I'm in OKC!

Weather: hot & sunny

Mood: Arashi - We Can Make It!

My first post from OKC!  How exciting.  It's been a week already and I'm slowly adjusting to this new environment.  Never have I ever appreciated Austin more in my life.  lol.  I miss home :(

But alas, I can go home in two months.  So until then, let's go explore OKC!  Not like I'll ever come back again, so better grab this chance!  This is what I wore on Friday to happily spend my first day off from work. It feels so refreshing to be able to wear something that's not business casual, boring, and bright :)

Got to the Korean market that I intended to go to surprisingly quickly and without trouble, except it was a complete disappointment.  Another Austin perk to be thankful for.  Then spent the rest day taking the "scenic" route around OKC.  I was so freaked out at one point because it looked like I was headed to the middle of nowhere.  But finally made it to the "best" mall in town.  It looks decent on the outside, but ended up being very disappointing.  I finished shopping the entire mall in an hour and a half!!  That's totally not right.  I'll try to remember to take pics last time.

Tomorrow I'm going to go visit the gardens.  Hopefully that won't be a disappointment - as in there will actually be flowers to look at.  lol.

I hate TV stations.

Today was an epic waste of a day.  All for 2 stinking minutes (actually probably not even...I think we only actually performed for 1:30).  Oh well, at least I got good free food afterwards from Sushi Zuchi in The Domain.  Yay for happy hour!  I had fried soft shell crab which was *nom nom*, mussels with a spicy sauce over them *nom nom*, and different kinds of sushi *nom nom*.  Will definitely be patronizing them again soon.

Some pictures from my waste of a day.  Oh, funny story.  I also completely screwed up the dance because I got distracted by the monitors that they have LOL.  I couldn't figure out whether they were mirroring me or the same.....and maybe I was kind of watching TV at the same time....... it's so hard to ignore it though when it's like right in front of your face!  And it doesn't help that it kept moving around RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE.

Alright, end rant.  Now for the fun part.  Well, fun for you, not-so-fun for me since not only did I make a fool of myself on local TV, I wasted a day.  oops.  Started ranting again.  /end rant.

One Fine Day....

Weather:  cloudy now, but will probably clear up later and is crazy hot and humid already -_-

Mood:  depressed and trying to memory dump the past and the mess ups I've made.  

Song:  Lady Marmalade

It's a fine day, ......minus checking my grades.  I don't know what got into me.  I must have been possessed.  Even Julie asked "Wow, I'm so surprised that you checked your grades already!"  If you can't tell, I operate on the belief that ignorance is bliss.  Why could I not see that theory out to the end?  *sigh*  Well, then again it's always comforting to know that if all else in life fails, I can always work as a low paying drama dubber, right?  And of course good food always exists :)

Wearing hot pink today to brighten my mood.  Isn't there some saying that as long as you look the act, you'll eventually feel like it, right?  Something like that.  That's the hope here too.

And I think it worked!  ^_^  

Origins

Origins is the new brand that I've been exploring since they had the Earth Day deal.  I'm interested in them mainly because they're organic, but they're also uber pricey because of that marketing pitch.  They sent me an email about a free mini facial, and since I'm a sucker for anything "free," I went to the store and had a "mini facial," which by the way was a total lie.  Not that I really was expecting a facial or anything, though.  If I really wanted a facial, I'd get a facial massage from Shiseido.  lol.  It basically was just going to the store and trying out their products, which was helpful.  My conclusion from the trip?  There are only like one or two Origins products that I really like.  


Out of my own guilt and to make myself look not like a complete cheap-o, I bought this gift set for $42.50.  *sigh*  My poor pocket.    

Left to right:  Facial Steamer, Clear Improvement charcoal mask, Modern Friction exfoliator, A Perfect World cleanser, and A Perfect World moisturizer

I'll review the items once I use them for a few weeks.  Although it was pricey, it still was a good deal, considering that 1) I'd never finish using the full size products and 2) the average price for the full size products is around $30-40.  Here are my initial thoughts though:

• Facial Steamer:  useless.  
• Charcoal mask:  Used it once last night; just something that psychologically lulls you into believing that it's necessary/good for you
• Exfoliator:  One reason why I bought the set; I have some expectations for this product.  Currently using my Envie D'Neuf exfoliator (a must-have, but also costs $66), but it's expired so I probably should use something new....
• Cleanser:  Liked the checks and balances cleanser (review below) so hopefully I'll like this too
• Moisturizer:  Been on the hunt for a moisturizer; if I don't like anything else from this set, at least I got a moisturizer that I actually do need.

And now, for a review of the cleanser that I got on Earth Day.


Origins Checks and Balances frothy face wash.

Rating:  4/5
Packaging:  2/5
Uses:  Cleanse face; ideal for combo/oily/normal, I believe.


Got this because it was free.  And wow is this thing ginormous!  I use half a dime size of product every time, so I have no clue when I'll finish this.  Not to mention the 4 other cleansers that I own...but anyway!  The smell is not fruity or flowery, so it's not the best, but it suffices.  What I do like about it though is the frothy part; it really is a bit like applying mousse, which is pretty cool.  So far I've always applied it by wetting my face first, but the sales lady told me that you can put it on a dry face, too.  


What makes me think that this product actually works and does cleanse like it's supposed to is because the first day that I used it, I had a minor pimple that was sort of popped.  It was a bit red and inflamed.  But after I used this, the next day I woke up and the pimple was 90% healed.  Miracle-worker.  Hence the high rating :)


Pros:

• Cleanses well
• Face doesn't feel tight afterwards
• Humongous size
• One of the more affordable Origins products at $18.50.  About the same as Clinique and some of the other major brands.

Cons:

• Packaging.  I don't like how I have to unscrew the cap and then screw it back on.  I'd rather it be like the caps that you can snap open and close.
• Smell.  Not as nice smelling as I'd want it to be.

My new haircut

Ever since my epic perm + cut last summer, my hair has been a mess.  And I've basically been walking around like a zombie for a year.  lol.  I've been trying to grow it out so that I can cut it and finally lay those dead pieces of hair to rest.  And, finally, after almost a year, the time has come!

I think it's pretty easy to differentiate between pre-perm hair and post-perm hair.  If you can't tell, my hair's two colors; a healthy black on top and a brown on the bottom.  As for the after look, I'm quite pleased.  This is the first time I've had my hair cut short and have it NOT flip out.  Jessica really knows my hair :)  A new cute bob for summer.  I'm liking short hair again!  yay!  

And to end, what I wore today, since I haven't looked nice in a while.

A fresh beginning

Mood:  Leo Ku - Like
Weather:  cloudy and cool.

It was fate!  I was supposed to be up earlier than 10 (9:30, to be precise), but I ended up sleeping in until 10.  Thank god I check my email first thing in the mornings though, or else I would have missed the Ruelala Havianas boutique!  (If you want an invite, click here.  What is Ruelala?  Online boutique that sells name brand stuff for basically half the price.)  I've been wanting a pair of Havianas for a while because I borrowed my roommate's flip flips once (I suspect they were Havianas) and they were soooooo comfy.  A totally different experience than cheap ON flip flops.  I know I said that I'm trying to steer away from flip flops, but honestly, they're just a necessity sometimes.  What are you gonna wear when you go to the beach?  Flip flops.  What are you gonna wear when you're dashing through the door and forgot socks and obviously can't wear heels?  Flip flops.  You get the point :)

$20 for two pairs; not a shabby deal at all since one pair costs $18 + tax.  Except shipping.  gahhhh.  The one bad thing about these online boutiques is that shipping costs an arm and a leg.  blehhh.  And choosing which design to buy was such a hard decision!  I finally narrowed it to these:

Left:  "Metallics" Right:  "Fresh"

Since Havianas are known to have awkward sizing, I'll do a post on them when I get it in the mail (expected delivery date May 14th).  

On another note, I'm getting my hair cut today, finally!  I'm excited :)


[[edit]]  WOW, and I completely didn't realize that it's already May!  April just wooshed by.  And what a fitting post title.  haha.

Prom shopping, again?!

Yes, oh yes.  Albeit prom was like, *COUGH 4yearsago COUGH* my roommate has insisted every year that we get our fair share of the excitement, too.  I'm definitely thankful that my prom was back in the day when the department stores' prom section spanned across half the store.  When we went yesterday it was disappointingly small, and a lot of the styles are the same.  I swear I've seen this one dress every year!  I always wondered if retailers just pack up unsold dresses and display them again the year after.  'Cause of course the prom shopper could never, ever figure that out.  har har har.  Anyway, these are the two dresses that I tried on this year.

Seems like this is the "in" style for this year; short and volume on the shoulder.  Yeah...whatever the correct fashion "term" for that is.  

All I have to say is that I felt like a bumble bee in this dress.  kekeke.  buzz buzz buzz.

Would never wear either of them to prom though...perhaps homecoming?  

Happy Earth Day!

A day dedicated to thinking of the environment and thanking Mother Nature.  And a very happy day indeed, despite the grey skies, because I got a free cleanser from Origins!  ^^  And they are VERY generous.  Full-sized cleanser (retail value of $18.50, I believe) for exchanging an empty skincare product bottle.  I'll do a review of it in a few weeks.

Simple green-friendly habits that will not only save you $$$, but help YOU save the Earth!  (Wow, I sound like an ad.  lol)

• Recycle!  From soda cans to even ink cartridges.  I know that recycling ink cartridges saves me around  
• Use both sides of the paper.  I love doing this especially for taking notes and writing lists on the back of receipts and envelopes and stuff.  Not only does it save the amount of paper I need to keep track of, it's green!  ...OK I admit it, I'm a tree hugger :)
• Save water!  Don't let the faucet drip.  You don't need the sounds of running water while brushing your teeth.  If you really do, do yourself a favor and just buy it on a CD.
• Turn off power surgers when you're not using them.  You'd be surprised how much your electricity bill goes down if you do this.

On another note, congrats UT for winning Playboy's #1 party school!!  I reaaaally wanted to go to the party tonight and meet some of the play bunnies (is that what you call them?  or is it just play girls?), but the weather's just too yucky.  boo.  It's OK; that free Playboy magazine that I could've gotten can go to the male engineer who needs it more desperately than I do :P  

Happy 21st Roomie!

Dear Eva,

Happy 21st!  You may now officially have real fun now.  The adult way :)  

<3 tiff

Warning:  some ghostly pictures are shown below.  Look at your own risk :P

And a homecoming present:

yeah....I know, I need a foundation that's in my correct shade.  haha.  Sadly, I'm already tanning; it's not even officially summer yet!  I couldn't find my foundation brush for my normal looking foundation; hence stuck looking like a ghost.

At first I was a bit worried that we wouldn't have fun since everyone else bailed on us, but it was the total opposite.  Note to self:  never go downtown with guys ever, ever again.  haha.  Without the guys, we got hit on a total of 8 times, got free drinks, and had a blast.  My little Eva had 6 drinks in a span of two hours.  Waaaay better than I did on my 21st.  haha.  And considering before last night, the most she'd ever had at once was 2 drinks, I'd say that's a pretty decent job.  

OK.  Had my fun, and still stuck in the procrastination loop.  Anything new? 

Hi, stranger. Long time no see.

Wow, it feels like ages since I've blogged!  Blame that on my laziness + lack of inspiration as of late.  I feel like a real ahjumma now because I go home after school, sit on my bed to watch dramas and relax, and then accidentally fall asleep without even realizing it.  It feels like I was bonked on the head and I think "what just happened...?"

Some of my better outfits from this past week...

I got so many compliments on my yellow nail polish today.  heehee d^_^b  That put me in a good mood.  ...Ok that was an understatement.  I felt reaaaaally happy.  I've been wanting to do yellow nail polish on my hands for a long time, but the first time I got this Zoya in Canary, it was just so streaky and looked like that I had just painted my nails (literally, like a 4 year old) that I didn't like it at all.  But once I put two coats on it turned out well :)

The semester's already winding down...but there's still so much to do!  Next week will be a really exciting week for me.  Why?  Well, you'll just have to wait and see ;)