Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year.


Here's hoping 2010 is about home, family, and love.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Photo of the day.


Taken in the South End of Halifax, Nova Scotia in early November.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

pale green nail polish.

When I was visiting my friend Gigi in Rhode Island in August 2008, we had manicures done. Gigi was being done first, so I killed some time by perusing the nail polish colours. And then I found it: the most perfect shade of pale green by some random off-brand that I've long since forgotten. I adored it and refused to remove the nail polish off my fingertips for weeks after I'd arrived home.
Ever since then, I have been searching for the perfect shade of pale green nail polish. I tried a shade by Sally Hansen, but it was too pale and sparkly: it was like being transported back to junior high.

Then, Chanel's "Jade" limited edition nail polish reached my radar. Oh, how I coveted. But could I justify spending $30 on a little bottle of nail polish? Not on my student loan budget, I couldn't. Sigh. It is sold out now anyway.
See the one in the middle? I think my prayers might be answered.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Dreaming of the Summer...

This is where we're getting married.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Kind of a silly dilemma...

I'm taking a break from studying for Monday's midterm and going over my paper for the same class. I think after staying up late last night to finish my essay, I deserve a break.

Something non-academic has been bothering me lately. I bought this dress back in September:
Cute, right? I'm not usually one for pink, but it was on sale and comfy and had pockets. I wear dresses pretty often, and I adore dresses with pockets.

Thing is, it's December now. I've worn the dress all of twice, and it's been sitting in my closet calling my name. My problem with this dress is that the bodice is cut a bit too low, and you can see my bra peeking out the front, even after adjusting the straps. Not so cute.

I only noticed this the second time I wore this, as the first time I was wearing a wraparound sweater, which covered things up. What's the best way to deal with this dress so I can wear it again? I miss the breezy skirt and the pockets!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

It's so simple!

How did I not think of this sooner? I am wearing ballet slippers to my wedding!

1. I took ballet classes for twelve years
2. ...and am considering more dance classes (for which they would come in handy, since my old shoes are ratty)
3. They're as close to barefoot as one can get and still be wearing flats
4. They're heckuva comfortable
5. I can dance in them
6. I can play hide and seek in them
7. I can strap them on my feet and they won't come off
8. No blisters!
9. My wedding is supercasual anyway
10. They're reasonably priced
11. They can be modified:

Awesome, right? I'm now officially on the lookout for coloured ones, especially red and blue.

P.S.: Whoa, they even have bridal ballet slippers! Is it sad that I'm not surprised at how geriatric they look?
Bleccch.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Still writing...

I have Conroy curled up on one side of me. He was purring like a motor earlier, but now he is fast asleep. I hope his legs don't twitch too much if he starts dreaming.
Guinnie was grooming herself, but is now also sleeping. She's a bit further away, and I want to pull her little warm furry body closer. I'm afraid to, though, because it would wake her up and last time I tried, she bit me. Not hard, mind you, but she made her point.
There's also the added bonus of my handsome fiance sitting near me on the other futon. All in all, it's a pretty cosy set-up. Now I'm thinking that I'd rather study here than go to the coffee shop...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Anglo-Maratha Wars were important because...

Writing a paper right now feels downright wrong. I don't remember the last time that I ended up doing homework on a Saturday night. Saturday afternoon, yes. But not Saturday night. Here's hoping that I get most of it done tonight but still can squeeze at least a little bit of lounging into my evening...

Friday, November 27, 2009

What Would You Wear If...?: A fanciful question that may just turn into a series of blog posts

When life gets crazy, can your wardrobe keep up? Here's what I would wear if my fella and I ran off to the courthouse next week to get hitched.

First off: a red dress, just like an Asian bride. I'd buy this dress from the ModCloth website.

Sensible, but pretty black wedges that I already own:
And my favorite watch:
And, okay, I'd buy these beautiful earrings from wimoyu's etsy shop:
Can you blame me?

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, pickles, olives, pickled beets, salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, apple crumble pie, and more dessert... and yet, part of me wonders if there's room for sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

(Edit: We had an hour to spare, so sweet potatoes with marshmallows were made, and were tasty. So were the pumpkin spice cookies with vanilla glaze that our guests brought).

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Sweet nothings...

With exams and deadlines looming, I'm looking forward to the summer and to my wedding. We're having a fun afternoon affair - part picnic, part potluck, part barbecue, followed by games and dancing for anybody who wants to dance. Over the past week or so, though, I keep coming back to one special part of the party in mind: the dessert table.

The fella and I have discussed the cake a few times. A local baker was very enthusiastic, but too expensive. Since the world's best bakers are my mom and my fella, I figured we'd be better off taking care of things ourselves. However, there are about a million options for wedding desserts! Decisions, decisions...

Option 1:
We first considered doing cupcakes: cute and an easy way of including different flavours (a must, since the fella adores chocolate, but my maid of honour is allergic).

However, we had to abandon the idea because of how labour-intensive these beauties are. It takes a lot of careful frosting application to make these babies look good, and I think we'll have enough going on without a messy "pimp my cupcake" bar. They are really cute, though...


Option 2:
Two cakes! One chocolate, of course... (I am really attached to tree-themed cakes, and part of me wants tree-trunk cake stands)
and one... rainbow? I love rainbow cakes - the fella and I baked one for my younger brother's birthday last year, and it was beautiful.
This is the tye-dye style we used for his, but we could also try different-coloured layers...
Sweet, right? I'd probably err on the side of pastel, though my inner child is digging the vibrant colours...

Option 3:
Speaking of my inner child, how about a rice krispie cake?
So adorable, eh? It would be easy to make, really cheap, and easy to customise with, for example, layers featuring M&Ms or peanut butter.

Option 4:
Another wedding dessert option is pie. It's currently on the trendy side, and for good reason: who doesn't love pie? You can pick and choose from a ton of flavour options and permutations - fruit pies, cream pies, meringue pies... Plus, the Tec Pataja photoshoot this image is taken from remains my favorite source of wedding inspiration (I still want horses wandering through my wedding).
Option 5:
The thing is, none of these desserts thrill and delight me as much as the prospect of my favorite summertime dessert: strawberry shortcake. My mother always made it with biscuits, and I would want just that: fresh whipped cream, piles of sweet, juicy strawberries, and buttery biscuits soaking in all the flavour.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you're feeling indulgent. Oh man, not ANOTHER option!

Option 72: Homemade ice cream sandwiches

Option 73: Gelato

Option 74: Candy bar

Option 879: The biggest dessert bar that anyone has even seen.
Thank goodness we still have months to decide...

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

because every blog needs more cats!

Meet Guinevere (we usually call her Guin, or Guinnie), and she is one hyper little troublemaker. I mean, just look at her!

And Conroy... well, he likes sitting on things. Like boxes.

In conclusion, they are in love, despite the 3-year age difference. And that's okay.

shamelessly stolen from Rachel's blog...

If I could choose one outfit made up of clothes from Mod Cloth to wear to school tomorrow, here is what I would choose:

First, a classic shirtdress:
Topped with an adorable cardigan:
Some spunky tights:
Killer shoes:


And to top it all off, a gnarly narwhal necklace! ... to be honest, I am seriously coveting this.

ingredients for a lovely evening

One mug of celestial seasonings lemon zinger tea, sweetened with a bit of sugar.

Paint fingernails a dainty shade of pale yellow.

Add two cats, one fiance, and episodes upon episodes of Naruto.

Sit back, smile, and enjoy.

The first post is always the hardest.

I've started this blog to have a pretty little haven on the web to call my own. I will make lists, write songs, share recipes, links, and photos, and hopefully learn something.