29.3.12

addiction: tumblr...


I've been working on my monthly list of 'things that make me happy' for at least a week now. But I've been distracted. You see, I'm completely obsessed with my tumblr page

tumblr
I'll be back to my regularly scheduled program tomorrow. But in the meantime, I'll be posting a collage of style pics and inspiring words here. Won't you follow me?

28.3.12

what?! union jack chanel...

source: pinterest
I gasped when I saw this pic of the Chanel Limited Edition Union Jack handbag. Alas, it's from 2011. Stunning!

27.3.12

21.3.12

do you want another longchamp?...

You think the answer is NO. You've probably already got a Longchamp or two in your closet. One can't walk the streets of New York, Paris, or Toronto without bumping into a teenager or their mother toting a Le Pliage. Who needs another one?

Prepare to change your mind. (I apologize to my vegan friends who are reading this post. I'm aware that leather is wrong and unethical.)
longchamp le pliage cuir

The Le Pliage--affordable, functional, lightweight, foldable--is now available in 100% leather. It comes in a rainbow of colours from neutrals to brights. I'm in love with the Le Pliage Cuir in red.



Is the movie entertaining or annoying? Impossibly thin, long legged models strutting and "dancing" really turns me off. 
And I'm trying my best not to be snarky because it's Lent.

Do you want another Longchamp?

20.3.12

tuesday shoesday: chanel gold heels...

source: pinterest
Am I dreaming?

macaron day!


It's Macaron Day!

Today, participating patisseries in the GTA are offering free macarons and donating 25% of macaron sales to the Red Door Family Shelter. The event was organized by La Bamboche, one of the finest patisseries in Toronto. Details here.

18.3.12

a favourite recipe: asian in america's vegetable stew...

There is nothing more comforting to this Filipino vegetarian than pinakbet, a stew cooked by boiling a variety of vegetables together in broth and shrimp paste. I was thrilled when my twitter pal, @Mango_Queen, posted this pinakbet slow cooker recipe on her outstanding food blog, Asian in America.
Asian in America vegetable stew, recipe here
The results were out of this world delicious! 

I could say that this is the portion I had for lunch. But that would be a lie. I ate 3 times this much.
And of course, her picture looks much better. Food blogger and photog I am not. 
Enjoy!

16.3.12

what would you do? pt 1...

image: pinterest
This will be a long list, but for now:

1. Write and publish my novel.
2. Earn a living as a travelling Bikram yoga teacher for a few months each year.
3. Sew black ribbon on my white curtains.
4. Flip real estate.
5. Make a brussels sprouts salad.

What would YOU do?

15.3.12

wildcat...

I've had my eye on the Jcrew Jules dress in wildcat since December. I just hate paying retail ($218?!) at Jcrew, when I know they'll mark it down eventually. Today when the price was reduced to something I wouldn't feel guilty about ($115 - 30%!), I finally caved.

Jules dress in wildcat print, here
It pays to be patient.

Update: I ordered size 2 but wondered if I should've sized down to the 0 after reading reviews. (Dumb move--read reviews BEFORE you purchase.) Since it's final sale, I'd be stuck with the 2 regardless. The dress arrived via UPS on Mar 21, 6 days after placing the order. Size 2 is perfect! Size 0 would've limited my arm movements and the 4 would have been much too baggy. The hem hits above my knee, and sleeve ends just at my wrist, but I still shorten a bit to get the same look pictured on the model (she's probably at least 10 inches taller than me). I can see myself wearing this to work and parties for years. LOVE this dress!

14.3.12

i'm going to bikram yoga boot camp...

...at home.
bikram yoga nice
I've been planning to go to the Nice Bikram Boot Camp for a few months now. Unfortunately my family's travel and school schedules get in the way of how I really want to live my life. (Kidding! But seriously, somebody has to be home for the kids!) And I suppose I should start saving for Bikram Teacher Training in October.

I still fully intend to go to Nice sometime this year. But if I can't be at Bikram boot camp in France just yet, why not create the boot camp experience here at home?

bikram nice boot camp program
My 'staycation' boot camp begins on Wednesday, March 14 and ends the following Tuesday. For the next few days my typical weekday will look like this:
  • 7am: relaxed breakfast--almond milk coffee in a latte bowl, fruit
  • 8am: free time--read, write, walk around the neighbourhood
  • 9:30am: yoga, 90 mins
  • 12noon: free time--nutritious lunch at home or a cafe, write, watch Friday Night Lights (ha!), shop and prep for healthy dinner
  • 6:30pm: yoga, 90 mins
  • 8:30pm: free time--healthy dinner, read, write
  • 10pm: relaxing beauty treatments (more details in another post), followed by a vegan hot cocoa or chamomile tea
  • 11:30pm: lights out
The yoga will be the easy part. I intend to do the morning and evening classes on Wednesday, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday, with a back-to-back on Saturday morning. I'll do the single classes on Friday and Sunday. By the end of my camp, I'll have completed 12 classes and 18 hours in the room.

How do I recreate the French Riviera in Richmond Hill, Ontario? Let's face it. I can't. But for the next seven days I will bring myself to a "Nice, France" state of mind by:
  • Controlling my OCD tendencies -- let go of the everyday chores;
  • Using my best things -- the good china, the nice linens;
  • Limiting the use of tech stuff to 2 hours a day -- yeah, BB and twitter;
  • Writing down my intentions, journalling my thoughts; 
  • Preparing and eating healthy new vegan dishes;
  • Making a conscious effort to be happy and kind;
  • Wearing nice clothes, even if I'm just going to the studio;
  • Discovering new places in the GTA -- cafes, shops, interesting sights;
  • Finish reading The Corrections
  • Indulging with a single macaron each day;
  • Surrounding myself with French stuff -- music, Eiffel Towers, books. They're all over my house anyway. 
By the end of the week (which coincidentally leads to my birthday), maybe I'll have a new relationship with my body and mind. Or at least have made some progress in my Bikram yoga practice.

As if I'd been to Nice.

12.3.12

sh*z lazy people say...

source: pinterest
My home is my sanctuary. I'm happiest when it's freshly cleaned and sparkling.

Spring cleaning, while ultimately rewarding, can be a daunting task. Don't know where to start? Read this.

11.3.12

weekend uniform...

Do you ever feel like you basically just wear versions of the same outfit, all the time? GUILTY! This is my current weekend uniform...



10.3.12

decor porn: the new lonny...

It's a good day when the new Lonny is published released. Their interior stylings remind me of the late, great Domino. Not coincidentally, founding editor Michelle Adams worked for this revered print mag before its premature demise.

In other news, Domino will be somewhat resurrected. I could go on and on, but Raina Cox already posted about it weeks ago. And she's funnier than me. Read the details and Raina's hilarious thoughts on the matter, here.









all images: lonnymag.com
See the latest Lonny, here. Serious decor porn.

9.3.12

fashion trend: wrist candy...

Ladies, would you wear these many bracelets all at once? 

images: pinterest







all images: holt renfrew FB, here

8.3.12

falling off the wagon and a veganized treat!...

source: bikram yoga centre
As you know, I've been eating a mostly plant-based diet since September. I say mostly because I'll admit to occasionally consuming fish when I'm at a Japanese restaurant (sushi) or at my mother's house (sinigang or daing). These lapses occur maybe once every 2 weeks.

But then I visited my twitter friend TitaFlip's new street food stall, Kanto. I lost all my willpower and succumbed to her delicious pansit palabok (noodles with shrimp), arroz caldo (rice soup with chicken), and lechon (roast pork). The mouth-watering meal, at least three times what I could normally eat, was beyond delicious. I just surrendered... My belly was so full I could barely move from the couch. I needed a 2 hour nap to recover. My planned evening Bikram class was written off and forgotten.

Instead of giving up my veg(etari)an diet altogether because of one delicious indiscretion, I forgave myself. My daily diet will remain 99.5% plant-based without meat, dairy, poultry. I'm forever veg(etari)an. 
vegan 'pritchon', aka crispy oyster mushroom wrap
It is really so easy to eat a plant-based diet. You just have to be creative and open to new tastes. With that in mind, I was inspired by Malou Nievera's pritchon recipe to create a veganized version of a crispy wrap. I replaced the fried roast pork (yes, fried roast pork) with mushrooms. The recipe is posted here on my twitter pal AstigVegan's blog.

Eat veg(etari)an and enjoy!