Afternoon Tea

The Urban Tea Merchant on West Georgia


L: The bride-to-be all dolled up in her purple princess ensemble
R: Everyone started off with a lovely strawberry sorbet


L: A tier of goodies
R: Savoury goodness. The smoked salmon was definitely a favourite!


L: I was craving something milky so I opted for a chai tea latte
R: The tissue paper kimono that J was fascinated by


The bridal shower was a success! The afternoon was filled with great tea, great sweet and savoury treats, and endless laughter. The array of dainty pastries was almost too pretty to eat! It was definitely a perfect day to spend downtown.

Now back to studying I go!

One more week to go. Must stay focused and prepare myself to tackle those upcoming finals!

So as another week draws to an end, I'm getting more and more stressed out. This is going to be one busy weekend. I will be attending a bridal shower tomorrow, my first one ever! I don't really know what to expect and it'll definitely be a new experience. Sunday will be completely dedicated to studying. I still have a lot of material to cover and really hope that I won't have to cram too hard at the end.




So I watched a bit of the Royal Wedding during dinner. I was mostly curious about how Kate Middleton's wedding dress looked like. In my opinion, her dress did not have the wow factor but she really did look beautiful in it. I liked her sister's (the maid of honor) dress a lot though. It was quite elegant and very flattering.

Closet Inspirations: wardrobe staples

It's such a beautiful day today - a rarity in Vancity! So warm and sunny outside...and we all know how much iheartsunnydays, lol.

So I spent half of the day attempting to study for finals. I really did try, but everytime I read a page of my notes, I'd fall asleep for half an hour. At this rate, I'm going to need a few more months of "studying" time to prep myself for finals.

So I spent a couple of hours just cleaning my room and reorganizing stuff. I really wish I had a bigger closet because I'm running out of places to store my clothes. I've accumulated quite a bit of stuff over the years.. and I just can't bear to part with any of them :( I should be getting my own hoarders clothing edition episode. Anyway, it really made me wonder, how much clothes does one girl need to be able to put together a sufficient number of outfits and without seeming like she's wearing the same thing everyday? My question inspired me to make a list of wardrobe staples that I believe every girl should have in their closet. Each item should stand the test of time and should transcend from season to season. Here is my top ten list of wardrobe staples:

1. Basic V-neck shirt

This is the simplist and most versatile piece. It's so basic but can be worn with almost everything! Dress it up by tucking it into a skirt, putting a blazer over it, and adding some statement jewelery. You can obviously dress it down by pairing it with some laid-back jeans and a flannel shirt.

2. Blazer

Put one of these on and you'll look instantly put-together! No, don't wear it with a collared shirt unless you work 9-5 at an office. Instead, roll up the sleeves a bit and wear it over looser shirts or even a spring dress for a more casual look.

3. Leggings

This is probably the most worn item in my closet. I literally live in leggings. They're uber comfy and go with everything! However, a longer top is a must imo.

4. Dark skinny jeans

If I can only wear one pair of jeans for the rest of my life, I'd make sure that they're a pair of dark blue skinny leg denim. I know a lot of people are iffy about this cut just because they could be very unforgiving. If that's the case, a pair of straight leg jeans can also give a very similar look.



5. LBD (little black dress)

This one is classic and a good LBD can last you for many years. My opinion is to go for a simple silouette and a clean cut. Black's always great because it can hide any bloating (lol) or if you don't want your dress to take attention away from your accessories.


6. Khaki colored trench coat

My number one choice would be this burberry one! However, due to the crazy price tag of $2000+, it's good to know that there are many similar options out there. I know Zara comes out with trench coats almost every season for a good price.



7. Comfy flats

Sick of wearing sneakers and looking like a 14-year old girl? Well switch to a pair of basic flats and you almost get the same level of comfort. Go for a good quality pair and you can walk for miles in them! Black is always versatile but don't limit yourself!



8. Boots

A pair that is mid-caf in length is the most flattering. Go for a classic neutral colour such as black or brown and you will be able to wear them season after season.



9. Neutral Coloured Handbag

There is nothing better than a soft, buttery leather bag! For you animal lovers, I'm sure a faux-leather one would do just fine. Look for one with an extra longer strap so you can wear it like a messenger when you need both of your hands free. To withstand the test of time, go for a simple style and for functionality reasons, look for a medium sized one so you can carry all your essentials! I love the shape and colour of this Prada one. It's absolutely perfect! I've been on the hunt for a long time for a similar, well-priced one.



10. Simple heels

Black heels are a definite must. However, I'm starting to see nude coloured pumps pop up everywhere I go. I'm not too sure if they're just a trend or if they are here to stay. But I won't disagree that the nude colour is equally flattering and they make your legs look miles longer! That's a plus for me and all the shorties out there :)




I'm sure you all noticed a pattern with the overly boring neutral colour palette! That being said, I really do believe in building a basic wardobe that way and then finding more fun and trendy colourful pieces to add to it. I hope you're all now somewhat inspired to start creating your own staple wardrobe!


Happy Easter long weekend, everyone :)

I should really be naming this blog "bi-monthly ramblings" instead judging by the frequency of my posts! I've been lazy, I know. Falling into a pattern of putting things off. Good news is, I've collected quite a few photos to post!

Short week, long weekend! What more can I ask for? These two weeks have been almost stress-free. Managed to get a lot more sleep (and shopping?) in.

So as usual, lots of catching up to do. So lets get right down to business.







Yavis Club


Trees Organic Coffee

Went for cheesecake at two different places within the last two weeks: Yavis Club in Richmond and Trees Organic Coffee on Granvile. Trees Organic had much, much better cheesecake! The berry cheesecake I had at Yavis too icey, giving it a funny texture. I had a mocha cheesecake at Trees Organic and it was deelish. I highly recommend the Almond Marzipan though! I only had a small bite since my friend had ordered it, but one bite was all it took <3 No pictures of the pieces of yummy cheesecake though because we devoured them too fast :(



L: R hopes to be cast as Jack Sparrow in the next Pirates movie
R: Princess W and her castle in a land far, far away

So the Disney Store reopened at Metrotown! Didn't even know until Kat told us. Me, Vi, Kat, and R definitely had a blast wandering around in the store.








Last friday's TGIF event was All-you-can-eat sushi. I'm glad we finally tried it out together as a group... but I really don't think I'll be having ayce again in awhile. We definitely over-ordered, over-ate, and over-stuffed ourselves silly. I think I only ate two bites of rice that night and skipped breakfast the next day.




So I'm seriously thinking about putting myself on another shopping ban. My friend J and I went on one last summer in attempt to control our spending habits. Although it was only a two month attempt (mine was actually cut short to one month :P), I would definitely say that we were successful in stopping ourselves from buying a bunch unneccesary stuff. It's not going to be easy, especially since there seems to be a ton of sales around lately and I'm literally at metrotown everyday! yikes.

TGIF

Another week over! I'm not going to lie, we had a relatively easy week. No complaints there. A few more weeks of classes and then we're off to do our finals. I can't believe that the school term's almost over!!!

I haven't updated in awhile. So lets do a bit of catch up!



So my group members and I finally finished our 10-page literature review two weeks ago! It was a lot of work, but I think the four of us made a great team. We even decided to dress up for our presentation. That made it a lot of fun even though it was totally unncessary. Anything to make it look like we actually knew what we were talkin about!!



Last Friday, me, Vi, and R braved through the rain and went shopping downtown. We treated ourselves with some retail therapy and jumbo hotdogs. Most memorable moments: finding the RH-lookalike jacket, trying to figure out what to do with the discoloured laces (thanks to Vi for reasoning with the SA's!), wandering around the Bay (looking for the $10 BCBG skirts...), walking until it felt like our feet were going to fall off, finding a Bench bench, and all of us running into people we knew (what a small world!) After 5 hours of shopping, Vi headed home while R and I headed over to G's house for a few rounds of MJ.



Last Saturday, my family and I went out for dinner with some family friends. To my surprise, my dad suggested Shanghainese food. I was really excited since I felt like trying something new. My favourite dish was definitely the "red chicken" in the first picture.



Later that night, I met up with a few friends at Bubble World. It's really becoming one of my favourite bbt places now :)

Credits to Vi for some of the photos in this post. Okay I'm tired now. Until next time!