life lately... august recap

Hi lovelies! I'm still reeling at the fact that it is past mid-September. While I love autumn, I'm feeling bittersweet about summer passing by so quickly. This August marked my 1 year anniversary at work, which made me reflect on both how much I've grown and learned, as well as how fast time flies when you're working!!! So here's a little recap of my life through August and early September... captured by Instagram (my obsession). It's important to me to remember the little blessings in life, so I'm going to get as detailed as I can (don't mind the rambling)!

Food Fair, Brunches, and Gelato...

August was definitely a foodie month. Jen (a blog friend turned real friend) and I went to the Brooklyn food fair Smorgasburg to try as much food as we could consume (like the fried rice with egg above). I also had Sunday brunch every week at places like Veselka (a neighborhood favorite --see how big those pancakes are above?), Linen Hall (beautiful ceilings), and Cafe Minerva in the West Village, which I love for their delicious french pressed coffee :) And of course, you can't keep me away from Gelato ti Amo, the gelato & sorbet place next door -- I probably go there at least once a week! Luca (the owner) is a friend, and it's always nice to have neighbors who are really great people too.

Washington D.C. Trip...

First weekend of August, I went to visit one of my best friends Anna in D.C. (again). We hung out with Jill and Audrey (two girlfriends from our high school) and Katie (Anna's sorority "little"), and it was such a blast. I had no idea that D.C. could be SO hot in the summer (it was almost 100 degrees that weekend!), but we had a great time enjoying Jazz in the Garden, a Nationals baseball game, walking through Georgetown, brunch at Clydes and more. (I found the beautiful graffiti above on the Georgetown campus - isn't it gorgeous?)

Fashion Week!

To be honest, Fashion Week really intimidates me! Especially Fashion's Night Out, when Manhattan is a complete hot and scary mess.... and of course I still participate ;)  The energy in the city around this time of year is intoxicating. I was lucky to be invited to Glam Media's NYFW blogger dinner-- meeting other New York based lifestyle and fashion bloggers was an absolute dream! I loved hanging out with the girls at my table, and getting to know the team behind Glam, who impressed me to no end and were super fabulous to boot. I also had a chance to attend Harlem's Fashion Row for work, as well as visit Birchbox's fun Sample Stop with my L'Oreal friends and to catch up with my friend Deepica.

Long summer walks...

 

Okay, this sounds cheesy, but I adore New York summer walks. Living in a walkable city is so important to me... I get to see so many things along the way (like this pink brownstone 3 blocks away from me in the East Village and this kooky NY Magazine spin-off in Nolita). There's nothing a good, long stroll can't fix. This past weekend when my family came to visit, one of the best things we did was walk the entire High Line, an elevated park on the West Side that used to be rail road tracks. The views are spectacular--case in point, the rainbow-colored WWII-inspired couple kissing mural. My mom, sister, and I also indulged in popsicles while walking -- a heavenly summertime combination.

 How was your August? Are you ready for fall?

PS: Some other Life Lately recaps from this year.

love you, momma!

Hope you all had a wonderful day giving much love to your mommas! (That's my mother when she was in her early twenties in China... isn't she pretty?) Although I didn't make it back to Philly this weekend, I'm excited to give my mother a big hug and kiss when I visit on Memorial Day weekend.

Mom, I'm so blessed to have an encouraging, sympathetic mom who is full of love and laughter. I'm grateful for your & Dad's sacrifices, giving up a much easier life in China, learning new skills and thriving in a new country, 20+ years later. That little girl in the photos above admires you more than you know. Love you. 

life lately...

It's almost a foreign concept to me that we are already mid-way past April. Unbelievable. AND it hasn't been raining every day! (Whatever happened to April showers?) I'm so thankful that this month has been warm & beautiful, but I hope it doesn't pass by too quickly. Here are a few fond memories from April that I'm especially grateful for...

My wonderful family coming to visit from the Philly suburbs last Friday & Saturday (Easter weekend) = lots of exploring (Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Soho) and eating! Here's baby sister Jess enjoying some Shake Shack.

Being Chinese, my family couldn't possibly visit without restocking their supply of Chinese herbs & spices. So to Chinatown we went.... and bumped into the prettiest tiles. The turquoise is so striking, I have this image set as my Facebook cover picture.

We had a dinner feast at Peking Duck House, which is one of the nicest & cleanest restaurants I've ever been to in Chinatown (and you know that I'd happily go to the grimiest nook & crannies for good food). We didn't order their famous duck, but we had lamb chops, shumai, baozi, tofu, and other tasty little eats.

After my family left, I started off Easter Sunday at my lovely coworker/friend Marc's brunch in his Hell's Kitchen apartment, where everyone ate and drank outside on his enormous outdoor balcony. We also celebrated his sweet dog Sydney's birthday. It was so nice to see all of my L'Oreal pals and finally drink that Bloody Mary! (On a sidenote, I was sitting against a maroon couch on the balcony, the color which unbeknownst to me, reflected into my hair. Everyone thought I had purple streaks the entire time, hah! I wish I were that daring.)

On the F train back downtown, I sat across from this man who was selling cotton candy. I just HAD to ask his permission to take a picture. Moments like these make my heart swell and whatever doubt I have about living in New York (going on 5 years!) is instantly squashed.

Despite living here for so long, I had never, ever visited the High Line on the West Side highway. So I dragged one of my best friends from college, Danny, for a nice long walk right before Church service at Redeemer. It was so calming and scenic, I can't wait to go again. (And it's nice that Chelsea Market is right there. Picnic in High Line Park, anyone?)

Drinks/dinner/dessert at Catch, a trendy seafood restaurant in the Meat Packing district. I went with some lovely L'Oreal ladies who a) know how to eat and b) inspire me to do great things in work and in life. (Thanks Farrah, Esohe, Jes, and Sara.)


And this weekend -- Red velvet cupcakes (w/ heart sprinkles!) with Jasmine at Molly's. Can't go wrong with a little sugary self-indulgence here and there ;) We walked around the West Village/Soho for hours and popped into a few stores, like Addidas. Love Jas's sassy pose.

Any fun events from your week? I'd love to hear.

happy holidays!

Happy holidays my friends! Hope you're enjoying time with loved ones! I'm at home in Philly on Christmas break, and loving every second of it! Wanted to share a some hilarious holiday cartoons by the super-talented Gemma Correll :)

I could look at Gemma's blog for hours! I love kitty kats :)


(cartoons by Gemma Correll)

Last Minute Gift Guide ( No Budget!) for your Special Someones

It's crunch time, guys! I have been so bad at buying gifts for everyone... Need to FOCUS, pronto! Here are a few last minute ideas, with no particular budget. I hope you enjoyed my gift guides for 2011. Happy holidays!

A great book for your printmaking friend who aspires to own a studio one day, $10.48

Hidden animal mugs for your honorary older sister who just moved into her own apartment, $21 each

For your beauty guru roommate: a 12 month subscription to Birchbox, $110

A home decor book (450 pages of pictures!) for your constantly decorating mother, $10.96


Cute floral undies for your growing-up-too-fast 14 year old sister, $3-5 with 70% off at Gap

Recycled wine bottle platters for your friend who always brings the best stinky cheese to parties, $18 each


Kiehls Creme de Corps (the best body moisturizer in the world) for your fellowship group, $29 for 8.4 fl. oz. bottle

And lastly, a classic and timeless Swatch watch for your Father who's always got your back, $175 with 2-year warrenty; $126 without warrenty.

PS: Previous gift guides for guys and girls. xoxo

turkey weekend

Sighhh. I'm writing from Philly after yet another amazing home cooked Chinese meal. Life is good. How was your Thanksgiving? I had an awesome American/Chinese feast with cute "Turkey cupcakes", then later burned it all off while waiting in line for 2 hours with my Dad at my first Black Friday experience: midnight opening at Best Buy, which was INSANE. (Seriously, never again.) But we ended up with a Toshiba laptop for my little sister (pictured below) for $300, so it was a successful night. Instagram-ed photos below.

I also drank lots of home squeezed pomegranate juice. My Dad is in love with his juicer/mixer, so I have tried just about every juice combination on the planet. (Wheat grass + Pineapple + Kiwi? Yep, done that.)

ruben toledo for LV postcards

Hi lovelies! I'm back from an adventurous two weeks visiting Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. It was so nice spending time with family, and my sensorial buds were on overdrive from the stunning architecture, art, and history that surrounded us. We were so lucky to share this amazing experience.

I took lots of photos and found a few pretty postcards from each city to remember them by. I prefer more artistic postcards without labels/names, but they were really difficult to find! These Ruben Toledo 100 postcards set for Louis Vuitton Cityguide are gold in my book. Toledo's sketches capture the essence of each city so well, don't you think? Here are some favorites... recognize the iconic landmarks?

More details on the trip later! Can't wait to catch up some zzz's (jetlag begone!) as well as your lovely blogs :)

(photos via ilvoelv.com)