out with 2009...

...and in with 2010!

I always forget that I just started my blog in April, feels like much longer. I just checked my site tracker (which I totally forgot I had installed) and found that I have already surpassed half a million visits! A big thanks to everyone who made this possible. I may be a terribly bad blogger but you guys have stuck with me all this time despite my shortcomings. I promise that from here things will only get better since I can genuinely say that I'm really into blogging. It took a while but I found my niche and will continue to explore it and hope that you guys stick around for another year!

2009 started out horribly but became much better almost instantly two months in. BF and I finally started dating (after what, a year and a half of mutual crushes?) and I developed a solid group of friends. I gained ten pounds but found someone who will take me out on food adventures, so I guess it's a good thing? I'm sitting here trying to figure out what else there is to note about 2009 but most of the things I can think of are weird and Pika-related. I try to keep it to a minimum on the blog but I really am a strange person and I'm glad I don't really have to hide it IRL since BF is equally weird and odd. Oh yeah, did I ever mention that BF = his initials? I guess it works both ways.

Things to look forward to in 2010: more consistent blog posts, graduation, and, erm... joining the workforce. I'm excited about that last one only because I'll finally be done with school but it still scares the shit out of me to think that I'll be there in just a couple months. Well, in any case, 2010 sounds like it will be an interesting year and we'll see where I'll be by the end of it :)

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on vacation

While my posts were already sporadic to begin with, I'm afraid this little trip home is making me more lazy than usual. I'll try my best to get people to take my pictures for outfit shots but 75% of the time I'm going to be in my pajamas watching kdramas and anime. Or at tea shops drinking jasmine milk tea with my new Totoro keychain.

Blog friends, if you are in the LA area, let me know! The more things to do, the better.

happy holidays

No holiday season is complete without those cheesy portraits that you put on your Christmas cards, right? We had originally talked about wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and actually going to a department store studio to take them but obviously that fell through. This is close enough, right?

Since I will be in LA from 12/22 to 1/15, BF and I are trying to squeeze in as much time together this week as we can. Yesterday we went to Tartine for morning buns and coffee then Bi-Rite to prepare for the beef stew that we were planning to make in the slow cooker. He had been trying to get reindeer meat for it but apparently they sold out! I've had venison but never reindeer so it would have been interesting to try.

We actually weren't able to eat the damn stew until 11pm since we started the day quite late so we had to improvise in between. I picked out this cheese, La Tur, made from goat's, cow's, and sheep's milk. Brent wasn't too happy with but I was pleased, it was nice and creamy with a tangy rich flavor. Oh well, more cheese for me.

quite ferosh indeed

vintage leopard silk shirt, BDG cigarette jeans, prada lace-up booties

Let me start by saying that this is WAY outside my comfort zone. I'd always a bit weirded out by animal prints; maybe I'm just not ferosh enough to pull it off (or convince myself that I can). Give me florals or stripes and yeah, I'll WERK it. Leopard print? Nyah... maybe. There's something a little empowering about donning this however, that I must admit to noticing. I rarely venture out of my usual safe zone by going for something as bold as this and it's really quite fun. It's like playing dress up without actually looking ridiculous? Pfft, it seems I'm out running out of steam with this.

I'd also like to add that this is the closest I'll get to a DIY. See the sleeves? Obviously I rolled them myself but since it is silk it needs more than that to keep it in place. I ran of of sewing needles so guess what I used instead? Umm... lol: a stapler. Hey, hey I was desperate! Obviously I will fix it with real thread but until then, here's to my janky DIY skills.

Anyway, back to this whole "AM I FEROSH ENOUGH TO WERK THIS?" question. I suppose it comes down to this: what do you guys think? I'm still not 100% sure I can pull it off but I'll keep it on for the rest of the day and see how I feel. If worst comes to worst, I'll just put it in the shop which, by the way, has been updated. Silk shirts galore!

SHOP BLUSHING AMBITION

drowning in sweaters

vintage cardigan, zara scarf, anthropologie boots, target socks

Still trying to figure out where the best place is to take outfit shots. These were actually taken with me standing on top of our entertainment center after lugging an HDTV off of it. It's a tedious process but it's my favorite so far. Next I'm trying the parking lot behind my apartment, once I get used to the cold of course. This paper calls for a significant amount of indoor time and I've only really left my place to buy food and candy. I actually managed to go out in this yesterday without freezing too badly. The sheer tights may seem impracticable but my legs never get as cold as my upper body so I was fine. I may be letting go (and regretting the loss of) so many of my oversized sweaters but this one is definitely a keeper. I love sweaters that are as warm as coats without the bulky stiffness.

Thanks for the emails inquiring about the items in my shop. Most of them are already purchased but I'm thinking of squeezing in a bigger update by next week. Twitter followers usually get first dibs since I update that first! I also just uploaded two more items which I'm selling for a friend: a sample Vena Cava top and vintage striped dress!

etsy picks: oversized cardigans

vintage MARIGOLD OVERSIZED cardigan sweater via allencompanyinc

Since I'm feeling nice and I really should not be buying more of these as I get rid of them, I'm going to share with you guys a couple of my bookmarked oversized sweaters on Etsy. I promise I won't get mad if you guys buy them, in fact, I'm telling you guys to buy them. I compiled a long tedious list of my handpicked favorites as a gift from me to you guys! Keep an eye out for more in my shop blog but for now check these out from a few of my favorite etsy sellers:

Vintage Hand Knitted Shawl Collar Cardigan Vintage 80s Shawl Collar Long Sleeved Cardigan Vintage Oversize Hand Knit Tan Sweater Super slouchy honey brown cardigan 1970s GORGEOUS slouchy sweater Vintage black slouchy sweater coat Slouchy cosby sweater cardigan Vintage red MOHAIR blend oversize sweater

Vintage OATMEAL deep v neck double breasted cardigan Vintage black textured slouchy cardigan Brown slouchy fit button up cardigan vintage 70s ivory cable knit sweater cardigan Vintage cute purple slouchy oversize cardigan sweater Vintage cream cozy cable knit oversized slouchy cardigan Vintage gray and black slouchy cardigan sweater Vintage RUST GRANDPA OVERSIZED SWEATER

study study study

acne v-neck, vintage silk top, bdg jeans, anthropologie boots

Yes, it's that time again. Final exams, papers, yada yada.. I'll spare you guys from the annoying details. I'm unusually calm at the moment but I don't expect it to last very long, I think it's the eight cups of tea I've consumed compulsively. Here's what I wore today to, umm, not leave my apartment after coming back from an optional class. I went out in an oversized sweater and froze my ass off in the sunny 40 something degree weather and refused to leave my place for the rest of the day. I know this weather is not terrible for most people but when you're as spoiled as we Californians are, it's really unbearable. The other day my friend and I were talking to a sales rep at Barneys (where I just bought this super soft Acne top, btw) who's from England and was loving the weather; unfortunately it's just not our thing.

I also spent the day taking new photos for the shop! Sorry to anyone who has emailed me within the past month inquiring about items, I closed the shop without saying anything. I'll get back to you guys ASAP. Most of the clothes I posted are perfect for winter and cold weather so check it out!

SHOP BLUSHING AMBITION

walking around the mission

vintage duffle coat, vintage dress, anthropologie boots

I've been wearing this coat nonstop since I bought it; I think it's meant to be. I also just realized that it's actually a really dark navy blue, not black. That doesn't change anything since I don't discriminate against wearing the two simultaneously. Yesterday we walked to Ike's and gorged (using this verb for a second time this week) ourselves with their monster sandwiches. Also, lol @ Brenty trying to get into my pictures.

sabatino hooded top, french connection jacket, april 77 jeans, toms slip-ons

I'm going to skip out on food pictures for once this time just to spare the hungry who haven't had their breakfast/lunch/dinner. Let's just say it was the only thing the three of us were able to eat for the whole day. I'll keep this short since I'm going back to the city to go shopping. Today was the official last day of classes and I'll be swamped for the next two weeks. I'll try to update here and there!

avocado and grape tomato salad with shrimp

Now that I have a working camera I can document more food adventures! This avocado and grape tomato salad is easy enough to make for a bonehead like me since there's no cooking involved. See, I can get around without BF cooking for me, alright? Anyway, after a spur of the moment Whole Foods trip to drown my sorrows with cheese (yes, cheese) I decided to make this salad.

First I took a pint of grape tomatoes, cut them in half, and added them to the bowl. Then I chopped half a cup of Italian parsley and added it, although in retrospect cilantro may have been better. I guess it just depends on what you prefer but next time I'm trying the latter. Or maybe both, hmm.

Next come the diced onion. I hate chopping onions more than anything and this time I actually had to step away for a couple minutes because my eyes were so messed up. I'm also surprised I managed to not cut myself doing this. Obviously I don't belong in the kitchen.

Next come the avocados. I actually didn't start eating avocados until recently when I stopped being so picky. I mean, come on, I live in freaking California! Whole Food's organic Hass avocados were perfect for this dish.

Okay, then comes a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of oil. I bought this black truffle oil on a whim and man, is it strong. You can easily substitute extra virgin olive oil for it of course.

Finally, season it with sea salt and we're done! Simple, easy, and delcious. No stove involved! Oh wait... actually, I ended up adding shrimp. I picked up a pound of gulf shrimp at Whole Foods at a ridiculous price and couldn't help adding it to my salad! Did you know that most of the shrimp we eat are exported? Gulf shrimp come straight from Louisiana so they're much more fresh! Anyway, I just cooked them in boiling water with the shell on and peeled them after. Aren't they cute? Oh my little shrimp!

(I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm the only person I know who thinks of food as "cute"...)

vintage duffle coat

I feel like I just struck gold. I've been looking for a coat like this for ages but the closest I could get were these Gloverall coats which are way out of my price range. It fits me perfectly and didn't cost me an arm and a leg! If you told you guys how much I paid for it I'd probably get rocks thrown at me :3

Check out this neat article about duffle coats via the Lark About blog. Ideally I'd want another one of these coats in red or mustard but my black one is good enough for me! It even has a hood and smells weird after getting wet ahhhh.

i think i'm getting the hang of this

Udon noodles and beef broth in my favorite giant mug from Crate & Barrel and Punkin, a mini pumpkin from BF. I'm very easily amused by simple things. I tested out my camera's video feature on Punkin the other day and posted a video on my Flickr. Oh, and two extras photos of my favorite person: