Material Possessions I Have Accumulated Recently

I've always wanted to attempt to start a fashion blog, not necessarily pose in my outfits and post the cute ones, but just post and comment on random shit I think is pretty. (Hence the title of the blog). How about I just start with taking pictures of my stuff and talking about it. HERE GOES:


I got this silky-looking scarf at Buffalo Exchange the other day. I took in a bunch of old clothes, was going to get like $45 in cash, decided to spend $5 on this. So far I have worn it on my bag. I always love silky scarves but alas, fail at trying to wear it in my hair or all French and stuff. Try harder.


Here is the ~$50 wallet I got in Taiwan to replace my beat-up fake Coach one. It is a really beautiful green plaid pattern with brown leather, the brand is something like Beverly Hills Polo Club or something and seems unique to Asia. I was a little skeptical about the structure of the wallet but the leather is starting to soften and it is growing on me.


And here is a wooden kitty. I think it's pretty lolz. Meow :3

Srsly though I have been pretty good about not buying stuff this past month.

On Doing Things Alone

As Valentine's Day approaches once again, all us single folk are forced to reflect on our single lives and lack of a significant other. During the day of, we have to stay at home and avoid any happy places where a couple may be macking out. Even though we have no idea how the relationship dynamic works, it still sucks to see the "better" parts of it shoved in our faces. This was a mistake I faced last year.

But now, I want to talk about being able to Do Things Alone. This is quite an impressive feat that not everyone is able to master, most of all me. I usually wouldn't eat in a restaurant alone, go shooting alone, or even ride the BART alone (unless I'm sneaking off to a Gap 40% off sale).

I always admire people who are able to enjoy events alone, especially events that others usually do together. Like going to concerts alone, eating meals alone, trekking through Ikea's showrooms alone. They are comfortable with themselves and friendly to strangers, something that I like to avoid by putting on sunglasses and earbuds. But honestly, if you really want to do something, the lack of a SO to share it with should not deter you. If your want for it is high enough then screw all your friends who hate Ke$sha and go to her fucking concert and then have a great time dancing with teenagers!

To myself, I make up lists of things that I could feel would be fun to do with a significant other. Past items on list have included watching Wall-e, going to concerts and musicals, or having a picnic (anything grass-related). While for some things I should just stop bitching and do them without a boy, sometimes there are others that would just be a lot better with a SO.

This is not fair.

How about going to a fancy date-like restaurant - I'd feel weird going with a girl in fear of others mistaking my sexual orientation. Or taking a stroll along the beach at night - not something I'd do with my BFF. Going to a weekend getaway and wine-tasting, a fancy cruise, or even just lying around on the grass on a nice day. Something dancing-related that is not in a club or involve grinding.

So I guess the moral of this little rant is that I/you should just man up and do the shit you want to do. Don't want for some dumb boy to motivate you to finally read that book or go running. Then after you feel all successful and accomplished maybe you can come home and cry about how you're not at Chez Panisse with your future husband.

Happy Valentine's day, kids. Too bad there is no cube competition this year.

On Birthdays

Growing up in an Asian household, I was taught that on your birthday, you throw a party/have a dinner and invite your friends. Since your friends bring you presents, you pay for the party/their dinner. Everything is dandy.

As I got to college and experienced real American culture, I learned that on your birthday, you go out to dinner and your friends pay for you. Slickdeal!

However, this may put you in an awkward situation. On one hand, you don't want to invite everyone you know to "Come celebrate my birthday! BONUS: pay for my dinner!" On the other, you really do want to have dinner with friends on your birthday.

As such, it leaves you with a few options:

1. Have a really good friend who will automatically round up everyone else for you. This only works if you have a friend who will do this without being asked.

2. Don't have dinner - throw a party, buy booze, and have your guests bring more booze.

When you're between the ages of one and twelve, your parents will automatically plan parties for you. There's none of that awkwardness where you wait around hoping someone will remember your birthday and plan an outing. Even if the outing gets planned, I still feel uncomfortable being the center of attention for 24 hrs. I start making a mental list of all the attendees and become concerned about whether I was there to celebrate their birthdays.



In America, your birthday is the one day you can do whatever the shit you want and no one can say anything. People who hate you will be nice to you, your facebook friends who you've only seen once will pretend to care about you. Then the next day things go back to normal and no one comments or "likes" your cute cat picture.

The best scenario, I've found, is option three:

3. Share your birthday with someone. If someone has the same birthday as you, you don't have to feel guilty because you plan each others' dinners! Of course, if you share a dinner then it will suck for your friends who have to pay 2x.

I miss my birthday-sharer. She goes back to school too early now. No more running next door and yelling "It's your birthday!!!" to each other.

Sooo... who wants to plan my birthday dinner/outing/party this year??