the day after.

Saturday was emotionally draining and required a relaxing Sunday stroll at Larchmont. Aside from taking my guy pal / photographer to buy a hat at Goorin Bros. for his well overdue Christmas present, I did some comfort food with a side of good materialistic indulgence. Okay, maybe the shopping part was more of the main course.

1. Late lunch - Larchmont Bungalow. Mines was a toasted lobster crab meat sandwich. Photog P's was an eggs benedict with spinach and ham on top of a toasted panini. yum.
 *one of my Sunday favorites introduced to me by my childhood bestie*

2. Goorin Bros. hat shop with a vintage retro vibe - top quality hats for the lads and ladies.

3. A little shop owned by my bestie's aunt jewel-toned interior with a vintage feel. Need I say more? It was a successful day of retail therapy to cure my Saturday tearful blues (hence the sunglasses to conceal those swollen eyes of mine) from the night before sending off someone really dear to my heart off at LAX airport. Snagged a flattering pair of above-the-knee boots. Turning away from this item was not an option. One pair overcame my issues with above-the-knee boots: flabbiness in the ankle and calf area. Major score.

4. My favorite secret one-stop for a majority of my fav finds.. such a favorite I want to be selfish with this hidden gem =p The bestie and I always find good statement pieces at this location. Bonus? In the midst of my shopping venture I scavenged for matching gifts for 3 of my loves. GNO this Friday night in celebration of two of their birthdays. Hey, one person's birthday is everyone's birthday =)

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.