f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

So much has happened since I last dropped in. I have been planning birthday celebrations for friends and family members who are dearest to me literally, nonstop! I love gathering loved ones together, even more, for a surprise birthday celebration. Funny how they say if you evaluate your friend types, you see a pattern of the type of horoscope signs that seem to sync well with your own. Most of my closest friends are Scorpios, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and even Leo!

If I can describe my posse in a series of words I would say they're: fun, positive, energetic, driven, straight-forward, honest, genuine, humorous, encouraging, and sometimes dear I say,... shameless! All different and special in their own ways and I love them all the same!

As holiday season approaches, the number of birthday celebrations seems to be a weekend ritual week after week. No complaints here, I absolutely love celebrating the birth of special people! But this only means one thing, my minimal time slots in each day is invested in finding perfect birthday and holiday gifts. I hope some friends don't mind making an appearance on this blog...  most of these photos are taken with the trusty iPhone (unfortunately, no official blog photos here).

But it's all the same when life and memories are captured in time. So here's a peek at what I've been up to:

Shopping time for holiday gifts

Family time with mama bear and the elder sister...

Welcoming back the NBA season with the best Christmas gift ever!! Personalized jersey with my birthday number from Peezy!

VIP seats at Jay-Z and Kanye's epic Watch the Throne concert at the Staples Center in L.A.

I smell the aroma!

A random night of the week, 3 friends decided to take a trip to Aroma on Sunset for a reboot fully geared with good food and good conversation in the middle of a stressful work week. Another perk was seeing the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show air live on a big screen on a heated patio.. Of course, the bolognese spaghetti is mine :) Ahi tuna bolognese... interesting twist... but I prefer the meat.

oh, hello...

It's been a long while since I have been able to sustain my superwoman status with all my duties and happenings in a week. All madness in the week led me to a happily disheveled mood over a weekend brunch and shopping trip with the "Yin-to-my-Yang" of a bestie. Oh, grungy-goodness on a breezy Sunday morning. Unprepared look, unprepared photography equipment, iPhone shots it is.

prolong it.

only thing setting me free.

dummy down trousers.

(zara trousers, fluxus cropped shirt, chained wedges, alexander wang rocco, and a vintage bullet-tooth necklace)

Wear-it-Down: If you love something, there's nothing wrong with wearing it till it ages. I love reusing my favorites. Sorta gives it that time-worn feel to it.

One of my prized treasures is the vintage necklace I found in a small shop in new york while aimlessly wandering about. Everytime I wear it, I feel like it takes me back to that spot, that place, that time. It's carefully made with a bullet shell fitted over a what seems to be a fang (what animal it belongs to, I don't even remember what the shop girl told me anymore).

I have used and abused my alexander wang till its leather has faded down. As heavy as it is, this satchel has been lugged around as my companion for quite some time. One time, even causing me issues with airport security in new york. let's just say, the base of the purse's bullet-inspired brass hardwear was quite misleading and didn't help with a swift x-ray procedure. Complications it may bring, but I still can't get enough of it :)

Work days have been flat days, resulting with me highly neglecting my high heels and wedges.

Having spent 5 days feeling shorter than I'm accustomed to, it was time to take the shoes out for some air. Recess is over shoes (well, for 2 days at least).

Dummy down: Working with kids 5 days a week means that minimalism is key. Workwear makes me feel naked due to my limited combinations of trousers, blouses, cardigans, sweaters paired with different flats or sometimes leopard mules (when I feel like I'm going through withdrawls with a lack of spunk throughout the week's wardrobe). Unfortunately for my day job, that means my accessories and heels have to stay home as well. That being said, I walk through Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. and Friday feeling utterly naked.

But we all have lazy days on the weekend where comfort is key yet we don't want to sacrifice it all in sweat pants and an old band T-shirt from grade school. This was a lazy day for me, knowing I didn't feel like wearing anything tight and uncomfortable during my visit to the salon, trousers were ideal even on my day off from work. I just decided to dress it down, slip on the wedges, and have a play with neutral colors.

Lazy is fine- just amp up with tailored pieces, and dump the frump!

foster i love you.

Friday's aren't meant for waste. No matter how exhausted I was from the week I knew it would be a shame to snip away at my weekend... which already seems shorter week by week. Fridays are like the weekends' stilleto a necessary extention if you may. As a celebration to my long exhausting week of eating nothing that seemed to appeal to me, tonight was all about appeal and the spoiling of my taste buds. The banana foster was the death of me, no words could have described how it seemed to just melt in my mouth. The last time I had banana foster was the first time my sister made it at home. Probably not as pretty that time for her first time, but just as scrumpulicious!

i'm wearing a cynthia rowley coat. f21 blouse. tarte leggings. marni platform heels.