The Big Move

I finally arrived in Coventry, UK...where is that you ask? Coventry is 1 hour and 15 minutes train ride from London. This will be my new "home" for about a year or so. I am excited but also quite nervous to begin my new life here. 

Coventry is a small town with lots of greenery. I have always lived in big cities so it will take me some time to adjust to the new environment. I am living in a temporary accommodation as the room that I rented is not ready until Sunday. Once I have purchased all the basic necessities, I will take pictures of my room. I am a poor starving student, so don't expect anything fancy. 

Apparently, the weather in Coventry is similar to the weather in Vancouver, cold and rainy during the winter months. Take a look at the picture below to get a sense of how the weather was like on my second day here.

The back road to my temporary house in Coventry. 

Although I am already in my mid-twenties,this is my first time away from home so the first night was really hard. I felt extremely homesick once I settled into my room and was by myself.  Everything was so foreign and unfamiliar.  I started questioning my decision to purse my MBA in the UK (so far from home!) and started crying when I facetime my boyfriend.  Luckily I have an awesome boyfriend who not only makes me laugh but also reminded me of how an MBA will open doors for me.  I am thankful for technology as I am able to communicate easily with my family and friends back home.

I didn't fall asleep until 6am and did not wake up until 4pm. I decided to go out for a little adventure before it gets dark (approximately 7:30pm). I went to the nearby mall (Cannon Park) and was pleasantly surprised to see how cheap food is compared to food in Canada. Note: 1 pound is equivalent to about Cad$1.60.

Relax Chic in Downtown Vancouver

During the summer months, downtown Vancouver is an awesome place to walk around. I especially like the fact that most shops are dog friendly. I love taking my dog out everywhere I go and hate leaving her in the car even for a few minutes. 

Sweater: Jcrew, Shorts: Banana Republic, Shoes: Burberry, Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs

Sale sale sale! My dog loves to shop as much as I do.

Fitting Room Outfits: Topshop in NYC

A nice summery white dress from Topshop that makes my chest looks great but unfortunately, I think I am getting to that point in my life when this type of dress is too "young" for me. At $90, it is also no bargain...so back on the hanger it goes. 

Cobalt Blue High Low Dress

Life has been extremely busy these couple months but I had taken some time off work to go to NYC and DC with a good friend of mine.

I bought this awesome high low dress from Soho in NYC.  I saw it from the window display and I knew that it was meant to be.  

I feel absolutely fabulous wearing this dress and have gotten a lot of compliments on the dress.  This dress also reminded me of the awesome time I had at NYC, which is also a plus. The best part of it is that it was only $30! Totally a win for me. 

Color Me Mine: Fun Activity to do with your Girlfriend!

These pictures were taken months ago. My friend and I were bored of the normal hang out activity which consisted of eating and shopping, so we decided to look into some fun activities that we can do together.

I remembered my sister telling me about a place where you can paint your own pottery for a reasonable price so we decided to try it out. Check out their website at www.colormemine.com to find a location near you, they usually have events for different days of the week. I printed a coupon from the site so that we do not have to pay the "studio fee".  The staff working there was not familiar with the coupon on the website but they honored it anyways. 

Let me tell you that it was incredibly fun to paint the pottery! Totally worth the money and I even use the cup I painted as a decoration piece in my room. 

Some snacks that we purchased because we got hungry as we were painting.

The pottery I decided to pick: A huge mug!

The final Product before it is glazed and fired up!

Dog Friendly Trail/Park: Pacific Spirit Regional Park (Vancouver)

Waking up this morning with the sun shining through my windows, I knew that it would be a great day to take my dog out for a long walk.   It is wonderful not having work on Easter Monday.

I love taking my dog to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park near UBC.  Not only does it have several off-leash dog trails but the people who frequents the park have well-behaved dogs. There is also free parking and free doggy poop bag available near the park entrance. Just be sure to keep a look out for your little dogs as there has been coyote sightings in the area.

Description of the park accordingly to the Greater Vancouver Parks website:

"Pacific Spirit Regional Park comprises 763 hectares of forest and foreshore immediately west of Vancouver. The park's forests stretch across Point Grey separating the city from the University of British Columbia. Its thin foreshore wraps around the tip of the peninsula and touches the Fraser River, the Strait of Georgia and Burrard Inlet. The park's closeness to both the university and the city entices visitors to reach it by foot, bus or bike."


http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/PacificSpirit.html

My little Tiggy enjoying her walk and climbing on a fallen log.

T-shirt: Banana Republic, Jacket: North Face, Jeggings: Gap, Flats: Unknown Brand from Ross

I will be honest, another reason why I wanted to go for a walk is so that I can sport my newly acquired North Face jacket.  I love the bright coral color, it is an instant mood enhancer!

Check Please! Restaurant Bill...Pay for All? To Split? Share?

I am sure you have all experienced the awkwardness that occurs when the bill comes after a meal with your friends or relatives. What do you do now? 

Well there are essentially 4 options: Treating Everyone to the Meal, Separate Bills, Split the Bill Accordingly or Split the Meal Equally between all the Diners! 

When I was young and living in Indonesia, I always remember my mom and her friends/relatives constantly FIGHTING for the restaurant bill to the point that it was embarrassing. Why would anyone want to pay for everyone's meals unless it was for a special occasion.  I remember asking my mom why people would want to pay, and she laughed and said "It shows that you have manners."

I love it when restaurants provide separate bills to each diner.  This way, you can know what to expect before the bill arrives.  I am sure you had days when money was running low and you only had enough money to order an appetizer.  It will lessen the after dinner tension when the bill arrives. 

Then of course there are times when a restaurant provides one bill for the whole table, it is up to the diners to decide whether to pay according to what was ordered or split the bill equally. If everyone ordered approximately the same value of food, splitting the bill equally is simple and easy.  If not, then splitting the bill accordingly is the best option but requires a lot of calculation and is a hassle. 

With my closer group of friends, we usually eyeball our portion of the meal and round up.  If there is too much money afterwards, we will just split it back up. And if there is not enough money after everyone contributes, then everyone will just have to pay a bit more.   Not only does it not create tension, but it unifies the group of diners. 

I remember having a group of friends who would whip out the calculator and count to the penny on what their share of the bill was.  I am sorry but not only was it embarrassing, it was such a downer after a great meal!  I use to dread eating out with these group of friends. 

How do you and your group of friends split the bill?

Casual Chic in Bright Pink!

Several weeks ago, I posted about an awesome purchase from Abercrombie & Fitch and promised to do an OOTD. Well here it is!

Blouse: Abercrombie & Fitch, Necklace: Betsey Johnson, Jeans: Gap, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Flats: Bought from Ross

Here is another angle of my outfit, I love how the combination of the bright pink and black makes the outfit so casual!

During the same trip, I also bought a Betsey Johnson necklace which complemented the neon pink top so well.  Here is a detailed shot of the necklace: 

To end the post, please enjoy pictures of macroons from Soriette Macroons and Tea. 

Blue Blue Sky

Vancouver is a beautiful city, especially when the sun is out with no grey clouds in sight! 

This is a picture that I took on Friday when I was heading downtown to enjoy sushi and macaroons with a girlfriend. The view was spectacular and it took my breath away.

Here is my OOTD on Sunday when I decided to visit Olympic Village to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

Necklace: Bought in China, Scarf: Banana Republic Factory, Tank Top: Banana Republic, Cardigan: Wilfred Laurie (Aritzia), Flats: J Crew

There were several open houses in the Olympic Village area so I went to take a peek. The apartments were beautiful but the price tag of these apartments (at least $2.2 million for the one I saw) left me gaping in horror.  In one of the open houses, they were serving coffee and had Whistler Bottled Water available, guess who took both of them? ME ME ME!! 

My Pinkberry socialshopper coupon was almost expiring so I headed to Metrotown to redeem my coupons. 

A Whirl and Twirl Type of Day (OOTD)

I woke up and felt like dressing up, something I don't do very often.  It usually takes me 10 minutes to get ready for work and out the door, so when I don't have work, I try to dress better.

I love flowy blouses that drapes well.  I found this amazing cobalt blue blouse at Banana Republic and I knew I had to have it.  I rarely buy anything full price so I probably bought it when they had a promotion for 30% off full price item. Usually I wait for things to go on clearance before purchasing them but this was just too beautiful. I feel like a fairy when I use this blouse.

Blouse: Banana Republic, Jeans: J-Brand, Bag: Burberry, Flats: Banana Republic

This is my latest obsession, taro oreo slush from Bubble World.  It taste so very good. I drink this even though it is rainy and cold outside.  

Abercrombie : What a Steal!

I went down to Seattle over the weekend as I had a day off on Monday, ooh how I love to eat and shop in Seattle.  Being at work today was extremely hard, I was yearning to be out in the sun instead of being hunched over my desk trying to meet a deadline.

There were amazing deals to be found in Abercrombie as there was an extra 40% red tagged merchandise. I arrived in Bellevue Square a few hours before closing time so the store was in a disarray with piles of clothes everywhere in the clearance section.  If you are willing to dig through the pile of clothes, there are amazing pieces that can be found for a good deal. 

There were two items that I purchased, a pair of pants for $12.90 + 40% off and a bright pink slouchy dress shirt for $24.90 + 40% off.  The total after taxes was less than $25.  What a steal!

The pair of pants is a wee size too small but I can make it work. It was the only size left. I love the zipper detailing at the bottom of the pants, it adds a touch of "oomph" to it.  

I loveeeeee this top, the color is perfect for summer and the fabric is so soft. I originally tried on an XS but did not like the tight fit on the body. I prefer the slouchy chic look of the size M. 

To end this blog, I will leave you with a picture of my favorite frozen yogurt ever: Red Mango! Yummzzz

Sunny San Diego in Winter

For my birthday this year, I went to San Diego to get some sun! Yes, I saw the sun in San Diego but it was still windy and cold so it was a good thing I brought my coat along.  Here is an OFTD/OOTD of my first day in San Diego.

Coat: Mackage, Boyfriend Shirt: Jcrew, Belt: Jcrew, 

Leggings: Walmart, Flats: Banana Republic, Bag: Kate Spade

By the way, I just want to point out that I got the leathery leggings with zipper detailing for only $1.  I was in Bellingham Walmart when I saw this legging on the clearance section.  I thought "no way, must be a pricing error but I better check it out." When the leggings rang as $1 on the cash register, I just wanted to run out of the store in case they called me back to tell me that it really wasn't $1. Everytime I use it, I get so happy.  I love good deals! 

Give me a Break! Give me a green tea Kit Kat bar!

My skin is experiencing more flakiness and dry spots than normal due to the dry winter and indoor heating.  I decided to try out Lush's Dream Cream which was recommended by a Lush sales representative after I told her about my current skin condition.

Please excuse the hairy legs, I have not shaved in a while as I am constantly in pants or in leggings! This is the dry scaly patch on my leg that I was talking about.

The cream is very thick and creamy, as a cream should be. When I slather the cream on my body, my body instantly feels moisturized without the sticky feeling.  After a few hours, I do need to reapply the cream on parts of my body that feels scaly. A tub of the cream is quite expensive, it cost $30 for 240g.  I have been using the cream for almost 1.5 months and I am almost 1/2 done the tub. 

Spring forward is kicking my butt, it is throwing my inner clock off schedule.  To solve that, I needed a sweet treat..namely a green tea Kit Kat bar. I bought this in specialty Japanese grocery store in downtown Vancouver. It was pricey alright, $5.50 for a box that contains 6 green tea Kit Kat bar. 

Aruba Blue Nails with Sparkly Glitters

I love no work Mondays! So I decided to paint my nails whilst catching up on my favorite shows, House Hunter and Property Virgin (Channel 29!!).

It took me 3 coats of Essie's Aruba Blue nail polish and 2 coats of Sephora by OPI "To the Glitter End" to get the coverage I did. The pictures should do the talking. Let me know what you think of this combination. :)

The "IT" Bag

So every year, there seems to be an "IT" bag that almost every girl covets for.  The "IT" bags usually cost an arm and a leg, so obviously all I do is drool from a far . With Holt Renfrew being the only high end department store in Vancouver, you will be probably wait listed even if you had money to purchase it. That is of course unless you personally know a sales rep who will save you one, in that case, I am jealous! Unfortunately (or fortunately), there is the internet where I can scour for pictures of the bag.

The current "IT" bag for this year seems to be the Celine Mini Luggage bag. Isn't it a beauty? The simple leather tote bag would be perfect for everyday use, it will automatically make any outfit sophisticated. Love it! If only I can get my hands on one...and if only my bank account suddenly had an extra $2000 to spare.

Sale! Sale! Sale!....Going out of Business. Kaput!

In the commercial districts of Greater Vancouver, I have noticed that many retail stores are either having their going out business sale or they have already gone out of business.  You don't have to look further than the streets of Robson to see the ghost of a once thriving shopping destination.  Within the last several months, stores such as Sterling Shoes/Freedman/Joneve (Sterling Shoes LP parent company), HMV and Esprit had their "going out of business" sale and eventually closed shop.  

Prior to the recession, the norm was to keep up with the Joneses.  Nowadays, shoppers are more budget conscious and would analyze their purchases instead of just handing over their credit card. So what causes some stores to survive the recession and others to scum to their demise? Simple, the stores ability or inability to constantly evolve in order to meet the needs of their customer.


Espirt use to be a very popular brand name when I was back in high school approximately 6-7 years ago. (Yes, I am aging myself).   They sold stylish graphic t-shirts for $10 a pop that were suitable for a high school student's budget.  Over the years, Esprit changed their target market to young working woman without changing much else about their company.  Esprit's fashion design and price point were not a hit with their new audiences.  On Feb. 1, 2012, Esprit Holding's Ltd. announced that they are pulling out of the North American market after being faced with last year's alarming 98% earning slump.

After reading the news, I went shopping to Queensborough Outlet the very same weekend and saw this:

The iphone pictures did not turn out to be so clear, that was because I was taking the pictures "ninja style." The store was essentially empty with only a few racks of clothing.  Everything in the store was an additional 70% off the marked price.  Even with 70% off the marked price, I walked out empty handed! Why? The items they had did not appeal to me and they were still quite pricey even with the extra 70% off the marked price.  (Look for a post in the future where I will talk about self restraint when it comes to sale time)  


Speaking of sales, on the very same day, look what I saw:

Once again, I did not pick up anything even though the shoes were DIRT cheap! By the way, the Shoe Warehouse is now officially closed. When I was there on Saturday, it was their 2nd last day.  The store was a mess with mismatched shoes everywhere on the ground.

If Sears does not evolve to upgrade its facility and change their business model to fit with today's consumer, the department chain store will surely be putting out "Going out of Business" sign very soon.  Sears has already decided to close hundreds of their less profitable stores so that they can focus in revamping their business model.

Today's retail market is tough, if you do not make the effort to understand and evolve with the demands of the consumer, you will be left in the dust.

Cheery Nails for a Dreary Vancouver Winter

I have just about enough of the rain and snow this winter!  Fun bright colored nails would have helped lift my mood on this dreary winter day.  So I was scrolling through my iphone pictures for nail inspirations until I stopped on the nail pictures below. The soft sky blue nail polish base with the colorful array of beautiful flowers remind me of a sunny Hawaiian day. Oh how I wish I can be in Hawaii right now!

The decorations on my nails are called fimo nail art decoration rod sticks, 100 of these rod sticks can be cheaply bought on ebay for under $6 (shipping included). The rod sticks are made from a soft flexible rubber type material. Here is a picture of how the fimo nail art decoration rod sticks look like:

A blade is required to thinly cut the rods to individual nail decoration pieces.  Aren't they just the cutest thing ever? You can also them for arts and craft.

Thanks to my lovely friend for introducing me to these nail art decoration rod sticks!