As 2016 comes to a close, I find myself struggling with my end-of-year post that has become a tradition. Blogging has taking a backseat this year, and so I haven't been as conscientious about jotting down outfit and purchase tidbits throughout the year. It's now New Year's Eve and I'm sitting here having a hard time organizing my thoughts. Gonna give it my best shot though, so here we go:

- My favorite casual outfits from this past year are:

- The line between my work and casual outfits have become more and more blurred as I've taken liberties with my interpretation of "business casual." For favorite work outfits, I couldn't just pick four, so here are my top 5:

- Clothing-wise, my favorite purchases this year has be items that were in heavy rotation and worn repeatedly (multiple times a week even): a white midi skirt, a baby blue peplum top, and a navy turtleneck sweater tunic (sold here - extra 60% off).

My favorite accessory purchase is a boxy black crossbody bag that came with 2 straps (canvas, leather) by Saint Laurent (sold at SL / Nordstrom / Barney's / Saks). My friend Y actually purchased this bag in the early part of the year when we were abroad in Europe. I loved it on her then and immediately put it on my short-list when I was considering options with a canvas strap. This bag is different from my usual with an obvious logo monogram front and center... but can I gush about how much I love the canvas strap (for the third time)?

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who still visits my blog, whether daily or once in a blue moon. All your comments, constructive criticisms, and support mean so much. Cheers to a continuation of blogging fun and excitement in 2017!

Happy new year! Because self-reflections have become a yearly tradition, I'd rather be a couple days late than to skip a year ;) So a look back on 2015...

- My favorite purchases this year (because I couldn't pick just one) are the Chelsea28 white pleated wide leg pants and the Manolo Blahnik gray BB suede pumps. Both are classic pieces that I can see myself wearing until I'm old and gray. My biggest impulse buy this year are black sneakers. I wore them a few times before the excitement faded and regret settled in. Sigh. I really should've slept on this purchase more. I spent 8% of my salary on clothing/accessories/beauty this year. The number is lower than last year but higher than the years before that.

- 2015 is the year of color obsessions. I had multiple white items on my wishlist and can happily say I've crossed them all off: white button up shirt, white blazer, and white trousers. These purchases were not surprises as I've always had a soft spot for how clean white looks. What threw me for a loop was how crazy I became for rose gold jewelry, so much so that I wanted to wear a watch again for the first time in 15+ years!

- My top 5 favorite casual outfits of the year are:

- The biggest change in my personal life this year has to be switching jobs. I've pretty much settled into a routine now and working in a legit office building (with elevators!) is no longer a novelty ;) I started out adhering to the business casual dress code fairly closely. Now that I no longer feel like "the new person," both my mindset and outfits have relaxed somewhat.

- ...which brings me to my top 5 favorite work outfits of the year:

- The second biggest life adjustment this year is: I'm now a smartphone owner! You'd think I would be more active on social media now that I'm connected 24/7, right?! Nope, I've actually regressed in my social media usage. Pre-smartphone, I would think to myself, "Hey I'm doing something interesting, I should document and share!" Now that I have a smartphone at my disposal, it's like, "Ehh, too lazy to document. I'll do it next time." And "next time" becomes "next time", haha. I feel like I say this every year, but I'll do my best to overshare -- it's not an easy habit to learn ;)

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone who visits my blog. All your comments, support, and constructive criticisms mean so much to me. I know I've been writing less text with my posts, but hopefully will continue to still update on a regular basis. Cheers to 2016!

I don't really talk about my day job here on the blog, mostly due to the nature of the work, but also because I'd bore everyone to death. I'm changing things up today as it kinda affects the state of the blog.

I was working for a government contracting company. Two months ago, we received word that we lost the re-compete for the contract that we were on. The government chose another firm whose proposal bid was significantly lower in cost than ours. Can't say I blame them as budget cuts are affecting everyone. This is just the nature of the business and fairly common in the DC area where there is a large contractor presence. It just so happened to be a first-time experience for many of us -- some of my coworkers have been on this project since its inception 20 years ago! After the initial surprise wore off, we were all kinda left in this discombobulated, surreal state of mind with so many questions and no immediate answers.

This is the only company (and only project) I've worked at since graduating from college, so I could be talking out of my ass here. I've never left a company voluntarily, nor been fired, nor been laid off. I still think it's a unique situation that we were put in because everyone will be going their separate ways at around the same time. In the meanwhile, we were still expected to report to work for the next two months during this "transition period" between contracts. What motivation is there to produce quality work when you know you'll never see the finish line? We were in the middle of a software build, but now... I'll leave that sentence unfinished, haha. I imagine it's also odd to openly talk about interviewing for new jobs while still at your current job. In some ways, the atmosphere is more relaxed and everyone seems friendlier because there are no more taboo topics. Hey boss, I'm stepping out for a couple hours for an interview. No problem, good luck!

For me, I didn't really feel a sense of panic aside from a knee-jerk reaction. My thinking was, two months is a long time to be unmotivated at work, but is a good amount of time to look for a new job. I may be naive in my thinking, but I felt everyone had marketable skills and shouldn't be unemployed for long. After the two month transition period, our company would keep employees on for a few more weeks. Then, we'd be able to start collecting unemployment checks for a couple months. Perhaps this false sense of optimism stems from knowing that I will be cashing out all my vacation hours once I leave my current company. That's a good chunk of change to tide me over for awhile. Hoarding finally pays off! When I laid out my plan to DH, he was jealous that I could essentially be on a months-long "sabbatical". But happily agreed to be my sugar daddy in the worst-case scenario. Whew.

All my thoughts up until now were written literally days after we lost the contract. I've had two months to process everything and figured it's finally time to finish writing this post. The one constant emotion throughout it all has been overwhelming sadness. Sadness for the breakup of my work family, sadness for having to hand our "baby" over to new parents, sadness for selfish reasons like how I've taken so many perks for granted (ie: flexible work schedule).

I lucked out and was able to find a new job fairly quickly. Same type of work, same industry, just with a new employer and new customer. On paper, the new job checks off all my requirements, many of which are even better compared to my old job. The one thing I was really hoping for was to find a job that allowed me to start at a later date so I have the chance to finish out the current contract and then take a few weeks off to chill. Perhaps it's loyalty to our customer, not wanting to leave management in a bind, curiosity to see how the new company handles the transition, or all of the above, but I'm happy to have gotten my wish.

The last two months have been... interesting, for lack of a better word. It's been eye-opening to see how other companies operate, in regards to day-to-day operations, handling of professional relationships, and just the handling of knowledge transfer during this transition period. On the blog front, I don't know if it's apparent that I've been wearing more business casual outfits. I will no longer be allowed to dress casually at my new job, so I've been slowly preparing myself the last few weeks. RIP jeans (especially holey jeans!), short skirts, and flip flops.

You can bet I'll be making the most of my unemployed situation. Expect non-work appropriate outfits for the next few weeks of the casual and dressy variety. After that, I'm not exactly sure of the state of the blog. I hope to mix and match pieces to create new business casual outfits fairly often. Though a more realistic outlook is probably sporadic blog posts as I focus on my new job while rotating between a select few business casual outfits for real life, likely from the pool below:

Thank you in advance for bearing with me through life changes!

As another year winds down, so comes the time for another self-reflection. I've enjoyed re-reading 2013's with a mixture of surprise (completely forgot I had made a resolution) and laughter.

- If 2013 was the year of shoes, 2014 is the year of outerwear. Excluding blazers and vests, I pretty much doubled my stash in one year. I counted 7 (!) new ones this year: dark red anorak, sage green swing trench, pink trench cape, plaid short trench, green military jacket, lilac moto leather jacket, and gray toggled coat. Craziness. Only two (toggled coat and trench cape) were really on my wishlist; the rest were victims of window shopping -- but how pretty the victims were! I'm going to sheepishly admit that I may not be done yet as I have my eyes on a dark red puffer jacket.

- My favorite purchase this year is a tossup between the RED Valentino wildflower dress [left] and the Stella McCartney trench cape [center]. I relied on a combination of effort and luck to buy both, so I'm sure that played a role in how dear both items are to me. The surprise purchase of the year (in the best way possible!) is the J.Crew Downing brown tote [right]. It was a semi-impulse buy, one that I'm chuckling at now because I actually thought I didn't need a brown colored bag in my life. Welp, that mentality lasted about five months. The neutral color is great, the casual style fits me perfectly. How wrong was I?!

- Speaking of bags, a few new purchases this year upped my tally to 14. A few year ago, I randomly decided that 8 is the magic number for me to be happy and feel like I can cover all types of social situations. One new purchase would mean one old bag will have to go. The thing with these arbitrary rules is that I'd like to think I have the discipline to carry them out... but I really don't, lol. Should I just do away with this "rule"? Be flexible because one of these days I will be able to jump over the sentimental hurdle and donate a bunch? My New Year's resolution for the upcoming year will be to iron this out.

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

- I spent 13% of my salary on clothing/accessories/beauty this year. The percentage is much higher than in past years because a huge chunk was spent on a new Chanel reissue. The purchase was planned months in advance, so the hit on my budget didn't come as a surprise. I'm telling myself that this is my last Chanel ever -- so if my eyes start wandering, help keep me in check!

- Going back to New Year's resolutions real quick... apparently I had forgotten that this year's was to be better at oversharing on social media. If I were to evaluate myself, I'd say my activity on Facebook has remained steady, Twitter has taken a nosedive, and Instagram has seen a huge growth, but this blog is still my main source of online presence. Thank you for following via one (or more) of these different mediums!

- I've been experimenting with eliminating accompanying text on blog posts when I simply have nothing to say. I still put in the same (or more) effort to take and edit photos though... just words are harder to come by at times. So rather than bore y'all with the same ol' "Have a great day!", I'll let outfit photos speak for themselves. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have strong opinions one way or the other.

- For the second year in a row, I made the trek out to SF to spend time with blogging friends. It was another too-short trip, but we managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Yosemite and still had time to eat our way around the city (thank you SPG for recapping!) My streak will increase to three in 2015 (time to consider making the move out west?!) because DH and I are stopping by SF on our way to visit Asia! Cannot.contain.my.excitement.

On a final note (I know I sound like a broken record each year), a big THANK YOU to everyone who peruses my blog. All your support, comments, and critiques mean so much. I'm coming up on my 6 year blogiversary next month (holy moly) and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that I may have started out blogging for myself, but the people aspect (reader interaction, friendships formed) is what makes this hobby worthwhile. Cheers to more fun and excitement in 2015! Have a happy new year!

I've heard about the VAT (Value Added Tax) refund for European tourists on luxury goods, but never had a reason to fill my brain with specifics until a few months ago. Right before I left for my Europe trip, I made up my mind to buy a Chanel reissue bag overseas because it's cheaper. According to my calculations, the savings should be around $800-1000 (comparing US price + state sales tax vs. European price - VAT refund) for the bag I had in mind. The only uncertain and possibly non-straightfoward part of this process was the VAT refund.

I did most of my research over at tPF in the Chanel Shopping forum. The ladies are full of knowledge and so helpful. Anything you'd want to know about the VAT refund rate (varies by country, usually 10-14%) to current bag prices to boutique inventory can be found throughout their many threads. Other sites that I found to be helpful: Global Blue's refund calculator (lets you enter purchase amount to determine tax refund by country) and Chanel Prices (lists worldwide current prices.)

Looking at the current exchange rate and the VAT refund % for the countries on my itinerary, I would save the most money by buying in Italy, then France (slightly less), then finally England (much, much lower.) If we had visited Italy before France, I would've bought my bag in Rome because the refund rate is 1-2% higher than in Paris. As it was, I didn't want to pass up on the opportunity to buy in France only to find out that the bag isn't in stock in Italy.

Another thing to think about beforehand is whether you want your refund back in cash or on a credit card. Cash refunds are 1-2% less but you get the money back immediately at the airport, whereas credit card refunds are higher but take a few weeks to process. I was greedy so I chose the credit card route, but then later read horror stories from people who never received their refund. It took about 5 weeks, but my refund did eventually show up on my credit card statement. Lets out big sigh of relief. If I were to go through this process again, I would choose to get cash back just for the peace of mind.

The VAT refund process consists of two steps. 1) When you make a purchase, the store will give you VAT refund forms that are filled out. This is also when you have to decide between cash or credit card refund so they can specify that on the paperwork (can't change your mind later.) 2) At the departure airport, have the refund forms stamped at the customs office. Then either drop it off at a designated mailbox (for credit card refunds) or stand in another line to get cash back.

Sounds easy enough, right? So our plan was to just arrive at the airport early in case of long lines at customs. But... right before we left for our trip, a friend (hi A!) asked if we have a direct flight back to the US from Rome? No, we have a layover in Germany... I think for an hour. Then she asked if I plan on putting my new bag inside checked luggage or carry-on? Carry-on. Bag is too expensive to not be with me at all times. Turns out, VAT refund forms must be stamped at the last port of departure out of the European Union. So if put my bag in my checked luggage, Rome would be the last port, but if I carry it with me, the last port is Germany. CRAP. An hour isn't enough time! So I turned to my BFF, Google, and read about people getting their VAT refund forms stamped at the first airport by showing their boarding passes with the short layover time. There were also others who were turned away by customs because it was not their last stop in the EU. Sigh. Nothing we can do now because our flights were already booked. So we decided to just go to the airport in Rome early and try out luck with customs. If that doesn't work and there isn't enough time in Germany, then apparently you can bring the VAT refund forms to the French embassy (or whichever country the purchase was made in) and have them stamped and mailed from there. Since I live in the DC area, the embassy idea could work as a last resort.

So many lessons learned! This is what happens when I don't put in any effort to making planning decisions, so I have no one to blame but myself. It's definitely a good idea to consider direct flights out of the EU and be picky about departure airports (if you can) because some are easier to navigate through than others. I was told (from a department store employee who works in their VAT office) that CDG airport in Paris has clear signs posted everywhere telling you where to go find customs and refund offices. They also have kiosks to scan the forms if you don't mind using a machine instead of waiting in line to speak to a person. I told him we were actually flying out of Rome and he grimaced, saying that airport isn't as easy to navigate. My advice would be to google your departure airport and familiarize yourself with their VAT refund process (where to go first, locations of customs/security/cash refund desk, hours, etc) as best as you can.

For refunds at FCO airport in Rome, I found this post and accompanying comments to be extremely helpful. Of course after reading other people's negative experiences with the refund process, I started feeling overly anxious. What if we can't find this supposedly hidden customs office and can't speak Italian to ask someone? What if we get stuck behind a huge group of Asian tourists at customs? Should we not bother sleeping tonight and just go to the airport extra early? DH just laughed at me before falling sleep. My worries were for naught (thank goodness.) There's no point in arriving before airline check-in counters open (usually 3-3.5 hours beforehand) because boarding passes are needed at customs. When we arrived at FCO, we didn't go very far before we saw a sign that was clearly labeled with VAT refund directions in multiple languages (!) near security:
There was also no line at the customs office, probably because it was 6am. I asked the customs officer if we can get our forms stamped now because we have a short layover in Germany. No problem, he said. Whew. He didn't even ask to see my new bag (VAT refunds are supposed to be for unused items only.) After he stamped my forms, I took a photo with my camera, just in case my refund doesn't go through and I need evidence to file a dispute. Then I sealed the envelope and dropped it in a VAT refund mailbox a few yards away. I don't recall seeing the cash refund booth nearby, but I wasn't paying extra attention since I had chosen the credit card route. It may have only been open during "normal" working hours whereas the customs office was open 24 hours.

Once we landed in the US, there was another series of steps before we could actually leave the airport. Immigration, pick up luggage, then customs. I declared my bag, so I figured there's a good chance I'll be questioned. I was a bit surprised at the amount of questions, but much more so at the actual questions that the immigration officer asked. I felt like the questions weren't going to trip anyone up, even if they had an elaborate story ready (granted, this was my first time not breezing through the airport, so I have no prior experience to pull from.) What is this number? What did you buy? Oh. That's a very expensive purse. Do you have it with you? What is your job? Did you buy it in Paris? What brand is it? Did you save a lot of money? That's a lot of money to spend on a purse. The grilling was more intense than what I'd imagine my parents putting me through, lol... and this was just the first hurdle! So I braced myself for round 2 of questioning at customs.

Yep, as I'd guessed correctly, I couldn't exit and was waved towards customs. This officer wasn't as nosy and just took out a calculator and said I had to pay 3% tax on the amount I declared. Afterwards, I learned from DH/SIL that everything is at the customs officer's discretion, ie: waiving items, charging between 3-9% tax on goods, etc. Supposedly leather products are to be taxed at a higher rate, so apparently we "lucked out" with our 3% tax.

I don't know how my experience compares to others who've arrived at IAD, or how it compares to IAD's reputation. I remember the consensus among my parents' friends was that customs at SFO is stricter than at JFK, so if they could, they'd try to book flights through NY, haha. This was about a decade ago, so who knows how much truth there is to that... anymore.

Was all the worrying and hassle worth saving money for? You bet. I ended up "saving" ~$950, which was in line with my initial estimate. Would I buy another expensive purchase from overseas in the future? Only if I win the lottery.

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.

- 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

- 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!

Instead of an outfit post, I'm switching gears today.

Finances are a big part of most people's lives, so I've never understood why talking about it is taboo (perhaps I'm just nosier than most). It's obvious from this blog that I shop on a regular basis, but what isn't as readily apparent is how I approach spending money on each purchase, whether large or small.

A quick background on me:

I'm extremely fortunate to have parents who paid for my college education (thank you mom & dad). They also let me move back home post-graduation, which is something I'll forever be grateful for. During those few years, I saved up a boatload of money, some due to dumb luck (company I worked for went public and they also paid for graduate school) but mostly because I'm cheap and didn't have expensive hobbies. A healthy savings really helped ease some of the stress that comes with living in a fairly high cost-of-living area. DH and I didn't take the traditional route to marriage, so instead we contributed a sizable down payment on a home, keeping our loan at just over our combined income. A rough estimate of my finances can be broken down to: 45% taxes/retirement/benefits, 15% mortgage, 10% food/bills/necessities. The remaining 30% I bank and/or spend on fun things.

I don't really budget because I'm fairly disciplined at not over-spending. What I do is use Excel to keep track of all household and personal expenses by month and year. This way I have a reference point for comparison purposes across different categories over various periods of time. If need be, I'll make spending/saving adjustments accordingly (ie: save more prior to post-holiday sales in Jan).

When it comes to clothing and accessories (falls under my fun category), I'd describe myself as a practical spender, one who tries to take emotional aspect out of the equation and approach it logically. I haven't always been this way, but over time I've gotten to know myself better, figured out my spending habits, and can pinpoint my spending approach to a few categories:

1) Sleep on it - The bigger the purchase, the more time I'll take to mull over. I think about how the item will fit into my wardrobe, ie: do I already have something similar, does it fit my lifestyle, how often will I actually use it (cost/wear), etc. There's been many times where the high I experienced from wanting an item vanished as fast as it appeared (ahem I'm looking at you PS1). Thank goodness I took my time. I've also learned that if I lose out on an item while thinking it over, it's okay. Something else will come along.

2) Learn from experience - Sometimes it takes missing out on an item to realize how much I really want it. When this happens, I add it to my wishlist, which saves me time when I come across a similar item later on down the road. A list also keeps me organized and helps separate wants from needs, weeding out unnecessary items. I've also found that studying past purchases that never see the outside of my closet have helped me become better at not repeating mistakes.

3) Expensive does not mean "investment" - There aren't many brands/items that hold their value without significant price increases, so buying an item with the expectation of making a profit (especially in the short term) is most likely not going to happen. I used to have this mindset to help justify large purchases, but now I've come to accept that most things depreciate in value and I'd be lucky to break even. Instead, I make sure that I really love an item and can afford it. The enjoyment I get from using the item will justify the cost.

4) Dealing with the brand name game - This is a tricky one and probably the most difficult to rationalize. As my income grew, I found it was easier to spend more because I have the means to (I know, first world problems). The "more" is usually on big-ticket items rather than a bunch of cheaper items. The logical side of me understands that there's a hefty markup for the name on the label, but the unreasonable side doesn't care and falls for the allure of the name. Very few cases are as clear-cut as sunglasses (I don't care much for them, so I don't buy designer brands). I've yet to find a good balance between the two sides (and I don't know if I ever will), but I try my best not to dwell on the name and instead focus on uniqueness, quality (higher price doesn't necessarily equate to better quality), trendiness, and practicality. Most of the time I have a firm hold on my unreasonable side (ie: bought $128 AT perfect pumps over $625 CL Simple pumps) but sometimes I can't help but give in (ie: bought $1095 Burberry Marystow trench over $129 Zara trench).

5) Full price vs. sale price - It used to pain me to purchase items at full price, so I would spend a lot of time and effort (while hoping for some luck) to wait for the best sales, browse popbacks, track down sizes, etc. I became familiar with my favorite retailers through mailing lists or social media, which helped me get a good sense of the type of sales they hold, the frequency of sales, and "reasonable" price points. Nowadays, I still use that knowledge, but am much more ok with buying during a smaller sale or even at full price. The gradual shift in my mindset can largely be attributed to realizing how valuable my time is and how I'd rather be spending my free time on other aspects of my life. It helps that I also don't seem to want as much anymore, so as a result I've cut down on the quantity of purchases. The money I was "saving" through lots of sale items is essentially cancelled out when I'm buying less at higher price points.

Lastly, I always remind myself to love, use, and enjoy every purchase.

I can't seem to pass up opportunities to brag talk about myself. So Caroline, thank you for tagging me. Here are five (more) things about me:

1) I've never had a pet because I'm irresponsible (my brother's hamster doesn't count). If I ever do, only the one and only Boo will suffice. Since that's not going to happen, I'm happy with this cutie.

2) I eat Chipotle once a week. I would it eat more often, but my metabolism has been slowing down (see #3).

3) I'll be turning the big three-oh this year and I.am.freaking.out. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up going on a shopping spree. Or cry all day. Or go skydiving. Or all of the above.

4) I type fast (~100 wpm) and apparently melodically (so said a coworker). In my middle school's intro to typing class, my teacher accused me of cheating... by looking at my fingers. Sorry, no, that just slows me down.

5) I'm keeping my maiden name. The thought of jumping from the end of the alphabet to the beginning was tempting, but I'm just too lazy to do the paperwork.

If that's not enough, here are 22 previous tidbits (seven + fifteen). Have a good weekend!

I'm going to ramble a bit today...

I've never been low on confidence when it comes to dressing myself, even in my pre-blogging days where I mostly walked around in a combination of tshirts, sweatshirts, jeans, Uggs, and the like. Sure, I own nicer things, but I've just been lazy about putting together outfits in the mornings, so it's easier to fall back on what's routine. I've always felt that if need be, I'm capable of making myself presentable.

This self-confidence is twofold. The first part is believing in yourself. The other is being comfortable in your own skin and not caring what others think (as much as possible anyway because we're human after all). I'm speaking about life in general, but it translates over to the fashion side too. Enjoy the hobbies you like, even if it's not "cool" in society's eyes. I get surprised looks whenever I mention that I eat at restaurants and watch movies by myself. It's not because I don't have friends (though I am an introvert) but if it's something I want to do, I'll do it. Other people coming along is a bonus.

On the fashion side, I'm still a bit surprised when people in real life offer a compliment. I remember when DH and I took my parents' friends out to dinner to celebrate our marriage, one of my mom's friends wanted to know every detail about my outfit (Zac Posen for Target dress, Valentino shoes, and gold jewelry). After the initial surprise, we chatted about where I bought the items, how much they cost, etc. She then turned to my mom, nodding her head and said, "C really has an eye for fashion." Her reaction stayed with me, but when I think about all the other times she's seen me in ragged jeans and a shirt, I can see how dressing nicer is a huge improvement. I may not have cared what others thought, but that won't stop them from noticing and judging.

When I started blogging, life was simple. I blogged about what I liked without a care in the world. Once I started getting followers, I kind of freaked out. Do I need to buy what everyone else is buying? Do I need to share outfits, fitting room reviews, and everything else under the sun? For a short time, I did it all (or tried to). It was during that time when I realized, what the hell am I doing. Whatever happened to being yourself even if it's not what everyone else is doing? This whole blogging experience has been an adventure, of self discovery, having fun, and spending money. If interested, I'd be happy to talk about personal finance. I lead a rather boring and simple life, so probably can't offer helpful advice.

After three years, I still haven't fully wrapped my head around blogging... and probably never will. What I have realized is that I may have finally found my niche. Constantly buying new things isn't me (though I can see how compared to an average person, I buy a lot). Neither is high fashion. I also still have lots to learn about fit and proportions. But what I am decently good at is mixing and matching items from my relatively normal-sized wardrobe (see examples). Re-wearing the same red turtleneck in consecutive blog posts? You bet. In a way I've come full circle. The self-confidence I've always felt I had is now just documented on a public blog.

Now on to more vain pursuits...

Use code GOODNEWS for an extra 30% off final sale items at J.Crew until 3/15. Items I've worn recently that have popped back in various sizes are:
- lustre lace mockneck tee (worn here, here, here) is now $69.99 with code
- collection circle skirt (worn here, here) is now $97.99 with code
- perfect shirt in ivory tartan (worn here, here, here, here) is now $48.99 with code
- tissue turtleneck tee (worn here, here) is now $6.99-$13.99 with code

As 2012 comes to a close, so does the third year that I've been blogging. I say this all the time, but it's amazing how fast time flies, especially when you're having fun.

From a blogging standpoint...

- I crossed off multiple items from my (ever-growing) "classics" wishlist: tweed jacket, black riding boots, red cross-body bag, and navy peacoat. I also tried my hand at a few trends, including camo and maxi dress. Jury's still out on the former, but I'm really loving the versatility of the latter.

- My biggest impulse buy (and the one that I regret the most) is the J.Crew Tillary tote. I used it a few times before getting bored, so I promptly turned around and sold it to a new home. My most expensive purchase is the Chanel camellia WOC (surprise surprise, yet another bag). My favorite purchase of the year is the Tory Burch Nadine riding boots. Overall, I spent 6% of my pre-tax income on clothes/accessories/beauty this year.

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

- The awkward-photography-moment-of-the-year award goes to the day I was taking photos by the side of a dead-end road (or so I thought). As the self-timer was counting down, I noticed a car round the corner from the supposed dead-end to head towards me. I picked up my tripod to give the car room to pass, then noticed that I was looking at a police car. Thoughts that immediately popped into my head were, Oh crap! I hope I don't get ticketed for parking illegally or something of that nature. Hmm, would it do me any good to walk over and casually stand in front of my license plate to hide it from his view? LOL. Nah, that'd be too obvious. So I just stood there, staring at the cop while he stared right back as he drove past.

- I had a wonderful time meeting Yvonne and Elle when they visited my area on separate occasions. What were the chances they both loved and wanted to eat Korean food?

On a more personal level...

- DH and I became homeowners for the first time. My advice: DON'T DO IT unless you're prepared to deal with the time and cost it takes to maintain a home. We bought one that's less than ten years old, but we've already had to deal with a broken garbage disposal and dishwasher (we think the two are related), a squeaky step (drives me crazy!), and a leak on the roof of a bay window caused by Hurricane Sandy. All three of which we still haven't gotten around to completely fixing. For us, the mortgage interest tax deduction is pretty much canceled out by property taxes and maintenance costs. So not worth it if that's your primary reason to buy.

- We also celebrated our 10 year anniversary by tying the knot. Does that mean I have to start over with the yearly count? Or can I simply continue? At least I still only have one date to remember.

- I was lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Asia and San Francisco/Napa this past year. I'm hoping Europe is in the plans for next year. Fingers crossed.

Lastly...

I want to thank each and every one of you for visiting my little corner on the web. Whether it's critiquing my outfit choices, putting up with my attempts at humor, sharing personal experiences, or engaging in conversation, I have truly enjoyed it all.

Please stay safe and have a happy holidays!

When I first started blogging, I didn't tell a soul about my alter ego. It just seemed weird to say out loud, "I take pictures of myself. Outfit pictures, and I blog about it." Umm... a bit narcissistic? :) When I finally told my boyfriend, he said the initial weirdness soon faded away to something that made sense. It's the ideal hobby for me, combining my two loves: clothes and web design.

Every once in awhile he'd joke about being featured and I would laugh it off... until now. So here's a rare shot of the two of us dressed up for no reason before heading out to eat. Just so we're going along with the M.O. of this blog, head guillotined, which kind of defeats the purpose :)

Some random tidbits: We're both engineers by background but neither of us really work in the field. I'm Taiwanese and he's Cantonese, so English is how we communicate. Then again, even if we both spoke ManTonese*, English would still be our choice (duh, if my French skillz are of any indication). He's about 3" taller than me... so my tall heels are saved for times when he's not around, or when he's got his "man heels" on (Nike Shox, anyone?)

*Mandarin + Cantonese

Michelle @ wishful thinking tagged me in 15 facts about myself. A Hokie tagging a Wahoo?! *gasps* In my universe, they do get along :)

7 was already hard enough, letsee if I can make it to 15:

1) Boyfriend and I do not own a flat screen TV. We have a 19" tube TV that his mom picked up at a garage sale for $10, haha. We're both avid TV watchers, but feel no need to buy a flat screen when this one is still working just fine! We know we're cheapos when both our moms shakes their heads and nags us to upgrade.

2) Under the old astrological sign, I was a Leo. I've always wondered how I could possibly not have any of the Leo traits (outgoing, center of attention, etc), but now I know -- I'm really a Cancer. I think I'm quite Cancer-ous.

3) The one and only famous person I've met is former President Jimmy Carter. At a Walmart book-signing. For extra credit in high school Government class.

4) I can swim the breaststroke, freestyle, and backstroke. But for the life of me, I could not get the butterfly down. It drove me crazy as a kid. And it's driving me crazy thinking about it now.

5) I run into little kids (so says the boyfriend). Or as I'd like to think, little kids run into me. It's as if we treat each other like Casper.

6) My favorite food is McDonald's chicken nuggets. I once ate 20 in one sitting. I felt like Kobayashi as my friends stared on in horror, amazement, and disgust.

7) I only paint my toe nails, and only in the spring/summer time. I like to keep the nails on my fingers trimmed and clean, a habit that's been ingrained since my piano playing days.

8) I have the worst memory when it comes to lyrics. I can't even win a Grammy in my own car. I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah and the Queennn. Every time I close my eyesss, la la la la shining lights... Ok I'll stop cuz this is just getting embarrassing.

9) I only drink coffee before noon. Any later and I won't be able to fall asleep at night. I don't have the same issue with sodas though.

10) I'm a clean freak. I wear something once (even for a few hours), and it goes in the laundry basket. Exceptions are dry clean only clothes. Those I'll wear for a season before taking it to the cleaners.

11) I'm missing a bottom teeth. Nope, there isn't an extra gaping hole, I was just born without a full set of teeth. Genetics fail?

12) I've named my Balenciaga Pebbles. The Chanel doesn't have a name... yet (?) Any suggestions? Please tell me I'm not the only weirdo who does this.

13) I don't need to renew my license until I'm 33. I was 19 when my picture was taken. I have a feeling when I'm 33, I'll still look like my 19-year-old self.

14) I wear contacts. Without them, I'd be blind. I don't mind them, so I've never contemplated laser eye surgery.

15) I have virgin hair. Kinda scared to do anything with it, for fear that it gets frizzier and even more unruly.

Whew! I made it to fifteen, but the "facts" turned out to be more subjective instead. Feel free to share a subjective fact about yourself :)

I was tagged by Elle @ Fast Food & Fast Fashion to share my baby pictures awhile back and I finally found the time to dig up and scan a few.

In the bottom left image, I'd guess I was practically a newborn. My mom likes to tell the story that my eyes were my best feature, the thing she first noticed when I was born. (Were being the key word because I have terrible eye sight now). Just curious, how much did you weigh at birth? I was average, a little over 6 lbs. And now I've grown to an average height of a little over 5'4". That's me, average to a T.

Growing up, I always had medium-to-long hair. (Thank you Mom for never subjecting me to the Chinese bowl haircut!) Since I didn't really had a say (or didn't really care?), I sported bangs for a good 2/3 of my life. Blunt cut bangs, side-swept bangs that looked like a cowlick gone wrong, you name it, I probably had it. Since I have thick, wavy, and frizzy hair, they didn't fall nice and silkily and definitely didn't frame my face. Ahh! I'm getting a mental nightmare just thinking about it. So I'll leave you with a not-so-horrible pic of me with bangs from when I was a child.

Warning: whiny post ahead. Feel free to skip.

Has anyone been following the housing bubble/fallout? I have, and I'm still waiting for the fallout. What recession? My area is practically immune. Reading articles, following message boards hardly makes me an expert, but I do know what I want. And I know there's no way of getting it unless I compromise. All I want is a garage townhome with 3 bedrooms, a place I can live in the rest of my life. Semi-newly built? Good schools? Prime location (for a decent commute)? Move-in ready? Right size? I'd be lucky to get 3 of 5.

Sure, I can easily increase my price range and possibly get everything I want, but I'm too cheap to be paying off a mortgage into my 50s/60s. Who in their right mind expects to buy their dream home (really, a garage townhome is my dream home) in their 20s as your first house unless you're a millionaire?! I know I'm being difficult and not following the traditional path of buying a starter home (ie, condo) and using equity to move up the housing ladder. I honestly can't foresee housing prices going up significantly in the next few years where it'd be easy to move up to the next tier. But what do I know? People are still snatching up houses left and right that I feel are overpriced (as in, out of my budget).

Then you ask, if you're not happy with these prices, why are you even looking to buy? A part of me is ready for the next step, owning a home, starting a family, etc. Sure, lots of people do that in rentals, but it isn't what I want (and I realize I'm being greedy and wanting too much). The logical part of me believes housing is a good investment in the long run, when you're free to live in something you own without any more monthly payments. Plus, there's the help of inflation. Oh, and I also hate moving. The realistic part of me knows that I'll never be satisfied with prices and my budget. Every generation probably feels that housing is expensive and adjusts their budget according to the market. It's only looking back that we'd say, "You had it so lucky to only pay $X for a house when nowadays we're paying three times that amount for the same house. I'd snatch up $X for that house in a heartbeat." Well, if I was in that situation back then, I bet I wouldn't feel $X was cheap and rather budget according to the norm then. It's a lose-lose situation.

Sometimes I half-joke to bf that we should up and move to Atlanta or Texas, the land of cheap housing. If we didn't have family ties or steady jobs, I wonder if we really would have the guts to do so? ...probably not as I'm a wuss at heart.

Nope, don't feel bad for me. In fact, I know I come across as bitter, entitled, and unreasonable. Someone who wants too much (used 'want' 7 times in 4 paragraphs?!) and am too stubborn to compromise. Eventually, I'll grow up and realize the error of my ways. I hope to come back to this post in the future whenever I'm moody and remind myself: wake up, life isn't fair, learn to compromise.

Did you have to make compromises when purchasing your home? If so, how did you prioritize?

Thanks for putting up with me. I promise this won't be the norm. *deep breath* Knock some sense into me and bring on the honest feedback. As bf likes to say, "do you want some cheese with your whine?" :)

This year I will:

1) Stop buying dresses that I have no occasions to wear to. Must... resist... all the pretty designs and fabrics. (Good thing I've already [hopefully] bought my share of dresses at the end of December).

2) Lose the stomach fat. Most people will scoff if they see my stomach. It's one of those things that I've taken for granted my entire life... and never noticed until I've put on weight. I definitely miss my old stomach! Need to form a workout plan, eat better, and stop being a lazy bum.

3) Go on vacation. Would you believe that it's been years since I've taken time away for myself? I've completely maxed out my company's comprehensive leave many times over. It's a good thing we can cash out extra unused vacation hours, so it's not a total loss.

4) Train my feet to wear high heels. As much as I love flats, I wish I felt the same way about my heels. They're too pretty to be sitting in my closet collecting dust ;)

5) Stop my wandering eye from lusting after new bags. The ones I already have are beginning to feel like unwanted stepchildren.

I'll revisit this next year and see how much self control, or lack thereof, I had :)

Happy Friday! Elle @ Fast Food & Fast Fashion tagged me in her Seven Confessions post, so here goes my 7:

1. I've never cooked, had no idea how to cook, until this past May after my boyfriend and I moved in together. We were two n00bs bumbling our way around the kitchen. Surprisingly, instead of starving ourselves, we've gotten the hang of a couple dishes that we cook on a regular basis... and I've gained weight!

2. When I get mad, I stop using contractions. For example, "OH NO, I DID NOT DO THAT!" which prompts my boyfriend into laughter (he was actually the first one to point it out to me). Then of course I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

3. I'm not a phone person. It's turned off most of the time, unless I need to make an outgoing call. All my friends know if they want to reach me, email is the way to go. It's gotten so bad that if my boyfriend is around, they will call him instead to get to me lol. As for converting me to smart-phones? Forgetaboutit!

4. Even though I've been out of high school for awhile now, I can't get enough of teeny-bopper shows. The OC, Gossip Girl, 90210, Glee, Vampire Diaries, Hellcats, and Make It or Break It are shows I watch religiously.

5. I am generous with people I love, but quite stingy with myself. I've learned to loosen up some though :)

6. I love attending weddings, but do not want one for myself. The happiest day of my life would be at the courthouse with the love of my life and our families. Now if only I could convince my boyfriend...

7. I'm a hypermiler and proud of it! I can be found driving on the right-most lane and going no more than 60 mph lol.

Wow, after reading this, I sound stubborn and kind of OCD haha. I swear, I'm pretty normal in real life (key word being pretty)!

To brighten my day... with ramblings and materialistic things that make me happy :) Lately, it's been clothes and accessories that are doing the trick, so that will mostly be what I blog about.

I'm definitely no fashionista, just your average girl living in the suburbs, going about her daily life. I tend to gravitate towards simple, laid-back, and preppy styles, with the occasional ruffles and flowers thrown in. I suppose that's the inner romantic me :) I could live happily ever after in sweats, but I do enjoy being "put together" every once in awhile. Accessories are your friend! I love bags and shoes and wouldn't hesitate to buy at full price if I fall in love at first sight ;) Clothes on the other hand, I try to only buy on sale. I'm also a fan of buying cute lookalikes of high-end items.

Being skinny and petite oftentimes make shopping frustrating, so for the most part my clothes come from the juniors department (Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle) :P I also love J.Crew, but sizing is often a hit or a miss for me. I find so much inspiration browsing through their catalogs though! I also like Express, Gap, Old Navy, and Forever 21.