OOTD: A Casual Saturday

Hey lookie here, an Outfit of the Day :) Hopefully, the first of many, though I do not think I dress particularly well. I tend to dress for comfort and rarely accessorize...I would categorize myself as a Lazy Fashionista, if there is such a thing.

Anyway, let me introduce to you one of my favorite weekend outfits:

The Limited High Low Cardigan (direct link)

Grey Tank Top from Walmart...Fruit of the Loom I think

H&M Black Scalloped Shorts

Baby Robins Say Hello!

Today is Earth Day so I am especially thrilled to update you all on the Robin family ^_^

A couple weeks ago, a robin laid four eggs in our backyard. Wiki said it would take ~2 weeks for the eggs to hatch and last weekend the eggs hatched right on time!! The little chicklets in the pic are ~1 week old :)

Aww his skinny little neck ^^

Now that the younglings are a little older, the momma bird isn't always sitting on them so I got to snap a few pics. Thankfully the lighting was SO GOOD yesterday, I didn't even have get very close to get these these closeup shots. The sad news is that I think only 3 of the 4 eggs hatched :( But the survivors are very energetic and adorable!

They are still mostly naked but their little feathers are growing in fast ^_^

Only 7 days old and already being stalked by paparazzi...

They're supposed to start flying in a week or so this might be the last pics I get of them :( but it was an amazing experience to see them grow. I didn't get to see them actually hatch ^^ but hearing them cheep and seeing their mom feed them everyday was definitely a once in a lifetime experience ^_^

When the mom is home, I have to content myself to snapping pics from inside :P This is when she is feeding her chicks.

On another nature-y note, the roses and azaleas around our house are flowering. The roses were a surprise because they rarely bloom but this year the roses are not only bloomed but they are huge.

The azaleas, on the other hand, always bloom and I daresay they are among my favorite flowers because they are not only gorgeous but also very hardy and easy to care for.

They don't need fertilizer or regular watering, every year the bushes are just covered with dense, perfect blooms.

That is all for now.....Happy Earth Day!

Korea Trip 2010, Part 17: The United Nations Memorial Cemetery

The next place we visited that day was the United Nations Memorial Cemetery (English). This cemetery is truly beautiful and a must see if you are in Busan. It is literally this vibrantly green patch of land in the middle of a modern metropolitan city; I suppose you could liken the effect Central Park has on Manhattan. However, unlike Central Park, since this is a cemetery, it is has a more contemplative air and almost surreal in the stark contrast between the quiet tranquility and the bustle of the city just beyond its walls.

Here at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, the only one of its kind in the world, rest heroic brave soldiers from a number of UN nations, who sacrificed their lives for world peace and freedom.

Continued from Part 16: The Busan Museum
To start from the beginning go to Part 1: Flying to Tokyo

Korea Trip 2010, Part 16: The Busan Museum

Sooooooooo....it beats me as to what use this travel series will be to anybody since it is literally been TWO YEARS since I was on this trip and I am only HALFWAY through my backlog of pictures. But as god is my witness, I am going to finish this travel series!!!

To recap, since it's been so long fml: I went on a month long trip to Korea in the summer of 2010, with a little pit stop in Japan at the beginning. I took a ton of photos along the way and thought it would be fun to write a series on my trip....basically, Korea through my eyes. I traveled with family so I had no particular plans for my trip, I just went where my relatives took me. Believe it or not, this series shows just a tiny slice of the thousands of photos and many places I went. In a nutshell, Korea is truly a vibrant country, rich in cultural history and full of little nooks and crannies to discover :) Better than kpop and kdramas ;)

I hope this series encourages people to visit Korea; even if you "don't know where to go," I have to say that the best times I had were visiting places like the mall (Shinsaegae will forever blow my mind) or simply wandering aimlessly. Even if this series is a little outdated now, I hope people find these posts useful :)

If you would like to read the last post or start from the beginning, follow the links below.

Continued from Part 15: Love Locks
To start from the beginning go to Part 1: Flying to Tokyo

Otherwise, let's pick up where I left off....

Meet Momma Robin + Best Ginger Candy EVER

Random update before I pack up - I haven't mentioned candy in awhile, but trust me....my sweet tooth is still alive and kicking.  Quick update on the Robin Family: here's the Robin Mom watching over her eggs.  I'm guessing we have ~7 days to go till hatching but otherwise, all is quiet on the home front ;)

And now....I present to you one of my all time favorite (and #1 favorite in the past few months) candy - CHIMES GINGER CHEWS!

These so friggin hard to find though! My mum brought them home one day because they were on sale at Hmart (bless Hmart, I discover all my new candy there ;) ).  After one piece I was hooked!  Hmart only stocks these periodically but I have also seen these at Ross and Marshall's oddly enough. I usually avoid buying food stuffs at what are essentially discount clothing stores but these are just too good (and rare) to pass up.  And whatever, these babies are individually packaged so I'll risk it ;)

These are a chewy (like caramel), powerfully ginger flavored candy that is lightly dusted in powdered sugar.  This is obviously a sweetened version of raw ginger but this is as close as you are going to get without just eating...raw ginger.  This stuff is STRONG.  It will clear your sinuses with an insanely spicy, sweet, deliciously tangy kick.  Like I said, it's very chewy but if you aren't impatient like me and chomp eagerly on it, it will melt in your mouth slowly as well.

My favorite, favorite is Orange Ginger (comes in an orange package duh) because the orange and ginger go so well together.  Peppermint is a little blase because the the ginger flavor overpowers it; you might as well just eat the Original.  I haven't tried Peanut Butter or Mango yet because I dislike peanut butter and am faintly allergic to mango.  When I'm feeling adventurous though, I'll try em...nothing like a little allergic reaction to jazz things up xD

I would totally recommend you try these (especially if you have a cold or sinus issues).  The only exceptions are people who don't like the taste of ginger (obviously) and people who don't like super chewy candy xD  Otherwise, this is one of the most unique, flavorful, and ridiculously addictive candies eva!  No need to thank me ;)

That said....Geez, I can't believe I can write so much about one bloody piece of candy....

Review: My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Tea and Macaron

Warmer weather is back and so is my SHEET MASK ADDICTION. BWAHHAHA. I only got to try 2 of these - one from Ssusho and one that was a gift with purchase - so take this review with a grain of salt. I usually finish the whole box of masks before I review it.

Purchased at: Twas a gift from Sussho! But you can also get these at Sasa as well.

Price: N/A but usually $10-12/box

Description:

My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Tea & Macaron Sheet Mask illuminates and clarifies the face in 20 minutes.The combination of black tea ferment and bergamot essential oil gives a miraculously brightening effect. It brightens dull and yellowish skin tone, leaving skin briskly clear, fair and flawless. Sweet almond protein and sugar cane extract are mixed to leave skin glittering and translucent, smooth and delicate. The fruit extracts of rosa canina, blueberry and acerola leave skin fair and perfectly clear, enhancing the skin’s translucency and ability to defend.

Suitable for: Suitable for normal skin, it is recommended for dull skin without lustre.

• Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract whitens skin.
• Rosa Canina Fruit Extract softens and moisturizes skin.
• Sodium Hyaluronate strongly hydrates.
• Malpighia Punicifolia (Acerola) Fruit Extract aids in whitening.
• Saccharomyces/Xylinum Black Tea Ferment softens, smooths and brightens the skin to improve the overall appearance of the complexion.
• Citrus Au Ranti Um Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil gives an antiseptic effect and reduces inflammation.
• Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract gives an antiseptic effect and reduces inflammation.

Experience: I am probably one of the last people to try the much hyped Tea series MBD released last year. But I've heard good things so I tried this with pretty high expectations. Love the packaging - gorgeous matte/silk finish, cute drawings~ Smells great too; I'm not sure what macarons smell like but this had a delicate sweet, slightly lemon-y scent. Very pleasant. Sheet stuck to skin nicely I must say the aroma of the mask made the whole experience especially lovely. Popped off the mask in about 30 minutes. Redness was down and face felt plump and hydrated, an effect that lasted till morning.

Overall

Fit: Nice (aka shape is the same as all MBD masks)

Scent: Very good indeed! The Earl Grey scent is very subtle, you mostly smell just a hint of lemon. It's a very hard scent to describe but definitely one of the most pleasant.

Mask texture: Smooth, silky, thin

Excess serum: I never get a lot of excess serum in my MBD for some reason, but the mask is drenched so you can easily redistribute some of the serum around your neck.

Look at how thin this mask is ^_^

Claims: Of the things they claim: whitening, hydrating, softening, reducing inflammation - I would say this mask does all of that. Can't vouch for "reducing inflammation," though there is a temporary reduction in redness afterward.

Overall: While this did not blow my socks off, it is something I would recommend. The scent is just indescribably wonderful, a great pick-me-up. It works, there was no irritation, and now that the hype has died down, is generally the same cost as the regular MBD line ;)

On another note - I AM COVERED WITH LITTLE BUG BITES. ahhhh, my arms, my legs, my shoulders, my tummy - I am speckled with little red, slightly itchy bumps! I haven't figured out where they are coming from because nobody else in the house has any bites. Grrrrr....*scratchscratch*

A Bird's Humble Abode

A couple weeks ago, I noticed that one of the flower bushes in our backyard acquired a mysterious hole.... "Curiosity" is my middle name so of course I took a peek inside:

Ohoho how GENIUS is this robin?! It frikkin made its own DOORWAY into the bush!  I dunno if it plucked all the leaves around the entrance or what but it sort of freaks me out how...well planned it all looks.   The nest is quite scraggly at the bottom but it's perfectly formed around the top.  I've never seen a bird's nest this close and it is really a miniature work of art. Tightly woven, finely shaped *sigh* ah~ nature.

And it gets better! When I first found the nest, it was quite empty, but this weekend:

View from living room window.  A curse on that window screen.

ZOMG!!!! Four wee-little robin eggs!  This picture is quite true to life - a robin's eggs are really that gorgeous shade of turquoise! And you know what else is bloody fantastic about this nest? See that window behind the bush in the first picture? We can actually see the bird's nest from inside the house. This way we can watch the eggs hatch *sqeee* all without disturbing the momma bird :)

The mom bird rarely leaves her nest and never seems to be far. My dad and I were pulling some weeds over the weekend and the mom bird was perched in a tree about 5 yards away making a serious racket until we moved away from the bush ^_^ She is a protective lady!

According to trusty old Wiki, robins lay 2-3 broods from April to July (right on schedule this one).  Eggs are supposed to hatch in 14 days and the chicks leave the nest 2 weeks later.  Accordingly, we should be seeing chicks in the next 10 days!  I am so excited~!!  Hopefully I will be able to record the little Robin Family's progress over the next few weeks with a couple pics taken from our inside the house.

Anyway, just wanted to share that with you all :)   Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

The Power of a V-neck!

What?! How did a week pass already? Anyway, super quick post about clothes of all things.

My body has a definite V-shape to it and consequently, I have adoration for any piece of clothing to that helps me look more hourglass-y ;)   On most days, I'm fine with my body but other days *sigh*....why so wide?  I am living proof it is possible to be top heavy without boobs xD

So, I just wanted to say that one of my favorite purchases in the last 2-3 months is The Limited Angel Wing Cardigan! It's a lightweight, super comfortable, and perfect for spring! Plus how can you deny the fluttery sleeves? And this makes me look more curvy looking I think ^_~

My only complaint is Small tends to ride up and reveals my belly (see pic above) and Medium is perfect around my waist but the neckline too big (like it slips to the side and shows one of my bra straps). I stuck with a Small, but it will probably fit better if I tone up around the middle *sigh* Anyway, every size is still available so I totally recommend buying one for spring. I dislike buying multiples of anything but I like my purple one so much I want to buy the pink one as well! These are going for a CRIMINALLY low price of $16.99 each too, so worth it. Highly recommended!

Last thing...my tank top is also from The Limited as well. Crazy how it looks so fabulously different on the model vs me ;_; ah well~ now you know what The Limited cami looks like a non-model person ;)