farewell!

I'm officially retiring this blog. It *might* be reincarnated elsewhere under a new pseudonym in the future should I find the time (hahaha) to do so. Thank you for indulging me over the years!

progress.

After ordering a Beachbody fitness program, they encourage you to submit before and after photos to be entered for weekly and monthly prizes. I'll spare you all from seeing mine in this public space, but I do want to share a different type of photo with you.

For the record, I have always hated shopping for pants. Three reasons: my short stature, lack of hips and butt, yet proportionally curvier thighs and calves.

About two Decembers ago, I walked into Urban Outfitters to buy a new pair of jeans. I started buying jeans from Urban Outfitters because the BDG Grazer style jeans were the perfect length for me. On this particular shopping trip, they did not have a pair that would fit me. Stubbornly, I left the store with a pair of jeans two sizes too small: a pair that I would have fit into two years prior.

I hung the too-small jeans up in my room to guilt myself into working out. It didn't work.

As mentioned in my previous post, it took a bit of nudging and an accountability group for me to really get moving.

In January, I finally mustered up the courage to put on The Jeans. They were still a little snug, but there was no fear of ripping the seams if I sat down. Two weeks ago, I actually had to use a belt.

There is still room for improvement. I still have some extra body fat I'd like to lose, but I won't lie about how happy I felt to be able to fit into The Jeans.

 

PS: I no longer shop at Urban Outfitters, as I do not agree with their business practices (i.e. blatantly ripping off designs without credit nor compensation).

happy.

A super belated Happy New Year and a belated happy birthday to me!

I spent my 31st in Portland. Here I am, nerding out at an entire bookcase of Agatha Christie books.

 

I've found it increasingly hard to get started on a blog post now that I've been quite absent for the past couple years. The reason is I'm just not sure where to start!

 

Over the past few months, I have taken big steps in changing my life. In October, thanks to my friend and coach, Kim, I started on a fitness journey.

I was gaining weight from lack of exercise, sitting in front of a computer every day, and eating out lots. In the past, I never had big problems with weight gain, and I ate A LOT. But, as I got a bit older, and my lifestyle became more sedentary, I started putting on weight more rapidly.

Last year was the heaviest I'd ever been and I knew I had to make a change. I was good at hiding my extra body fat, but I was depressed that my clothes didn't fit like they used to. Kim offered her help at the right time.

 

My lack of motivation to get moving was based solely on how hard I find it to be accountable to myself and create new habits (more on this later). Kim encouraged me to try a 30 Day Challenge program with Beachbody. I decided enough was enough, and investing $200 now meant a lifetime payoff of learning how to be healthier.

I chose to do a strength training program – ChaLEAN Extreme – because I lacked upper body strength and my goal was to lose the extra fat and tone up. It was probably the best decision I could have made! Not only is the program easy to learn, Chalene Johnson's attitude and positivity is just so infectious and inspiring! I am not the biggest fan of über enthusiastic coaches nor do I care for the boot-camp drill sergeants, but Chalene's got the perfect balance of encouragement and attitude that pushes you to work harder.

Anyway, all this is to say that since October 21, I have lost 11 pounds and reached my goal weight (the one that was on my driver's license!). I still have some ways to go in losing that extra bit of body fat around my waist and thighs, but I know I'm on the right journey; I just need to work a little harder at eating clean more often and concentrate more on core and leg exercises.

 

After starting my fitness journey, I have had a lot more energy as well and found myself feeling less upset and anxious over things out of my control. I have always thought of myself as an optimist, and more of a realist-optimist as I got a bit older, but it was hard for me to feel positive all the time these last couple years. There were days where I felt so consumed with negative thoughts that I just couldn't stop crying and feeling sorry for myself for hours or days at a time. I am not a mental health expert, and I am not advocating that exercise will help everyone, but for me, it has certainly helped.

I am definitely not perfect and I have fallen off my exercise routine this past week. I have finished the 90-day ChaLEAN Extreme program and I was half way through my Lean For Life circuit when I just couldn't find that motivation to do it anymore. I spent all of last week cheating on most of my meals and only did my daily squats (as part of a 30 day squat challenge) and biked every other day to not feel completely guilty. What do you do when you've lost that spark? You need a reset button. I decided to do Chalene's 7 Day Eat Lean and Train Mean Challenge.

As part of Day 1's workout, I practiced this dance routine. Watch it, learn it, and be happy!

 

one small step...

a few instagram shots from my trip last fall

 

Following up on my last post about how I could go about changing my impact on the environment, I've decided to do Meatless Mondays. (What do the photos have to do with this post? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share some of my trip photos before I filed them away.)

It's only been my first week, but so far so good. Currently, for breakfast I am having dairy and eggs, lunch is completely vegan, and for dinner, I am allowing a bit of seafood. My reason for the 'seafood okay' rule for dinner is mostly because of my dad, but maybe I will transition out of that within a few weeks.

If you haven't heard of Meatless Mondays, it's actually a very simple way for us all to reduce our ecological footprint. I won't ramble on about it, but if you are interested, do Google it. :)

In the weeks to come, I will try to chronicle any tips, recipes, or restaurant suggestions that come my way. My vegan friend offered a great tip for my lunch this week: substitute tzatziki with hummus when ordering a grilled veggie souvlaki pita at Nu Greek. Verdict? Delicious.

Do you participate in Meatless Mondays? If you have any delicious vegetarian recipes, feel free to share!

oh, hello. fancy meeting you here...

Yes, I have really sucked on updating le blog. I'm not even sure how I managed to earn an award for being so dormant. (Thanks Chloe!)


But since Chloe at This Girl's City was so kind to pass on The Versatile Blogger Award to me, I must oblige with sharing 7 random facts about myself.

1. I don't like olives.
   I think they are fine sliced up and on pizza, nachos, in dips, etc., but I can't do whole olives. I don't even like them in Greek salads; they're just too salty!
2. I cry watching Disney movies.
   Every animated Disney movie I've watched has made my eyes water, if not full-on cry.
3. There is always room for ice cream.
   Even if I'm stuffed to the point of feeling sick and someone suggests to have some ice cream, gelato, or sorbet for dessert, I will always say 'yes'.
4. I love quoting movies and tv shows randomly.
   It amuses me to no end, even though people around me usually don't know the reference. (PS. If you ever want to get into a quote-off with me, try Snatch, Napoleon Dynamite, Zoolander or Friends.)
5. Hanson is my all-time favourite band.
   It's hard to explain without being long-winded, but if I had to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say: they were there when I was growing up and they're here while I'm still growing and learning.
6. I can't swim.
   Or at least I haven't swam since highschool for PE (12 years ago) and I've never been very good at it. If it were a life or death situation, I could probably get myself to shore... I hope.
7. I'm anal retentive about my books.
   I don't like lending out my books unless I know the borrower will treat my books with as much care as I would. Exceptions to this rule: if I'd already "maimed" the book somehow (bent corner on the cover, oh noes!).

* *

A few months ago, I was also passed on the Trendy Blog Award from Miss Soo at The Habitue. (Sorry for the delayed 'thanks'!)



To accept this award:
1. Post about the award
2. Pass it on to 10 other bloggers
3. Send the link for the button. You can find that here.
4. Make an acceptance speech

I'd like to pass both awards on to (and in some cases, reciprocate):

1. Panda at Stud Muffin
2. Janis at My Suitcase Heart
3. Liv at A Beautiful Life
4. Miss Soo at The Habitue
5. Chloe at This Girl's City
6. Elisse at Für Elisse
7. Nicole at Le Mode du Jour
8. lanmao
9. Kelsey at The Anthology
10. Lauren at Loafing Odysseys

As for an acceptance speech... "I'd like to thank [insert your name because you are an awesome reader!]"

housekeeping!

so i figured out a new way to put content under a cut (many thanks to simpler than you think), but the problem now is, this new technique is only working for my main page of posts, and the "read more..." link defaults to every post. *sigh* i can live with this solution for now, i suppose. or i could suck it up and live with the fact that blogger will just not allow cuts. blah!

ps - i have stuff to post, i promise. i just took a nice relaxing day off from everything, is all.

ETA - fine, i give up! i'd rather one post be a million pages long than have all my posts messed up! are you happy, blogger?? are you?? fml.

weekend menswear.

it was so nice out yesterday - high of over 18°C in my neighbourhood! it's finally feeling like spring!


what i'm wearing:

• mens shirt: i've had it for at least 10 years; a really old hand-me-down from either my dad or uncle
• jeans: uniqlo (japan)
• belt: from a market in china
• shades: old stock from previous owner of grocery store my parents bought in '88
  
• shoes: roxy (i bought these on sale in fall of '07 and have never come across another pair like it! they are so soft and comfortable, but are ready to retire. if anyone can point me in the direction of similar flats, please let me know!)

x-posted to fabsugar lookbook


and speaking of fabsugar lookbooks, my vancouver fashion week outfit was on looks of the week! thanks to everyone who viewed and to fab for the feature! (my vfw recap here.)

---

i've been tagged by cari at financial services is not fashion! survey after the cut.

Rules

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

Questions

What is your current obsession?
caged/cut-out/lace-up heels
What is your weirdest obsession?
i'm not sure.. i obsess over things quite easily. haha i guess people would think my love for hanson is a weird obsession.
What are you wearing today?
haven't decided yet... still in my pjs lol
Why is today special?
it's so nice out again!
What would you like to learn to do?
play the guitar and drums
What’s for dinner today?
not sure yet!
What’s the last thing you bought?
a cropped bomber-style jacket that came up to just over $8 after tax!
What are you listening to right now?
shake it off by mariah carey (itunes on random)
What is your favorite weather?
mid twenties with a light breeze
What is your most challenging goal right now?
getting my company off the ground
What do you think about the person who tagged you?
very cute style! we'd probably chat forever about 2 of our loves ;)
If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
parrriiiissssssss!
Favorite vacation spot?
so far, japan!
What would you like to have in your hands right now?
a plane ticket to paris, rome, athens, tokyo, hong kong, sydney, new york, or cairo... okay, almost anywhere really!
What would you like to get rid of?
my eczema
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
does that mean i only get to stay there for an hour? um... seattle's pike place
Which language do you want to learn?
so many! i'll start with japanese
What's a must-play on your dance playlist?
anything 80s!
Who do you want to meet in person?
mavis fan
One thing that you would snitch out of someone’s closet, with no regrets?
ashley olsen's vintage croc fendi tote (so in love!)
What’s the favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?
right now my balmain-like grey jacket
What is your dream job?
art director for a big-name fashion magazine? maybe.. not sure! somehow integrating my communications design with illustration and fashion i guess. ha!
Favorite style steal tv/movie right now:
antm cycle 12. i love the way celia and london dress.
A bad habit of yours:
always falling for guys who resemble musicians i have major crushes on


i'm sorry if you've already been tagged!!! (and no guilt trips.. you don't have to do it. hehe)

1. liv at it's a beautiful life


2. robynne at fashion on edge


3. lobelia at fashion folder


4. karen at a cup of vogue


5. amanda at a cup of vogue


6. emz at cuz i'm crazy


7. kay at stitched


8. victoria at chic heroin