Today was the first official day of fall and the weather pulled through right on cue. It was a chilly and sunless 65ºF this afternoon as I walked home, a drastic difference from the 90ºF weather just 24 hours before.
Forever 21 tee; Zara skinny jeans; CS'CS (random Chinese brand) flats
I visited Zara a couple of weekends ago and found those amazing white skinny jeans for only $10! They have some amazing sales if you happen to go at the right times. However, I can't really say the same for the storefronts I visited in Shanghai this summer. Although they were having "blowout" sales, the prices seemed much higher than sales in the states. But people were buying stuff up left and right at "discount" ~200-300RMB prices (about $30-45 USD). I guess it says a lot about the economic boom that is hitting China, at least for select citizens who can now afford to live in metropolitan Shanghai and all its glory.
On a future date, I will share some photos and stories about my trip to China this summer. Lord knows I need an outlet for all of it :]
One of the photos I took from the trip was featured at my school as a promotional photo to advertise the program next year.
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Accidentally took a freaky looking photo, thought it looked cool haha.
Forever 21 white tee & linen shorts; Puma shoes; JTYS&TYC backpack; WWF panda hat
This is what I wore to the first day of golf class.
I ran into someone I knew from high school right before my first media class of the semester who recommended I try getting into the golf class he was in. I've always had a slight interest in the sport after putting a few times and going to the driving range [and sucking], so I figured, why not take a fun class apart from all my upper division requirements?
Luckily, there was room for the professor to add me, and next thing you know I'm at the golf range practicing in the above outfit, which was the "sportiest" look I could create from my limited college closet. I only bring enough clothes to last me about 2-3 weeks as I tend to return home pretty often to wash & refresh my clothes.
Anyways, today I bring you another unheard of Asian brand: JTYS&TYC. I suck at doing research about these companies because I don't read the native language. I found them randomly in one of the buildings in the infamous "Qi Pu Lu" shopping area in Shanghai. Infamous because they are notorious for housing copious amounts of knockoffs. But there they were, a little store with the most interesting assortment of bags and this amazing bright neon green backpack on sale for only 94 RMB ($14 USD). It's a shame I didn't buy anything else there, I was planning to return but never found the time before having to leave.
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Went out last weekend with one of my girlfriends, Kat! I met her this summer during my study abroad trip to China (she was my roommate for a month. We got to know each other very well, maybe a bit too well...). Anyways, she's a wonderful photographer and great person overall. I rarely compliment people, and publicly at that, so Kat, you better be gleeful right now. GLEEFUL IN ALL CAPS!
Codes Combine top & skirt (as mentioned in my last post); JIMMY'Z tank; Kenneth Cole Reaction flats (my most overworn shoes, ever.); hat from random underground subway store in Shanghai
Good luck & have fun in D.C. Kat! See you in 4 months where we will continue our adventures haha.
Wearing: Y by Codes Combine tank, Forever 21 linen shorts, Kenneth Cole Reaction flats.
I am absolutely in LOVE with ::codes combine. I bought this shirt along with a couple other items while visiting their store in Shanghai, China this summer. The label has designs that are fresh, clean cut, edgy and extremely wearable. I'm trying to do some research on the brand, but their website doesn't seem to function for me correctly. All I know is it's a South Korean label with designs for both men and women. Here are a couple of images from their Fall collection:
I actually find their men's line a tad more interesting than the women's as I felt there weremore unexpected pieces. I was actually lucky enough to visit their store this summer during a massive sale event (stuff was marked 50%-90% off!!). Otherwise, I don't think I could afford some of their items :]
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The crazy life as a senior in college how now officially begun! Unfortunately, it's not actually my final year. I will have to do a fifth year because I'm double-majoring. But that doesn't change the fact upper-division courses are kicking my butt and I've spent more on books this semester ($452 USD for 3 books!) than my past couple of years combined. I know I've been lucky, being in the College of Communications usually doesn't require too many texts other than a writing guidebook here or an AP stylebook there. I sympathize for my friends who are in majors that constantly require updated textbooks semester after semester. However, I am taking business foundation courses this term, which required two brand new texts (in addition to a marketing book I had to buy for an advertising class -- also a brand new edition).
As some bloggers like to say, my bank account is now officially on life support.
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Returning to Austin also means returning to my absolute favorite sandwich restaurant in the universe! Food Heads closes at 4 p.m. everyday and is not open on Sundays, making it not only extremely difficult to eat at but also an event when I do. Anytime anyone visits me in Austin or there are no ideas on where to eat (for lunch), Food Heads is my choice spot.
Table setting outside.
Gypsy Grove Sandwich -- Marinated and grilled pork tenderloin & grilled ham on garlic toasted baguette with swiss cheese, Foodhead's jalepeno relish and tabasco slaw. SUPER delicious, especially the egg that's topped onto it.
Grilled Salami & Fresh Mozzarella -- Served on toasted sourdough with fresh spinach, tomato and blackberry balsamic vinaigrette. A little too greasy for my tastes, but I do love fresh mozzarella. In fact, I've been having a pretty unhealthy infatuation with it as of late.
Grilled Portabellas & Bleu Cheese -- Served on toasted sourdough with fresh spinach, tomato and blackberry balsamic vinaigrette. My favorite sandwich, hands down.
Chicken Special -- Grilled chicken breast on toasted ciabatta with lettuce, tomato, avocado, feta cheese and tarragon mayonnaise. My second favorite sandwich! The feta cheese and terragon mayo gives it a creamy and flavorful texture.
If anyone hasn't been here yet and lives in Austin, it's an absolute must! And if you ever visit me in Austin, make sure I take you here!
In other news, I am currently planning a trip to Singapore this December. More on that later :]
I hate the awkward growing period between short and long hair. I chopped my hair short last year because my it was damaged from dyes and I had tons of split ends. I didn't feel like dealing with it so off it all went. I can't say that I don't feel a tinge of regret nowadays.
However, extensions are absolutely terrific! I bought the clip-on kind, so it can be a bit tedious if you're trying to look like you have long hair everyday. But I'm far too lazy to deal with that, so I just wear them every once in a while.
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It is currently Restaurant Week in Houston! Basically a bunch of restaurants (about 75) in Houston are participating in an event that benefits the Houston Food Bank. For $35, you get a 3-course gourmet meal and $5 of that gets donated. In my opinion it's a pretty good deal, considering some of these restaurants cost waaaay more than $35 for 3 courses.
This year, I decided to check out Voice located inside Hotel Icon.
Argh! I forgot what the heck this was and it's not on their online menu. We ordered it separate from the Restaurant Week menu. It was good though!
FIRST COURSE mushroom soup “cappuccino” - truffle foam, porcini powder. I liked the presentation (came out in a coffee cup) and the foam on top. It was a good soup, although a bit thick and hard to consume all of it considering the size of the cup (and my tiny frame). carneroli risotto - tomato, chive, asiago cheese. One of the best risottos I've had, especially when it came to originality. It was a fresh tasting mixture, definitely a great summer dish.
SECOND COURSE pan roasted pork loin - roasted corn, granny smith apple, bourgon-garlic sauce. Simply deeeeelicius! The flavors went together in an amazing way. Each bite was meant to be eaten with all the components combined. Very few restaurants can make such dishes like this that impress me so.
coulot Steak sous vide - Yukon potato cream, charred onions, shallot sauce. I only had one bite of this, but it was juicy (cooked medium rare) and flavorful. Oh, and the bread that comes along with the food was also very interesting. There were three types of spreads: olives, butter, and garlic. All very good. I must dote on the butter though, it came served at room temperature, all soft and ready spread. Haha I am easy to please.
I am so full! But, I must squeeze room for dessert!
THIRD COURSE strawberry rhubarb crisp - almond oat streusel, ginger Chantilly cream. The strawberries were a bit sour, but eaten with the cream, the tangyness could be forgiven. warm chocolate cake - chocolate sauce, caramel sea salt ice cream. Lovely dish! I think there was a border of chocolate sauce on purpose, as I tried mixing the two and eating it together and it didn't quite taste right. The ice cream was definitely interesting, as it was salty and I usually associate ice cream with being sweet.
Inside the restaurant.
And I apologize for my food photos for always being so dark. It's so darn hard to shoot in restaurants, they are all so dimly lit and flash usually makes the food look bad haha.
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So school starts in exactly 1 week + 1 day. Sigh. Although a part of me aches to return and learn new things, meet new people and hang out with old friends, my lazy bones just want to stay home and sleep all day. I have a pretty rigorous schedule this semester, with my Mondays through Thursdays packed with classes from about 11 a.m. till about 5 p.m. everyday. Plus and minus some lab hours. This, however, eliminated any chance of me getting a part time job this semester. Boohoo :[
And I've been addicted to Rain's song RAINISM lately hahaha. The lyrics are rather provocative, at least for an Asian song. It's got nothin' on the stuff here in the states, but still. It's Rain and I associate everything in Asia with innocense. Then again, Edison Chen proved that otherwise.
