Sunday 29 April 2012

Week on a Blur

Not sure what is happening happened this week, but it sure is passing passed by on a blur. (I just realized it's already Thursday! Me, 3 days ago). All those times, I actually really thought it was just one of those usual busy week.  But by the time Wednesday came, I'd come home and I just had enough energy to make something that would pass as dinner (hubs would probably snicker if he reads this, although I did make up for it come Saturday dinner hehe).

And now that things have slowed down a bit, made me think of what I did. Ah yes...



Cruised around town in a co-worker's Mustang one afternoon. No, not really. He does have that Mustang, but no, we weren't cruising. A bunch of us actually had to go to a meeting after work, and the rest of us just happened to hitch a ride from him.



Happened to drive by one of these streets on the way home. I almost forgot it's still cherry blossoms time. Oh, the beauty of spring...



Stumbled upon this flavor by accident a few weeks back, seeing that it was on sale hehe

Oh. My. God. For someone who's not really an ice cream person, even in the summer, I had to exercise some self-control for me not finish the whole thing in one sitting. Yes, it's that good!!! (In my opinion, anyways.) And luckily, because it went on sale again, I was able to stock up. For how long? I'm not gonna say, coz I guess that will all depend on how quickly I can finish them, no? heehee

Then before I knew it, Friday came.



Met some friends last minute after work for a quick drink. It was nice as I haven't seen these friends in a while. Yes, just a quick drink {un}fortunately, as we all had something to do Saturday morning. Nevertheless, it was still nice. Nice way to relax on Friday evening and start the weekend right.

Then, yesterday, after my morning task, since I got this email from Gap about some sale they're having, I thought I'd walk through the mall. Care to take a guess what happened after?

Gap striped dress, on sale! ($30.56, with tax)

Hmmm... *sigh*... hmmm...

Ok, for starter, I knew even before this happened that I am going to buy this dress, especially after seeing it from her. It was just a matter of when. All along, the plan was to wait for the month of May, seeing that I went over my budget already (read here). BUT THEN, this email came along, with a deadline at that, which prompted me to check things out, and lo and behold, what do I see that's on sale, and with extra 30% off to boot?!?!

So now, what does this make me? A happy camper for sure, now that I have the dress, but all that aside, where does this lead me?

With a day and a half left in Apr, I am $45.32 over budget. In the grand scheme of things, it may not be so relevant, but it doesn't change the fact that I went over, period. My first month at that! Now, because I knew  I was over limit even before I purchased that dress, do I make myself pay for it by counting that purchase towards May?

Hmmm... *sigh*... hmmm...

Sunday 22 April 2012

Lazy Sunday

The whole weekend has been super nice, so far. For a change. Sunny, first of all, with temperature quite mild, or what spring should feel like, really.

I enjoy weekends like this when we had no real plans but just relax. I used to not like it when I was younger. I always felt like weekends should be packed with all kinds of fun stuff, otherwise it felt like it was wasted. Then Monday comes and I'd be exhausted. Not anymore. Now I savor quiet weekends like this. Mind you, I still feel exhausted come Monday, so that part hasn't changed. hehe



Noticed these tulips as I was out and about earlier. Seeing it just made my insides smile.How can it not?



And I love the purple and yellow colors of the flowers. I'm no green thumb so I can't even tell you what kind of flowers are those. Azaleas? All I know is I love the deepness of the colors. 



Walking around with the sun warming my face made me think of summer. Which got me thinking barbeques and grilling. Which got me thinking hotdogs. HAH!

Kurobuta Terimayo dog with Shichimi & Garlic fries,
and wasabi mayo on the side
(from JAPADOG)

I may be oversimplifying things, but I'd say it won't be a bad description if I say this is Vancouver on a bun. A Japanese chef decided to put an Asian twist on a much-loved North American fare. With a big Asian population this side of the coast, it can't get any more Vancouver than this. 



As much as this is not the healthiest of fare, once in a while, only this will do. No?



The fries came in a small brown bag, which is how they season their fries. Kinda' like shake-and-bake for the fries, only they do it after it's cooked. If I'm not mistaken, this is not atypical way of serving fries in Japan. And see, no need to cross the ocean!

Sun, flowers, leisure walk, hotdog, fries... gotta love spring!


Thursday 19 April 2012

Travel Pail List

As the rain continues to pound the pavement as they say, and summer just around the corner, I couldn't help but start thinking about travel. It's been a while since our last real travel and I guess I've been fortunate enough to have gone to places. I'm not talking about just any travel though. I'm talking more like what remains in my current travel list. It's not quite a bucket list, so I'd like to call it a pail list. (Is there a diff? A pail is smaller than a bucket, no? heehee)

(via Google images)


1.) Bora Bora

(castaways-resort.net)

2.) Venice
(flightsaustralia.com.au)

3.) Barcelona
(welcome-to-barcelona.com)

4.) Egypt
(egypttours.magnificenttravel.com)

And if when I get a chance, I want to return to Paris. Need I say more?

(tripadvisor.com)

One of these days... one of these days...


Tuesday 17 April 2012

Sliding Doors

Me and sis love love the movie Sliding Doors. Or I think she does. I know I do anyway. hehe


courtesy of imdb.com


Firstly, 2 words. Gwyneth Paltrow. I won't be the first person to speak out any famous name for inspiration for style, but if say I'm asked as if my life depends on it, her name's probably the only name that will pop out in my head. So, in my mind, that says a lot already.

O wait, I lied, now I can add FLOTUS to that (very short) list as well. hehe




Secondly, Helen (Gwyneth's character)'s fashion, ie, Helen with the short hair, is so up my alley (yes, gotta talk fash too). Mind you, she's 5'10'' (she is, no?) and blonde (she is, no?) so anything would look good on her and the same outfits will probably just look blah on me, but I'm just talking about the classic-ness (yes, that is a word in my world) of it all.

Thirdly, something about the movie just speaks to the everything-is-in-perfect-order-because-it-is-a-perfect-universe side of me. Anyone who's seen the film will know exactly what I'm talking about.

The whole idea of how our choices or say the choices thrown our way even for the most mundane, or what we think are mundane, of activities, creating life paths that takes us to unexpected directions, just begs the question of how much effect or affect these things have on our lives.

Is it just me?

(Very "Five People You Meet in Heaven", no?... Noticing a pattern?)

I had a bit of a "Sliding Doors" moment yesterday when there was a problem with the train during my morning commute. I took this train which went the opposite direction, which got held up for an additional 15 minutes, which made me 15 minutes late for work. What if I didn't get on that specific train and just took the next one which would have taken me 1 stop before my usual stop which would have required further walk to get to work? What if?

Now I can't help but wonder about those little events in my lives. Or do the little events really have that much impact, to begin with?

I wonder...

Sunday 15 April 2012

A Weekend of Good Deed (yay!), Good Food (yum!), and Good Buy (crap!)

I guess that's my weekend in a nutshell hehe...

I did end up doing my volunteer yesterday. I try to do it at least 2 Saturdays a month. I really could be doing more. One step at a time...

And as mentioned previously as well, I did end up meeting some friends for dinner. I just had enough time to rest for a bit. These are the people from the "food club". Not really sure how much of a food club our meetings are, but do I care? Nope. Hey, you say food, I say always fun. I think it's just really an excuse for all of us to meet and have some good time. And that, I am ok with! Who wouldn't be, eh?

Almost Famous Blackened Fish Burger, with Cowgirl Salad

I always think twice when I order fish in a restaurant. Not so much about the freshness (well, I expect that always, to begin with), but more so how well it's cooked, that is, not overcooking it. And funny enough, I've been to really good seafood restaurants where they've overcooked fish.



Last night, they happened to cook it just riiight, yummm!!! The coleslaw gave a nice crunch, and the salad on the side just made it a nice light refreshing dinner.

Yummy and fun evening indeed!

Got home later than I thought. O well...

Early this afternoon, I "ended up" at the mall. Needless to say, I have now used up the shopping budget I have set for myself. Yes, mid-month. And, I went slightly over. Yes, just slightly, as in $14.76 slightly.

BR gingham shirt ($36.74)

BR sweater ($12.73)
TOTAL (today): $55.41 (with taxes)

GRAND TOTAL: $114.76


Like I said, $14.76 over.

First I got excited when I found out the gingham shirt I've been eyeing at the store for a few weeks now has now gone on sale. Then I saw the signs saying additional 25% off on purchases. I knew when I brought some items with me in the dressing room that the gingham shirt alone would max out my limit already. But then I thought, how could I pass up a striped sweater, on clearance no less.

Then it finally hit me as I was paying for those items how much I've gone over.

The remaining time in the month, however, is not seeming to bother me. I thought, if I'm done, I'm done.

Am I ok? Yah, I would say so. I'm surprisingly calm, strangely enough. Let's just say it's quite an (interesting) eye-opener, for what it's worth...

So there goes shopping for the month.

Wheee!!!

Friday 13 April 2012

Green Tea Kitkat

Finally got the chance to try it. FINALLY!!!

Green Tea Kitkat

Paid more than I should for it. Well, more than what mom and sis paid for anyways when they bought some in TO. But I do not care! HAH!



Yummmmmy!!! heehee


Good day indeed! And Friday the 13th at that! (No, it's not just all about the Kitkat, it was a good day in general)

Anyhoot, just a quick post today. Have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Megots the volunteer in the morning, then meeting fellow food club members for dindin.

I say a nice start to a weekend...

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Bed of Roses, Not Always

Blogging is personal, no two-ways about it, as far as I'm concerned anyway. The question then becomes, in my head, how personal is personal?

Believe it or not, I can be a very private person (to be taken of course, with a grain of salt, as I am here blogging, after all). Things that I share, in general, whether through here or with the people in my life (not counting hubs and family, of course), are obviously things I'm comfortable sharing.

When times are good, people have the natural tendency to share it more freely. That I understand. They're happy and they naturally want to share it. But what when life is not so much a bed of roses?

courtesy of scenicreflections.com via Google images

I find a lot of courage in people who are able to share parts of their life that are both good and not so good. Some people treat their lives like an open book and some people might say that that's kinda a foolish thing to do (a very private person would), but I think there's something to be said about being an open book. To expose yourself in that manner, showing your vulnerabilities, giving others the opportunity to judge; yet, at the same token, being provided the opportunity to find solace in more people/places, by merely opening up.

I guess it really depends on how you see things. Are you the type of person who feels the world is not that friendly so that to expose your mishaps feels like you're giving the world ammunition to use against you? Or are you the type of person who feels that the world is generous and giving and is there to help you and that all you have to do is reach out?

The internet, on top of that, has definitely changed the way people are able to reach out, even to the strangest of people. What is actually private these days?

In the end, I ask myself, how much do I share, should I share? Say this blog?

I say, at this point, there is a time and place for everything.

Monday 9 April 2012

On Easter...

On Easter, ...

... went to church to celebrate Easter. After church, I had some spare time (ok, maybe I convinced myself that I had some). Ah, the beauty, and (my) downfall, of living so centrally, which means (very) easy access to shopping *sigh*.

So, I ended up at my "second home". I'd like to think I'm getting better at this, as I spent the better 2/3 of the time just browsing. What of the remaining 1/3?


... ended up buying sunnies.

Betsey Johnson sunglasses
$14.99 ($16.79, with taxes)

HAH!

(I love the fun color of the frame!)

I've decided this year that I've had it with expensive sunnies. Yes, I admit, I've been a snob with sunnies for the longest time. But having lived in this city for a while now, I realized it's not worth splurging on them as I would probably get only 2 weeks worth of use out of them in a year. Ok, I exaggerate.

Besides, the sunnies my other sis gave me just kinda' fell apart last summer and I haven't really used it much!

RIP Gucci sunnies:(
Where the other lens went, I do not know

Bah!

New TOTAL for the month: $59.35
BALANCE: $40.65
21 days remaining


... made an appropriate Easter dinner for me and hubs. Made lamb roast with sides of brussel sprouts with bacon and roasted yams and mushrooms. Also made a small batch of (Filipino) noodle dish, in honor of my dad.

Pancit Bihon

Easter also used to be a personal Thanksgiving for him. When he was a baby, he lived to tell the tale about an Easter accident. Growing up, I remember always having noodles in addition to whatever else we're having on Easter Day. Just my tiny way of letting the memories live, that's all... *wistful sigh*

And I thought a special occasion deserved a special dessert after all.

Blueberry Creme Brulee cheesecake from Costco



Yummmy...

I did get kinda' tired with all that cooking, so I'm just glad today is still a holiday for me. Maybe I'll have a quick nap now...

HAH!


Saturday 7 April 2012

Do I Include This Too?

I mentioned early this week that I've decided (finally!) to put myself on a budget. I'm still wondering though what to include in that budget. Well, I know clothes, shoes, purses and accessories are definitely part of that budget. It just must! hehe

But do I include make-up too? Including nail polishes?

I'm thinking not.

Sephora by OPI Matte Topcoat

Sephora had a promo going on last week, 15% off entire purchase til Thursday. And lucky me, I still had a gift card left over from Christmas. So last Wednesday, I thought I'd re-stock my Bobbi Brown mineral powder since I'll be needing it any day now. (The gift card took care of that, yay!) I also thought, since I was already there plus with the 15% off, I might as well finally buy (yes, finally) a matte topcoat that I've been meaning to get for a loooong time (yes, looong). (Alas, the gift card didn't take care of that.)

Makeup, in general, have never really been an issue for me, as far as shopping is concerned. Ok, maybe they were, at some point, loooong ago, in my young(er) days, but things have changed. I tend to only get them now when I need them.

So, again, I'm thinking not. No? I'm sticking with that, for now, anyway.

As for the carry-over to the next month (hey, I'm still hopeful), I think that sounds good, for now, anyway. Gotta' leave some room for some "nice" stuff every now and then, right? *raised eyebrow*

The good thing with this new self-imposed cap, as I was going thru the mall yesterday on my way home, for example, I ended up putting things down when I was at the Gap. After much deliberation, I realized I didn't want to use the remaining balance I have this early in the month. Whew, that was close! heehee

Anyhoot, as I was walking through (yes, just walking through) H&M early this week, I think, I noticed they have some Marni stuff again.



Notice the scarf in the first pic? It was cut in half! WTF! I realize this is a collab, but I really am not able to justify the prices in my head. $50 for the totes, and $70 for the sandals!!! Maybe Marni's designs are just too cerebral for me. Plus the material on the bottom totes, for example, reminds me of the rice sacks I used to see in my grandparents' farm as a child, only with patterns. Again, maybe it's just me...

Needless to say, no Marni for H&M stuff went home with me. HAH!

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Arbiter of Literature

Not really sure when it happened but before I knew it, I've started relying on bookstore to become my source of what I could be reading out there.

Thanks to "Heather's Picks", and the other "Staff Picks", deciding what to read next has been made so much easier.



When has a corporation become such an arbiter of literature? In my mind, anyway. O wait, no, it's not the corporation, it's the people that made up the corporation, folks just like me. Really?

Or have I really just gotten that lazy? That I can no longer be bothered by reviews, real reviews, that is (again, in my mind anyway)? That if enough (random) people (who I don't know) have read it and given it good review, that it's good enough for me?

Meh, at least I'm still reading... HAH!

Monday 2 April 2012

Fiscal Year

I've decided that if businesses/government do it, so will I. Operate on a fiscal year, that is. Why? Well, why not?

As I've been attempting to curb my shopping since the onset of this blog, and failing miserably, I've finally decided to call myself out on this endeavor... Attempt? What is that anway? Pffftt...As the great Yoda said, "Do or do not, there is no try" HAH! (I know, nerd!)

Having said that, the new plan is to go on a fiscal calendar, rather than a yearly calendar, as I start to seriously work on this goal. I figure, to start on Jan01 is too far ahead, who knows how much more damage I can do by that time, or too far gone if we're talking 2012. Plus, with the retail cycles getting shorter and shorter, January appears to have become a good month for awesome deals, *sigh* hence not a good month to start my endeavor, *more sigh*

In the beginning of this blog, I think the longest I've gone without shopping is 1-1/2 to 2 months, after which my shopping brain went on overdrive for feeling deprived those 1-1/2 to 2 months, and it hasn't stopped since eeeek (I think). And considering my purchase for the month of Jan, Feb, March this year, it got me thinking...

SO, moving forward, starting April 01, I'm putting myself on a budget. (What?!? No budget to work with all this time?!? What were you thinking?!?). I'm putting myself on a $100 budget a month, and that includes tax!! I realize, since I don't really thrift, nor do I even know how, to begin with, and considering how much tax we pay on retail goods, I know it's not gonna be much, which is the whole point!

I haven't quite decided yet if I should carry over any unused amount. (Hey, a girl can wish, no?). And this is as far as I've gone. I'm sure there are some more details that I need to hash out...

What does that this all mean then?

Well, for the month of April, I guess it means I've used up almost half of my budget. Yes, yes, I know, it's only the 2nd day of the month, but it's all good. I'm still feeling confident. For realz!


$18.00 (RW &Co)


(Inspired by this, which I first saw from this blog)

$20 (also from RW & Co, can you tell?:p)

(Inspired by this, which I've seen practically at every site, that I follow anyways)


TOTAL: $42.56, after taxes


I know, I know, all this blabbering... yadda-yadda-yadda...

But hey, I figure, slowly, slowly... Next goal will be? To stop reading all those blogs that I follow to not get anymore ideas! HAH, kidding! As if!... Why,  not shop entirely, of course!



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