Might As Well...

*WARNING: Picture heavy

Oh by gosh, by golly... (is that right?)

Well, here I am, 6 months or so later, resurfacing, once again. *waves hello* Such has been my social media life, of late, I found, popping in and out, when I do find the energy to do so.

Anyhoot, thought I'd post one more time before the year ends and might as well end my blog post for the year with a bang, doing the very antithesis of my goal all this time... SHOPPING! *maniacal laugh*

Hey, I'm with the family for the holidays, and one tradition that me and my sisters have been observing the last 4 years is Boxing Day shopping! *grins* Like youngest sis said, this is probably the only day ever that none of us mind waking up at 5 in the morning. Oh shopping gods, that's gotta' count for something, eh?



Come rain snow or shine...

Aldo Huesca smoking slippers

Blondo Nikki boots, at Naturalizer

J Crew Outlet cardi and toque

J Crew Outlet Suede Studded Classic Ballet Flat

Sam Edelman Putnam Saddlered Sud, at Holt Renfrew Outlet

The Loft

 

... all while jostling thru' this crowd, eeep...

 

So there you have it, folks, my holiday un-retail therapy! *sheepish smile*

 

And before I end this post, thought I'd share some pics that show the impact of the recent ice storm that hit  part of the east coast. Fortunately, I missed it, so it was almost back to norm by the time I arrived.

 



On that note, I hope Santa has been good to you this year and that you enjoyed Christmas surrounded with your loved ones. I also wish you nothing but all kinds of good stuff for the coming year. Here's to a new year full of possibilities with new beginnings, new chances, new resolve. Here's to our happiness, health and wealth, always! Cheers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Hot Time in the City

It's been a really wonderful summer so far, weather-wise. Hubby and I didn't really have any trip planned for the summer. Doesn't mean that I still can't enjoy it, just by being out and about in the city...

Hope you're having just as wonderful a summer!

How To Fangirl Properly

fangirl  

A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something (or someone). Fans of a particular thing (person)...

I was told I'm too cynical to know how to "fangirl" properly. Ok, just by my sister (hehe). No, I say I'm not... (maybe I'm too old?) And even if I am, I say a cynical gal can still fangirl. How, you ask?

• Take everything at face value. Whatever the person says/writes/quotes, let that be THE word. No questions asked. Which means that once in a while, you may have to put aside your own opinions, overlook typos, whatever, because let's face it, the person has more knowledge than you and must have a legitimate reason for everything (yes, including the typos).
• Never ever ask the person difficult questions; questions that may actually need to be handled by the person's PR team. Stick with simple ones (eg. "How do you take care of your lovely skin?")
• Always gush on your posts/tweets, about everything concerning the person! (eg. "I love how you look sipping coffee in that pap picture, perfection!")
•  Show support to whatever the person supports, let the person know about it, AND announce it to the world. Virtual world, that is. Real world doesn't count 'cause the person's not in it anyway.
• Get on the fansite bandwagon, and agree with all the other fans.
• Post on the person's FB page, or tweet the person, at least once every day, or twice (maybe not thrice or more, as that may just appear stalker-ish).

(via Google images, courtesy of isatv.com)

HAHAHA... Ok, I'm just being facetious. *grins* (see above image)

Actually, I fangirl quite a bit over certain people, that's for sure. And I have no shame admitting it. I have no qualms letting people know out there how much I adore them AND their work. I don't expect any response unless I have a specific question (mind you, it makes my day, that's for sure, when I get a reply regardless). And believe me, people who knows me know when I'm fangirl-ing over somebody.

Perhaps I should apologize if I sound offensive and I just want to clarify that what I don't get is the way some women fangirl without substance... hmmm, but is that the point of fangirling?... hmmm, am I confused about what fangirling is all about?... hmmm, maybe I don't know how to fangirl after all... hmmm... or do I?... hmmm...

Hey, to each their own, no?

(Don't mind me. With work keeping me busy, I'm just trying to enjoy summer, and not over-exert my brain with too much thinking. Clearly, not necessarily the best results, but hey it is what is:p)

The Making Of... #2

... Oven-roasted pulled pork:)

This was inspired by this recipe.

From this...

... to this

I added ground coffee for the dry rub. I also used a bit of liquid smoke.

I didn't quite follow the barbeque sauce, so I kinda' played with my own.

Barbeque sauce:
onion & garlic, pureed
ketchup
red wine
red wine vinegar
soy sauce
coffee
peanut butter
garlic powder
dry mustard powder
honey
celery salt
salt & pepper

Slaw dressing:
Dijon mustard
Mayo
Renee's Caesar Salad dressing
honey, a touch
salt & pepper

... et voila!

Hubby and I may just be imagining things, but I thought it turned out pretty dang good, mmmm...

I Think I May Have Spoken Too Soon

Not sure what happened but I've decided all of a sudden to get on the mint green skinny jeans bandwagon. I didn't feel like it when it actually first came out, what, like last summer, so why now? Hmmm... Mind you, I think what may have triggered it is the fact that I'm still seeing them in some stores. All kinds of pants in different material & cut, but alas, not the one I'm wanting. All while supposedly "trying" not to shop, yes.

So thanks to my mint green skinnies obsession, I think the shopping dry spell has officially ceased (oh noes!) and look what I found...

(American Eagle: top)

(American Eagle: jegging)

(Gap: neon belt)

(Old Navy: tube maxi dress, tank tops, $1 flip-flop; Jacob: bracelet)

I should tell you the side story about my Old Navy haul. The day after I bought these items, I received an Old Navy email alert that says 30% off total purchase for 2 days only. You have no idea the "agony" I put myself thru deciding whether to return the current haul, and re-purchase them at the new price, or just leave it be and just take advantage of the new sale with more a different purchase. CRAY CRAY, I know!!! O.o

Anyhoot, where's the mint green anything, you ask?!?!

(online purch)

Yes, I did end up using the Old Navy special. Aiyah!!... Well, I did end finding my mint green skinnies, ok?! Obsession satisfied... *sigh*


Do you succumb to these summer sales like I do? Please say yes... hehe... What's your summer sale shopping been like so far?

Back "Home"

I'm a child of an immigrant family. We've been living in our adoptive country, our "new home" for close to a quarter of a century now, which for me translates to pretty much more than half my life. So when people ask me if or when I'm going back home, that simple question becomes a moment of reflection. All the time.

(via Google image, courtesy of cntraveller.com)

To add to that, after getting married, hubby and I moved and now live on the opposite coast, and this is not counting the time we spent living in the US.

So in my head, it shouldn't come as a surprise then that I don't necessarily think of the country that I was born in immediately as home, nor the city that our family first moved to (which the rest of the family still calls "home"), nor the city where we currently live in. And I guess what I'm trying to say is as cliche as it may sound, home, really, is where the heart is, which makes it 3 different places, in my case. And for me, that's ok.

My native country will always hold fond memories of my childhood. My adoptive country, my new native country if I can call it that, makes a chunk of my past now and has shaped me as an adult. My current city represents my present. And as for the future, who knows!

On that note, wishing all Canucks out there a "Happy Canada Day!" :)

I Think I May Be Getting Better At This

For me, summer is not just about the weather, it's also about end of season sale. Surprise, surprise! As we head towards July long weekend (Canada Day for us, 4th for US), my inbox is getting flooded with all kinds of sale alerts.

So over the weekend, I thought I'd check out what's "out there". I know, I know, I don't have to, but I thought, why not. I wasn't overly concerned that I would go crazy all of a sudden after months (yes, as in months) of not shopping. And hey, you know what, I was right, in a way.

Bath & Body hand soaps

Yup, I did buy something but those were it. So hey, I think I may be getting better at this, after all, no?

To Dads

To the new dads just discovering the joy of fatherhood...

To the old dads who continue to be there for their children, whether they're 4 or 40...

To the future dads looking forward to a future with their children...

But most of all, to MY dad...

Happy Father's Day!

Miss you more and more everyday...

Closet...

... Blogger

Still? Yes. To this day, still not too many of my friends know that I blog. I started sharing this fact with a few when I first started, but as it turns out, most of my friends are not so keen on blogging, whether reading or writing one, let alone finding out about my inner thoughts. Well, duh, I guess they hear enough from me in person or FB (ok, not so much there either lately), and now I expect them to read about it too? As it also turns out, some, if not most, are keen on keeping their privacy and think blogs negate that. Hey, so am, and do, I! Yes, seriously! Perhaps my major reason to begin with about being in the closet with my blogging. Oxymoron-ic, I know (is that even a word?).

... Tweet-er

Again, I learned that my friends are not that big fans of Twitter. Solid FB users, thru and thru, but the love doesn't quite extend to Twitter. What's not to love, I'm not sure. I can be succinct or cryptic as I can be in 140 characters or less to no one in general.

... Tumblr-er(?)

Ok, I don't really use my Tumblr account.

... Goodreads member

If you're an avid reader and haven't been to this site, you have to check it out. Maybe it's just me, but it's addictive! I can get lost in this site for hours just discovering new books and reading what people think about various books. And I think because I was reading so many reviews, I had this brilliant idea that I can do the same *raises an eyebrow*  I thought if I cared enough about what some random people feel about a book, without knowing anything about those people, then perhaps some other random people will feel the same way about what I write... *sigh*

(via Google images, courtesy of syra-arts.com)

So there you have it! My virtual self, all (mostly) compartmentalized in tiny digital boxes. *grins* You may, or may not, get a sense of (a part of) who I am...

When you blog/tweet/post, what goes thru your head when you hit that publish/tweet/post button? How reflective of your real self is your virtual self? Do you ever think of possible consequences, or if there are any at all?

Things That Keep Me Up At Night

How am I going to find time the time to read my bajillion books?

What book should I read next?

Why is my e-reader not syncing properly?

How can some e-books be more expensive than their paperback version?

When are they going to put that pair of shoes on sale?

What restaurant should we try next?

What if I miss {insert name}'s tweets?

Generic ketchup or not?

How can she wear the same top from yesterday?

How can they end The Following that way?

Why am I keeping all these episodes of {insert title}in our PVR?

Why is {insert title} so popular? What am I missing?

Did s/he just really write that? What is s/he thinking?

Did I use the right tense in that sentence? Was my grammar correct?

Why did she take that character in that direction?

Did s/he see my tweet? Why is s/he not responding?

Why can't I delete this activity from my timeline?

**********

... ok, not really... {hashtag} first world problem...

HAHA!

Not So Guilty Pleasure Anymore

Hi, my name is... and I'm a closet romance reader...

There! I'm finally admitting it, I love romance novels! *shrieks* 

I haven't really read romance novels since my early teens. I used to devour them like crazy, starting from the teenybopper Sweet Dreams right up to the steamier ones like Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Loveswept (hey, what can I say, I'm a Gen X-er after all). That is, until I reached a point (a year or so later) when I just got tired of the formulaic stories, the weak female heroines and the same alpha heroes with more money than god. I turned my back on them and moved on to other books that I thought will feed my brain better.

But a certain book got on my radar last year (it that shall not be named HAH!) and next thing I knew, my fascination with romance novels has been re-kindled. The funny part is that particular book was not even really the best written one out there and will probably not win any literary awards but one thing it did do is it hooked me right back in. *sigh* (whodathunk!)

As a result, what I did discover as well is that the new romance novels have now developed a new formula, so to speak. The better written ones have the right amount of angst to evoke enough emotion, the characters have more texture to them, the heroines have finally developed some spine and the alpha heroes, although some of them still with more money than god, have become, let's just say, more varied in their occupation. And boy have they gotten a whole lot steamier too, oh my! (as in NSFW... or young 'uns for that matter... you've been warned!)

And these days, one of my fave, if not THE most fave, in this genre has got to be Sylvia Day.

The Crossfire series follows the emotional and romantic journey taken by Gideon Cross and Eva Tramell

Sylvia Day, as far as I'm concerned, has got this corner covered. Not sure how she does it, but dang, she does! Here's a series with characters that are well developed, a heroine with so much fight in her, a hero *major swoon* who you can't help but fall in love with (just ask all the Sylvia Day fans), and it covers a whole gamut of emotions, that you really can't help but get immersed in it. Just saying...

As we speak, the 3rd book in this series, Entwined With You, has just released, and it could not have come fast enough! Love this series! Love the characters and their story! Care to take a guess what I'll be doing this weekend? heehee...

In the meantime, I wonder, do you think that romance novels have just been getting a bad rep all this time? Just because it's a "fluffy" form of escapism, does that make it less of a written art? A well written story is a well written story, is it not? And if it gets people reading, hasn't it achieved its purpose in the end?

Hoorah to Social Media! Death to Social Media!

I recently had an email interaction with a public personality, who I was am(?) a big fan of, about an interview that the person did. It was an interview that I really enjoyed but there was a portion of the interview, about social media of all things, that didn't sit quite well with me and I thought I'd let the person know how I felt about it in the hopes that the person can address it. (Address it? Who do I think I am? *raises eyebrow*)

(courtesy of blog.gemalto.com, via Google images)

Let's just say that it didn't go down very nicely. Had I not been secure with my views and taken the entire content of the response I received personally, let's just say I probably would have been curled up in a ball after reading it, huddled in a corner and just started questioning my beliefs (ok, I'm exaggerating). I think that was the intent of the response anyway. I guess the person felt personally attacked so the person responded in a similar fashion. But I didn't take it personally (how can I when I only "know" OF the person?), and just looked at it as objectively as possible. In retrospect, I still didn't think I've said anything demeaning, I thought I was merely making a point. Unfortunately, from the person's perspective, that wasn't the case, as I've regrettably learned (What do I know? I'm just a fan, after all, right? *insert googly eyes*). Real shame...

Regardless, what it did to me though is it saddened me. It revealed a side of this personality that I wasn't prepared to see at all (I should have just been happy, I suppose, "adoring" this person like a regular fan, is that it?) and it just further confirmed what I already know, that image is not necessarily everything. Shoulda' known better... *sniff, sniff*

The only other thing I'm gonna say about this experience is that social media has indeed become a game changer. For everybody. These are the (digital) times we're living in... fortunately, or unfortunately... depending I guess on which end you're at...

O well... C'est la vie...

Tell Us of a Time...

I haven't really decided if the direction of this blog is changing. Hmmm, did I have a direction to begin with? And do I really need to have a direction? These are my random musings after all, are they not? Hmmm...

Anyhoot, since my random musings lately have gotten more random, thought I'd just talk about the job interview I recently had. The job interview that's led to all these changes lately, to begin with. So, I've been doing this position since beginning of May, officially, that is. Unofficially, I've been doing it for almost a year, although at a different office. And the funny thing was for me to be in that position officially, even though I've been doing the same task already, I had to interview for the position just like everybody else...

"So, tell us of a time when you..."

(courtesy of bubblews.com, via Google images)

Don't you love that question?

One thing that most of us already know when it comes to behavioural interviewing is the STAR method. Whatever your response is, it should follow this format: 

Situation 

Task 

Action 

Result

But what did I really learn out of this experience, and from the people who were instrumental in my preparation for it?

• Because I had back-to-back interviews, I had to really prepare. As in prepare! A LOT! I spent weeknights and some weekends just to prep my notes.
• Practice, practice, practice. So practice I did. And in front of a mirror, just to make it a little bit more uncomfortable. HAH!
• In this situation, I learnt it was all about me. It's what I did and accomplished. "I did this... I led that... I presented this... (you get the gist)"
• And because this was an interview where I know the people on the other side of the interview desk, the best advice I probably received was to pretend that I didn't know those people. The devil was in the details, whether they know about it or not. After all, whether they are fully aware of my accomplishments or not, at the end of the day, they cannot rate me on something they know but I didn't say.

I'm just glad that the result was a happy one... 

The Beginning of Summer

Over the Memorial Day weekend, not that we celebrate it since we don't live in the US, I ended up making a a classic American eat to mark what people usually associate Memorial Day with, the start of summer, in addition of course to honoring the fallen soldiers, that is. So I suppose we inadvertently kinda' did anyway...

... the beginning of a juicy bacon cheese burger

And I guess you can't have burgers without...

(Garlic) Baked French Fries, my version of

Garlic Flavoring:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter (just a tad)
Garlic, crushed
Parmesan cheese
Parsley

(I tossed the fries right into the mixture straight from the oven, then I put it back into the oven for few more minutes to marry the flavor)

The meal did taste like summer. Now if only I can say the same about the weather...

Fashion Inspiration

As I'm getting older, the more I'm certain that I'm not really that girly-girl kinda' gal. Granted I wear dresses now more than ever but I've always felt at my most confident in menswear-inspired clothing, or I should say, clothes with some masculine touch to them. Oh wait, same diff, right?

Here are some of the women who then inspires me as I think they epitomize what I mean above.

(all images via Google images)

Emmanuelle Alt

(courtesy of nymag)

Gwyneth Paltrow

(courtesy of graziadaily.co.uk)

Jackie O

(courtesy of writingsofthegoddess.com)

Marlene Dietrich

(courtesy of last.fm)

Katherine Hepburn

(courtesy of suecarterflinn.com)

To me, these women represent(ed) strong, confident, and feminine all at once. Do you agree? Who inspires you sartorially?