New Thang

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. My life has been so hectic lately! I promise I will update everyone on it soon. In the meanwhile, here is a link to my new tumblr!

http://traveling-in-tutus.tumblr.com/


I started it a few weeks ago. I update it a bit more regularly, mostly with photos, because it's easier for me to do so (it's more of an inspiration board than a personal blog)

Anyway, check it out when you have time and let me know what you think!


XOXO


Aya

En Milano Streets

Sorry, that's not happening.

The bag

Sitting in the park, with my purse and a few memories.

Flyin'

Hey guys, notice the cheesy-grinning girl above this text? Yeah, you really can't miss her. Well, that girl is me.
I know, you're wondering why I'm smiling so hard. Well, you'd be smiling too if you found out . . .

YOU WERE FLYING TO EUROPE!

Okay, if you live in Europe, it's probably not the biggest deal to you. But for a girl that's seen nothing but NY for the past few years and has been working non-stop, it's pretty much the answer to everything.

I'll try to keep you guys updated. I'm currently trying to convince my mother's boss to lend me her extra laptop for the trip!

That's it for now. I'll post pictures of what I've been up to recently as well! Au revoir!

Happy New Years!

Let's make 2012 a rockin' new year!

Randomly Me

I tried to jump.

And an extra shot of my midnight snack!

Chipotle hummus is my new obsession.

To do list reminder:

1. Make time to prepare food and eat out (slightly) less.
2. Enroll in a gym.
3. Train for a race again, pick up rock climbing again, yoga . . . again.
4. Save up for a camera!
5. More concerts to keep myself sane.
6. Keep on lovin' life.

The days are long and cold.

When I was little, every time I got sick, I stayed home and watched a Disney movie.

Today was no exception.

I appreciate animated movies on VHS (yes, I still use VHS players).

Also for some reason this old picture I uploaded a few months ago resurfaced. Before I couldn't use it because the Starbucks name was so obviously in your face that I think it broke some copyright laws by the image server. But now it seems fine.

Do you like the handy work? That's what I do when I get bored in class. Math class, to be very specific.

It's raining it's pouring.

Wow.

I'm ashamed.

I have a blog, a perfectly normal not-so-normal blog, where I rant about fashion and post food pron (ew, I became one of those people who switch the "r" and "o"), and I've been neglecting it. In fact, I've been avoiding it. Because I, outside of my normal not-so-normal life, am not really all that interesting.

I mean, take case 1, a few weeks ago, when I made brown rice for the first time on the stove.

I legitimately burned the edges and spent half an hour picking out every grain of burnt rice from the bowl. I know, a cruel Asian nightmare.

Case 2 consists of going to a concert of the best band of our time, Jukebox the Ghost, and rocking out with this girl with the ridiculous face.

I was talking about the face on the left, not that gorgeous girl on the right.

And case 3: getting this shot.

Not shooting stars, but airplane clouds. But it was kinda after a storm, and even though that's Jersey across the ways (yup), I thought it was pretty darn pretty. I would make a wish anyway.


Okay, so maybe my life is not so uninteresting, but hey, wouldn't it be easier if I just won the lotto, met Joseph Gordon Levitt (yes, I did watch 500 Days of Summer recently), and heck, married him? In one weekend?



Now that would be a story worth blogging about.

Drowned

When I was seven years old, papa told me a story of a boy who lived by the sea. Everyday he would go and sit at the docks and stare out into the ocean as if he were waiting for someone to pick him up. People would approach him for polite conversation but he would never respond. He just sat and watched as the sun went down everyday. Then at around eleven each night, he would stand up and slowly walk back home.
One day, on a stormy October evening, the boy fell into the water and drowned. One fisherman claims to have seen something come out of the water and grab the little boy by the leg, leading him to his death. I remember asking papa how he knew the boy was dead. He stared at me for a few seconds before letting out his mighty laugh. "Little tulip, how could a boy possibly overcome a raging sea?"

-written by me long ago

Comment Responses are Delayed

I just wanted to write a formal apology.

I am busy lately and swamped with work. I'm currently on the computer right now to message some group mates and to charge my mp3 player (I'm going to need my music for the rest of the week).

School is kind of eating my soul right now. I'm also kinda eating these right now.

Seasonal items are the best.

Anyway, that's pretty much what I've had time to do as of late. Now I'm off to message people, then marker my night away. Commenting back will happen in the future, but not until all of this is over.

Later and g'night.

My keyboard sucks.

My computer is getting old. The touch pad doesn't work and now, the "J" isn't working unless I pound on it hard.
A lot of things require the letter "J": Jelly beans, Jokes, Justin Bieber, and of course, Jukebox the Ghost. And no, I NEVER plan to write Justin Bieber and Jukebox the Ghost in the same sentence again, unless I use it in the context of "Jukebox the Ghost went to go eat at a diner next door to the Hooters Justin Bieber performed at for free fried pickles." Yes, this happened (minus the Jukebox bit which I'm pretty sure I made up).


But anyway, back to what matters, I've been listening to Jukebox's Everything Under the Sun on repeat for a couple of days now, and I've noticed several trends:
1. Tommy mentions God in 80% of his songs
2. Tommy is my male counterpart, except cooler and way more blond (amongst other things, ya know)
3. Ben's softer songs are good to listen to before bed

And now that I cleverly made the bridge between Ben's softer songs to the next topic, I gotta say, the style of the song Summer Sun is a lot like that of this Japanese band, Bump of Chicken.





Okay, not exactly alike but it's definitely the style. You just gotta listen to more Bump to know.

No more excuses.

In other news, winter drinks are back at Starbucks. Boo to the ya.



Peace out y'all.

A Quickie

Fall is coming. Celebration.

Blue skies, hot suns, and colorful dancing.

Yesterday I went to the Annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow at the Queens County Farm Museum.

I go every year with my mom and because I conveniently didn't have work yesterday, we kept the tradition! Here are some shots from yesterday's event.

I tried to get a better picture of this man's face but I failed. HE LOOKED LIKE KARL LAGERFELD. But you know, with braids and color.







Zoom was good to me yesterday. This kid's hair is awesome!

After the afternoon show, there's another show in the evening that involves a bonfire and more dancing. My mom and I always miss that one because it takes too long to get back and make dinner if we stay. So of course, we used the rest of our time to shop the booths.

Gorgeous beaded hair accessories.



This doll was adorable!

I also saw this tiny owl emblem that looked like one of my co-workers and it entertained me quite a bit. Other than that, my mom managed to buy a cool necklace, a dream catcher, and I got some pretty leather strips (a future arts and craft project perhaps?)

Finally, I loved snapping pictures of the tribe's colorful clothing because it's so inspiring! I love color and it's just fun to see all the patterns and the beading they use. I was talking to this one man who was explaining a lot of the symbolism of the colors and the animals. For example, purple signifies heart (purple heart), green is grass, brown is earth, dark blue is night sky, white is the north wind, etc. And turtles signify mother nature because it carries the earth on it's shoulders. Quite poetic.


Right now I have to get ready to go to work and after that, I'm hanging with one of my amigas! See y'all again!

It's my party and I'll bake if I want to!

Hey guys!How has your July fourth weekends been?
Lots of crazy stuff on my end (crazy meaning, I just walked around a lot and ate even more, and sweat even MORE). NY is like, an open oven right now. Currently my home has no air conditioning. We also don't have fans. You better believe I fanned myself with a little Shakespeare yesterday (I am now reading A Midsummer Nights Dream)


I awoke to a slew of Happy Birthday messages on Facebook! All shucks, I feel loved. :)
But is it a "getting older" thing that birthdays aren't as big a deal anymore? I just wanna sit back and enjoy life.


Here's a recent coordinate (didn't y'all miss those?)


How I manage to dress like it's fall, I don't know. But trust me, I was dying.
-Red plaid shirt
-Ripped up hammy-down jeans (Yes, I did spell it that way on purpose)
-Anna Sui tights
-Double Decker boots
-Sonia Rykiel for H&M bag

Sadly, the boots broke yet again because I keep trying to resurrect them! This time I used rubber bands to keep the sole on (this happened after the above picture). However, I think if I really wanna save them one last time, I'll have to use glue instead of tape.


Did that cool ya down?


Today I'm going to go and do some rock climbing (finally abusing my lovely monthly voucher) and then buy some ingredients for a Raw Vegan Cheesecake. It's really my first attempt at a raw dessert, so hopefully it all flies well! Pictures shall be posted!

Well, that was a quickie from me. Upcoming are reviews on a recent food joint I went to, reviews on Christian Dior and Chanels couture shows, and well, that cheesecake. See you guys later~

This Summer is the Summer it all changes . . .

Hello everybody! I just thought I'd make a quickie post today, and save my concert pictures for the next one, since writing up a thoughtful report will take longer than the time I have now.

So I decided this summer is going to be my summer for reform. Let me explain.


I really want to put my health first this summer and change a lot of things around so its better for me. I'm starting by trying to fix my insomnia. Now, I know I'm not a doctor so I can't diagnose myself, but judging from my symptoms and how long I've had them, I'd say this pretty much sums it. I wake up periodically, I can't fall asleep right away, I only sleep a few hours, and I feel groggy and terrible in the morning (also my back feels sore). I'm trying to fix all that I can on my own before talking to the doctor, so I'm doing a bed reform.

I've also purchased a month long rock climbing voucher off of Living Social! Yes for rock climbing and yoga! I convinced one of my friends to buy one too so I have a belay partner! I'm super excited!!


Now, on to random pictures of late:


My first pineapple Chobani. It's SO GOOD. I just ate it walking the streets. I love greek yogurt so of course, no surprise that I'd like this. I highly recommend it!


Vegan chocolate chip cookies my friend Lesley made! They were AMAZING. She baked them for the concert, so I should've saved this picture, but just look at it's delicious baked goodiness!


I got this tea when I was on my lunch break. I would've ordered food except I had some already, so I just got some jasmine tea. I forget how good jasmine tea is . . .


Sorry this picture doesn't look so appetizing since I bit into it, but a chicken pesto panini from a random deli on 23rd. I don't know if I've really had a panini before this one, but they're really filling.


I purchased this recently at the Anna Sui store! All the Look from London tights/socks in the back were half off, so I had to get these. I mean, yellow and polka dots? Très bon!


Finally, I went to the "Biggest Ever Sale" at Urban Outfitters yesterday. They actually do have a bunch of things on sale that were great. I mean, brand new ten-hole Dr. Marten boots for $40 is a pretty good deal. But I got myself a pair of pants since, well, I apparently have way too much funky clothing for work and I'm in need of pants. Cool wash, right? It was on sale for $10~


Now, I gotta get off if I want to go to school before work (ugh, paperwork). I'll see you all later!

Work Issues

Hey guys.

Isn't it terrible that once you THINK you have a job, you start thinking you don't? Well, that's not common, but let me tell you what's been going on over here.

I told you guys I had a job interview. It went well, and they called back. I accidentally missed the call (there's some phone issues with the house number), so I called back. They tell me that they would like to hire me. They also say they'll call me back. I ask them to call on my cell that very day, so the phone issue doesn't occur again.
Well, my cell is . . . not very good (this is being kind). And it got worse that very same day due to an accident I dare not mention. So now I have a glitchy cell phone. I also have T-Mobile which has terrible reception, so about 50% of the time, I don't have service.
I never got a call, so I called back on Monday (yesterday). They told me they intended to call all the workers later that day, so to wait. I waited all day yesterday, with no call. These are my thoughts/feelings as of now:

I'm freaking out because I don't know whether it's my phone, or they genuinely haven't called.
However, if they wanted me, you'd think they'd call home if cell wasn't working (no?) Or at least leave a message.
I'm also starting to think it was a mistake and maybe they didn't need me after all. Needless to say, I feel awful right now. I don't know if this is common, but God, this is causing me some stress.

It's becoming late for me to find a job because all these people are applying for the summer. So now I think this may be more of a curse than a blessing. What do you guys think?

The same ole excuse . . .

Dear Body,

I'm sorry that I've mistreated you lately.

It's so easy to blame the Food Network for running all the best shows so late at night, causing you to stay up until 2 and not get enough sleep.

It's also easy to blame others for going out and eating, only to come home to more food that you're expected to finish.

On top of that, I've been blaming the wretched heat for making you roll around and rest all day long. With no exercise.

I apologize.

I promise to be more committed to your needs.

I will fill you up with more nutritional foods and water, and let you rest up for glamorous things in the days ahead.

I will take better care of your skin morning and night, and I will exercise your booty back to Healthsville (not forgetting to give you a rest every so often).

You have my word,


Stilettos at the Dinner Table

Today's just one of those days . . .

Today is a day where I want to do several things . . .

Like watch a good horror movie.



And follow up with a a good ole Mary Kate and Ashley movie
(after reading this article on the cut)



Maybe pretzel my body yoga style.



And attempt to finish a crossword puzzle.



Then wind down with a side of bread pudding and sleep.

However, life likes to deal me jokers, and so I have a mighty strong feeling I will be doing other things instead.

Like sewing in school.




And making patterns for a jacket.



Maybe swing by Trader Joes for some groceries.

And continue doing my fashion art homework.

Right now, Youtube is keeping me sane. But not for long. See you guys later!

Detox Day

Hey everyone! I've been really busy and I have to warn you all this week I will also not be able to update that often as well. What a terrible start to a new month!

I've been developing a habit of planning my schedule out on paper. I guess it feels more permanent when I write it down so I feel more compelled to do everything. Anyway, today I want to finish my fashion art thumbnails and redo 3 of my figures for photoshop.
I also want to continue writing a little of my short story I'm submitting to a school contest. Hope I get it all done!


This won't be long but I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow I'm taking a Detox Day for my first time.

I read it one day in an issue of Vogue Japan, and I've been meaning to try it out to see the results. This is recommended for people who eat regularly/often, because for someone who eats minimally on a regular basis, this will have a reverse effect. A detox day should also never happen more than once a month.

Basically this day is for releasing the toxins and waste you have inside your body. How you ask? Well, basically, the only food I'm having throughout the day is [plain] yogurt and banana. And lots of water. Since it's Vogue Japan, it was recommended to take Pokari Sweat and Dakara along with water, but seeing as how that's extra money (and plus I can't get that everywhere), I've opted to take water, but sub the vitamins from those drinks with regular vitamins I already have.





In the results, the people who did this (and ate regularly) had an increase in energy the next day as well as less pores, wrinkles, and overall glow. I don't have to worry about wrinkles, but I'd like to see how this affects my overall body as I've been eating out a lot lately and my body has been really tired.


Results will probably be posted the next time I post! Look forward to it!