Smile for Stickies

Whenever I feel a little down in the dumps, I try to see how retail therapy can work. I used to work out of 3 offices for one company. I had my own office at one location, a shared office at another, and a cubicle at the administrative building. Well now I'm down to just the cubicle. I'm not sad about this. It's much closer to home (20min) and in a better neighborhood convenience-wise. It works out much better.

Unfortunately, now I can't shut my door because I don't have one. This means I hear about things like Survivor, American Idol, and Mob Wives. I care not for these things. Also, there are some people around here who will use your supplies and walk off with them. This is why I lock my drawers.Do you know how pissed I'd be if my cute supplies -- all bought with my own cash-- were to disappear? So yeah. I lock it up; and this latest beauty will never be left on my desk without me being present.

Front cover

I got these awesomely cute tokidoki sticky notes from Amazon for like $8 (free shipping with Prime). I'm a total stationery slut. I love office supplies in general. These are cute, but they suck at being sticky. Anyway, looky looky:

Inside left cover

Inside right = different sized stickies ^_^

Back cover

I have the flu. This is some BS to put it simply. I'm not okay with it. Shivering, sweating, nose ouches and dry, tight throats are all a way of life for me. Oh and the headaches. Whoa doggy. So between the doses of different cold medicines (which never really work when you have the flu), these are the things that help me deal with the fact that I can't eat, sleep, or sometimes breathe.

1. Ugly Betty on Netflix

2. Working on my family tree via Ancestry.com

3. World of Warcraft (don't judge me!)

4. Hot, hot, hot showers.

5. Be inspired by J-mag scans

6. Practice new languages for free with BYKI 

7. Watch at least one old (or really old) movie you've never seen. I chose "Dance With Me."

8. For the love of maki, read something!

9. Text your friends and family so they'll know you're alive.

10. Wash your nasty, germ-covered laundry (especially bedding) in HOT water, with a teaspoon of bleach. Having the flu sucks, so why get it again if you can help it.

Long Oerdue

Hey Guys and Gals,

It's been a very, very long time since I've posted. Why? Because life has been super busy. Between work, home, dancing, and photography, I've managed to also squeeze in sewing, writing, and pen-pal action. All that leads to less likeliness of me posting quality posts. That's a bit of a problem because I still love this blog.

The solution?

Cram it in anyway!

So I will be posting weekly. I have already started a string of posts for the next few weeks. This way, I'll still be ahead of the game if I have an extra busy week. In the past, I've wanted the thoughts to be as fresh in the blog as possible. That's not really necessary. That's just me being a weirdo.

So NOT Gyaru

IMG Source: Amazon.com

But I don't care. I LOVE this bag. It was a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. I loved hers instantly so she was super awesome and got me one. My birthday was 3rd October, by the way. Not that it's a huge deal to the world. It just serves as a reference point. I started this post about two days afterward and got too busy to finish. 

Anyway, now I want the matching wallet. It's pretty awesome. Like the purse, it's made of recycled tires. Hooray for eco-chic goodness!

I've been working out more than this, but don't log it all. Maybe I should. I read in a few reports that just exercising once per day isn't good enough if you work a desk job. So I take a couple of 15 minute breaks per day to practice belly dancing transitions and yoga. Hopefully this helps. 

I actually enjoy working out. I just don't like to do it alone. I need to be out and about. That's actually funny to me and my offline friends because I hate sweating and REALLY hate for others to see me sweat.  If at home, I need to be in my dance space for exercise. It's all comfy there. This is helpful since my goal is to workout just about every day. I take Sundays off whenever possible, but last Sunday we went to the zoo and walked for 2+ hours. Yesterday was dance class and we ran overtime, which ended up as 1.5hrs of intense belly dancing. The balls of my feet are still sore!

So all this working out better pay off. I don't just wanna feel  the difference. I wanna see it. I would like to see that angle in my jawline and be pointier like I used to be. I just don't want to have a bony face. Luckily I don't think that will happen. Sidenote: I love Flight of the Conchords. Anyway, I'm glad I have more exercise buddies. It helps. Yay motivation. I'll be ordering from YesStyle and AsiaJam in no time!

Quick Step to Mamaland

While my husband was off being Mr. Music Man, my son and I had an awesome time playing with puzzles, singing songs about dinosaurs, and being generally nifty. I call this photo 愛かわいい (Ai Kawaii) because, well... duh.  My baby bear is super nifty. I think as much as I miss having extra cash to buy random big ticket items, I don't mind spending it on him. He gets on my effin nerves sometimes. Seriously. He can act like a little arse when he doesn't want to do something. But I love him. I just have to train him to not be that way. I have to get my "mom voice" and scare him into behaving. Luckily he's usually a very good boy. He's smart, charming, and playful. And he make my shitty days 10x10 times better.

Language Overload

Today I thought about it. I speak a little bit of a few languages but am only fluent in English. This sucks. I need to stop getting bored. I'm currently learning Korean because it's VERY useful where I live. Before that, I took 2 semesters of Japanese in college, 2 years or Spanish in high school, and learned enough German to understand what all the industrial and EBM songs I love are about. I'm now finding it would be helpful to learn a little Finnish because Google can only translate but so well. I just don't have the brain space left right now! Korean is really taking it's toll on my noggin. I'll keep at it though. Fighting! That's the phrase that pays apparently.

Money Disappears Quickly

So my little $5k of Wheel of Fortune money is all used up for grown up schiesse. Seriously. I bought a new laptop for myself because my eyesight is getting bad from using my iPhone, Aria and netbook. When it comes to screens, BIGGER is certainly better. I bought my husband a Bluetooth receiver/speaker thingy for his car so he doesn't get ticketed for cell phone use whilst driving. I also got him a grill set since he loves too cook our dinner on the grill almost every night. Side note: Veggie burgers taste best via grill, as does corn. I bought our mothers really pretty mama's day keepsake photo boxes filled with chocolate goodies. I got our son a ridiculous abundance of pull-ups, veggie squeezers, yogurt bites, summer clothes, surf clothes, and something else I can't remember.

I ordered this 36 watt UV lamp via Amazon.

Lastly, after much thought, I bought myself a UV gel dryer and basic supplies & colours so I won't have to go to the salon ever again. Bonus: friends want to pay me to do their nails already and this just solidifies things. I'm all about saving money.

After these purchases, the remaining money goes to nothing but bills and home-improvement. Our trees really need to be pruned, chopped and generally cared for so we have to hire someone. There are some small electrical projects we have to hire out as well. We will have to wait on upgrading the kitchen appliances, but that's not a huge deal.
I will say this: I wish I won $50k,  but $5k is better than nothing!

Domestic Goddess?

In other news, My garden is awesome and I love all the spring colors in our yard and lawn. These are some pretties along the driveway by the garage. I'd love to take credit for them, but this is the work of Ms. Marie Serpico. May she rest in peace, surrounded by flowers. The woman knew how to work a garden. We've got rhododendron, forsythia, tulips, hostas, lily of the valley, and a bunch of stuff I can't name. There are quite a few plants and flowers that I didn't have to plant. For that I thank her. 

On the other hand, Mothers' Day is Sunday and I'll be planting some things to bloom in late summer and autumn. Unfortunately the veggies will have to wait, as will my lavender and sage garden. We have to rip out an assload of ivy. That's one thing I could kick her for. It'll take over the yard if we don't do something soon. ~_~ That would suck.

Mein Körper ist Wütend

Oh so get this: now that I log every single thing I eat and exercise even more, my body is rebelling. It's like, "Bitch you're fat., Stop tryin to overwork me like you're still Xena-sized." Srsly?! I actually gained weight. My friend Igor thinks it's because I am gaining more muscle weight and not burning enough fat. That could be true since I do more weight & resistance training (Planet Fitness and Bowflex).

I suppose the suppose now would be to do 30min of hard cardio every day-- except Tuesday and Saturday, which are belly dancing days. Sunday shall be sleepy day. It is written! I'll still weights (Mon., Wed., Friday), but I'll have to con David into going to the gym with me as my guest on those days instead of bowflexing.

A plan. I has one. Woo hoo.

Meet Ekstasis

It's me and my troupe. Woo hoo. Just me and troupe. Just me and troupe. Just me and troupe.
( I was channeling Tupac there. Sorry.)

Anyway, we have to get our arses in gear with choreography. There's a hafla coming up and the one newest sloooooow song is in dire need of moves.

Oh AND we're seeing Beats Antique on 4/20-- which is AWESOME because our first piece ever was/is to their song, "Beauty Beats."

Anyway, this is us. Belly dancing is love... and weight-loss motivation-- even moreso than gyaru fashion.

New Home Update

This is what our dining room is going to look like. We have been ripping up carpet since Friday. Unfortunately, it's hard to do it with a 2 year old running around. Luckily, we have been able to get help watching him while we work. So far, Xavier's room, the office/guest room, the living & dining rooms, and the 1st floor hallway have all been painted.

The house had carpet in every room-- literally. LITERALLY. All the carpet was ripped out first, so we have to install quarter round. There were little staples all over the place. It was so frustrating. Luckily the hardwood floors are beautiful and worth the effort..

So here are some photos of what the house looks like now. The before photos are in this old post. We did a lot, but no major wall-bashing demo or anything like that.

We still need to bring his real bed & the ABC rug over.
We must unpack the rest of his awesome toys & books.

Ignore that TV tray. I have my eye on a nice accent table.
That little lamp will be gone along with it.

Next up: crown molding and wainscoting.

Grown Up Stuff vs Gyaru Stuff

So I'm really happy about my new job. I'm one of three administrative assistants (one is my manager) for a non-profit social services company than has 6 groups homes and 1 emergency shelter for kids. It makes me feel good to finally work for an organization that is making people's lives better.

Anyway, since I was out of work for a while, being a SAHM on a budget meant only ordering my magazines once per season (Happi Nuts, Blenda, I Love Mama, and sometimes Ranzuki). Now that I'm gainfully employed, I can go back to monthly purchasing. I'm pretty happy about that. I still have to spend money on grown up things (my share of the mortgage, taxes, bills, and baby items), but now there will be more money left over for me things. I'll still do nail designs myself, but there will be more consistent trips to the salon in my future.While I can do hair, nails and make-up myself, it's way more relaxing to just pay someone else to do it sometimes. Woo hoo.


And shopping. Oh shopping how I've missed you. My wardrobe has become OL-kei with gyaru finishes. I think I will be better at combining them with more pieces in my arsenal. I'll be posting photos again before you know it!

In the meantime, my lunch break is over. Time to dig back into my mountains upon mountains of paperwork.


XOXO,
Me (*^_^*）

Quickie Post

Okay guys and dolls. 

My giveaway is officially over as of 11:59pm EST Sunday 11/28.

Good luck to all who have entered. 

I will contact the winner by Tuesday night at 11:29pm EST via email. 

In other news, I want this bag. I think I'll have to get off my arse and order it. I'll be able to do that without feeling guilt because I got the job I interviewed for. The end of 2010 has been great. Wheel of Fortune, the house in Cheltenham, this job, and last but certainly not least...

My mum-in-law is giving me her Audi in about a month!!! It's in great working order and only 4 years old. It's cherry red and lovely, and it'll be my first car. I've always avoided driving and living in the city has made it easy for me to avoid driving. Now I'll be in the burbs and driving far for work. I pretty much have to drive. Why not do it in style?

So I'm really happy. My life is progressing nicely. My luck has been improving and I'm extremely grateful. I mean it's not like I'm poor but we have been on a budget since we had our son. I was laid off (along with 100+ coworkers) only a few months after he was born. I went back to school and learned soap-making. My photography has improved. I've started sewing again. All that is great but now it's time to make some money. I started seriously looking for a job over a year ago but I've been picky out of necessity. I have to make a certain amount or there's no point in working. Full-time child care costs about $210/ week so I can't just take any retail job I can find. I have to have an office job and I prefer benefits. So yay for getting this job. Woo hoo. Good salary, great benefits, great cause. I'll be happy working for a company that helps people.

New Home Countdown!

Have I told you all I'm moving? We live in a condo right now (which we've outgrown), so I can't wait. It's a great condo for a single person or a couple. Hopefully we can sell it quickly. Either way, we are on our way out.

Only another week and a half to go. I can't wait to be out of this place. This neighborhood is LAME. I'm sick of trashy neighbors. I'm sick of the phrase "youse guys" and the Northeast Philly accent that accompanies it. I don't want my son growing up here. I don't want him growing up where the people litter and don't care about their property. I wasn't raised like that. I also wasn't raised to curse at nor in the presence of my elders. This neighborhood has gone to shit. The schools suck. Crime is on the rise. And I've discovered there are more sex offenders than a little bit. Hell no. We are out.

Our new neighborhood is in the burbs. It's quiet and clean. We have driven through the area tons of times at varying hours. It's always been good. The neighbors are nice. Our new house is a single with a nice front lawn and a big (but not too big) back yard. Xavier loves it. It's not too cold yet so he'll get some use of the yard before the weather gets too frigid.

For documenting purposes, I'll say a bit about the house. It's a colonial built in 1950 and has only had one owner. It's 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathroom. There's a finished basement with two side rooms. One will be my gym and the other will be my soaping room until we can afford to have it converted into another bathroom. We'll move the laundry down there as well since the basement will be kind of a chill room. There's even a built in bar. The downside is all the wood paneling! The bedrooms are all huge. The middle room is gonna be used as an office & sewing room. There's an attic but we haven't been in it. Erik says it's big and clear. The only things we are immediately changing are:

• wall colors
• ripping up carpet (because there are beautiful hardwood floors underneath
• replacing the ugly kitchen counters
• replacing the stove, fridge, and microwave

Eventually, we will redo the that tragic pink bathroom. We'll also replace the sink in the powder room (half bath) with a slim pedestal sink. It'll look less crowded. Enough typing. 

Here are a few photos of the rooms, yard, and patio:

Shopping for Friends

I made this for my friend because she was convinced skinny jeans weren't in her future. She's not gyaru, just a mama like me. The only difference is that she's already my goal dress size (though I could have sworn she was 2 or 3 sizes smaller). It was fun picking stuff out for her. My main goal was finding skinny jeans for women with hips. I knew she wouldn't want anything low-rise, so I picked the Lola cut (by Lucky Brand). They are mid rise and curvy cut. This is key because she has a tiny waist and hips to envy. Oh and curvy doesn't automatically mean fat,people. She is in no way even close to fat. Also, she's almost my height and the Lola jeans also come in 34" and 36" inseams. Woo hoo.

As for the tops,I'm guessing shes a medium so I just went crazy with stuff from Wet Seal. I wasn't sure she'd love it but she did. Yay! I should be a personal shopper. I know how to shop for people based on shape, personality and lifestyle. I didn't bother with heals because she has a daughter who's not that much older than Xavier and I know she won't have the patience for kid-wranglin in heels.

Avyway, I tried to sneak some gyaru kein in there. That one sweater is Nordic, but that's it. She's not likely to rock leopard print or fur. Those boots are suede but I think it may be fake. She's vegan and I'm not sure if it's just dietary on her end. Better safe than sorry.

For Lacey G. by Avy Fergerrific Caplan featuring ballet shoes

Cable Pattern V-neck Sweater - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$13 - wetseal.com
Vneck sweater »

Embroidered Surplus Top - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$16 - wetseal.com
Wet Seal tops »

Chambray Pintuck Tie Back Top
$26 - metroparkusa.com
Metro Park tunics »

Boarder Pattern Cardigan - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$15 - wetseal.com
Wet Seal cardigans »

Solid Belted Tunic - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$6.99 - wetseal.com
Wet Seal tunics »

Lola Skinny Jeans
$80 - luckybrandjeans.com
Denim jeans »

Lola Skinny Jeans
$99 - luckybrandjeans.com
Vintage jeans »

Lola Skinny Jeans
$99 - luckybrandjeans.com
Lucky brand jeans »

Lace overlay ballet flat | Lane Bryant
$27 - lanebryant.com
Ballet shoes »

Faux suede flats with silvertone studs | Lane Bryant
$27 - lanebryant.com
Flats »

Belted Scarf Print Tunic - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$16 - wetseal.com
Wet Seal »

Amazon.com: Jester30 Four Buckle Knee-High Flat Boots BLACK: Shoes
$26 - amazon.com

Belted Cowl Neck Swearter - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal
$20 - wetseal.com

Industry Fail

Attention Manufacturers: 

Pale people are not the only ones who buy underwear. "Nude" should not mean peachy-beige or tan. For most of the world, nude is some form of brown so get a fucking clue and start making more brown bras!!! And yes, I know my boobs are huge but if you're gonna offer nude in my size offer a nude I can use!

How about this: Nude Light and Nude Dark. Sure some will always complain that one or the other isn't light or dark enough, but at least it'll be close! 

And another thing!

Actually that's all I've got. I'm just getting really pissed off while looking for t-shirt bras. I need to buy one specifically for belly dancing... but that's the next post. 

We Got the House!

Remember that big news I was [not]talking about? We'll we went to bid on a house Saturday. It's in a much nicer (cleaner, safer, quieter) town just outside Philly. The property taxes are high but the schools are GREAT and just what we want for Xavier. Speaking of X, he basically loves it as much as Erik and I do. It's perfect for us. The previous owner lived there for like 50 years before she passed away and her brother took care of it for her.

It's in great condition, but has an old lady look in some places. The floors are beautiful (hardwood - maple) but are covered with carpet EVERYWHERE but the bathrooms... yes, even the kitchen lol. The kitchen has these gorgeous oak cabinets with cool details in the carving. The appliances are older and the countertop is this hideous coral formica, but that's it for ugly. All we have to do is paint it the colours we want and upgrade the kitchen. In theory, we could just bring our kitchen appliances, but we want to leave them for when we sell this place. It's easier to sell a property with all the goods. Our condo is great, but too small now that Xavier is a big boy with lots of toys. He needs more room to run.

So the house is 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths with a full finished basement, eat-in kitchen, lg. formal dining room and a big living room with a big fireplace. Also, the front porch and lawn are big, but the back patio and yard are huge. I can have a garden and meditation spot, X can have a playground set, we can get a dog and doghouse and still have room to run around. Also, the garage is perfect for Erik and his band mates to hang out. The basement is perfect for my small belly dancing group AND we could add another bathroom down there if we wanted. Oh and there's a bar down there already. Also, all the bedrooms are huge and the middle room opens out to the roof. We're already set on building a deck up there and making that room our office with a GOOD futon couch for guests. I have a lot of computers and tech stuff so it'll be perfect.

I'm tellin you: 27 is gonna be my year. This great news, plus Wheel of Fortune next week. I'm a happy gal. Seriously. I'm so excited. I see us growing old there. We don't intend to have any more kids either so all should be well in terms of space. It really is the perfect place for us. It's plenty big and perfect for having guests over. We take possession in 30 days and I'm just so excited I could burst!

Just a Few Things

Hey gals,

There have been a number of doins afoot on my end. This weekend was... incredible. I won't mention Saturday because it's still kinda happening. I don't wanna jinx anything. Sunday was great. My grrly Kristen got married and the wedding was great. The reception was even more fun There was a lot going on. The highlight of the night was the ride home. We dropped Tim and the drunk girl off and OMG that girl was sadly hilarious. Being THAT drunk is not cute. Not by a long shot.

There was more to the weekend, but Saturday was the main attraction. If all goes well I will definitely be posting a ridiculously hyper entry tomorrow of Wednesday.

In the meantime, here are some things to expect via this blog:

• Review of the BaByliss Pro Diamond Titanium Flat Iron
• Other Things I Got for My Birthday
• Get Git, Gyaru!
• My Hair Straightening Holy Grail
• Why I Need an XBOX 360
• Purikura Power!

Oh and before I go... OMG!!! Wheel of Fortune is next week!!! I'm so excited.

Die Dokument

Hans: Was ist das, Gert?

Gert: Die Dokument.

Hans: Die...Dokument? hmm...(pulls out a revolver)

Gert: Nein, Hans! Bitte! Nicht shiessen! Die Dokument ist gut!

Hans: Ist gut? Lassen sie mich sehen.

Gert: (hands it to him)

Hans: Haha Dumme schlampe. (shoots Gert in the face and flees the scene on a purple Vespa)