning that he loved the burgers at Red Onion and thus I suggested it to my family. At that, the three of us were off on our burger quest.

After an epic, epic ten minute drive, we arrived at our destination in the very late afternoon. I think there's a parking lot at the back, but we left Freddie, our prius, out on the curb.


Walking into Red Onion the decor and the ambiance strikes you as very casual. Definitely a jeans and t-shirt burger place, although some executives in suits do show up for lunch. ;) Don't let them scare you! Red onion is very kid friendly, and their menu is simple and sweet. They stick to the things they do best: burgers, hot dogs and fries. Vegetarians! Don't fret, they do have veg options in the form of salads, veggie burgers, and veggie hot dogs. The waitress will be more than happy to recommend you one of their dishes or help you out if you're in a taste dilemma.


Our waitress was always attentive and very friendly. She really made us feel at home at the Red Onion. So sweet! After perusing the menu, dad ordered a Red Onion Hamburger without cheese, mom ordered a Red Onion All Beef Kosher Style Dog, and I ordered a Red Onion Hamburger with cheddar cheese. Then because we're crazy, we all shared a basket of fries. Although they offer chili as a dish and have cheese, they do not make Chili Cheese Fries. I was sad.



The burgers and hot dogs came fairly quickly, and I think we were pleased with the results of our quest. The burger was juicy, the vegetables were fresh, and the bun was not overly processed. The burger comes with a never frozen patty (according to the menu), sautéed red onion, lettuce, tomato, and their own special mustard sauce. 


Sloppy. Just how I like it! 
However, I did make the mistake of wanting cheddar cheese on my burger instead of mozzarella...it ended up overpowering my burger. After a few bites I could no longer taste the amalgamated flavors that make burgers so lovely, instead it was just the sharp bite of the cheddar. My dad, who went cheese-less, thoroughly enjoyed his burger and was chowing down continuously throughout lunch. As a small side note to all you cheese lovers, they do charge $1.50 for the addition of cheese to anything. 


My mom loved her hot dog and finished it long before my dad and I finished off our burgers. In fairness to her, her hot dog was fairly smaller in size than our burgers. The hot dog was a char broiled kosher hot dog paired with lettuce, sautéed onions, tomatoes all snuggled in their specialty made hot dog bun. Very meaty and very satisfying. When I stole a bite from my mother's hot dog, there was that distinct crisp snap that comes with eating a delicious meaty, flavorful, savory, beefy hot dog.


The fries were...unmemorable to me. I'm not a soggy fries sort of gal, and these fries were were not as crispy as I would have liked. However, I take my hat off to the Red Onion because they hand cut their French fries and make them fresh to order. 

Definitely a repeatable meal and lovely restaurant. Since it's so close to home for me I feel that my family will be coming here more often...if we're ever in that burger craving mood again. We were all perfected sated by the end of the meal and our meat cravings vanquished! The restaurant even gave a us a complimentary red onion with our check, very cute! However, during a lunch service for three people the check totaled to was a little above $40 dollars. A bit of a shock if I remember.

I still encourage you all to give Red Onion a try! It was enough to sate our burger craving, but we're still on a quest for a burger that knocks all the other burgers out of the park. However, for now, I think we're sated with the Red Onion.

Thanks for Coming!
Price: $$$
Kid Friendly: Yes
Repeatability: Yes


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Hey There

3.1 Phillip Lim Ready to Wear 2011 Spring Collection: Style.com

Shoes: twenty2.onsugar.com, Clothes: Net-A-Porter.com



I am not a timely person, although I'm trying hard to change that, it seems I cannot even keep up with the changing fashion seasons. =P I was browsing through style.com and fell absolutely in love with 3.1 Phillip Lim's 2011 Spring Collection.

Light, sheer, chic, sophisticated, and simple his collection emulates everything that I want to exude in my own personal style. I think I'm in love. The color blocking, the silhouettes, the textures, the fabrics, and the finishes. Oh! The shoes! Lovely, lovely, lovely. I can only sing praises for this collection. 

I had to check out more of his stuff on Net-A-Porter, even lovelier. His bags, shoes, and even swimsuits were simplistic and ladylike. Even his swimsuits can my tiny boobs look ok!  His price tag is quite hefty, but one day his clothing will be mine. *evil cackle*

Fashion Show! Part Two

This is a continuation from the previous post, but unfortunately I'm afraid it won't be very interesting. =/ I was looking through the pictures that I took from the fashion show and they were all quite blurry. I'm going to post all the most interesting photos here.... I hope you guys enjoy them. =)



















This outfit was so ridiculous, but also really blurry: