Halloween

Playing: Let's Kill Tonight-Panic! at the Disco
Reading: The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund: Where No Designer is Left Behind by Eric Wilson

This Halloween was very different from all the rest because rather than trick or treating, my friends and I decided to go on an adventure. To start off our night, we grabbed dinner at Cha for Tea because they were offering a free drink upgrade if you came in costume. Since my group looked like a major Japanophile group, we did the peace sign semi-ironically.

Afterwards, we drove down to the Balboa Fun Zone, but it turned out to be Balboa Island not Peninsula that was the place to be. However, the peninsula was a very creepy place to spend Halloween because it was almost completely deserted other than a few people fishing here and there. It's rather unnerving to visit the beach and not be able to see anything other than an endless black void.

Lately, Sophie and I have been really into the song, "Runaways," so we keep on messing around with the idea of road trips and running away (obviously). This is one of our photos from the night, where we are running down a pier into the night sky. I wanted something resembling this picture from the film, Never Let Me Go, but we got this instead.

If you ever do want to go to Balboa for Halloween, just keep in mind it's Balboa Island not Peninsula and that there will be a tremendous amount of traffic. Also, in case you were wondering what all of us went as: Tina went as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Sophie as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service, and I'm a Slytherin student. By the way, Slytherins aren't inherently evil. They typically are successful, loyal wizards (with a slight lust for power). Also, all three of us wore clothes that we already owned, so even though our costumes aren't the best, I think we deserve credit for at least not wasting money on new costumes this year.

I'm wearing an L. Erickson headband, a Zara blouse, a Habber&Dasher sweater, a Zara skort, Gap tights, and Converse sneakers.

3 Hours

Playing: Stacy's Mom-Fountains of Wayne
Reading: Countdown to Fashion Week: Model Casting About for Character by Ruth La Ferla

Last Tuesday marked the last day before my brother left to go back to college, so we went to Laguna Beach to enjoy the ocean and to try a place we've been meaning to try. Watermarc is located right on PCH and offers contemporary takes on flat breads, burgers, sandwiches, and salads among other dishes. During the summer, I usually crave mozzarella and fresh Italian food, so this Burrata Mozzarella Flat Bread was perfect for me. The burrata was creamy and helped to offset the richness of the pesto, while the sprouts and balsamic vinegar added a nice acidic element to it.

To give you an idea of what my brother, Ted, is like, here is a photo of him flicking off the camera. It started as a way to stop my dad from taking so many photos during vacations. He would flick off the camera and I would death glare, but now it's just a habit of his. Other than that, I thought I'd let you know I'm wearing a Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, a Marc Jacobs necklace, an H&M shirt, 7 for All Mankind shorts, and a Kimchi Blue purse.

I'm not necessarily the best Californian. I don't tan well, I never learned how to surf, and I suck at beach volleyball, but California is still a nice place to be. Being close to Los Angeles and Disneyland means that good concerts come my way and being close to Newport Beach means there will never be a shortage of luxurious things to fill my time with. It also means that I can go to the desert, mountains, beach, or city whenever I want. Overall, I don't mind living in California. With college coming up, I think I'll apply to a lot of schools in my home state, but I will apply to some in big cities too. Who knows where I'll end up?

Huntington Library

Playing: Northern Downpour-William Beckett
Reading: Comic Art Propaganda: A Graphic History by Frederik Stromberg

I recently went to the Huntington Library, which I haven't been to in years now, and it was still just as beautiful as I remembered. The Chinese and Japanese gardens are the most impressive with all the stones imported from China and the design elements copied from various famous gardens in Asia. In the Chinese garden, you can grab lunch and tea on the lake, but be warned, it's fairly expensive. (Here I am, wearing a Calvin Klein blouse, Bullhead shorts, Cole Haan oxfords, and a vintage Dooney and Burke purse.)

Another one of my favorites at Huntington Library is the green house, which houses many tropical plants. It's exactly like how I imagine Uncle Monty's home to look like in Lemony Snicket's The Reptile Room.

It's funny to take a look around the house because the gardens gradually become more European and despite the classic European decorations like marble statures and perfectly trimmed bushes, there are still palm trees everywhere. You guys have probably had enough of me saying this place and that place would be perfect for a ball, but seriously, this would be another perfect place for a summer party, preferably a Gatsby party.

If you walk down the hill away from the home, it gets less organized and starts to look like a jungle. They even have several ponds down there, one of which inspired me to create my own koi pond in my yard. Huntington Library is worth visiting, if you are in Southern California. It has an art museum and various gardens, so it'll keep you busy all day. Also, if you grew up watching Ned's Declassified School Survivor Guide, you may recognize this place from the movie.

Paris Day VII

Playing: When It's Time-Green Day
Rereading: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

On the seventh day of my vacation to France with my family, we started out at the Place Vendôme. For some reason, everyone there was lined up along the corners in a checkerboard fashion, so I decided to blend in and stand in one of the empty corners with them. Afterwards, I walked along La Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré to look at all the designer stores that I don't have in California along with taking a side trip to the most famous Chanel store on Rue Cambon.

The Palais Garniére is fairly close by and since I'm a fan of Phantom of the Opera, we decided to visit it before finding lunch. It's absolutely splendid inside and the building is very intricate with its internal decorations. Like Versailles, it would be a complete dream to have a huge ball here with everyone going about in their ball gowns and tuxedos. Even though it was hard for us to find a time when the opera house was open, I highly recommend checking up on it whenever you walk by because it's really something you should see.

Since the Galeries Lafayette was close by, we stopped there for lunch at the cafe, which had a lovely view of the city. Out of all the restaurants I had been to, this cafe offered the widest arrange of drinks including Blood Orange Orangina, which I have never seen before. Both the Tarte aux Fraises and the Pates au Carbonara were good, but pretty standard. It was extremely filling and if you like bacon, the carbonara is probably something you'd love.

Next on our trip was the Centre Pompidou and just for the record, the area around this museum is kind of sketchy and smells like weed. However, the museum itself is a lot of fun and is like one big fun house only you can't touch anything...It's definitely a place that focuses on fun art and modern stuff that my parents usually interpret as "bullshit," so it may not be your cup of tea. I loved it though and would highly recommend this to people interested in all that's quirky, fun, and a bit wonky.

Despite the general no touch rules in most museums, the Centre Pompidou had some interactive art that you could literally walk into. This one from Jean Dubuffet called "Le Jardin d'Hiver" was a particular favorite of mine. With uneven, black and white surfaces, it felt like you were in some cave meant for a Tim Burton film.

While walking back to our hotel, we ended up in the general area of all the designer stores we had visited that morning and decided to get dinner at Cuisine&Confidences. Unfortunately, the menu was kind of vague, so I ordered something from the portion titled "You Can't Go Wrong" and got La Grande Zaza. It was described as roasted chicken with marinated peppers, cheese, and prosciutto with a side of fennel scented pickled vegetables. I was expecting an actual chicken breast or something topped with cheese and peppers, but it ended up being more like a deli plate. This was probably the only mediocre meal I had in France unfortunately.

Since I was still hungry after the deli plate for dinner, I stopped by a deli to grab some pate baked within bread, which was surprisingly good. I tried some pate breads from several places and for the most part, they all tasted the same with the exception of some jam in the middle of some, while others had nuts mixed in. It would've been nice if the bread was more evenly mixed throughout it, so that it was a roll because the center portion of pate was very rich on its own.

PS I'm wearing an Ann Taylor LOFT tank top, an Ann Taylor LOFT sweater, a Marc Jacobs necklace, Converse Sneakers, silence+noise shorts,Givenchy earrings, and a Coach purse.

"Beverly Hills, That's Where I Want to Be, Living in Beverly Hills"

Playing: Bad Habits-General Fiasco
Reading: Raise High in the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour:An Introduction by JD Salinger

There is a song by Weezer called "Beverly Hills" that expresses the desire and the wonder that surrounds Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills is one of those places that exemplifies the Californian lifestyle so easily and you have to be there to understand what makes it so wonderful. It's the type of place that makes me want to stay in Southern California and not go halfway across the world for college. It's one of the few places that can convince me to go vegetarian (even if it is only for one meal) and that's exactly what it did last Saturday, when I ordered the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich at McCormick and Schmick'ss along with a side of the Onion Shoestring Fries. Despite the slightly burnt bun and the arugula, I enjoyed the sandwich, which came stuffed with a tomato salad and topped by a balsamic vinegar reduction.

Beverly Hills is also one of those special places that knows how to make comfort food cost three times more than it should, especially if you go to Sprinkles Ice Cream, which admittedly, I've been wanting to try for a few months now ever since one opened near me. However, the one in Newport Beach has a two hour line, so I was extremely excited when I stumbled upon it in Beverly Hills. I tried the Sprinkles Sundae with Red Velvet Ice Cream and a Salted Caramel Cupcake. The sundae is like an ice cream sandwich and halfway through, the sweetness of the sundae became overpowering and a bit sickening. Either share or go for a lighter ice cream to balance the extraordinarily sweet icing, which Sprinkles is known for.

Just a few blocks off of Santa Monica Blvd., where Sprinkles Ice Cream is located, is Rodeo Drive. Even though South Coast Plaza has almost all the stores Rodeo Drive has, there's an undeniable draw to Rodeo Drive. It might be the busloads of tourists desperate to get a photo of everything including you, or maybe it's the wide range of architecture. For me, Rodeo Drive is home to my favorite Prada store. The interior design is so cool and it's almost like a fun house with green bubbled walls, warped mirror ceilings, and panel's opacity changing along with the music.

The most wonderful thing about Los Angeles is being able to get dressed up totally over the top and not have people look at you oddly. For the most part, people like it when you're just a little eccentric here and that's one reason that I would want to move to LA. Several people took photos of my top hat and a tourist asked to take a photo of my purse, so it's all fun even if I do look a bit like Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka here. This was the first time I drove my Gucci Fiat to Los Angeles and I was hoping to park in front of the Gucci store, but all the spaces were taken. I'll just have to keep trying. I wore a San Diego Hat Company top hat, a Calvin Klein blazer, an Ann Taylor LOFT t-shirt, theory shorts, a Gucci purse, and Reed Krakoff boots.

PS Tucking in shirts is so unflattering on mes, so I think it's time to stop.

"Watching Television, It's a Wonderful Life"

Playing: After the Fire-Andrew McMahon
 Reading: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

This is probably the third time I have tried to type up a post, but blogger has been mean recently and refuses to upload photos, so suddenly Photobucket has become my best friend. Since you have missed out on more than a week of my life, let's get started. Two Saturdays ago, I went to the Ritz Carlton to volunteer at a debutante ball, helping the girls get dressed and such. (I wore Alexander McQueen sunglasses, a Jason Wu for Target blouse, a Jason Wu for Target skirt, a silence+noise blazer,  Reed Krakoff boots, and a Burberry Prorsum purse that shows up in too many of my outfit photos.)

Inside the Ritz, they had the loveliest decorations. I loved this floral piece hanging from the ceiling. The mixture of the glass globes and metallic flower cut outs was so pretty. I wish my camera had done a better job capturing it.

Left to Right: Sarah, Sophie, Josh, and me

Then the next Saturday, or last Saturday (whichever you prefer), I went to Sarah's birthday party and a different Sarah (picture above) brought a mermaid suit for people to try on. Apparently, her mum got it at a mermaid expo, which is something I would like to attend one day. We had a lot of fun with it, but Josh made the most fabulous mermaid out of us all. Excuse my lack of a tan. I had to get changed from a black bathing suit because my mum told me the contrast between my skin and the suit was just too much.

Left to Right: Krishan, Chelcee, Me, Clare, and Katie

After the pool party, I want home and got changed for Clare's birthday. Driving there was a bit stressful due to the traffic, but dinner at BJ's was a lot of fun. Clare is one of my closest friends and I've known her for almost five years now. We have four out of our six classes together, so we spend a lot of time teasing each other and laughing together. This is our group photo of the girls there that could speak French. Clare made me get dressed up for her party and forced me into a dress, so enjoy this photo of me in a dress. It doesn't happen often. I wore a Calvin Klein blazer, Rodarte for Target dress, and everything else I don't think you can see.

Left to Right: Shabaan, Sean, and Me

The last thing I did that I want to share is that I went to a Lakers playoffs game against the San Antonio Spurs. My dad got five tickets in row 10 from a good friend, so my dad told me I could bring along two friends if I wanted. Shabaan and Sean accompanied me and our seats were so amazing. We saw Jack Nicholson there, whose daughter was high school friends with my dad, so my dad was debating if he should say hello, but we didn't get near enough for my dad to do so. Even though the Lakers lost, it was just wonderful to get a chance to spend time with Shabaan and Sean in one of my favorite cities. By the way, I only look extra small in this photo because both of my friends are over six feet tall and I'm barely over five.

While I'm at it, this has been a good week for music. Andrew McMahon's new EP, "The Pop Underground," came out today and tomorrow I'm going to go see The Killers. Sarah (in the mermaid picture) got tickets for us to go see Panic! at the Disco with Fall Out Boy and I'm trying to get tickets to go see Weezer with some friends over summer. But seriously, tomorrow will be my first time seeing The Killers and I'm so excited. It'll be a few hours of me fan girling and wishing Brandon Flowers was closer to my age so that I could marry him. And now I leave you with this beautiful collage of the super talented and handsome Brandon Flowers to enjoy. I hope you enjoy this collage as much as I do. (I do occasionally miss the guyliner though...)

Title from The Killers' "Boots"

"What Do You Say We Leave For California?"

Playing: This Is the Life-Two Door Cinema Club
Reading: Stay Cool. Call North Korea's Bluff. by Andrei Lankov

Left to Right: Me, Christine, Viola, and Tina

For the last weekend of Easter holiday, I had another sleepover at my other home as sort of an initiation kind of thing for my new friend from New Jersey, Viola. Plus, we live in California, so it only makes sense for us to enjoy the beach as much as possible. We danced around the beach, reenacted several scenes from famous films, and in my case, ruined my jeans. (Not ruined technically, I just had to wash them more than once to get them completely clean.)

Not to forget the typical beach type of activities, we also enjoyed writing in the sand. No pretty love messages for boys today, rather a shout out to one of my all time favorite brands in the world, Burberry. Burberry and I go way back to when I was only two. I blame it on my mum. Saw that Burberry plaid and immediately became fascinated with all that Burberry clothing of hers. I told my parents that since I own a lot of Burberry, I need a Burberry husband. They're not liking the idea so far though.

After out little beach venture, we went back to my house to do typical teenage girl things like paint our nails, try out face masks, watch Mean Girls (I heard Regina George does car commercials in Japan or is that just a rumor?), and eat a lot. No, seriously, our eating frenzy was nonstop.

See? I wasn't joking. I ended up cooking ramen for all of them at around 3 a.m. and we agreed that 3 a.m. ramen is the best kind of ramen. Tina brought the ramen for us and it came in these itsy bitsy packages with the soup base powdered on the noodles, so you could literally add boiling water and be done. No sauces to be poured or powders to be mixed. So quick, so easy, so perfect for lazy teenagers.

The next morning, we made it out to the dock to watch sea life go by. It took us awhile to get ourselves out of bed admittedly and we were all really tired from staying up late, but that's nothing the thrill of adventure can't fix. (Just kidding, kind of.) Luckily, for me, I could go back to my other house and take a shower and then be off to Hollywood within an hour or two after they all went home, but Viola had to go to SAT prep class. I shouldn't tease her about that, since I took the ACT for the first time today and I'm pretty sure my parents are going to slaughter my summer with ACT or SAT prep. Any tips for the SAT Subject II test in French? The prep questions from College Board are too easy and I'm starting to feel like College Board is just putting up those sample questions as a form of mental harassment. You go in to take the actual SAT test thinking you're ready and leave feeling horrid about yourself.

First and last photo are courtesy of Tina. In the first photo I'm wearing: Central Park-Pullover/Urban Outfitters-Necklace/H&M-Jeans/Some Random Japanese Brand-Beanie

LA's Grand Park

Playing: Mr. Tambourine Man-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Lately, I've been going to Los Angeles a lot. Since my dad went to UCLA, he knows a lot of places to go to. For lunch, he took my mum and me to Mitsuru Cafe, which is supposed to be classic Little Tokyo. I figured if it's been in Little Tokyo for several decades now, it must be good. I ordered the Pork Udon, which was surprisingly tasty despite the plain presentation. The broth had a nice porky flavor to it in addition to the normal vegetable broth and the serving size was huge. After I ate lunch, I also grabbed some dango to-go from there and I highly recommend it. It's hot, sticky, chewy, and incredibly delicious.

After lunch, I explored downtown Los Angeles to get a look at LA's Grand Park, which I've been reading about on a plethora of architecture websites and in various magazines dedicated to Southern California. Since I used to want to be an architect, LA's Grand Park was the perfect place for me to explore. I wanted to be an architect until I learned that their pay is pretty low. USC invited me to an architecture program over the summer, but I can't do it, since it's during the same time as an internship I'm applying for. By the way, here I am, in my adventuring clothes that aren't that great for adventuring in real life: an old Burberry sweater, an Ann Taylor LOFT t-shirt, Citizens of Humanity jeans, a Burberry Prorsum purse, and a Gucci silk scarf.

After Occupy Los Angeles, the city redid the whole park, since it was going to cost a lot of money to fix all the damage done to it by the protestors, so the city decided why not just change it completely? I really like how they redid it with all the sleek, angular buildings. The bright pink chairs on the lawn looked vaguely Seussical to me.

They had this wonderful fountain there and an area for kids to play in the water. I really want to come back here with my friends in our bathing suits that way we can lounge in the fountain and get a few photos before we get kicked out for being a public disturbance, since I'm guessing sitting in fountains isn't appropriate even though I saw many people walking through it. At night, there's supposed to be an incredible light show that they do with the fountain, but I didn't stay late enough to check if that's true.

What I really liked about LA's Grand Park was how accessible it was. You literally could walk across all 12 acres of it without feeling tired and walk to Little Tokyo in less than 10 minutes. Everything was done perfectly and the architecture was incredible. I started out from City Hall and then headed towards the LA Opera, so the architecture went from classical to modern to (sorry to say it) outdated. LA's Grand Park is in a pretty safe part of the city too. Since it's a very business oriented part of town, I think it's generally safe from gangs, since there just aren't that many non-businessmen people around. It's also close to the police station, so having a police presence probably makes it safer too. Overall, I definitely want to come back here soon with some friends. The architecture is amazing here and it's just so beautiful. If you're ever in Los Angeles, you have to spend an afternoon exploring it.

I took a lot of photos of Los Angeles that day and if you'd like to see them, click here.

LACMA

Playing: Off to the Races-Lana Del Ray
Reading: Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney

Left to Right: Sarah, Rebecca, and Me

 Last weekend, I took my friends, Sarah and Rebecca, to Los Angeles, so that we could have a day of artsy, urban fun. Before we headed off to LACMA,we grabbed lunch at Johnnie's New York Pizzeria. Amongst the three of us, we had four cameras, not including our phones, which would've made it seven, to photograph our food and activities. Excessive? I think not. We're planning on submitting this photo to Pictures of Asians Taking Pictures of Food soon.

When we got to LACMA, we decided it was necessary to join the toddlers and parents, playing around in the noodle exhibit. Our maturity levels have really skyrocketed recently. Here's a good time for my outfit post: I'm wearing an Urban Outfitters scarf, a silence+noise blazer, BDG jeans, Cole Haan oxfords, and a Burberry Prorsum purse.

We walked through my favorite building at LACMA, which houses all the modern, contemporary, and pop art. Unfortunately, the second floor, which is my favorite floor, was closed due to new pieces being moved in. However, I still love the pieces in this collection, especially the ones that make you think, "What the hell?" It can also be very inspiring for interior decorating ideas, which is probably the last thing an artist ever wants to hear. Seriously, though, I love the quirk factor of modern art.

On the first level of the modern art building, they have these huge rusty metal sculptures that you can run around in like large caves and more importantly, have sporadic dance parties in. Sporadic dance parties are the best only when they have no reason to exist other than for the pure fun of it. They're probably even more fun though, when you're in an interesting or beautiful place. I should go to the desert with a huge group of friends to have a dance party. But then if I plan that, doesn't that make it a planned dance party instead of a sporadic one?

One of my favorite movies in the world is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so I forced Rebecca and Sarah into reenacting this scene from the movie. Our spacing is a bit awkward and it's a tad too dark, so we'll have to redo this scene at the Getty or at MOCA. Rebecca and Sarah still need to watch the film, so that they'll know what to do and then I can truly act out my Ferris Bueller dreams. Ferris Bueller really is one of my role models. I told that to my APUSH teacher and he told me I need higher standards. It probably didn't help that I told him I also look up to Holden Caulfield.

After LACMA, we visited Whimsic Alley and let out our inner geeks. We decided that Rebecca would be a Hufflepuff, while Sarah would be a Ravenclaw. I would hope to be a Slytherin because Slytherins get what they want and are supposed to be extremely loyal to their friends. (Just as a side note, Slytherins aren't intrinsically evil.) Walking around Wilshire Blvd. is a lot of fun, since there's so many interesting places to eat and there are several tourist traps there plus the architecture there is incredible. It's definitely a must see area for architecture nerds like me.

By the way, there's still time to enter my 250 Follower Giveaway!

RED Valentino Opening Party

Playing: Rich Girls-The Virgins
Reading: Vogue March 2013

Yesterday, RED Valentino hosted a grand opening party at their location at South Coast Plaza. Luckily, I got an invitation thanks to the lovely salesperson, Kaylin, and I brought along my friends Tina, Jessy, and Michael, who just created a new blog that you should definitely check out. It was so nice to just get a chance to check out all of the new collection and to catch up with my Fashion Friends.

Afterwards, we got drinks and pastries at Champagne and waited for Michael to come join us, since he had to come late due to driving lessons. Be warned, the Fashion Friends are on the road. I don't know if you can tell, but I got my makeup done by Chanel earlier on in the morning at a Neiman Marcus event. It's only my second time having my makeup done by someone who's not my mum, so I was amazed at how smooth they made my skin look. I ended up buying some products from them, which I will share later on.

Since the party was for RED Valentino, my friends and I did the cheesy approach by all wearing red. Sometimes we match a little too well hence the blazers, polka dots, and Converse. Jessy says it's like we came out of an editorial. I'm wearing a Vince Camuto blazer, an Ann Taylor LOFT camisole, Bullhead jeans, a Burberry purse, and Play Comme des Garcons Converse.

Michael had to leave early to go to Disneyland with some friends, so Jessy, Tina, and I wondered around the mall, looking at different stores. Tina, being the hardcore shopaholic of the group, had to stop off at Forever 21 to unload all her money on accessories, while I had to look at Barney's Co-Op. That place is just like heaven.

At RED Valentino, they gave out the cutest snacks, little candied apples wrapped up with a sweet bow. I really like how girly and cute they made the snacks to match the brand's image. Marni was also giving out samples of their new perfume. They had the coolest perfume display with four seemingly empty cups. Three of the cups had the different notes of the perfume-the spices, floral, and fruity-and the last one had all three mixed together to create the perfume. Also, I just got 250 followers, so I'm going shopping today for a giveaway. Please stay tuned for that!

Year of the Snake

Playing: Nothing Left-One Night Only
Reading: Kappa by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Left to Right: Michael, me, Jessy, and Tina

Last Thursday, South Coast Plaza hosted a private party for Chinese New Years, so my fashionable group of friends and I took my parents' place at the party. Michael, Jessy, Tina, and I were trying to coordinate our outfits, but we kind of gave up on it. Somehow without talking to each other, we all showed up in jewel tones though! The party was held in Jewel Court right outside of Macy's. It was surprisingly large and they had some stereotypical Chinese New Years entertainment like lions and musical performances.

Appetizers and dim sum were catered by Capital Seafood, I think. Even though there were servers passing out shumai and sushi, it was easier just to wait in the long lines for food. Most of the food was actually pretty good and from my surprisingly long history of pretending to be more in touch with my Chinese ancestry than I am, I thought it tasted pretty legit. The cha sio bao was a bit sweeter than normal and the dan ta (not pictured) had a cookie shell instead of a pastry shell, but it still tasted good.

After the party, they even handed out red envelopes with dollar bills and valet parking vouchers. Amazingly enough, this is the most generous offering I've gotten so far for Chinese New Years. Even though I'm primarily Chinese, I really have never collected huge amounts of cash for Chinese New Years unlike my friends. One of them got a new laptop and another one got over a thousand dollars. How did they do that?

Once we were completely done with exploring the mall, we walked around the parking structure, taking photos and joking around. I really like how these parking lot photos turned out, even though this photo is so obviously posed. It was such a joy to be able to hang out with the three of them again, since we hadn't seen each other since Michael's birthday. Hopefully, we'll see each other soon for another party.

One more thing, here's my outfit from the day. I wore an Ann Taylor LOFT sweater, Zara shorts, Gap tights, Marc by Marc Jacobs earrings, a Bally purse, and a pair of Barney's Co-Op heels. How was your Chinese New Years? How did you celebrate?