don't mind me!

this is supposed to be my year... so why does it feel like 2010 all over again? i'm lacking inspiration, motivation and all kinds of optimism. the job search has been so hard - both the act of it and the mental effects. not being able to make money to save for my future, and in turn delaying the inevitable and desirable, is so saddening. it makes me wonder - where is all the positivity and good fortune and blessings? and this weather sure isn't helping! ...wait... i do live in orange county, right?

i just want my good life back!

shopping for charity

there are a few ways, as i'm sure you already know, that you can donate money to help with the japan earthquake/tsunami devastation. you can donate via texting 90999, livingsocial (where they matched your $5 donation and would do so up to $1 million) and now there's another way:



until 11:59pm tonight, assuming it is EST bc i have not noticed any specifications, 100% of forever 21's proceeds will go to relief efforts in japan. as i've said before on other media sources, if you're going to shop there, you might as well make today the day. i can't imagine a better time to shop whether you have to, need to or just want to - especially if it is going to a cause much greater than most of our daily goings on.

there is something wrong with women

it's kind of like inception. plant an idea and watch it grow on its own, maybe wilder and wilder than you intended. sometimes, it spins out of control and neither you nor the subject can control it.

wellll, this analogy can be used to describe this hypothetically hypothetical situation i hold in my hands. tell a woman you intend to marry her, she will dream of the future. tell a woman you are saving to marry her, she will dream of when it will come. tell a woman you want to know more about the "tools" of which you will marry her with, and SHE WILL NOT STOP GOOGLING.

it seems most women have the inherent incapability to "keep it in their pants," so to speak, when it comes to diamonds, rings, settings, etc... while some women just don't care. i have yet to meet that woman, bc even the most independent of them want them either for themselves or just bc they are sparkly.

in the end, i come to only one conclusion: this needs to stop. I CANNOT LIVE LIKE THIS FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO A YEAR. i know nothing about customs or traditions (strangely enough) and had no idea i even had an option to choose... i always imagined there would be a great element of surprise and that i would hopefully not end up having a carrie moment like when she found her ring in aiden's duffle bag and proceeded to projectile vomit. horrible. that was a sex and the city reference btw, and i apologize for the dreamy images juxtaposed against one of a retching pea green color. yikes.

shows how much i know. it's a very strange feeling, dipping your toes into a land full of unknowns. i like to think i'm a bit of a know-it-all and this is where i fall flat... on my face. "enough with the quips, already!" i hear ya. i must run myself out the door and start a thing called "exercising"... i know, it's foreign to me, too.

a few hours ago, i made the mistake of drinking green tea and now cannot sleep even if i tried. except i haven't, so...

in the late night/early morning blog updating haze, i completely forgot a few big things that happened in february.

first, my friend barry's birthday was celebrated in good form in vegas! the only way we know how to do it. our party of 12 (we roll deep) stayed at the vdara, and walked + ran approximately 10 miles all weekend to get from hotel to hotel, within hotels. sometimes in heels. clearly a great idea, every time. we experienced marquee for the first time, and let me tell you: LED walls are just as incredible as they sound, and watching their dancers is like watching a free burlesque show. not to be equated to the movie "burlesque," this generation's "glitter" and the shortened trailer of which i have seen about 20 times thanks to hulu plus. i apologize if that sentence did not make sense bc i have reread it about 10 times and can't understand why it doesn't sound right. it's clearly time for bed. but not before this upcoming bombshell!

secondly, I DYED MY HAIR FOR THE FIRST TIME. actually, my new hair stylist dyed it and it was only an all-over partial foil (highlights), but it's obvious enough that my good friends had to question their memory and attention to our friendship before asking if i had gotten my hair done. 23 years of virgin hair! waved goodbye at an aveda salon near me (hue in hb). i don't regret it for one second, though. they give the most killer scalp massages with every appointment...

the moral of the story is, i experienced much personal growth during that last week, if only when it comes to who touches/cuts/colors my hair bc it will eventually just grow back. thankfully, it turned out very nicely. come to think of it, i might have to use that last bit in a yelp review...

it is so hard for me to keep up with blogging, though i have nothing but time on my hands (it seems)! that might actually be the root of the problem, as with so much free time, you tend to let it slip away bc you don't have a real sense of time...

in martha stewart's words, february was a good thing. esp. valentine's day, which is a first bc i have never celebrated the holiday in the traditionally materialistic (but symbolic, right?) fashion. flowers were delivered to my door early one morning (around 9am) and intercepted by my mother, who grilled the delivery man as to who they were sent by when she saw there was no name, later telling me "you never know what kind of scam they're running these days... you don't want to fall into a trap." then she asked me who they were from and I could only react by rolling my eyes and asking, "how many boyfriends do you think i have?"; i made a few heartfelt crafts G said he cherished bc no one had ever made him any art; i took him out to ruth's chris for a man's meal (which is my favorite kind); and he surprised me with... a future stay at la costa spa resort in carlsbad! it was all very shocking, as i'm not sure if the man has a romantic bone in his body, but the thought he put into this fabricated holiday was incredibly sweet.

now, if only i could sleep, it would prevent me from blogging further about nothing...

love desserts.

via weheartithappy valentine's day! to the singles: be your own valentine and you will never be disappointed. to those with lovers: expect only love, today and everyday. also, maybe some sweet heart-shaped sweets.

how to spend your (my) savings

quick and easy.

just like how valentine's day should go. a lot of pressure can turn a silly hallmark holiday into a big disappointment. so, make this! simple.


via designsponge

find the how-to here.

if only...

BREAKING NEWS. for fear of falling in love with unattainable items (which is something i do quite often as it turns out), i have never immersed myself in the depths that is david yurman jewelry. tonight, i broke my fast and found out that there is something for every budget.

i say, forget tiffany's (forgive me... i know not what i'm saying right now). forget van cleef & arpels (i'm really digging myself a hole here). forget cartier (and now i'm underground). sidebar: you could never forget harry winston - can't even utter the words - so i won't go there. but it has been done; david yurman has won me over. in fact, i'm mentally saving for a few rings as we speak.



from left to right, up and down: $75, $325, $595, $790, $975, $1400, $2200, $5900

and funny enough, the first 2 are my favorites, with the onyx to die for. however, the wheaton ($2200) is my dream right hand ring, and also one of my favorite dog breeds.

i'm all over the place. i know.

Super Bowl Sunday

While getting ready before heading out to our friends R+A's house to spend SBS, I had what I thought was a really amusing idea. Definitely something different, and maybe something the man would be interested in. It would be a wager on who would win the big game, and the stakes? Valentine's Day. Yep, you read right. Instead of going right for his wallet, I was willing to bet on the Steelers getting the ring (like I really cared) and that would determine whether we celebrate the trite holiday. I win, we do. He wins, we don't. Now, I'm glad this was never officiated because I would have been out a holiday, many of which I get pretty animated about and hate to miss. Feb. 14 included, despite how little I really care for it. But in the end, it turns out that G wouldn't have agreed to the terms anyway. Good sign of a good man. So all in all, I suppose V-Day lives on this year. Can't tell if I'm happy or disappointed... I'm a very backwards woman sometimes.