finding a balance

I know many people are not very open about weight on personal fashion blogs but it's a topic that is relevant to my life at the moment and I'm sure many of you can relate as well. I get quite a few comments and emails asking how I am able to eat so much and still stay skinny; I've been to the gym a grand total of two times in my life and always hated the word "diet". Maybe I was flattering myself by claiming that I don't do anything, but in truth, there's a lot that many of you don't see. I do wear loose dresses and tops and may pose for photos in a way that hides what's really there but I'm starting to feel the effects of leading an unhealthy lifestyle inside my body.

I'm currently sitting in front of my computer eating a salad. A salad? This is coming from someone whose dad once bet her $50 that she couldn't finish a salad and made her way through one just for the money. Nevertheless, even in high school it was easy to be naturally healthy (without a need for the word "diet") when I was living at home four years ago with a mom who would cook five days a week. However, when I moved away for college, I gained a good 20 pounds over the course of six months while living in the dorms and never eating homecooked meals. My mom would also only let us drink soda on weekends but when I left, I fell into the trap of having sugary drinks all the time with my meals and reached a point where I'd have one or two cans of (regular, not diet) Coke everyday. And don't even get me started on my addictive obsession with fast food...

BF and I had a really intense conversation about how we need to change our terrible habits and have been making an effort to eat better and eat out less. I mean really, was it necessary to get brunch at Boogaloo's twice last week after going to Schmidt's right before? Of course, we're still going to treat ourselves to nice meals out once or twice a week but for now we're going to try exercising and eating at home for most of the week. We're not doing this just to lose weight, we're doing it to feel better and live healthier lifestyles. Fear not, food porn will not suffer. BF and I are already planning trips to more places that we want to try but we're spacing them out more. For now, I'm anticipating our reservation at Boulevard for BF's 25th birthday in a week and a tentative trip to Chapeau to celebrate with friends.

And you know what? This salad is actually quite delicious. Not bad at all.

schmidt's in the mission

thrifted floral dress, h&m thigh highs + tights, parka from south korean boutique

Hey look, I managed to take a photo of my outfit! I don't have anything to say about it except for 1. I have a strange soft spot for grungy 90's florals that I can't seem to shake off, 2. I can't bring myself to throw away my favorite dingy booties, and 3. I freaking lurve this parka. The obvious star of this post are the photos of food (no surprise there, huh?) since they chronicle our first trip to Schmidt's in the Mission. Don't ask me how this is only our first when BF lives only a few blocks away and we've been to Walzwerk (the owners' other restaurant) countless times. Walzwerk is on my top ten list of favorite places to eat in SF and the only reason why I have never blogged about it is because I'm too busy scarfing down my pork schnitzel to remember that I have a camera. It's that good.

Well, in any case, here we finally are. It was Mike's birthday yesterday so we chose to come for lunch instead of dinner since we had plans for a night out at Smuggler's Cove. With my terrible tolerance for alcohol, I'm not very particular about my beer so I honestly cannot name what BF and friends had while we were here. My drink of choice is usually a diesel which is half Coke and half beer (pictured upper right) since I'm so obsessed with Cola and it's actually surprisingly good mixed with this beer.

We started off with a platter of cured meats which came with bread, two mustards, butter, onions, and pickles. Next came black beer and onion soup with a pumpernickel gruyere crouton (not pictured) and finally, Mike's grilled duck sausage with homemade sauerkraut and potato salad. I'm not going to lie, I usually abhor sauerkraut and avoid it all the time but this stuff was amazing and went really well with the sausage. I'm glad Mike went with the duck but next time I'd like to try the smoked or chicken bratwurst, among many others (there's seriously over 10+ to choose from).

The highlight of my day: this veal schnitzel sandwich with a fried egg. The four of us had one each and unanimously agreed that they were quite spectacular. My egg spewed out just the right amount of runny goo (man, I love fried eggs) and the bread was fresh and the veal was breaded and cooked perfectly well. We forgot to order a side of spätzle but oh well, it was still a delicious experience nevertheless. We're definitely going back.

Added bonus: here are Mike and Chris, who have been included on the blog before. There's also a photo of Brent and me but I know that the moment I post it, he's going to demand that I take it down. I don't think we have any flattering photos together, haha. Anyway, two more things to talk about: the Siwy contest is running until next Wednesday and check out these photos from Chictopia's Shop Social! Here's what I wore that night to finally meet a bunch of my blog/twitter friends!

ripped in all the right places

siwy hannah skinny in snowstorm via revolve clothing, acne zorah top via forward, bow ring via nasty gal

Seems like I do a lot of lounging around but this was the best I could do while my dear living room wall was occupied for most of the day. I'm still trying out these head-to-toe neutral looks and so far they're working out quite well. I think the trick is to not overdo it with too many different shades, in my own experience.

These Siwy jeans from Revolve remind me of the time when my clumsy hands tried to shred a pair of bleached denim jeans but just ended up with one massive hole at the knee. Some of us just aren't meant to attempt DIYs, no matter how simple they seem. When I saw these I was a bit hesitant about pulling off ripped denim but was pleasantly surprised to find out that they weren't as crazy as I thought they would be.

Now guess what, it's another denim giveaway! We’re giving away 1 pair of these jeans (Siwy Jeans Hannah Skinny in Snowstorm) to readers. To enter you must comment on this post by providing your email and pasting a link of your favorite Siwy Jeans on Revolve. Find the selection here: http://www.revolveclothing.com/brandpages/SiwyJeans.jsp

Please note that by entering this competition you are agreeing to receive emails from www.revolveclothing.com. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Open to both domestic and international readers!

Closing date for entries is Wednesday, April 28th. Good luck everyone!

brunch at mama's

Mama's is one of those places where you question why you are choosing to wait in line for an hour instead of nursing a major hangover until you are finally sitting down, your fork hits your mouth, and utter loudly "HOLY SHIT THIS IS GOOD." You don't know brunch until you go to Mama's, seriously. Prepare for some serious food porn, I'm drooling as I post this.

So yes, the food. The three of us shared the french toast sampler platter which had three different types of toast (I ended up with the banana nut one, soooo damn good). A random guy saw our plate and told us that we had to try the homemade jam with it so I had a couple bites... is it bad that I wanted to sneak out with the jar? Curse my small clutch! The next photo is of my plate, the shrimp benedict with avocado, which was on the special menu. Lulu had intended to get the shrimp omelet but got the crab omelet instead which was just as my plate. Aimee is allergic to eggs (poor baby) so she had to skip the egg-centric breakfast menu to get a chicken sandwich which was still quite amazing. Overall, I was very satisfied with my dish and refused to get up without devouring every little morsel on my plate (evidence: this little twitpic).

(lol @ Lulu's obsession with Tabasco) Aren't my friends beautiful? I'm a little hesitant about posting my sleep deprived mug (rough night, don't ask) after the above pics but I'll do it anyway. I am wearing my Wren corduroy jacket (which I am surprised I never managed to photograph) and T by Alex Wang striped boatneck top. There is also a silly video that goes with this but I'm afraid the low memory space on my laptop isn't letting me edit it. Oh well, my really awesome Pokemon impressions are just going to have to wait.

Final verdict: if you ever decide to visit San Francisco (or live here!) you must, must, MUST stop by Mama's. Don't just take my word, random people who were exiting the building as we were in line reassured us that the wait would be completely worth it once we were sitting down. The service is amazing (our waiter was incredibly helpful and friendly even though the restaurant is always so busy!) and I will definitely be dragging BF up there soon so he can check it out.

peachy keen

vintage cord dress, hansel from basel socks, swedish hasbeens

Thanks for all of the encouraging comments in the last post! I'm glad I didn't quit too and I hope this is enough of a push for me to post more. Today was a fairly decent day; while it started out cloudy and gloomy in the morning, the clouds cleared up by noon and the rest of the day has been full of sun and pretty weather. Time to break out my new peach (or is it orange? rust?) vintage dress and a platform + socks combination. What else is there to say about an outfit? I'd love to get pseudo poetic about an everyday ensemble but let me be honest guys, they're just clothes.

Did I ever post a good picture of these shoes on my feet? If not, here's one that I took while I was home (sans socks). I'm so glad I ordered these socks from Hansel and Basel, they fit like a dream! They're so cozy I almost feel guilty about wearing them.

I also posted a small update on my shop blog with some draped items! Remember this outfit and this one? I've given up on trying to incorporate the cardigans in my current wardrobe so I'm parting with them. I'm already regretting it but at least I'm one step away from being a closet hoarder? Bahh.

Also, thanks to Nasty Gal for featuring me on their blog, I love you guys!! Jeffrey Campbell Mariel Wedge, La Mer Capelet Tee, Rivera Chambray Jacket, Blossom Romper, and the Lula Scalloped Lace Dress in Pink.

happy birthday blog

Guess who forgot her blog's anniversary? Okay, really, so what if I'm off by two days. Hard to believe it's only been a year since I started this little project but here we are. I didn't think it would take off this well and I'm really thankful for all of the opportunities that have sprung up because of it. These photos were actually taken a week before I started the blog for a Shipley & Halmos lookbook on the Tobi website. I suppose I just never got around to posting them because I was a bit embarrassed since I'm just not used to modeling or putting myself out there like that.

The best part about it? Meeting the designers! They were so personable and fun to hang out with although I did feel a little awkward about trying to pose in front of them wearing their creations. I even snapped these polaroids of them before I left! Other than that, my memory fails me since it has been over a year but you can see the behind the scenes blog here. I'm also kind of kicking myself for not picking up that first cocktail dress when I had the chance to find a birthday dress. Ahh well.

Anyway, again, thank you everyone for visiting, commenting, and coming back! I probably would have quit this a long time ago but am having too much fun to walk away! Here's to another year of sharing my life with you guys and seeing where this blog will take me.

hi sorry, i love you

This bag is one of those gifts where it isn't something you would usually be drawn to purchase but then realize later that you really, really love it. Or maybe it's just because it's a special gift from a special someone and while carrying it around you are reminded constantly of how lucky you are to have it. Things can never be 100% perfect all the time but they're pretty damn good nevertheless. I complain a lot but I really do have the best boyfriend ever.

date at the ferry building

saint james striped shirt, HOPE blazer via Revolve, Theory shorts, Hansel From Basel socks, vintage oxfords and sunglasses

BF and I went on a date at the Ferry Building yesterday and it wasn't too bad. I've only really been there at times when I'm showing around people from out of town (during the day, at least) so there was always this stigma surrounding it being a tourist trap. Friday was supposed to be a nice day so why not? By nice day, of course, I mean a day with enough sunshine to merit bare legs. Hello legs, I missed you!

First order of business (we take eating very seriously) was to find a place to eat so I suggested Mijita since I'd been there before about a year ago. Seems like I was the only one satisfied with my torta (last pic above) since BF just grumbled and complained about his steak and chicken tacos. Usually I don't pay attention to his whining but I do have to agree with him preferring hole-in-the-wall locales over places like these which charge $4-5 a taco.

Seems like this is the first clear picture of my haircut? In any case, I'm starting to get the hang of air drying it and not damaging it with styling tools. BF also went back for a shorter haircut around the same time I did and is enjoying his cut as well. We look like such babies in pics like these when you compare them to us now!

Next stop was the Wine Bar at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant for a glass of some white wine whose name I can't remember. No, I wasn't wasted or anything, I just leave anything concerning wine to Brent since he does work with it. He ordered a carafe for the two of us and drank most of it while teasing me about how it takes me 45 minutes to finish one glass then realizing that this one glass was enough to get me a little silly. Praise my Asian tolerance!

j. lindeberg top, b.son cardigan, april 77 jeans, chronicles of never oxfords, prada sunglasses

Finally, we couldn't find anything else to do so I made him take photos of me (really, you have no idea what a pain it is for me to get someone to do this for me) by the water after we enjoyed our treats from Miette. He chose a cute little carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting while I picked up two macarons (rose and vanilla). Here's a first as well... a full photo of what BF is wearing! Can you tell how annoyed he looks? Don't be fooled, he can actually be very sweet (wait until I show you guys what he got me for our anniversary) but this is what he looks like most of the time (STINKY). Just kidding, I love you.