A wishlist - pt. II

A continuation...
1.
a roll of Orla Kiely wallpaper
I botched putting the wallpaper up on the bedroom side of the divider wall. I'm itching to actually make it right this time, and what better way to make a bedroom cheery but with Orla Kiely patterns.

2.
Wild Woodland Vases
How adorable are these? I apparently have a thing for white ceramic decor and I can't get enough for it! I'd like to blame Jonathan Adler for that.

3.
Roost Terra Stool
To go with my dream bed. Also, I have a thing for wood.

4.
Flor Sophistikat rug tiles
As much as I love my yellow Anthro rug, it's just a bit small for my living room. I love that the tiles are somewhat imperfect and I can mix it up from time to time - an Ikat pattern one day, diagonal lines the next. And I'm quite indecisive.

The rest of the wishlist doesn't really need visuals so...
5. a nice pair of pillows - I've been using $5 Target pillows since I moved out of my parents' house back in 2005 and they're not exactly the comfiest.
6. an espresso maker - 2010 has made me love coffee and while I love my Hario dripper, there are some days when I feel like an espresso.
7. a flashgun for my Olympus E-P1. I don't really care if it's a third-party flash, as long as it bounces.
8. a huge Totoro plush!

A wishlist - pt. I

Somehow, it was easy to forget that I started a blog almost two years ago. As much as I love stalking other people's blogs and getting inspired by them, I don't think I've ever had a big desire to be a blogger since, I don't know, 2002?

I'm currently at my parents' house for Thanksgiving weekend with nothing to do. This past couple of weeks, I've been studying like crazy for my fourth and final (hopefully!) CPA exam. Now that that's done, I, all of a sudden, have this free time in my hands. I thought I'd change it up a bit and since I have never made a wishlist, I've decided to make one this year. I'm the type of person that's hard to get presents for since I'm a go-getter - if I want it, I'll get it soon enough. I don't usually expect presents during this time of the year anyway, but what the heck, people ask, and I might as well do them a favor, right?

The 'no one will get me this because they're a lot of $$$ and I'll probably bust the plastic for these' list:


1.
Panasonic 7-14mm lens
I've been lusting after this lens since I bought my Olympus E-P1 last August 2009. I finally rented it for my birthday weekend at Hicksville Trailer Palace in Joshua Tree and it did not disappoint! I'm in love with it, and wish I could afford it without hurting my savings. Soon, I must have you.

2.
Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 lens
Again, another lens I wish I could add to my collection but I can't simply justify splurging on it. I love my Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens to bits and this beast of a glass is calling out my name. Since I don't really own a flashgun (and I'm not much of a flash person anyway), this is perfect for low-light scenes.

3.
Logan Queen Bed
I've been searching high and low for my dream bed and this might be it. It's not the most expensive, but it's not that affordable either. I love the clean lines, the tufted headboard, and just check out those sexy gams! I like some MCM, but I don't plan on outfitting my entire apartment like a Mad Men set. This, a pair of wood stump side tables, and an arc lamp, while watching my Netflix queue on my iPad - I might just not leave my bedroom ever. While we're at it, can I have a better mattress too? My Ikea mattress isn't cutting it anymore.

Pacific Northwest Extravaganza: Portland

The last leg of our trip of the beautiful Pacific Northwest! It was raining the entire time we were in Portland plus the combination of New Year's Day holiday meant that we were limited as to what to do in our short but sweet trip in the land of beards and bicycles.

And here we go:
1. Portland Union Station. I did end up booking the right train from Seattle to Portland (whew!) and arriving at the Portland train station felt like I was in another decade.


2. Ace Hotel! There are just so many things I loved about this hotel. The huge cat mural in our hotel room, the claw foot tub, the photobooth in the lobby, the Pendleton wool blankets (which I ended up buying for myself!), Kenny & Zuke's and Stumptown coffee! I'm excited to stay at the new Ace Hotel in Palm Springs come Coachella!


3. Strong cocktails at Clyde Commons and getting shitfaced while ringing in the New Year. It's a good thing our room was just three floors above us because we downed four drinks in less than 45 minutes and just in time for the clock to strike twelve. We then proceeded to be happy drunks from then on.


4. Powell's Bookstore. I could've spent hours in this store, especially since it was raining cats and dogs outside. And the books bike rack is genius!

5. Watching JCVD at the Living Room Theaters across from our hotel. I ended up really liking JCVD even though I didn't want to watch it in the first place. It was probably one of the best films I've seen in 2008 and the muscles from Brussels was certainly endearing.

The Pacific Northwest Winter Extravaganza: Seattle

After taking a painstaking 4-hour bus ride to Seattle from Vancouver (with an hour stopover at customs), we finally arrived in the Emerald City. Sadly, our time at Seattle was cut short because we planned on arriving in Seattle by noon but ended up getting there no later than 4:30PM. Also, it was quite possibly the coldest and windiest part of our trip. Tim & I were kind of at a loss as to what to eat & do in Seattle (besides the typical tourist traps) so we ended up watching a YouTube video of Anthony Bourdain's episode in Seattle. That man can do no wrong.

Some highlights:


1. Cheese onion garlic roll from Piroshky, Piroshky, the famous Russian bakery in Pike Place!


2. "World's Best" Mac & Cheese and Flagship Tomato soup from Beecher's -it really was the world's best! Tim & I are constantly craving for their Mac & Cheese and one of these days, we're just going to have to cave in and have it delivered to us overnight.


3. Metsker's map store. We both have a fascination with vintage globes and maps so we were pretty much in awe at the entire store. I bought an amazing globe mobile which I have still yet to hang.

4. White Horse Trading Co. A really nice English pub tucked in one of the alleys at Pike Place with books everywhere! Though it was dimly-lit, the ambiance was really relaxing as it felt like a home-y living room where you're surrounded with stacks of books and interesting chotckies.


5. Science fiction museum/Experience Music Project. I was bummed I couldn't take any photos (I had to be in stealth-mode with my iPhone) since there were just way too many awesomeness in the science fiction museum that could make a sci-fi enthusiast's heart pitter-patter! They even had a robots exhibit!

6. Pumpkin canoli from Serious Pie. We had pizza at this fancy pizza place while on our way back to our hotel from the museum and though we were too full to eat dessert, it was a good call to have it to go. It was scrumptious!

The Pacific Northwest Winter Extravaganza: Vancouver

Vancouver was me and Tim's first stop. We arrived in the middle of a really harsh snow storm but that didn't stop us from having fun! Here's a little recap of why we loved Vancouver:

1. Japa dog! Best tasting Japanese-style hot dogs ever. The Terimayo was amazing! Tim and I area already planning on trying to recreate it. It seems pretty simple: all beef hotdogs, teriyaki sauce, shredded nori, Japanese mayonnaise, and sauteed onions.

2. Granville Island public market. We both agree we liked it better than Pike Place. We spent the entire afternoon just browsing the different food stalls and walking around the island.

3. Stanley Park. I've never seen so much snow before in my entire life! The snow was just so soft and wonderful and you can even see a really good view of the Vancouver skyline.

4. Vancouver Aquarium. Sea otters and beluga whales, two of my most favorite animals! Sadly, the other otter was in another tank so I didn't catch them holding hands though.
5. Baked crab, spinach, and asiago dip from Steamworks Brewery in Gastown. So delicious!
6. Really nice Canadians. It's so true!

Also, a tip to anyone who plans on taking the Amtrak from Vancouver: make sure you book it from Vancouver, BC and not Vancouver, WA! Oops! We ended up taking the bus to Seattle and spent most of our 1st year anniversary stuck in the train station for 4 hours waiting to board the bus.

New dwellings.

I moved into my new apartment a little over a month ago and ever since, I've been obsessed with decorating it. I think I'm at a point in my life where I'm willing to invest in quality furniture that I'm going to keep for a long time.

Last weekend, I found a really good bargain on a luxurious cream Chesterfield sofa by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and got it for 75% off the retail price. It's in excellent, almost-new condition too since it was only used to stage a home that was being sold in the Hollywood hills. Now I'm trying to decorate the living room to match it since it's pretty much the only furniture we have right now. Sadly, it dwarfs my Anthropologie Cleo chair so that'll probably go back in my bedroom. We're thinking a nice plum color for the living room walls accented with warm golds and sage greens. We're also mounting my faux deer head on top of the fireplace. I still need to find a nice coffee table to go with the sofa but I've had no such luck so far. There's this vintage marching drum table from Anthro that I'm lusting over but $950 for a coffee table is way out of my budget. I also bought a pair of red iron Emile chairs from Anthro for the dining table and I'm in love with the way it looks with my round wood table!

This really isn't helping me pay off my debt.

2009!

2008 was such a whirlwind. I: graduated college; got my first full-time job; turned 21; got laid off no thanks to the economy; got a better paying job in less than a month; traveled to New York, Las Vegas, the Philippines, Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland; became more independent than ever; and lastly, fell in love and spent a whole chunk of 2008 with the beau. It's been a really good  and eventful year for the most part.

Here's to a good 2009!

1. Cut my meat intake. Remember when I didn't eat meat and didn't have high blood pressure? 

2. Shed some pounds and start exercising regularly.

3. Start eating healthy and cooking my own meals. Less eating out and fast food.

3. Pay off my credit card debt!

4. Start studying seriously for the CPA exams and hopefully pass all four parts by the end of the year.

5. Self-control. No more tempting fate.

6. Read more literature and quit wasting my free time on the internet.

7. Learn how to ride a bike.

8. Plan my next destination(s). 2008 was a good year for traveling and I've caught the travel bug.

9. Take more pictures.

10. Wash my face regularly, no matter what.