A Year in Review: 2013 Edition

Monday, December 30, 2013

As 2013 comes to an end, it's time for my yearly self-reflection.

On shopping:

- One recurring theme I noticed was "upgrading" several items in my closet due to various reasons, ie: finding a better alternative, wear and tear, etc. Items include a chambray shirt, white pants, green military jacket, long wool coat, white skirt, cowlneck sweater, and a fleece jacket. Another pattern I noticed is one I try to avoid, buying duplicates. I now own two cowlneck sweaters, two Saint James striped tees, and two Express Editor pants.

- On the usual shopping side, 2013 is the year of shoes. Oh boy. From high maintenance shoes with straps to wobbly 4" heels to shoes in a rainbow of colors, my shoe closet has seen an almost complete overhaul. When it came to heels, I almost exclusively bought pointed toe pumps. For flats, this is the year that I ventured away from ballet flats to loafers.

left -> right: Gap driving moccasins, Zara satin bow pumps, Sole Society Desirae blue suede pumps

- My best (aka practical) purchase this year is the ubiquitous Longchamp Le Pliage tote. The style is the perfect black bag replacement for my RM MAM. My favorite purchase this year is the By Malene Birger Callinga dress that I'm still head over heels for to this day. I just need to find (or make up?) more occasions to wear it. I've been pretty good about avoiding spontaneous purchases, so I can't think of anything I regret buying. However, I do wish I had given certain items more thought before getting them tailored, like the faux-leather dress that was only a bit baggy.

- Overall, I spent 6% of my gross salary on clothing/accessories/beauty this year. The number is on par with last year, but I have a feeling it'll be completely shot next year (more on that later).

On the blogging front:

- I'm still terrible at keeping my social media accounts up-to-date. I've gotten into the groove of updating Facebook whenever there's a new blog post. I'm pretty good at replying on Twitter, but generally don't have anything to share. Same goes for Instagram, but I place the blame more so on a lack of a smartphone. My New Year's resolution will be to do a better job at oversharing. The standard is set so low that it shouldn't be too hard, right?

- The funniest keyword search award goes to: turning my bf into a stud. To the person who ended up visiting my Valentino Rockstud shoes post instead, I'm sorry I couldn't help you (or your bf) out. I had a good chuckle though, so thank you for making my day!

- My top 5 favorite outfits of the year are: [from L -> R] one / two / three / four / five
Favorite outfits of 2013

- I don't feel like I jumped on the trend bandwagon very often this year. Harem pants, geometric prints, skorts, and metallic heels are some that come to mind that I didn't feel the urge to try. However, I'm did find myself playing catchup to faux leather pants, studded heels (1-2 years late?), and the Lanvin x H&M collab (3 years late!)

- I had the absolute pleasure of meeting up with several blogging friends I've made through this hobby of mine. It was only for a short weekend, but in one of my favorite cities (SF!) Great food, great company... what more could you ask for?

- Taking photos in RAW then editing in Adobe Lightroom has completely opened my eyes, but I fear, made me become even lazier as a photographer. Lightroom is amazing and I'm barely scratching the surface with what it can do (pretty much just color correct my photos). Now that I know things like washed out photos or dark lighting can be fixed in the post-editing process, I haven't been playing around with the camera's settings as much to get the ideal shot. Just a few quick snaps because I know photos can be tweaked in Lightroom later.

On the personal side of things:

- The company I work for recently changed its leave policy. So now instead of cashing out any extra hours above the cap (which I loved doing), anything over would mean I'm working for free. Technically I should experience a better work-life balance next year? The jury's still out because I really enjoyed those nice bonuses. This segues nicely to...

- Traveling. I enjoy traveling, but really am so lazy when it comes to planning. This past year I found myself going on short trips, most with a purpose, but I was able to enjoy downtime on the side. My company's new leave policy may just be the push I need to get off my lazy butt and go on an extended vacation next year. Japan is on the table as DH has never been (and probably so tired of how I go on and on about how wonderful it is). Also, I promised a friend I'd visit sometime during her two-year stay there. Oh yeah, my love for all things green tea helps too. I'm generally more of a city/sight-seeing type of traveler, but on my bucket list is to one day stay in a hut over the water on the beach. Any non-swimmers who can put my DH's mind at ease? Because he doesn't trust me to save him if he drowns in his sleep, lol. I actually did some initial research (gasp) and only saw this amenity offered at the French Polynesian islands (Caribbean would be much closer to us). The trip that is most likely going to become a reality is one to Europe. And it's all due to a conversation I had with my SIL about Chanel. Apparently there are other crazy girls we know who are interested in a trip across the ocean because Chanel bags are cheaper in Paris. Off the hook on planning + never been to Europe + potential new bag = killing three birds with one stone. Now I just have to seriously figure out if I want to replace my classic flap with a reissue.

Lastly...

Thank you for visiting and reading this little blog of mine. I've valued each and every one of your support, comments, and critiques. I've always told myself that I'll continue blogging as long as it remains a fun hobby, so I'm excited to see what 2014 brings. Stay safe and have a happy new year! Cheers!

You Might Also Like

19 comments

  1. Happy new year! Japan and Europe is on my list for next year too!!! Definitely making it a new year's resolution to travel as much as possible next year and the few years after until we decide to have babies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy new year, Tina! I do have some regrets about not traveling as much as I could've... sigh. Hopefully 2014 will make up for all that :)

      Delete
  2. Trip to either Europe or Japan or an island sound wonderful! Hope you can decide. Glad you still enjoy blogging and can't wait to see what 2014 holds. As for shooting in RAW and knowing you can post-edit, totally hear ya!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or there's always the option of traveling to all the places on my list ;) Happy new year, Lisa!!

      Delete
  3. Have a great 2014!! :) Love all your OOTDs :)

    katattack2000.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great summary! I really enjoy your blog and get inspired by your outfit ideas. sorry for always being too lazy to leave comments. Keep up and see you (more?) in 2014! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh, do not worry about leaving comments unless you want to! I'm the queen of lazy so I completely understand :) Happy new year, wangzi!

      Delete
  5. Happy 2014! We are contemplating Japan too ;) and yes...cheaper in Europe is a must!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha I'm already leaning towards yes to the Chanel ;) Happy new year, Laura!

      Delete
  6. I loved this post, Cee! And have too much to say about it:
    1. Yes, do make up more occasions to wear Callinga dress! Maybe on your travels?
    2. LOL on doing a better job at oversharing
    3. Double LOL on the keyword search
    4. Can't wait to live vicariously via your travel posts.

    Happy New Year!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point. I'll have to add "packing nice clothes on vacations" to my New Year's resolution list. It's about time I only wear bummy-looking clothes around the house ;)

      Happy new year, S!

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the post. I enjoyed reading it, especially the part about your job. Would love to know ore about your career in future posts.

    Also, side note, it would be nice if you had a facebook page and share your new blog posts there. I only come here when I remember to. Hehe. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy new year, Vanessa! You can follow me along on Facebook here. About my job... it's really nothing to write home about. I'm the quintessential computer geek ;)

      Delete
  8. LOL! at "turning my bf into a stud." I have seen "petite in fitting room" quite often for searches...always makes me laugh!!

    I am excited for your future travel possibilities...Japan would be awesome! And a hut on the water...that would be interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this is the most excited I've been about traveling in a long time (ok, maybe forever), so hopefully I'll find the motivation to make it happen! Happy new year, Michelle!

      Delete
  9. Thank you, Christina! Happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy New Year! I really enjoy reading your posts and there's just this really weird and slightly odd humour I get from your posts sometimes that's quite entertaining. The need to leave comments are just so cumbersome sometimes but just don't forget you have silent readers out there that reads but don't comment (like myself). Looking forward to your 2014 posts!

    -Linh N.
    Linnnerzism

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! You "get" me! :) That's probably the nicest compliment I've heard, so thank you Linh! I hear ya on leaving comments because I'm the same way. Happy new year!

      Delete

I'd love to hear from you. Constructive criticisms welcome!

30 for 30 abercrombie abercrombie & fitch accessories adidas adrienne vittadini agnes b alejandro ingelmo alexandre birman ali ro alternative apparel american eagle amrita singh ann taylor anthropologie apple aqua armani exchange articles of society asos award bag balenciaga banana republic barbour bath and body works bcbg bcbgirls beauty bebe bensoni biltmore for madewell blank nyc blog every day bloggers do it better bois du boulogne bp. brian nagourney burberry by malene birger c. wonder c/meo collective canada goose cara accessories carlos by carlos santana carolina bucci cartonnier caslon casual cb2 celebrities celine chanel chantecaille chelsea28 chicwish china glaze chloe christian louboutin citrus clothing clu too club monaco coach coffee shop cole haan collection collection 18 color brigade columbia crate & barrel crewcuts cuyana cynthia rowley david yurman dc deborah lippmann decor delman disney couture diy dogeared dressy dsquared2 ebay elizabeth and james elleme equipment esprit etsy everlane express featured fendi forever 21 frank & eileen free people gap gara danielle gibson giles & brother giveaway gorjana goyard grace gift gucci h&m halogen halogen x atlantic-pacific halston heritage haul hearth & hand heirloom finds hollister how to hue hunter ikea ilnp in real life inspired by iris & ink isabel marant ivanka trump j.crew jennifer chamandi jenny yuen jewelry jimmy choo john hardy jones new york joules julie vos kate spade kristin coffin l'oreal lanvin lanvin x h&m lesportsac levi's loeffler randall loft longchamp look for less looks like summer lord & taylor lou & grey love 21 lucy m.gemi mac macy's madewell maje make make up for ever manolo blahnik marc jacobs mary katrantzou massimo dutti maybelline mercedes-benz merona michael michael kors misc miu miu mlb modcloth mossimo moulinette soeurs msgm mvmt nadri new balance new balance for j.crew nike nina ricci nine west nordstrom north face nyc nyc new york color nyx old navy olivia burton opi oscar de la renta pfc pierrepont hicks piperlime plastic island pleione polene polo prabal gurung at j.crew proenza schouler ralph lauren ramblings raphaella booz reader mail rebecca minkoff red valentino reed wilson design review revlon river island robert rodriguez ross-simons rsvp saint james saint laurent sales sally hansen sam edelman schutz shashi shinhwa shoes shopbop shopping shopstyle simply vera vera wang sinful colors professional soia & kyo sole society sony sorel sorel for j.crew sperry sponsor spotted moth stella mccartney stephanie b strathberry stuart weitzman style file superdry t3 tadashi shoji tagged talbots target the container store the horse the limited theory tips & tricks too faced topshop tory burch tous colors toys travels ugg uniqlo uniqueen unknown valentino veque for j.crew vera bradley via spiga victoria's secret vince vince camuto vineyard vines walmart ways to wear west elm white house black market wishlist work xhilaration xoxo yearly summary ysl zac posen for target zara zella