If you've read my blog before, you may know that my birthday passed a couple weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to receive the Canon Powershot s95, which has awesome video recording capabilities. To celebrate I thought why not get to know me a little better though a "What's in my Purse" video!
The Purse:
Beige Deena and Ozzy Moto Duffle Bag
It's not as large as a regular duffle bag. I think the name refers to the shape.
(These are the essentials that I carry with me on a regular basis)
Dog keychain, Hair Masks from Vietnam (I just visited my cousins who gave me these gifts from their trip to Vietnam. I kept them in my purse for the time being, and never took them out till now!), Monopoly Deal (this may become an essential...it's a great game to play with friends!)
Carmex, Oil blotting sheets, Sephora mirror compact, Faceshop eyebrow pencil, Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Peony, hair brush (this wasn't included in the video because I took it out to brush my hair before I filmed it LOL!), Banana Boat Sunblock, L'Occitane hand cream, & hand sanitizer.
This is all very new to me, so I hope everyone who watched the video enjoyed it! I really had fun filming and editing, so hopefully I can make more in the future :)
Super Love & Yay for Trying New Things,
Emily
P.S. If you guys watched the video, I really hope I didn't waste 8 minutes of your lives...
I'm back from vacation, and if you couldn't tell from the title I went to Florida! I usually go on vacation with just my immediate family, but this summer was different because my grandparents joined us. Although the pace of this vacation was more mellow, I definitely enjoyed bonding with them. Here's a little recap of what I did on vacation with some photos. Remember to click the pictures if you want to enlarge the photos or see them in better quality.
We first flew to Orlando and while I was there I visited Universal Studios, specifically for the Harry Potter theme park, and Animal Kingdom in Disney World. It was so cool to see Hogwarts and Hogsmead come to life. They had shops like the Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, and Zonko's. I even got to drink butter beer, which tasted like a delicious butter scotch malt slush. But, boy was it expensive at $11.50 for the drink as well as the plastic mug it comes in. I did keep the mug as souvenir though :) Unfortunately I don't think the $85 for the ticket was completely worth it. The rest of the other areas within the park, like Toon Lagoon or Seuss Landing were pretty mediocre. I'm really glad I got to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter though.
My family and I had a blast at Animal Kingdom! Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for anything Disney, but I enjoyed everything about the park. If you haven't been to Animal Kingdom in Disney World, think of it as an amusement park and a zoo in one! The park itself is beautiful and lush, with it's themed areas entitled Africa, Asia, and Dino USA. Not only do they have really fun rides, but there were also great opportunities to see many different types of animals, like apes and rhinos, in an environment that actually looked like their natural habitat rather than in cages or behind glass! They also have really beautifully performed shows like, Festival of the Lion King and the Finding Nemo Musical.
I didn't want to bring my DSLR to the amusement parks, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from these days. Sorry everyone, I didn't want my camera to get stolen or broken :(
We then drove to Fort Meyers and later Bradenton to relax at the beach. I loved the beaches in Florida. The sand was so white, fine and soft. It literally felt like flour between your toes! The water was also nice and warm and there was a huge abundance of seashells.
While in that area we visited the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. This is basically a historical museum that preserved the vacation houses and grounds that Edison and Ford would travel to in the winter to escape the cold and continue their research. There were many exotic plants there, like bamboo which was used for Edison's bulb filaments and rubber tree's used for Ford's tires. Edison's house was so tech savy for time with electric lighting and an intercom system. I bet it would be equivalent to Bill Gates' house now! (Did you know upon entering Bill Gates' house guests wear a pin? This pin helps the room automatically adjust the temperature and lighting when the a guest walks in!)
Both my grandma and mom really enjoy growing their own plants, so we went to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. This Botanical Garden is known for it's wide variety of epiphytes, plants which grow on other plants or objects but are not parasitic. Although I myself do not have a green thumb, I still appreciated the beautiful scenary and I loved taking pictures here.
Even though I had fun on the trip, like everyone says, there is no place like home. I'm really glad to be back and away from Florida's humidity! I hope you enjoyed all the pictures :)
Superlove and Sunshine, Emily
P.S. I got pretty tan from this trip! I wonder if you guys will be able to tell in photos :)
Every time my birthday rolls around, I enjoy being able to reflect how much I have grown and matured over the years. More importantly than that, I love recognizing all the people who have constantly been with me along the journey. I am so blessed to have my family and friends who spent this special day with me. And lastly thank you to everyone who enjoys reading my blog and for leaving all the lovely comments. It's been a really great creative outlet for me :)
Superlove & Red Velvet Cheescakes,
Emily
P.S. Now it's time for vacation. See you all in 15 days. Expect a lot of pictures :)
I hope everyone is having a great summer. I can't believe it's already almost mid August! Luckily, us quarter kids don't start till late September, so I still have some time to relax and enjoy the summer sun. To all you semester kids, high schoolers, and everyone already working, good luck on this upcoming school year! Take advantage of this fresh start :)
This summer, I took summer school from late June to end of July, so I've only been home for a little less than two weeks. I've been enjoying being able to catch up with old high school friends and just chill at home with family. Yesterday, I was quite bored and decided to do something spontaneous... so I dyed my hair!
I've been contemplating Ombre hair for awhile, but I thought it would only look good on girls with lighter hair. However, seeing how great it looked on Ashlee Simpson and Rachel Bilson, I finally decided to go through with it. If you're unfamiliar with what ombre hair is, it's basically when the color of your hair has a gradient effect. It is the most dark at your roots gradually getting lighter till it reaches the tips where it is the lightest.
Me being gutsy and honestly semi-broke, I decided to do it myself after watching a lot of youtube tutorials. If you're contemplating doing this yourself, I suggest you watch this one!
I decided to get the L'Oreal Frost and Design in Caramel. This is originally intended as a highlighting kit. I did highlight my hair as well to help the ombre effect blend in my hair, but I mainly used the dye for the ends of my hair. It has lightening properties in it, enabling the dye to lift even darker hair colors. This dye actually works surprisingly fast, so if you use it I suggest that you check your hair often. My hair became light brown in about 20 minutes! Since I have super dark hair, the lighter parts do seem slightly brassy...nothing a toning shampoo can't fix!
After lots of hole poking, aluminum foil ripping, and inhaling disgusting fumes, here are the results:
Click to enlarge and for better quality pictures.
I know this look isn't for everyone, but I think it's a fun change for now!
What do you guys think?
Superlove & Endless Summers,
Emily
P.S. Even my older brother helped me! Yay for nice siblings :)
Where have I been? Honestly, it's just been the usual - school, studying, dance, and whatever leftover time I have with friends and family. I can't believe my second year of college is coming to an end. It's definitely true when people say that your undergrad years will pass you by. As for the collegiate dance team I'm on, our season is over since it coincides with the school year. I'm no longer a newbie! Next year I'll be considered a returner. I also got a research position in a neurobiology lab on campus! I'm really looking forward to summer and seeing what my third year has in store for me.
To celebrate the last day of classes, Connie and I decided to have one last spiffy day. I really hope we will continue this tradition when fall quarter of 2011 rolls around. Here are some pictures from yesterday! Click them if you want to see them in better resolution.
To go along with my nautical inspired dress I decided to do a classic pin up-esque look with winged eyeliner and a bolder lip. Connie allowed me to bring out my inner make up artist and create a look for her. For her tribal print top I decided to go for a slightly more dramatic day look with a diffused cut crease for her monolids. Hope it turned out well!
Outfit Details:
Emily:
Nautical Dress - Forever21 (I love how it has pockets!!)
Navy Blue Socks - Target
Boots - Star Ling (purchased at Nordstroms)
Pearl Earrings - borrowed from Mom
Connie:
Tribal print shirt - Forever 21
Black Denim Shorts - Cotton On
Sandals - Sam Edelman (purchased at Nordstroms)
Earrings - Korean Boutique
Make Up Details:
Emily:
MAC Face and Body Foundation
Rock & Republic Blush in Bedroom
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Wet N' Wild Color Icon Palette in Vanity - Matte Off White shade
Wet N' Wild Color Icon Brow Pencil
MAC Black Track Fluid Line
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Cindy
Stila Lip Glaze in Merry
Connie:
Luichel Foundation Powder
Nars Blush in Orgasm
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Revlon Eyeshadow Palette in Copper Spice - Gold and Dark Brown color
Revlon Kajal Eyeliner
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara
Wet N' Wild Lipstick in Peachy
Hope everyone has a great weekend while Connie and I are studying our eyeballs out for finals!!
Superlove & Funny Faces,
Emily
P.S. I've missed you all! I guess the one thing about being inactive on blogger is the fact that you have a lot of blogs to read and catch up on. You don't have to anxiously wait for udpates :)
For some reason, I've been having this weird obsession lately when I paint my nails.
I've been making my ring finger nail have a different design then all of my other ones. And I really like it :)
Last week all of my nails were painted a hot pink/coral color, and I randomly decided to put a glitter nail polish as a top coat for my ring fingers. The main reason was actually because I wanted glitter nail polish, but I didn't want to take 10 minutes removing it off of all my nails later. Funny thing is, I ended up liking how my ring fingers were kind of a fun surprise!
This week I decided to paint my nails red, and my ring finger nail a cool tribal-ish black and white design. I used the white as the base coat, and the black as an accent color. I also used a small craft brush to make the design. I should really start investing in those design nail polishes with the thin brushes, or those pens from Sally Hansen. Have any of you ladies tried those?
Unfortunately I'm not ambidextrous, so I couldn't do the cool "M/W" design on my right hand. Don't you hate when that happens? So I ended up creating a "V" pattern, which is much easier.
I also bought those rings recently! I am a sucker for statement rings, especially when they fit my finger because usually they're too big.
It sure has been awhile since I last blogged. These past two weeks have been extremely busy for me. The hip hop dance team that I'm a member of had a big performance last weekend, so the week before was our hell week! This week I had 3 midterms, and I took my last one today! You can see what midterm madness has done to my friends and I in the section of my blog under "What am I up to". My eyes feel so strained from the reading and the studying... but now that everything is settling down I finally have some time to blog. I sure have missed everyone.
The lovely beauty blogger Amy tagged me to do this fun tag called "10 Things I Love". If you haven't checked out her blog, be sure to stop by! Thanks for tagging me Amy :) Let's begin shall we?
Rules: 1) State who gave you this award in your post 2) State 10 things that you love 3) Give this award to 10 other bloggers, listing them at the end of the post, and notify them with a lovely comment
Besides family, friends, and laughter, here are 10 things that I love in no particular order:
1.) My DSLR and photography.
Ever since my brother introduced me to photography during my senior year of high school and passed down his Canon Rebel XT to me, I've been hooked.
2.) My Desktop
Quite self explanatory. I love it for school and surfing the net and plus my dad built it for me!
3.) Biology/Psychology/Organic Chemistry
I'm a biological sciences major and even though the material can get quite challenging I still enjoy it! I'm also interested in specializing my major to neurobiology.
4.) Music
I love how music can translate your feelings into sound. Especially when you're having a bad day, it's amazing how listening to the right song can instantly make you feel a little better.
5.) My Planner
If you've read my blog, you've already seen this before. It's the perfect way to keep my life organized.
6.) Makeup
Well this is a given :)
(I just bought the MAC face & body foundation. I love it!)
7.) Moleskines
The black one is more of a personal journal where I write whatever has been on my mind and what not. The red one I use to keep track of my expenses. I love how sturdy and compact they are.
8.) Milk Tea
This is from an older post, but ideally this would be a picture of pearl milk tea. I'm craving some right now!
9.) Good quotes or proverbs
Whenever I'm down or need some inspiration/motivations, I love reading quotes. I actually made this "wall decal" from printing out the letters, pasting it on cardboard, and taping it to my wall!
10.) Dancing
I started dancing ballet when I was 5 and continued on into high school. Once I left for college I had to stop, because the college attend is too far from my dance studio. However, I decided to try out for a hip hop team on campus this year, and I fell in love with it ever since. The above photo is a picture of my class, "theta class". We are all the new members who made it this year! If you forgot what I look like, I'm in the bottom row and I'm wearing gray chucks! If you want to watch the video, try spotting me on the front left around 0:16 and on the front right around 5:13 :)
I hope you guys enjoyed learning a little more about me from this tag!
I apologize for the lack of posting this week. This quarter is really hectic compared to last quarter.
I'm taking more units and my classes start earlier, which means less sleep, more naps, and unfortunately less blogging... Boo. Connie and I even had to skip our "spiffy" day last week because we wanted to sleep in more!
Today I woke up and outside my window I saw a gloomy overcast sky. I decided it was the perfect time to break out the boots I got over winter break. However, by the end of the day it became sunny and hot! I wish Spring would just make up it's mind and stay here for good :)
The boots I'm wearing are black suede slouchy boots from Nine West. I love how they have a mini wedged heel and the best part is that they were only $40! Now that stores are being stocked for the spring season, most of their winter items are now on sale. Buying off season can help you save a lot of money, but just make sure what you buy is timeless and not trendy or else you might not want to wear it next year!
Outfit Details:
Black Boyfriend Cardigan: Aeropostal
Gray Knit Floral Dress: Forever 21
Black Tights: Target
Black Suede Boots: Nine West
Superlove & Palm Trees, Emily
P.S. I'm sorry for the silly poses! Connie and I haven't gone out to take photos in awhile, so we're quite rusty... I wish I could post more but they're too silly :)
If I'm craving something slightly salty and spicy this is what I like to make.
I myself am not Korean, but my roommate Connie and my friend Eujean are. Every time they've made Kimchi Fried Rice, also known as Kimchi bokkeumbap in Korean, I've loved it, so I asked them to teach me how.
If you are unfamiliar with kimchi, think of it as a spicy Korean pickle that is eaten as a side dish. There are many types of kimchi made with various vegetables like cucumber, radish, green onions, and napa cabbage. In this recipe I used the most common type of kimchi, the kind made with napa cabbage, which can actually be found at your local grocery store in the refrigerated produce section. It adds nice, crunch, tartness, and spiciness to the fried rice.
This recipe makes around 3-4 portions depending on how hungry you and your friends are.
Ingredients for Kimchi Fried Rice:
1. Spam
(I like using the Low Sodium version. It's healthier, and regular spam might be too salty with the kimchi)
2. Kimchi
3. Cooked White Rice (I cooked 2 cups of short grain, cal rose rice)
4. Sesame Oil
5. Eggs
Step 1:
Cube 1/3 of a can of spam into small pieces
Step 2:
Use scissors and cut a cup of kimchi into small pieces.
You can use a knife and cutting board if you like, but make sure you wash it right after or the red color from the pepper in the kimchi might stain your board.
Step 3:
Saute the cubed spam in a large skilled until the grease has rendered out and they're golden brown. There's no need to add oil to the pan, because spam has a lot of fat in it already!
Step 4:
Add the kimchi to the pan and continue to cook till the kimchi is warmed through.
Step 5:
In another pan multitask and fry some eggs. I like mine over easy.
Step 6:
Transfer your cooked rice to the pan with the kimchi and spam and add a small drizzle of sesame oil. Mix it all together till everything is well incorporated. Also if your rice is not red/orange enough, you can add some of the liquid from the kimchi. Don't add too much, or else your rice will get soggy!
Step 7:
Serve your fried egg alongside your kimchi fried rice and enjoy!
One of the other things I love about this recipe is how fast and simple it is! Let me know how it goes if you try it out :)
Superlove & Yummy-ness,
Emily
P.S. Thank you Connie & Eujean for teaching my how to make this!
