Life of Pinksugarichigo

I've moved!!!! NEW DOMAIN! pinksugarichigo.com

2011-11-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy my own domain + hosting package! I been wanting my own webspace for awhile, and the last time I had one was back in 2004 , the domain - subtlefemme.net (RIP) I decided to buy one again because I really want to have more motivation to blog, network with you guys, and having my own webspace will encourage me to do that. So without further ado, I introduce to you :
pinksugarichigo.com! Please update your bookmarks, subscribe, change urls. I also moved most of my links on that page, so if you want me to link you, please feel free to let me know!

I'm gonna keep this blogspot up for the archives, but most likely won't be updating here! I know I probably might lose some readers, but hopefully you guys will still follow me to my new domain <3 Love you guys!

Momoko Inspired Look

2011-10-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, I was bored at home and made a short less than 2 minute video. Want to make more, but I'm so uncreative at the moment I don't know what do a video of.

Anyway, I want to thank all my 954+ followers here on blogspot. I know I haven't been blogging much, but I hope to do more after I come back from Japan in December! Yes, I'm finally going to Japan, yay! Gonna fly there with my bff Lani and visit our other bff Juvy who is residing in Kyoto for a year! I can't wait! "FEEL ENJOY" reunion again.

I am thinking of finally making a giveaway after I reach 1000 followers, I feel so happy that you guys would follow me despite my less than frequent posts than most bloggers out there. But thank you!!

Also, I want to thank the two lovely ladies who recognized me in Japantown the past week or so ago and saying you love my blog, thank you! Forgive me as I was shy, and didn't talk much .. plus I was all hobo looking! ;P

Anyway guys, talk to you later. I have a lot of other personal projects that I am working on, so hopefully with time allotted I'll be able to blog more!

Outfit of The Day, Random Haul, desk area cleanup, & hanging out with instantmint & bouncybrown

2011-09-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Made a new video, took new outfit pics, rearranged my desk area, and hung out with Instantmint & Bouncybrown!Only group pic taken with bouncybrown & instantmint, when we hung out at the Haight, did some window shopping as well as indulge in ceviche and drank sangria. Pic taken from instantmint's blog ! Wish we would have taken more pics.

Gyaru San Francisco Meet-Up

2011-08-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! So it's almost the end of August, and I wanted to update about the SF Gyaru Meet I had recently before the month ends. So on August 13, Chaudie planned a SF Gyaru Meet in Japantown. It's been 2 years (last 2009) since the last gyaru meet in SF, so I was really excited for this one! Unfortunately, we weren't able to see Chaudie who hosted the event, due to not anyone not having her phone number. (we'll be prepared next time!) All in all, it was a very fun and chill day with Bouncy Brown, Alex, and Mikko. Plus my first Saturday off in awhile! Had lunch at Kushi Tsuri, took some purikura, walked around, and then ended the day off with beers.

Getting ready, my nails were crappy so I quickly painted them before I left and tried to dry them with the hair dryer = lame. haha

Had lunch at Kushi Tsuri, we had an abundance of sushi rolls, and Mikko and I got the Kushi bento.

I think this was the dragon roll ?

Our only group picture showcasing our outfits. The lady who I asked to take our picture looked like this: here, LOL

Stopped at nijiya to get some snacks ..

Sitting inside the new People Building, eating our snacks

Decorating our purikura at PikaPika. Mmm yummy seal. XD

Our purikura

Mikko's epic ring that she got! There was only one left! :D

Mikko and Bouncy Brown looking through the button bin at Kinokuniya Stationary Store

Snuck inside the dressing room to take a pic of my coordinate

After we left Japantown, Bouncy had to leave so we decided to go and get some beers from this place, Alex always goes to. This was on the bus going there.

At Cup of Joe coffeehouse, they had $2 drafts, and Alex introduced me to this beer, called Hell or High Watermelon

Kampai!

Took this right before going home going to Powell Bart Station, Mikko spotted this random guy. This was after the four beers or so.. haha

And that's the day in a nutshell. LOL

Gets, Exploring Old Town Sacramento, and More Random Food Pics

2011-08-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving this iphone app that Monica Ai told me about that lets you edit your photos, I been using it ever since and it makes my photos look more fancy, hehe. Unfortunately, I don't know the name because the app is in Chinese. It's becoming one of my favorites to use for enhancing my pictures plus it's so convenient right then and there, when I don't have photoshop handy. I been buying a few odds and ends lately, to incorporate in my rokku gyaru inspired style.

Leopard headbands galore, cross & teal heart necklace - Forever 21, Skull bow - some place in Richmond, Skull head bracelet - Giftland store in Old Town Sacramento

Skull bag from Chinatown. It was plain so I attached my faux foxtail to it along with the puffy black ball thingamob that I got from ichibankan in Japantown. I needed a new bag since my old betsey skull bag is all worn out from using it all the time.

Faux tattoos for future photos. My reason for faux tattoos ~ I haven't really decided what I want permanently engraved on my body. I would want something unique and meaningful, but my interests always change and I have a short attention span, so right now I really can't decide. And to think that I once contemplated on getting a hello kitty tattoo or something with pink strawberries (LOL). not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that I've left my serious hello kitty / sanrio addiction back in my past, meaning I've grown out of it. And I used to be obsessed with pink strawberries (thus the name pinksugarichigo which I created about 6 years ago), and used to buy anything with pink strawberries , but now I just don't. I'm just keeping the name though, since it really hard to create a new online name after having it for so long. Okay, I'm seriously rambling... I love body art, so faux tattoos is the next best thing.

Garden of Enchantment in Old Sacramento. This is where I got the faux tattoos. Went up to Old Sacramento to meet up with my bf's relatives, they had a lot of kitschy shops like this one. I loved that shop! I felt like I was walking in a crowded fantasy / mystery magical shop with sounds of wind chimes, filled with different smells of incense, scented oils. They had loads of stuff on spirituality and religion. Lots of cute and unique jewelry including skull stuff and silver rings in different designs!! XD Plus they had beaded and handmade bracelets, as well as pretty (and from the looks of it genuine) dream catchers which I always wanted to buy .. I didn't buy much because it was that week I had to pay my bills so I couldn't splurge.

Skull display in Garden of Enchantment .. they had a shiny pink skull head but I didn't get it in the picture ... :/

Calbee chips & cold green tea .. They have a variety of chips in different flavors. I got the flavored stick chips in teriyaki, black pepper, and also curry - my favorite!!!They opened up this Calbee shop in San Francisco, I think it's the first Calbee shop opened in the US. You might have tried the famous snow pea chips from Calbee before : here

Had fish tacos and pulled pork tacos at Dos Coyotes in Davis, while meeting with my bf's relatives. Pretty good, although I had some of my bf's cousin's salad which was even better!

There's this waffle place called Bloem 'n Sugar nearby Powell Bart Station in San Francisco that has very delicious waffles, and they even have a great deal to fulfill your sweet craving if you don't want to spend that much. They have a mini waffle for only $1.50 with three toppings plus $1 coffee. I got there and only spent about $2, and was able to fulfill my sweet craving and not eat too much! They even have toppings like nutella, and bacon. @_@

Enjoying my huge strawberry margarita needed after a long 8 hours of work, sans wig with my natural hair and makeup faded. It was sooo good....

I started going through all my cute stuff yesterday and decided to lay it all out and take a photo of it. Damn do I have a lot of little things. I haven't realized I accumulated a lot over the past two years since I moved here to California. It's funny because I actually stopped splurging on a lot of cute stuff since last summer when I became interested in minimalism, I also sold a lot of my cute stuff at the flea market that I had in Hawaii when I visited home last summer. now these are the last of my cute stuff I have, and yet I still think I have too much, plus I'm not really into sanrio / pink / hello kitty as I was before. Plus a lot of this stuff here has been in my closet collecting dust, I haven't been making much use of it lately. I decided I will most likely give all my cute stuff to my family in the Philippines.

This actually shows what kind of style / taste I have now. More blacks / purples / deep pinks / crosses / skulls / studs .. etc.

In other news, there's going to be a San Francisco Gal Meet next Saturday that is being hosted by Chaudie! It's going to be in Japantown, San Francisco. If you guys aren't busy next Saturday, please come! Details here: http://www.chaudie.net/glossy-sf-meet/. Hope to see you guys there!

Hanging out with Krystal, Random Food Pics, & New Wig

2011-08-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Krystal, my Diamond Gal sister, was in San Francisco so we decided to meet up. We had a lot of fun in Japantown, and there was this purikura event @ PikaPika where you pay $10 to get in, and every purikura machine was a dollar! XD What a deal!

Top Pic: Krystal and I at one of my favorite places to eat in Japantown, On The Bridge. Bottom pic: Close-up of one of our many purikura we took that day. XD

At Ichibankan, they had a lot of cute food deco accessories! Cakes, donuts, macarons, chocolate @_@ Krystal went crazy and bought some stuff ...

Lots and lots of purikura XD

My favorite one , I think.. LOL

After Japantown, we met up with Mikko at Powell Bart Station after she finished work, and headed over to Cocobang for some late night eating and drinking. Shots of soju, spicy chicken, bulgogi beef, kim chee fried rice ... my mouth is watering just writing about it XD Mikko is good friends with the owner so we were hooked up .. I recently went back there with my bf and his friends, but we ended up not eating there because they were sooo crowded .. it's that good! need to go back there again real soon ...

Went grocery shopping the other day at Target with the bf, and filled my cart with easy microwaveables or oven bakeables - What can I say? I'm not that great a cook, and I'm usually very tired and either one - eat out, or two, buy microwaveables.

Speaking of eating out, this is currently one of my favorite burger places to eat, on what is beginning to be one of my favorite streets (Valencia St. - where they have Multikulti, Elbo Room, Urbun Burger, and the Taqueria) in San Francisco. I had the Urbun Cowboy burger with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, beer battered onion rings, and BBQ sauce. Mmmmm.. The first time I came here, I was pretty drunk and hungry with my bf and his coworkers, after drinking at the Elbo Room bar. They're open late for those with late night hunger.

I went to Taqueria on Valencia St. last week with my coworker after work, and I had amazing carnita tacos .. very cheap too like $3, and they gave free chips and salsa. I love cheap eats.

Spinach and goat cheese pizza..Always wanted to try this. It's good considering I usually have loads of meat on my pizzas ..

Birthday donut from 711. It wasn't my birthday, but who says it has to be your birthday to have some pretty sprinkles?

I got this highlighted wig today at the same place I got my blonde wig.. The quality is good, but I realized after I bought it that the color is horrible against my skintone. It makes me look "dirty" and "oily" I guess you could say. I'm trying so hard to like it, I think this is the only decent pic that came out with this wig on. I think I'll try it out again with different makeup , maybe more matte heavy smokey eyeshadow or something. I dunno? It was only $40, but still, I regret it. I dunno. What do you guys think? How can I like this wig better? ><

Cocona Inspired Eye Makeup

2011-07-26T01:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was on tumblr browsing and reblogging gyaru pics, and was inspired by a lot of Cocona's pics. For those of you who do not know, Cocona is an AV model in Japan, and her eye makeup is usually bold and dramatic. Her blog can be seen here: http://blog.livedoor.jp/cocona_1315/ Anyway, I've always been a big fan of the old street gyaru style, and I wanted to practice more of that in my eye makeup. So I decided to try it out and ended up even making a video! This might be the gateway for me to make more videos in the future. For this one I used my iphone, I think it came out ok.

Here is a breakdown of what I used for my makeup.

1. NYX Milk Eye Pencil (for base)
2. Wetnwild H20 Proof Black Eyeliner 880
3. Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC40
4. Dolly Wink Lash 4 (for bottom lash)
5. Coastal Scents 88 Eyeshadow Palette
6. Revlon Pink Pout
7. Lashes from ebay (2 layers for each eye) - from here
8. Maybelline Superstay Gloss
9. Hot Pink NYX lipstick
10. Heather Silk Wetnwild Blush

Faux glue on nails - Forever 21

not pictured: Daiso contouring kit - $1.50. Gold eyeshadow from Shrinkle's line, Sugarpill. Fake tattoo is from Daiso - $1.50. leopard jumper, and teal heart necklace from Forever 21.

Some tips or just things that I do: Layer lashes for more drama (for this look I used two), apply eyeliner first and then sit lashes way above your normal lash line, fill in gap with liquid black eyeliner & line inner upper lash line with black eye pencil. Apply blush alongside jaw line to contour, or slim jawline down.

Overall, I had fun recreating this look, and improvising with products I already had at home. I still need practice, and hope to improve more with each time.

Before I forget, I wanted to mention Sari Mari's giveway in celebration of 1910 followers (lucky!) she's doing on her blog. She has some great prizes, including a partnership with shoppingholics.com for a pair of free circle lenses! So awesome, that I couldn't pass up entering this giveaway! Click the image to go to her entry page!

And that's it for now! Until next time! <3<3

Pink Wig and Pink Contacts Semi - review

2011-07-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I'm really bad at doing thorough reviews but I really want to start documenting and writing about things that I bought, it makes the item more worth it to me if I write about it, I'm weird like that. Oh and it's been a long time since I bought anything for myself since the beginning of this year (almost 6 months and havent bought any clothes or shoes). Also, for some reason today, I feel like blogging. (Wow, amazing! And I'm usually lazy!)

So for the longest time I been wearing the EOS Candy Brown circle lenses for everyday use since I'm blind as a bat. I could feel it wear down on me though, so I decided to shop at shoppingholics.com and buy the EOS Candy Pink Circle Lens to try out. I have to say, I really really really love EOS brand! they are the most comfortable lenses ever. I usually wear them longer than the recommended 4 to 5 hours because I work and go out and only use my glasses before bed, but they are really comfortable and I forget that I'm wearing them. All the other brands like Geo nudy lenses which I remember, stung my eyes like hell and I had to throw them out before even getting to use them. I made the mistake of buying nudy blue lenses twice in different years thinking it might have been something to do with my eyes at the time, but I think that it's just the brand itself that makes it so uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm rambling.

This is what I got when I ordered the pink EOS Candy Pink circle lenses from shoppingholics.com

Isn't the packaging really cute? not only did it come with the lenses itself (look at my contact lens grade, ahhh 5.0 im so blind), it also came with an eye patch and a cute pink hippo lens case.

Anyway, like I said the lenses are really comfortable. When I first wore them, they were pretty shocking because like I said I was using the EOS Candy Brown lens for the longest time. Pink is definitely more intense (obviously). Some reactions I got were.
"meow. you look like a cat." - boyfriend
"you look like a bratz doll." - customer at work
"whoa! i love your eyes!" - customer at work
"hi anime girl" - customer at work
"omg where did you get those contacts?" - customer at work
and usually customers who would just stare straight into my eyes and i could feel their eyes burning into my soul .. especially old ladies for some reason, they seem all confused. i guess they really do stand out, and i thought here in san francisco, you would see everything.. apparently not a lot of people know about circle lenses.

and since now I'm showing a picture of me with lenses and my pink hair, let's talk about the wig. by the way, the picture above washed out the color (sorry im only using photobooth). yes, I did have real pink hair in the beginning of this year (see below)

real pink hair
but maintaining my pink hair was a bitch. my roots would grow out so fast, and i hated making time to bleach my roots all the time. eventually i dyed my hair dark and now letting it rest. im a really really lazy girl who takes shortcuts and cuts corners when it comes to beauty, as well as being cheap when it comes to buying stuff. so since i was really successful with my blonde wig saving loads of getting ready time and money, i thought of buying ones in different colors, including pink. i first bought this gyaru curly haired one from ebay (see below) but it was too yellow for me. i really like it though but i dont know when i will wear it again.

yellow haired wig

so anyway, i bought this pink one from this ebay seller here. the color is amazing, the length is perfect, the only thing i have to say about it , it is very thin and flimsy and tangles a lot easier unlike my blonde wig that i got at a wig shop nearby my house. it was really cheap though, like about $30. I guess my expectations were too high, since my blonde wig was about the same price range .. okay maybe $20 more, but my blonde wig was sturdy. So anyway, I don't know if I will be brave enough to wear this out as regular wear. I guess it is only good for pictures, and cosplay ... I'm hoping to buy a higher quality pink wig in the near future though. i really love having different colored hair, but coloring, bleaching, touch-ups aren't for someone like me who isn't AS high maintenance. i prefer things to be more relaxed. just put some makeup on, put a wig and go! at the end of the year, i want to have a collection of wigs. maybe i will splurge and buy some japanese wigs like priscila. i think i want to try purple or teal next though.

wow , July already?

2011-07-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!! It's been so long since I made a blog post! *gasp* I think we can all agree that I'm not a very serious blogger since the last time I blogged was in April! But enough of that, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post where I was overwhelmed and emotional. Things are so much better now, I have been enjoying my summer, taking it easy and I also got to see one of my BFF Lani (classyjuicebox.blogspot.com) in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago, and my boyfriend's parents from Hawaii came over and we had a nice time exploring the bay area and San Francisco while they were here. Overall I been taking it easy, enjoying my summer immensely, and not trying to complicate my life by thinking, and worrying, too much.

My boyfriend Ian and I were invited by Lani to stay with her two friends for 3 days in their timeshare in Vegas, and of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go ! It was last minute, but the best things in life are spontaneous and unplanned!!

So my boyfriend and I made a 9 hour drive there to Sin City. Amazingly, Ian's parents were arriving right after Lani and her friends would leave, so my boyfriend Ian and I got to stay in Vegas for a total of 6 days! Stayed at The Grandview At Las Vegas while Lani was here, went to Bodies Exhibit at the Luxor, went to a rooftop club at the Palms, and also to a beautiful nightclub at Tryst with a waterfall. When Ian's parents arrived, we got to explore the strip, and we also stayed at Excalibur and saw the Beatles Love at Mirage! It was such an amazing show by the way.. all in all, I had a great time! I love love love Vegas especially in the summer time! While I was there, it wasn't too too hot..maybe in the 90s? Argh, maybe from being in San Francisco with the chilly weather made me forget how much I love sunny weather (like when I used to live in Hawaii). I just loved relaxing and walking the strip, and eating eating eating all the delicious foods. I loved the ambiance of the casinos and restaurants and exploring the decors of the different hotels.. I really liked new york new york, and of course Bellagio is beautiful. Also, Aria was so grown up and sophisticated too. And I loved the interior of the Beatles Love area in the Mirage. There's just too many things to mention. I have a whole bunch of pictures that my boyfriend took of just the Vegas scenery alone, but there is too many to edit (like over 1000+), but for now I only have pictures of Lani and I .. hehehe. I'll probably upload the Beatles Love area in the Mirage in the next post since it is so awesome.

Anyway, that's all for now. It's been so long since I've blogged so bare with me.. hehe

alone and vulnerable

2011-04-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

---warning : personal and emotional post (maybe whining if you will), if you're not interested, then don't read -----

Does anybody still read my blogspot nowadays?? Since this year started , it's funny because my interest in fashion and design has sort of waned. yes, even gyaru fashion. Maybe it's my lack of girl friends here in California? Seriously, I'm also to blame, but I feel like I've lost touch with meeting with girl friends on a regular basis.. I guess school and work has been taking so much of my time for me to even have a social life. Plus I'm so exhausted after both school and work, the only time I have left is for sleeping. I think I'm getting old. Also, there are people always moving away, my two BFF are in Alabama and Japan, whenever I make plans to meet with someone, they're either busy or they have no money, when I get invited as well, it's always the wrong timing and I never have money.

I'm not sure, but the bubble I lived in Hawaii seems so comforting now. Is it because of the tiny island, that I was able to meet with friends on a regular basis? It was so easy to drive from Kapolei to Honolulu because even though of the horrendous traffic, it was feasible. I feel like here on the mainland, I feel so disconnected from people I could have potentially great relationships / friendships with. Everyone is so far away from each other here (yes even in the Bay Area, and not to mention LA) you have to drive or commute so far to see someone. Maybe I'm still an island girl at heart, I am not used to the vast distances that friends have apart from each other.

Maybe all this thinking is happening because I'm getting really old. I'm not posting my age here, but I think I'm falling into the category of the quarter life crisis where I start to question my existence and what I am doing here. (I'm in my late late 20s, not early 20s - surprised?)

It's been almost two years I've been on my own in California (with boyfriend included), but I feel like life hasn't really begun for me yet. I'm finally on that journey going back to college to fulfill my 10 year dream of becoming a graphic designer, but now that it's finally happening, I feel so defeated. It's so hard, and my drive and passion I had for it is gone. I haven't designed anything personal for myself in months. It's always been school assignments, but never for "fun" because I honestly don't feel like it. Since when did my hobby become such a nightmare?? I don't even feel like blogging anymore. I remember I used to be so excited to make layouts, to freely mix elements that now looking from a professional standpoint seems horrendous. I miss the days when I was blind to the rules and when art was something so fun and rewarding. It just feels like a CHORE. I miss the days of making cute personal websites, fixing up my profile, taking and editing pictures and having fun with everything. School sure did open my eyes, but it sure took away my passion of designing for fun. I don't get it. I feel like quitting because now I'm not sure if design is something I want to do for the rest of my life as my career. I don't get it, I wanted this for so long, and now I don't love it anymore?? You know that saying, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT? Yes, well that certainly applies now.

I just feel so physically exhausted. I feel like I'm going no where. I feel so lost and disconnected from both the real world and the internet world. Is there someone out there who can possibly know how I feel?

Anyway, I'm going to keep this up for awhile. I could really use some feedback right now or advice. I remember being this vulnerable on livejournal, and I feel like that after leaving livejournal, that this blogspot I had for about 2 years was just scratching the surface dripping with artificiality - fashion entries, what I ate, who I went out with, what did they wear, what did I wear, places I been. Yes, these were all fun entries to write about, and yet, it seemed so impersonal, artificial. I never really blogged about my feelings here on blogspot, like how I did on livejournal. It could be because of the "friends only" feature as well? For some reason, it felt weird to do that in blogspot because anybody could read what I feel, unlike in livejournal. but i'm just gonna let it all out this time. just this one time.

Spring Break woohoo! gyaru vs decora!

2011-03-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back guys ! Well kinda. It's spring break for me, and I'm using this week off from school (and from work too, yay) to just relax, lounge about the house, catch up with some personal artwork, and just overall be lazy and yet productive at the same time. After working part-time and going to school at the same time for almost a year (started last semester), I really have to prioritize my time. Most of the time, I'll get home after 10pm during work days and just feel physically drained. So I have not really fallen off on the face of the earth as some of you may think due to the lack of blog posts. I'm just so tired, from overall life and school, that blogging takes a backseat. I do update my facebook status though but that only takes like what, two seconds?

Oh I forgot to mention! I got my imac fixed! It was really expensive and drained most of the savings I had started for going on a trip to Japan (yes Japan which I plan to go early next year or so), so I was really saddened about that. But it's fixed, and now I can go on with my internet life - hurrah! XD

(sidenote: By the way, as saving capulet just mentioned in the comments, with all the events happening in Japan, i did give a donation although not a lot, I'm glad I did my part in helping.)

Since I had that hard drive scare, I started to back up everything I had, and I came upon one of my old pictures when I used to dress decora. I wanted to do a pic by pic comparison and made this here.

Omg, times sure have changed.

I remember being afraid of lining my bottom waterline, and I didnt know how!

I love looking back on my old photos though, I think I'll put some here when I get a chance.

Oh and I have been doodling a lot of bear characters lately, I'm not that great at drawing, but I love drawing cute things, I think I'm going to try and to fix them up in Illustrator as a personal project and make cute websites when I have time.

And for those of you still reading and commenting, thanks in advance :D I think summertime I will definitely have more time to blog and update! Love Love <3<3<3

Random iPhone post

2011-02-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, I'm just testing this out :) thanks to FunSize who suggested to download the Blogpress app for the iPhone. Let me know if you guys like these random iPhone posts, I might do it more often :)

Anyway, just wanted to post some photos that I took the past month or so on my iPhone. I used instagram, photowizard to edit most of my pics.

Updated room 2011, same as last year, but changed / added things.

Close up of accessories and stuff

Close up of dessert toys and stuff on my scanner / printer. ^^

Part of my wall, I love putting random art and photos and stuff ^^

First print I did for printmaking class and ever in my life, never carved on a linoleum block before - it's an interesting process, very time consuming and difficult in getting the curves right, but I feel like I'm improving- the thing i did wrong with this is i didnt vary in my line weight - all of the lines are too thick, but I improved that in my next two prints I think. I realized that I need to immerse myself in more traditional media, I feel it helps me be more well rounded in my artistic abilities.

First sign that my iMac was giving me problems ... Grrrr!

Currently reading this book that my dad sent me since there was a period in my life that I wanted to give up and felt unmotivated to do anything, I think this helps a lot. The book is called The Silva Mind Control Method For Getting Help From Your Other Side . It's been calming me down in times of stress, and i feel like the exercises in here help a lot, im improving each time!

Ok, this took the whole Bart train ride to write this and I have to go to work now! This was fun! I think I might enjoy doing these sporadic photo posts from my iPhone! It's convenient and easy! ^^ have a good day guys!

P.s. Can u guys see all the pictures? If not, let me know!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why I haven't been updating

2011-02-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hey guys I'm updating with my iPhone right now, unfortunately my iMac broke down and I tried to self diagnose it with help from apple care on the phone, but looks like I have to bring it in to see what's the problem, so sorry for the lack of updates and comments. I wanted to blog but it's been almost 3 weeks that I haven't been able to use my computer. It's so weird that I'm so dependent on technology, when actually I wanted to get away from my computer and out into the real world. But I do need it more than ever because I also have a flash class and I haven't done the last two assignments because of my damn computer.. Anyway I'm rambling on , just wanted to let u guys know I'm still here and thanks to my new followers :) I'll be back when I get my iMac fixed or get a new computer! Thanks!

Does anyone know an iPhone blogging application where I can update directly from my phone and post pictures and stuff? Because that would be awesome!

If You're Going To San Francisco

2011-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

With school underway, I wanted to put this entry up before it gets really busy again. I've been pretty busy with work, so now that I'll have both school and work again ~ it might be awhile before I blog.

So I wanted to make the most of my winter break, and even though I already lived in California for over a year, I still havent got a chance to explore San Francisco much because of work, school and overall exhaustion. So I made sure that this year would be different! So I played tourist the past couple of weeks. A visit to the California Academy of Sciences (planetarium, rainforest exhibit & aquarium in one), eating tasty crabs & watching a crystal geyser one man juggling show at fisherman's wharf, and jumping near Golden Gate bridge and a scenic walk at sunset all the way to Palace of the Fine Arts (I could stay at that place all day). Credit of last set of photos goes to my manager at work :D I wish I had a better camera! XD

That's all the photos for now, still have to do a review on Diamond lashes, and some other posts.. :D soon soon

Meet Up With Dolly and Lisha

2011-01-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

So last week Monday, Dolly and Lisha were in town, so it was time for all three of us Diamond gals to get together! I was excited, I haven't seen Dolly since last summer, and Lisha in like over a year since she last visited! We headed over to Japantown to chat, eat, and take purikura! Unfortunately, the purikura place was closed down as well as a lot of other shops ~ little did I know that on Monday a lot of shops are closed down in Japantown :( Ate mentaiko spaghetti (cod roe-my fave) at On The Bridge, browsed Kinokuniya, Ichibankan and Daiso, took some coordinate pics, and saw a weird pink character that we jokingly said could be the next gyaru character trend, lol. We ended the day with munching on japanese snacks and chatting in the open indoor mall seating court. Overall it was a very fun day with my Diamond gals, I wish I could see them more often! Until next time!

Coordinate Post - January 2011

2011-01-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, it's been awhile since I last posted, but I wanted to post my January coordinates up before school starts again, and my schedule gets busy. I plan to post my coordinates up every month this year and be more dedicated to my blog. So I'm putting this note to remind myself!

Coordinate One: Rocker gyaru inspired. If you're friends with me on facebook, you probably already saw this coordinate, but oh well ~ here it is again.

Close up of my outfit

I decided to do something a little different and actually make a collage of all the pieces I wear in my coordinate ~ kind of like how you create collages in polyvore. You may notice that I wear some of the same pieces (mostly accessories like my foxtail and bow) over again in other coordinates. I really need more pieces, but I like how you can use the same accessories again and again for other looks, GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES!

1. Cross necklace - $10 shop at Lake Tahoe casino
2. Black corset-like top - Wet Seal
3. Red Plaid Shorts - Bought from Stephie at dollybeast.com
4. Black clip on black bow with gold stars - Kira Kira Purikura Shop - LA
5. Black studded bracelet - gift from Juvy and Lani
6. Leopard messenger bag - Stylus (wrote a post about it here)
7. Foxtail - Ebay
8. Black lace leg warmers - Wet Seal
9. Black wedges - Ebay
10. Black Waist Belt - Swap meet in Hawaii

Coordinate Two: Schoolgirl inspired. I first wore this with my imitation Doc Martens, but wearing skirts with flat shoes makes my legs look short and stumpy. Ha.

1. Navy blue sweater - Forever 21
2. Red Plaid skirt - Forever 21
3. Flowy Embroidered top - Ebay
4. Foxtail - Ebay
5. Black wedges - Ebay
6. Black lace leg warmers - Wet Seal
7. Blue furry ear muffs - Forever 21

Coordinate Three: Colorful (?) inspired. Haha, I dunno, I wanted to throw some color with the all black stuff that I had, so I threw in my colorful scrunchies and the $$ patterned cardigan that Juvy gave me , she bought it on our 2006 trip to new york together but she doesn't use it anymore, so yay!

1. $$ Patterned Cardigan - Delias (from Juvy)
2. Black ruffled skirt - Forever 21
3. Black corset-like top - Wet Seal
4. Scrunchies (used as bracelets) - Daiso
5. Black studded bracelet - Gift from Juvy and Lani
6. Black lace garter - Target (Dollar Section)
7. Foxtail - Ebay
8. Black lace leg warmers - Wet Seal
9. Black wedges - Ebay
10. Salmon pink earmuffs - Forever 21

Ok, well that's about it for the coordinates post I guess. Some things you probably noticed: I like to use the same accessories more than once. For example: the black bow and the foxtail. I like to add signature embellishments here and there to make a boring outfit more fun. I used to use this hello kitty bow I got from pinkyanela a long time ago and I wore it with everything, actually wore it too much! I'm just that kind of person who likes to wear things over and over. I'm kind of doing that again with the bow and the foxtail. I actually want to collect more bows, foxtail accessories so I can have a variety in my outfits. The second thing you may notice is that I like to wear a lot of black. Then I'll throw in a patterned or colored thing in. Having a lot of black items in my wardrobe just makes it easier and more cost efficient for me to mix and match things together. It can get a little boring so I like to throw some color or pattern in to stop it from being so monotone. My goal for this year is to buy more patterned or colorful gal clothing, to mix with my basic black clothing. The third thing is in most of my coordinate posts, I hide my face. I don't know why, but I hate my face in certain angles, either I look too chubby or my nose is too big and it stands out. I hate it, and I envy those who can take their photos in any angle and look great! booooooo for me, yay for you!

Also, a little note / shopping advice: Before buying a certain piece of clothing, accessory - try to envision using it with the outfit pieces you have at home. How many coordinates can you make up with it? Is it worth the investment (if it's expensive)? Especially buying things for once in a lifetime events, I know the feeling of not wanting to be seen wearing the same dress or one piece over and again, but if you can imagine changing it up with different accessories or wearing a cardigan or something over it to change it - then it's probably worth it. This is what I do nowadays, being a college student, responsible for bills and such, and working a minimum wage job - i can't always go shopping all the time. Just be smart and think before you go crazy! Just my two cents.

Upcoming post: Meet up with Diamond sisters - Dolly and Lisha! :D

Oh yeah, I made a robo.to , so if you have one ~ let me know!

Happy 2011! Partial pink hair!

2011-01-03T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Happy 2011 to all of you! How did everyone spend their New Years Eve / New Years Day? i had to spend my first day of New years at work, arghhh - but on the positive side, at least I was spending money on the first day of the year! Anyway on New years eve, I did dress up, I dyed my hair extensions with manic panic cotton candy pink and also got my foxtail that I ordered from Ebay the day before - yay! I'm still not done with my hair yet - I'm still saving money for a wig I can wear to work so I can dye my hair pink or purple - but that's for another time I guess. While waiting for my boyfriend to finish work on New Years Eve I stopped by the Forever 21 in San Francisco and tried on some clothes, but I couldn't find anything I really wanted. I did take pictures though ~

Very casual and simple outfit - Black hoodie, black and blue striped long sleeve, black and gold star patterned clip on bow, foxtail, jeans and white doc marten replicas..

my hair looks really yellow here, but it's really not.. :/ tried on a spongebob tank, and red heart patterned sweater - nothing really caught my eye though. Maybe better luck next time?? I really should just man up and pay for a shopping service and just buy gyaru brands this year >< How much do you guys pay for shopping service fees? Is it really expensive??

Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the new year! :)

How I Bleached My Hair and Other Things

2010-12-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I finally got a chance to dye over my hideous roots, and I decided to go to the extremes and bleach my hair.... *gasp* In the past two times I bleached my hair, I really messed up and damaged my hair that I had to chop my hair off. Thank goodness this time, it was much more successful. It's still a work in progress though, I plan to dye my hair pink or purple or some unnatural color. I found these gyaru pictures on tumblr a couple months back that really caught my eye:

What do you guys think? Should I go for purple or pink?

Anyway, I'll explain the process of how I bleached my hair. Beware that while it worked for me, it might not work for you, so take caution. I already had dyed brown hair with my black roots showing (obviously, my hair is naturally black)

I used 2 boxes of Feria Extra Bleach blonde (since my hair is long), and I also used the T18 White Lady toner and 20 Volume Developer.

Left picture: How it looked before I dyed it. See my hideous roots? Yuck! Right picture: Color after bleaching it twice (yes I did this twice in a row) and rinsing out. The color was banana yellow-ish. My hair is pretty thick, so I had to actually use 1 1/2 boxes the first time, and the 2nd time I bleached it had some leftover so I bleached over the parts that were really orange. I didnt have much left so some parts of my hair was still orange more than yellow. I didnt take any more pictures after this, but after rinsing my hair out after bleaching my hair a 2nd time, I made a mixture of Wella T18 White Lady toner and 20 Volume Developer and placed it on my hair. I have to be honest here, it burned like hell, and I didn't leave it in that long. Anyway, I heard you're supposed to rinse it out right away otherwise the white lady toner can make your hair more grey-ish / purple if you leave it on that long. Anyway, i rinsed it out and the yellow parts turned more ash like - and it turned out like this!

Of course as you read earlier, it's not done yet. There are still some more gold parts at the ends, I might bleach and tone it again, but most likely I will dye it unnatural color. I plan to buy a wig to wear when I have to work, hehe.

Now for other things, here is some stuff I bought for myself and received as Christmas gifts. I haven't had a chance to take pictures of what I bought lately so I'll post some of my stuff here now..

I'm crazy crazy for eyelashes! There are so many different styles of eyelashes now that it's unbelieveable. The lashes above are from ebay (I highly recommend ebay for cheap lashes you can experience makeup styles with), Daiso here in San Francisco, and from my boyfriend's sister who is currently in Japan right now. I'm addicted to eyelashes and want to buy more. I'm thinking of buying some from ichibankao.com, I really want to try the Diamond lashes as well.

Dolly Wink #4 and Jewerich #1 - My bf's sister got these for me for Christmas, and I didn't even tell her to! I was so surprised when I saw the jewerich #1 because I been eyeing (get it??) those eyelashes for awhile..

Fake nails from Forever21 here in San Francisco! I was surprised since they weren't just the flat plain ones they sell here in the US but with actual 3d deco! They were really cheap too, like around 5 bucks. Very nice!

Left picture: Cute bandages! Since it's winter, I been getting a lot of cuts and rashes, and these bandages makes everything just a little bit cuter. And why use plain bandages when you can have these cute girly ones? Right picture: Socks!! I love these cute socks my bf's other sister sent me for Christmas. Yes, why use plain socks when you can have cute ones instead. Girlify and cuteify your life!

I got these cute furry earmuffs awhile back. The left picture is from Forever21 and the right picture is from Wet Seal! I love the colors on the left one, so bright and colorful! The right earmuff is perfect for the holiday season. (I used it on Christmas Day)

Sleepwear! I wanted more nice things to wear while sleeping instead of wearing my bf's shirts all the time (even though they are really comfortable!)

Anyway, that's about it for now. I'll post again real soon! If I don't post more then, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

I'm back! With only 2 more days before Christmas, I thought I would never find time to blog. With the little time I have left, I nabbed these two 1-foot black and white trees (50% off too - what a steal!!) at Borders, ignored the traditional colors of green & red, and used my love of pink and cuteness in the decorations. Hint: the white christmas tree was decorated with my food cell phone charms <3 ;D By the way, can you tell I'm going back to my old self again? (Hence the new banner change) I'm still tied to minimalism, but I felt like I was losing my creativity when I decided to cut out all the girly, glittery stuff in my life. I felt shall I say, well, boring. Anyway, I'm still trying to find the right middleground in which I can be very comfortable in where it's not too much of a good thing, but not cutting out myself from things entirely that I lose my personality, but let's just say, I'm going with the flow. Does this make any sense? LOL

But anyway! I am so relieved that I finally have a chance to update! I missed blogging very much as well as the supportive blog community and my other blogger friends, and from now on, I will try to squeeze more time to blog even through the busy times. :) Although Christmas is in just two days, I been having fun with my Iphone (yes, I finally have one!), and the convenience of taking pictures is very handy especially in San Francisco where I tried to capture the city holiday charm going on. I'm in love with this app called Instagram where you can share your photos with other people, and also use photo filters with cool names like Poprocket, Earlybird, and nashville (my favorite). If you have an Iphone, you should download this app, it's free too :) My account name on there is Pinksugarichigo, let me know if you follow me, I'll follow you back. :)

Before I end this post, I wanted to do a quick recap on some of the things I managed to squeeze in the past month, despite being busy 24/7 with work and school.

Cafe Bellini

Because I was so stressed with finals and working almost 40 hours a week, I needed a break after one of my classes. I was walking with my bf Ian, up and down Powell St. near by Union Square, and randomly walked in this place called Cafe Bellini. To my luck, it was Happy Hour! I had a Pinot Grigio white wine with calamari, and it just felt so good to finally relax!!!!! It's been awhile since we went out to eat anywhere, and just being here in a beautiful lighted atmosphere, and the Christmas tree shining in the corner, it put me in a good mood. Sometimes with the busyness of life you just need to slow down, and go out and treat yourself at a nice restaurant in awhile. I highly recommend it!

Holiday Food and Drinks

One thing I love about the holiday season, is the special holiday drinks and food on the menu. I love the Gingerbread Latte that they sell at Seattle's Best Coffee in the Borders bookstore! It's so tasty, and they have a cute little gingerbread man cookie peeking out of the cup. I had this with a slice of peppermint chocolate cake, it was soooo good. I hope they'll still be having holiday drinks after Christmas is over, I still want to taste the other ones they have in the menu.

Thanksgiving Coordinate

On Thanksgiving, Ian and I went to his friend's house for Thanksgiving and this is what I wore. I realize the leopard jacket looks really shapeless around my body, but it's probably the way I was posing..

Headband - Forever 21

Leopard Jacket - Forever 21

Minnie Mouse Sweater - thrift shop

shorts -thrift shop

Minnie Mouse (muse line) - Forever 21

Boots - Cutesyshoes.com

Merry Christmas

Anyway, I hope you guys all have a very Merry Christmas. Ian and I are heading over to Lake Tahoe with my relatives for the Christmas weekend, so I will see you when I get back! :) Miss you all!

Hello, it's been awhile

2010-11-12T00:22:00.000-08:00

OMG! it's been forever! Well, I been busy as ever. I been going to school, and guess what! I finally got a job! XD It's been about a month since I started working, so school and work has been taking over my life. I honestly didn't have time to do much style updates with deadlines, and just overall exhaustion from normal daily life. However, I did take some pictures during Halloween (I wore the outfit above) to work as my "costume." I based everything around the little hat which I bought at Claires for $4 (it was on sale), then I used a fake flower, bow, and gloves - all things I already had around the house, then wore a white flowy top with a black blazer.... I kind of got inspired by Alice In Wonderland, anyway it was a really quick thing I threw one considering I had no money left to buy a costume and that I was working anyway.. Oh and can you tell I'm not wearing any foundation.. I ran out of mac studio fix, and I didn't feel like spending almost $30 for a bottle.. so I'm trying to figure out a cheaper alternative. I haven't been using foundation for awhile, I feel it makes a huge difference in the overall gal makeup, meaning it's better with it. (side note: things I need to do / buy - get foundation, dye hair & fix roots)

Anyway, I'm going to sleep soon. I think I will have more time to update after classes are done or if my work hours shorten (not really going to happen any time soon). Please bare with me if I hardly update. For those who work, go to school & blog -- seriously how do you find the time??? And not lose sleep? Everytime I force myself to stay up to do something, I feel that it affects me negatively and I'm not myself from lack of sleep. Hmm maybe I need vitamins..

Oh, andthanks to The Ordinary Gal for this lovely blog award here: click. It's wonderful, thanks so much.

Ok gals.. sorry to cut this short, but I have to sleep. Ahh... Until next time! :) I miss you all!

Random Post September 2010

2010-09-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing too specific or that requires deep though here, I just wanted to compile some outfits & pictures I took the past month! :) Sorry if it's sporadic and random, but isn't that the way life is sometimes?

Outfit Pic

One of my outfits I wore to school for my later class. I'm going to try and take more outfit pics from now on. The only good place to take outfit pics is in my bathroom with good lighting. Unfortunately, I have to stand on a chair to get the whole full length. Lovingly ghetto isn't it?

Me and Jessica in Japantown

Met up with my friend Jessica in Japantown for the Nipponmachi Fair. My hair extensions were pretty gross already here, but luckily I have new ones now.. yay!

Purikura with Alex

Another day in Japantown, met up with my friend Alex. Took some purikura. We both love Adventure Time and we're both AAU babes. lol

Visiting with Stephanie

Also got to meet up with my friend Stephanie from LA, she was visiting San Francisco for the weekend! We didn't get to hang out that long though :/

Dark haired vixen

Here's me with dark hair! :) no, it's not my real hair. But now at least I know I have an option if I want to go back to dark hair. I still want to do the two tone, half tone, even if that trend has been out for awhile. Maybe even pink hair one day?

Designing Heaven

Some graphics I made last August. I really want to get back in the habit of designing again. Just haven't been motivated ! I really need to just do it! Ahhh!! It's weird, because once I open up photoshop and get to work, i can't stop. The first step is just opening photoshop, and making a new canvas. Weird huh? I been really itching to make a new header lately. I still gotta do all those graphics I promised people. :/

Downtown Berkeley

Went to downtown Berkeley with Jessica last month in August. Spotted this in a windowsill of a trendy thrift shop. So inspiring! I love mixed media! I want more of this! More More More.....

Back In Hawaii Post Two

2010-09-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies, I'm back again with another Hawaii post. For those of you who don't know already, i visited my homestate Hawaii on the island of Oahu (I am currently residing in California for school) last July, and I had lots of fun! This is post two, which is another day with my bff, Juvy. We ventured to town again, and this time stayed in the Waikiki area which is my favorite place in Hawaii and one of Juvy's too ~ I really love the touristy cheesy part of Hawaii that visitors love. Especially since they have all the japanese owned unique clothing boutiques here! I vow to do most of my clothing shopping in Waikiki if I ever move back to Hawaii. LOL! That's a promise!

Teddy's Bigger Burger

The first thing we did was stop over Teddy's Bigger Burger, which is this famous burger joint in Hawaii mimicking the 1950s themed burger joint atmosphere, with unique favorites like Kailua Style & Hawaiian Style Burgers. My friend Lani also told me the peanut butter shake here is delicious, I have yet to try it! I used to love going here when I used to live in Hawaii. This time I had the Cajun Burger with garlic fries and Juvy had the teri burger~ soooo good! The cajun burger had the right amount of spice, and tanginess... *drool* I'm seriously craving some right now! and I might just buy a plane ticket just to eat here again ! LOL - Seriously though, I think they should open up one in San Francisco.

Kimo Bean Coffee

We walked around some more and walked into the open outdoor walkway at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki hotel with lots of expensive shops geared towards more rich tourists, and a pretty waterfall in the middle. Decided to refresh ourselves and get some iced coffee. I am so glad that there wasn't a Starbucks in sight. (Although there probably was). I vowed on my vacation that I would try to support local hawaii businesses, so I was glad when we came upon Kimo Bean Coffee. It was my first time trying it (and Juvy's too, I think), so me and Juvy went with something familiar. We each got the mocha blended freeze. It was very refreshing and tasty. I'm not really a coffee aficionado, but I say, this tasted better than all of the other blended drinks I had. Next time I need to venture more and taste their kona coffee which is a must when you're in Hawaii, and also try the Cappuchino Cookies and Cream Freeze, and Coconut mocha which yelp viewers mention here. After taking a break to sip our coffee by the waterfall, we decided to explore more of the shops around the hotel.

Genius Outfitters

We ended the day at two japanese owned clothing boutiques. The first one, was a new boutique called, Genius Outfitters. When I first heard about it, I honestly thought the name was a little lame only because it kind of reminded me of the nationwide clothing chain, Urban Outfitters. But I got over that really quickly, because this clothing boutique is sooooo cute! And it is sooo not like Urban Outfitters! (although I do like Urban Outfitters). Genius Outfitters features more of the japanese trends than the US ones. Since it was summer season, they had a lot of hime stuff like what you would see in Popteen and Vivi magazine, like a lot of basket bags, and frilly bohemian styled dresses, as well as cute rompers, and lots of cute cute hats (similar to Can Can hats). I was in love!! They also had cute frilly lace shorts, cute tote bags, cute keychains.. ok, I'm overusing the word "cute" too much. I literally squealed in here and if I had more vacation money, I would have bought more but I didnt. ;_; *cries* This is definitely on my top 10 favorite Hawaii shopping spots now.

Pineapple County

Afterwards, we headed over next door to Pineapple County, which is another clothing boutique, and ironically smells of Pineapples. I did ask one of the workers though what gives the store that pineapple-y smell, and she told me - so now my living room smells like the store. Now tell me, who actually goes out of their way to make their living spaces smell like their favorite store? Hmm I guess I'm the first ~ LOL. Anyway, Pineapple County is known for their really cute unique tees with their signature mascots. I don't remember their names or if they even have any names, but they're really cute. They have gorgeous unique dresses which are really affordable. Fun fact: Both Pineapple County and Genius Outfitters have the same owner so if you like one store, most likely you will like the other. And tha pretty much sums up our day. We also hit up other cute stores, like Le Grand Marqet, Neo Plaza, Spark, and Happy Haleiwa ~ sorry, no pictures though. ><

Buys

And finally, below are the purchases for that day. Believe me I wanted to buy more, but I didn't have much money. I did make a deal with Juvy that I will send her money later to purchase more stuff from these two stores for me, since I can't right now unless I go on vacation to Hawaii this December (very unlikely though ;_;) Anyway, what I got - Cute bow dress from Pineapple County, denim looking ruffled shorts with suspenders, cute black skirt with middle lined gold buttons, and floral one piece romper from Pineapple County.

Purikura

Before I go, here is the purikura we took for that day. (Stolen from Juvy's page). Sorry, I'm lazy to actual edit each individual one right now. Thanks Juvy for making it easier. LOL. Anyway, that's all for now. See you in the next post!

Selling Post!!!

2010-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I'm selling a bunch of my stuff for really cheap prices. I used up all my free listings on ebay, so i'm listing stuff here. If you are interested in any of my items or want to see more pictures of each item, please comment below , and leave your email. If you are interested in my feedback, please click this link here. All prices include price of item + cost of shipping within U.S. All payments through paypal only. I ship internationally but shipping prices will be higher. Please comment here to inquire! Thanks :)

Also I do combined shipping, so if you are interested in more than one item, I can combine it together in one package so it's cheaper! :)

Ruffled top by Vintage Suzie, $3.00 (worn a couple of times) + $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only), Size Petite, a little medium or large on me

White hime dress with flowers, $8.00 + $5.65 flat rate shipping (within U.S. only), Size 5 - still with tags, only used for video

As seen here:

Forever21 Rock bracelet with gold studs - $6 + $5.75 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Junk Food Brand pink vest, Worn a couple of times, still in good condition. $15 + $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only) (Original Price - $50)

How it looks like worn:

I Love Pink Stickers

I Love Pink 3d Stickers, great for deco, letters, scrapbooking - $4.00 (free shipping within U.S. only)

Hot Topic heart bow tank top, size x-small, never used, $6 + $5.65 flat rate shipping (within U.S. only)

Pink ruffled skirt, only used once, xhilaration brand - $6, plus $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Example: gyaru wearing a pink ruffled skirt

Charlotte Russe babydoll top, size small, used couple of times, still in good condition - $5 + $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Cute poodle puffy stickers - $5 (free shipping within U.S. only)

Rilakkuma plush doll, $15.00 plus $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Betsey Johnson bag - $60 + $11.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only), original price $120

Beauty 3d stickers - $5.00 (free shipping within U.S.)

Wet Seal top, size small, worn a couple of times - $4.00 plus $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Banana Republic halter dress, size L, (hand me down, but doesn't fit me - still in excellent condition) - $6 plus $5.65 flat rate shipping with delivery confirmation (within U.S. only)

Back Home in Hawaii Post One

2010-08-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

(image courtesy of http://wallpapersforyou.info)
Hey kiddies, long time no talk. Well, my trip back home to Oahu, Hawaii was very short-lived. (July 11-July 29, 2010) *cries and sighs* As much as I'm thankful of living in California, there is no place like home (in Hawaii). If I could, I would definitely move back home, but my goals in school can't be accomplished back there, so for now I would just have to settle with my vacations home until I do finish school (in about 5 years or so..) Anyway, I will never take living in Hawaii for granted ever again - I guess you only realize how much the place means to you until you leave it. But enough whining, time to blog about my trip.

Arrival

So we arrived around 11am at Honolulu International Airport greeted by my bf's family - his mom & dad, and his two sisters with their kids who just arrived 2 days earlier (one sister lives in Okinawa, Japan, and the other lives in Houston Texas). Since we stayed up the night before and didn't have any sleep on the plane, I'd rather not show any pictures of myself at this point.

Zippy's

Kapolei Zippys and menu image from here
Right after picking us up, we decided to head over to Zippy's in Kapolei which is where we met my brother & mom. Zippy's is a very popular restaurant chain in Hawaii favored by the locals and tourists alike. Zippy's serves a mix of hawaiian food, island food & local food. Some popular favorites might be the chili / fried chicken mixed plate, saimin, or zip pac (bento of fried chicken, teri beef, hoku (fish filet), and fried spam with white rice and furikake on top). There are zippy's restaurants all over Oahu, and I remember going to Zippy's after a long night of dancing at the clubs with friends. (Some Zippy's are open past midnight). However, on this trip, this was the only time I got to eat there ;_; I was so hungry & excited about finally eating here that I only took a picture after I was packing the leftovers. This time, I skipped the typical favorites & had the oxtail soup with white rice which I shared with my mom. Very delicious and feeling, definitely comfort food - it was great with the ginger.

After we ate, we headed over to my bf's parent's house, where we hung out for a bit and then we went to church (church that my bf grew up in) with my bf's mom & family (omg, by this time ~ I was almost ready to pass out but service can't be missed as far as ian's mom is concerned; my mom is the same way). Anyway, my bf performed before the service started, he sang a tribute song to his grandpa who recently passed away (he sang, "Yesterday" by The Beatles) Ian's mom and sister's were tearing up, it was very moving. Anyway, we headed back to Ian's house, and then finally I left in the late evening with my mom and brother to sleep. (I stayed at my mom's house most of the trip)

The next day, I finally got to meet up with my BFF Juvy! When I moved to California last August 2009, I cried because we just started becoming close and hanging out again, along with my other friend Lani (we three called ourselves Feel Enjoy). Anyway, I was so happy to be reunited with her again, even though unfortunately, Lani moved to Alabama 3 days earlier before I arrived so I wasn't able to see her again. ;_; But I was so glad to see Juvy again! It was a Pinklovesoxygen reunion! :) (for more on pinklovesoxygen, please read Juvy's blog post here. Anyway, she came over to my mom's place where my mom cooked some of her homemade food which we ate until our high waist shorts couldn't fit, and afterwards we watched "The Beatles First US Visit" while sipping on some Sakura black tea (which I got from Shirokiya). It was very relaxing and fun to catch up in person (even though we talked almost everyday on skype when I moved).

Please don't mind my large arm, I gained about 10lbs ;_;

Then we got ready to leave to go take purikura & go to Ala Moana Shopping Center. It was very humid that day, and the a/c was broken in my mom's room, so I decided to try Juvy's oil blotting paper.. needless to say, the swear and oils went right through when I placed it on my sweaty nose (see picture above). I know it's gross, but I was so fascinated by this oil blotting paper, and it worked wonders for my face (the ones that I've tried previously always had powder on it, which i did not like) that Juvy had to document my fascination. In case you were wondering what oil blotting paper it was, it was called Hakugen, Sweat & Oil Film, and I highly recommend it. You can get it from sasa.com : here. Great to keep in your purse for those hot & humid days!

Fun Pix Purikura

So we ventured over to town to take purikura at Hawaii's first purikura place, called Funpix. They actually opened a couple months right after I moved to California, so this was the first time in a long time that I finally got to take purikura with Juvy (the last time was when we visited California and went to Japantown in 2006). So, if you are ever in Honolulu, Hawaii, be sure to stop by, I recently heard that they're getting a new Rilakkuma & Mickeymouse purikura machine (wahhh, why couldn't they have opened it when I was visiting?) Their address is: Ste 101, 1750 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96826-3756

Awkward pose by me, Cute pose by Juvy. It's funny because we both wore our high-waisted shorts that day. If I could change my outfit, I would, I'd pair it with a cute tube top instead of my t-shirt. Oh well...Anyway, here is some of the purikura we took that day:

Don Quijote & Shirokiya

image from here
After purikura, we headed over to Don Quijote (also called Donki in Japan) on Kaheka St. by Ala Moana shopping center, where we spotted some Dollywink eyelashes for sale (again, why do they decide to start selling these until after I move?) >_<

They also had lots of japanese beauty products (the product on the right kind of reminds me of Pringles chips, don't you think?), I wouldn't be surprised later on if they started selling fake deco nails & cute gyaru clothes just like the Donki stores in Japan. (Although they already have a japanese nail salon right inside when you walk in Don Quijote).

Right outside Don Quijote was a row of fast food restaurants, and one of them sold Taiyaki. I was in a meat & salty food kind of mood, so instead of getting the Azuki Bean Taiyaki which I used to get, I got the ham & cheese one.. It was pretty good.

Afterwards, we headed over to Shirokiya (japanese department store) at Ala Moana Shopping Center (one of the biggest outdoor malls in the world), where I proceeded to eat some more.

Ala Moana Shopping Center - image from here

Shirokiya - image from here
They have a food court upstairs (2nd floor) also, and sell all kinds of food like fresh takoyaki (my fave! unfortunately, the takoyaki stand was already closed), and bento lunches. Surprisingly, they also had korean sushi which I haven't ate in ages, so I ate some as well. Yes, the first full day back and I started indulging myself.

Eating taiyaki outside Don Quijote / eating korean sushi at Shirokiya

I love this picture of Juvy while we were sitting down in Shirokiya. She's so cute, no? By the way, this was all taken with her new camera, the Panasonic DMC-GF1. She ordered it from Japan, I love it so much, I'm thinking of buying my own. Cutie Monica of cuterockmoni.blogspot.com also has one (that's how Juvy found out about it). So thanks Monica!

So before I get to mention, Shirokiya's 2nd floor was for the food court as well as beauty & bath products, but the first floor holds all the cute stuff, books & magazines, and electronics.

Cute little bears, I named them, Janis, Juvy, Lani & Monica. ^_^

Omg, these takoyaki figurines are the cutest! Since I'm a big fan of takoyaki, I wanted to get this, but I didn't. (I regret it now!) ;_;

We walked around Ala Moana Shopping Center for a bit before we decided to grab some macaroons before heading home. We got these at a lovely outdoor tea & dessert shop on the third floor of Ala Moana Shopping Center overlooking the center stage.

We got green tea and guava macaroons. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to taste the other delicious things on their menu, such as the mango tea sorbet, lychee sorbet, pineapple coconut rooibos tea, hawaiian cupcake, and delicious vegetarian sandwiches as some yelpers talk about here. Oh well, next time!

Cutie poo (yeah i call Juvy, "poo". don't ask why - lol) with her macaroon. Though you can't see it, Louis Vuitton store is on your left behind Juvy.

And this sums up the first full day of my trip on July 12, 2010, Monday. More to come!

while my guitar gently weeps

2010-07-07T03:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted! I been busy trying to sell things online and getting ready for my trip to Hawaii next week! Just wanted to let you guys know I'm still here and apologize for my lack of replies / comments lately.

Just wanted to share a few photos where I tried out red lipstick. never really wore red lipstick before and thought it would be quite harsh for my skintone , but I really like how it turned out. I was inspired by my Diamond sister Val, where she was rockin' red lipstick in one of her photos. My outfit was put together real quick, blue tube top from Forever21, and black leather skirt from Charlotte Russe, as well as a bunch of bracelets (Forever21). I thought it might have been too revealing, so I wore a pin striped shirt over the outfit (see below). Problem is, I'm not sure if it matches with the whole outfit. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I'm really excited to be going home for 3 weeks, so expect loads of pics and entries when I get back! :)

let's get together before we get much older

2010-06-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

It's about time to bring some bright summery colors into my look. I found some cheap bottom lashes at a beauty supply store nearby my local grocery store to try out until I can afford some lovely dollywink lashes. These seem to work just fine and I might buy more. Also bought a bunch of eyelashes on ebay too, 40 pairs for $4, just to try out. I'll post it here with pictures and examples when I receive it. ^^ The picture above was taken with my cell phone, and the pictures below was taken with my digital camera, with flash. I found it interesting when I compared the two pictures, how different my skintone varied. I guess my true to color would be more from the digital camera even though I did use flash~ my friend Juvy said my skintone is a nice tan look. I'm learning to embrace it (the yellowness), but at times I envy the lighter skin filipinas (like the ones I see on Wowwowwee, a tv show showed on TFC - The Filipino Channel) or the gal models that I look up to in Jelly and other gyaru magazines. There's nothing much that can be done, yes - I tried the everfamous Likas papaya soap that claims to lighten your skin (or at least your armpits) and also used Lemon Eskinol on my face when I was younger. (The smell brings back memories.. LOL) But yes, I'm learning to embrace it like I said. Sometimes I really love my skintone, and other times, well... Although I'm a little afraid when I go back home to Hawaii for vacation that I'll tan even more than my already normal tan colored skin, and get as dark how I was when I used to live there. (I used to go to the beach every weekend with my boyfriend and brother). But anyway, enough of those trivial things.

I wasn't sure if anyone was curious but I decided to take pictures of the products I used for my summer look. I don't really use anything expensive. Just regular cheap drug store products (well, except my Mac studiofix foundation). I do use Mac brushes, and I really like name brand products - just can't afford it at the moment.

Products Used:
1) Makeup case - (ok that doesn't really count)
2) N.Y.C. Cheek Glow Powder Blush 651A Riverside Rose
3. Ring (not a product - but accessory from pinkyanela)
4. NYX Eye pencil to line my upper waterline
5. Revlon Color Stay Liquid Eye Pen (not really my favorite but I was running out of my Wet & Wild eyeliner)
6. Wet n Wild h20 Proof Eyeliner 881 - my favorite eyeliner ever. It stays put even when I line my waterline and it doesn't sting either.
7. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (I use this for my eyeshadow base because I ran out of UDPP - Urban Decay Primer Potion)
8. Ardell LashGrip Eyelash ADHESIVE (not my favorite, I used to buy this other brand when I was in Hawaii but I can't remember the name of it)
9. H&M nail polish - Enchantress Emma - I was looking for this shade for forever!! I love this color, going to deco some fake nails with this color soon
10. Eyelash curler - used before I put my fake eyelashes on - got this at Daiso for only $1.50
11. The Maximum Max Clear Lip gloss
12. Revlon 002 Pink Pout Lipstick - my favorite color lipstick - I really love it
13. Covergirl eyebrow pencil in brown (I can't even read what color is on the pencil anymore - it's so faded)
14. Mac Studio Fix Foundation NC40 (my favorite foundation - I tried to go back to Drugstore brands, but I hated them - I want to branch out but so far, I didn't have any problems with this foundation)
15. The cheap lashes I got from the beauty supply store. NOt sure of the brand name, Sassi? Sossi? Ok, never mind it's Sassi. There was this other pair of lashes that I really loved that I actually bought from the dollar store called Paji but I couldn't find it after that) So I found one that ressembled to it.
16. Bottom lashes - the first time I've seen one in the store so I couldn't pass it up. I really like how it looks when I tried it (Although I'm really loving the new Fairylash brand by Sakurina - putting that on my wishlist)
17. 88 Eyeshadow Palette from Coastal Scents (yeah i know ~ it's messy)

Now that summer is here and I'm not taking summer school, I have a lot of free time to catch up on my reading. I stumbled upon this wonderful book while browsing the travel journals at Barnes and Noble at the mall by Powell Bart Station. I've had an increasing interest in reading travel memoirs or anything that has to do with Europe particularly Paris, France mainly influenced by all the old hollywood movies I been watching, as well as the Coco Chanel biography I just finished reading. But anyway, I wanted to buy it that time at Barnes and Noble, but didn't - but while browsing the books at Goodwill, I found the book again - it was calling out to me, wanting to be read! So at $2, of course I had to pick it up. Basically it's about this Australian lady journalist who suddenly decides to make the move to Paris, with a french man she hardly knows and decides to live her life there. The book talks about her experiences and the Parisian & French way of life and the obstacles and experiences she goes through - just wow, oh wow. It's a foreigner's insight of living in Paris, France. There was one chapter that totally intrigued and inspired me, where this Australian lady wants to go out in her jogging pants (warm up pants) to the bakery, and her boyfriend says that her attire is not nice for the baker! She can't believe that he is serious...She doesn't understand why. So to quote what I read on...
"...Frederic's reaction to warmup pants is a concept that to me is totally foreign: looking scruffy is selfish. Not only do you look like a slob but you let down the whole city. "
"In France, vanity is not a vice. Rigorous self-maintenance is imbued from birth-it's a mark of self-pride."
"The loaded pharse 'se mettre en valeur' is used all the time. It means to 'make the most of yourself.' This is not something the French do when they fell like it: they do it every day. Sloppiness in appearance is considered a fatal disease. Once it takes hold, you're on an irreversible downhill slide. You've committed the unforgiveable. You've let yourself go."
"He can't help it, you see. the thing is, the french are highly sensitive to aesthetics."

Reflecting on this chapter that I read, I immediately felt intrigued and inspired. The french's way of thinking on appearance is not selfish or false conceit, it's a sense of pride in one's self. I felt that I could use that phrase, "Se mettre en valeur" and apply it to my life. I have to admit, I have been a little "lazy" as of late, and this certainly opened up my eyes. It made me realize, to put it bluntly, take damn better care of myself. Stop just lazing about in my boyfriend's clothes (haha), and be girly ! Damnit, get my gyaru groove back into full swing! LOL It's also funny as I read this book, I noticed that the previous owner before me, underlined a lot of lines in the book including the ones I've just quoted. It was funny to see someone you don't know think similarly as you. But this phrase, "se mettre en valeur" could not only apply to the physical appearance, but of course everything else in your life - I have a lot of new goals now. Fresh goals - try to make most of my free time reading books, drawing and sketching in my sketchbook everyday, brainstorming and writing down new design ideas, get back into photography & crafting more. Overall, just taking advantage of all the creativity I have flowing abundantly in me.

Anyway, I'll finally be going home in a little more than 2 weeks! I'm so excited!! Excited to see my BFF, my poo (Yeah, we call each other "poo", it's our nickname for each other)and have lots of creative photoshoots and adventures with her. I'm a little sad that my other BFF, Lani, will already have left Hawaii to move to another state (sadly, not California). She will be leaving 3 days before I arrive. :( So sad...

But oh well, "se mettre en valeur.."

P.S. Check out the new gal issue Eleanorzine!! This issue is smokin' hot, with an interview of Mistu (universal-doll.com) inside and other great gals and lots of other cool stuff. Don't miss it!

glitter

2010-06-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

So on a whim, I finally decided to finish up fixing up my desk area once again. Please enjoy as I give you a little tour. Oh also, I'm in transition mode as far as fixing up my blog. Trying to find a new look that I'm satisfied with. So I hope you guys don't mind me being experimental with this until I figure it out.

So the main thing I wanted to do was cover my awful shelf with all the junk that was on it. I found the clutter to be too nauseating to look at so I decided to just block that area with one solid color. My black jersey knit queen size mattress cover that I didn't use was perfect for this as it grabbed the shelf easily. I piled all my stuffed toys and japanese drink packaging at the top to add some splash of color. Along with it is my bulletin board with random character business cards and postcards I got at the comic con I went to in San Francisco.

So I was unsuccessful in selling some of my donut charms so I decided to just keep it. I didn't want to hide my delicious food charms which I want to build a huge collection on, so I just left it on my printer slash scanner. Not very practical for easy use, but I don't really use the scanner bed anyway. I just love food charms!!! I want more (so much for trying to simplify and cut down on cute stuff, hmmm?)

Got this tiny wall shelf from Target for only $4. From left to right: 1) An empty japanese wine bottle with fake pink roses and pink & black lace garters wrapped around the top. I wanted to showcase the beautiful label wrapped around it. It's beautiful. (I'm a sucker for cute packaging) 2)My beautiful deco charmmy kitty mirror I received from as a gift from pinkyanela.etsy.com. 3)An ice cream cone which actually is a bubble wand with bubble solution inside. 4)My hello kitty deco ring (which I purchased from Pinkyanela. Below this is a framed photo collage of my FEEL ENJOY BFF - Juvy and Lani (back when I was still in Hawaii)

Close up of the rose and artist print I bought from the comic con. I forgot the artist name, I'll put it here once I remember.

I already explained the pic on the left, but the right shows my pink and black striped Ed and Hardy coasters (not a fan of Ed Hardy, but I really liked these coaster designs) with some white votive candles on top.

Left photo: Some framed photos and prints. My classmate gave me the print on the top right :D Right photo: mosaic vase where I put my loose change.

This deco mirror is too cute to use!!!

Just random old photos of my Diamond gals and I. I know, I know. I really need new pictures ~ im guilty of not stepping up my gal style... on another note, I miss my gals! Seriously . . .

a day with dolly and getting mail!!!!

2010-06-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I finally got to meet up with my Diamond sister, Dolly. She's back in the bay area for the summer so we made plans to meet up before I go to Hawaii next month. Spent the day at the Westfield mall in San Francisco by Powell Bart Station, and also headed over to The Castro for the first time. Although we didn't buy anything, it was just nice to catch up and have some girl time and talk. Plus the weather was really nice in San Francisco, it wasn't too hot or cool for a walk.

I kept my outtfit really simple (sort of inspired by the mode look ~ hopefully when I get money, I can actually buy things to makeover my wardrobe) A plain white tee, with my h&m high waisted shorts and my old black belt, my new shoes I got online and my gold betsey johnson bag. I painted my nails with teal nail polish from h&m and wore a black garter (on my wrist) and black bow bracelet and ring. =P I wanted to do something with my boring hair, but damnit it was so hot inside my house even with the fan on that I didn't even want to touch the straightening iron. oh and excuse the grainyness of the pics, these were taken in mac photobooth. and the mess, I was trying to sort my stuff to put on my ebay.

While at The Castro, I saw this cookie shop called Hot Cookie. The cute red undies and the name itself definitely caught my attention. And I guess the plastered pictures on the wall also was a little outstanding. I didn't even go inside which was a shame because later on I read on yelp that the actually cookies were mimicked after male genitalia.. lol. I won't even mention the names of the cookies because I don't know how young some of my readers are. But definitely worth a trip back because I read on yelp that the cookies were actually really tasty.

So the Castro theater had a really cute backdrop with the "Coming Soon" at the top so me and Dolly took a pic here. It looks like Dolly is actually in the glass.

Well the sign says it all.

A window information display on Harvey Milk

anyway, I was really glad me and Dolly got to catch up. I really miss hanging out with my gals. Everybody's just been so busy, or just really far far away (in LA). I must say I am relieved to be going home to my tiny island Oahu for almost 3 weeks next month. I definitely need some girly time.

getting mail

speaking of girly, I got some really girly and cute mail in my mailbox the past two days, a letter from Monica and a cute gift package from PinkyAnela!

Monica wrote me a really sweet letter on the cutest Rilakkuma stationary ever and gave me some purikura. I was so happy when I read it, I haven't gotten a letter for years! Seriously! I literally wanted to cry tears of joy! Thank you so much girl! It means a lot! Snail mail brings back a lot of memories. It makes me want to get back into pen palling or at least writing occasional letters. I plan to write her a letter back soon and finally make use of some of the stationary I have laying around the house. Also, I really hope to see her when I go back to Hawaii. Hopefully she'll be back in Hawaii around the same time too. By the way, is anyone interested in writing letters? if we've spoken for awhile here online, and you're interested, let me know. no packages, just letters.. i would love to exchange letters or postcards. just the joy of getting a letter makes me really happy.

and OMG!! my friend Pinkyanela sent me the most cutest package EVER! i wanted to scream when I opened it!!!!!! She sent me a text telling me she sent me something and she didn't even have to.. she is the sweetest ever!!! Strawberry flavored Lucky Stick, the cutest Charmmy Kitty deco mirror, a purple leopard bow necklace, a hello kitty lock, a pink bow ring, and two cute mechanical pencils......Plus they were all packaged up so nicely in the cutest bags and tissue paper. thank you, thank you so much girl!!!! I am telling you, she makes the best deco stuff ever. Please visit her etsy shop: pinkyanela.etsy.com if you haven't had a chance.

toy story 3

me and my bf ian watched Toy Story 3 today in the theaters. we waited so long for this day ever since we heard it was coming out. There is no other 3d animated movies that touches my heart more than Pixar movies. Seriously, if you seen Toy Story 1 & 2, you are definitely going to love Toy Story 3. I was just so touched because this story is a story every person can relate to. There were moments when tears were welling up in my eyes, because it's just that touching. Just hearing the responses from the other people in the audience (including adults, yes - which I am sure grew up with Toy Story 1&2 while they were kids also), you know it really touches the heart. I'm just so happy that Toy Story is reaching another generation. I highly recommend it! Go to your nearest theater and watch it! Plus I'm a big fan of Pixar shorts too, and the one they showed before Toy Story 3 is one of my newfound favorites (my other favorite Pixar short is "Partly Cloudy" which was featured before the movie Up)

SIDENOTE: im definitely feeling my love of "cute stuff" coming back. Not sure if anyone noticed, I was really trying to simplify and cut down on going overboard with the cute stuff, but i feel it creeping back haunting me. From getting really cute stuff in the mail, and from watching Toy Story 3 today, I feel my love of cuteness (and the kid in me) coming back slowly. <3<3 I guess it will always be a part of me, no matter how much I change or how grown up I want to be. I have to perfect how I want to interlace cuteness with classy and maturity to find that perfect balance. I'm probably looking too deep into it or it might not really make sense if you read this. I'm not really sure how to explain it. But anyway, that's it for now!

edit: and new header but i don't know why. i had this old .psd saved with tinted pink porcupines and some scribbles and decided to throw this really fast header together. pink porcupines? yeah, i like it. i was kind of tired seeing just text. but blogger is making me pissed. instead of replacing the header text with the header image.. it still leaves the text together with the header image. so earlier, it had "life of pinksugarichigo" on top of my new header image.. i tried to leave the header text blank, but it wouldn't let me. so i resulted to putting three dots "..." for the header text. it looked ok with the image, so i left it. it would be better if i could erase it all together or just the header by itself without those damn dots, but it's not letting me take it out!! UGHHHH ok never mind i was showing it to juvy on skype and then she fixed it with her eyes. it's a miracle!

Pinkyanela.etsy.com And Ebay

2010-06-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

I finally made a video promoting my online friend Saori's deco accessories and products at pinkyanela.etsy.com If you haven't seen her shop yet, definitely check it out! It's worth a look!

Also, some of my ebay sales ends in two days! If you haven't checked out my ebay, please do so! You might find some great stuff! CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY EBAY

cherry picking with jollybee

2010-06-14T13:57:00.001-07:00

Aunt and uncle invited me to go cherry picking along with some other relatives this past Saturday. It was a great way to spend the morning! Haven't done anything like this before either. I ate so much off the tree until I got a stomachache. But it was soooo good and fresh. Nothing like eating fresh fruit off the tree. Excuse the lack of eye makeup, I couldn't find my eyelash glue! yikes!

Of course the best way to end your cherry picking days is to stop by the filipino fast food restaurant, Jolly Bee's. Please get the "jolly spaghetti" infused with sweetened tomato sauce and cut up hot dogs. And let's not forget melted cheese please. I could already hear my childhood calling out to me. Who cares about dieting when I'm only 10 years old? Thanks Auntie for the nostalgia.

Wash it all down with halohalo (from Tagalog word halò, "mix" - is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served cold in a tall glass or bowl - I thank you wikipedia). This was my bf's actually. I'm not a big fan of halohalo, but I do like the ube (filipino word for purple yam) ice cream and lecheflan (caramel custard) at the top. Yum. Excuse the quality of the pictures, I had my camera on all the wrong settings, and Juvy helped me fix it from now on. So hopefully my pictures will be sharper and not so, well, grainy.

Oh and may I introduce you to my new pair of shoes.. I ordered this awhile back (when I had money--wahhhh) and I finally got it in the mail!.. Yes!

New Desk Area

2010-06-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

So this is the new desk area for June. I found a Breakfast At Tiffany's poster in one of the music stores, and I had to get! I might change it in the future, but for now, I'm satisfied with it. It's really simplified, I like it a whole lot. I think it will inspire clean lines, and lots of white space in my graphics (or at least space in general). Hopefully it won't be boring and monotonous. What do you think? I was inspired somewhat by Sweet Interior book (japanese interior magazine) and apartmenttherapy.com. Plus my whole downsizing of things is getting a lot easier now.

So far, I been watching a whole bunch of old hollywood films. I find it really relaxing and enjoyable before bed. If you have instant netflix, try to catch some of these movies online. Except for the Audrey Hepburn movies & some Katharine Hepburn movies - I got them at Target and amazon.com. So far, I've watched: *

*asterisks are ones I've watched more than once

The Holiday (Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant)*

Philadelphia Story (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart)*

Bringing Up Baby (Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant)

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (not as old as the rest - 1967 - Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy)

Desk Set (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy)

Summertime (Katharine Hepburn)

Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck)*

Funny Face (Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire)*

Breakfast At Tiffany's (Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard)**

Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn, Humprey Bogart and William Holden)

How To Steal A Million (Audrey Hepburn and Peter O Toole)*

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell)*

The Seven Year Itch (Marilyn Monroe, Tommy Ewell)

How To Marry A Millionaire (Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall)

Love Me Or Leave Me (Doris Day, James Cagney)

A Breath of Scandal (Sophia Loren, Maurice Chevalier)

Gilda (Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford)

My Man Godfrey (William Powell, Carole Lombard)

Cactus Flower (Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman)

The Girl Can't Help It (Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell)

Anybody watch old hollywood films like me? Just out of curiosity. If so, what is your favorite movie?

NONRELEVANT, but, check out universal-doll.com if you haven't already. Her mode gyaru topics are my absolute fave.

get some color back in there! just a tiny splash.

2010-06-12T01:35:00.001-07:00

amazingly, i suddenly got "INSPIRED" to whip up a cute mini graphic up in photoshop. maybe it's the summer heat that is getting to my head or the fact that i am filled to the brim with coconut milk infused vegetables (filipino dish including my favorite, eggplant) .. i have no what happened, but i felt creativity rushing back to me.

this time, i went on nostalgia road and visited some of my past loves (bright colors, cuteness, cute patterns) but noticed there was a little side road leading to the pro's freeway (rules of graphic design i picked up in school & from studying lots of professional design) .. so i traveled until i was perfectly in the middle and i came up with this. consider it a start, to something gratifying and new - yet more polished with more thought about each element. i still feel a love for the crowded layout, so i might make one for old times sake. but i still want to keep moving forward. it's a work in progress, people.

*partly inspired by my girly graphics book, nylon magazine format, techno fonts, theselby and vinyl toys*

ok, got to sleep - going cherry picking tomorrow with some relatives @_@

oh and please visit my ebay. im flat broke and need monies. $$$$$$$ seriously now

some of my favorite websites [DESIGN, FASHION, & INSPIRATION RELATED] at the moment:

Photo blog June 2010 - I need a new camera

2010-06-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

trying something new. let me know if you guys like these random photo blog postings ~ here's what's been going on for june 2010. i can't wait until i go home to oahu, hawaii next month in july. sometimes i feel liking moving back home, ill always be a hawaii girl at heart.

1. quick mac photobooth photo before heading out to san francisco. i know, the room is messy
2. A wall arrangement of scarves, bows, unused leopard hot topic tank, and fake flowers right above my imac (already taken down this week) I plan to redo my desk area every few weeks or so to keep the inspiration going
3. Was craving aspargus and bacon so I cooked the bacon first then added the asparagus in the same pan.. and added a touch of black peppers and basil over a bed of white rice.. i really like simple meals at times.
4. The same does not go for pizza. I need lots and lots of toppings - mountain mike's pizza - best i ever had, crispy bacon and tender ham in creamy garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced mushrooms, olives and sweet green onions.
5. ian's colorful character on skate 3, i thought he looked weird
6. some books im reading this month (june 2010) audrey hepburn, katherine hepburn, john lennon, coco chanel and the beatles -- all memorable icons (by the way, this is our living room - i hope go evoke minimalism in this room.. hopefully.
7. unlike the other room, where my common haphazard border line obsessive hoarder-ness shines through. (although the shelf no longer looks like this, i took everything out and am planning to rearrange the shelves again)
8. Visited the Yerba Buena museum in San Francisco, exhibiting very intriguing media infused political art
9. visited the cartoon musuem nearby new montgomery st. featuring beetle bailey! anyone ever read it? i always remember seeing it in the sunday comics when i was young. although normally not a big fan of comics, it inspired ian and i to buy new sketchbooks afterwards.
10. ian's dad always sends us hawaiian snacks and goodies, and this time he sent us a bunch of rock dvds & cds. The US vs. John Lennon touched me.
11, 12. yerba buena gardens is so beautiful in san francisco.. all surrounded by museums, skating rink, and bowling alley
13. craving spaghetti with cut up hot dogs & sugar infused spaghetti sauce? then jolly bee's filipino's fast food restaurant is for you! right in the heart of san francisco for your convenience! this bee is waiting for you! i could use some chicken joy right now..
14. i'm really loving the Bristol Farms buffet in the Westfield Shopping Center by powell bart station. curried tofu, eggplant, roast peppers, red russet potato medley, herb tilapia, pasta noodles .. yum. very healthy compared to the fast food junk i been eating nowadays
15. while sorting out all of my stuff in my room, i decided to lay out all the cute stuff i been accumulating and take a picture of it. i been thinking of just keeping all the cute stuff i want to keep in storage boxes, and displaying only a select few on some new wall shelves ive gotten lately with my new breakfast at tiffany's poster above my desk. we shall see though. pictures to be updated when desk area redecoration is completed.
16. i need to take new outfit photos.

that's all. time to munch on some yummy vinegar and salt flavored chicaron (fried pork rinds). so good, yet so bad.

Galamorous Party April 17, 2010

2010-06-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

So here is the long awaited post of my Diamond Circle's first hosted party, Galamorous. It was held back in April 17, 2010 where I flew to LA for the event. Along with Tune in Tokyo DJs, and the people of KiraKira Purikura Shop who provided the location, and also Electric Trash mag, who covered the event in their first issue, the event was a huge success. Pink & black themed decor, gorgeous pretty people & yummy dessserts & snacks, great music, fun games, and discounted purikura - who couldn't ask for more? I have a lot of pictures from the event, but here are just a few (well actually this is a lot already). I wanted to take more photos from other people's facebook, but they disabled my facebook so I can't log in right now.. booo. This was a great event to spread the gal subculture, and to promote ourselves as a nationwide gal circle. It was very fun, unfortunately during that weekend, I was really sick and had allergies so my eyes were hurting bad throughout the whole event, they were red and teary (i know gross). So the only thing I would change about that weekend I was there is to not be sick. Anyway, enjoy!

Please visit Electric Trash for a detailed coverage of the Diamond Event in their first online mag issue.

Selling Post #1

2010-06-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry this is not really a blog entry, but I wanted to put up some stuff that I'm going to be selling. I need to get rid of a lot of my stuff unfortunately because 1) I have too much, 2) I'm going home to Hawaii in July and I need extra monies..so I decided to put together a bunch of cute packages together and sell them at a really really cheap price... So here's the first one!

Package #1

Get all of this for $25 + $10.70 med flat rate box shipping - so $35.70. Taking payment by paypal only

Everything retails for almost $60 (especially the charmmy stuff when I bought it was really expensive)

You get:
4 cute food charms - they're really big.. 3 donuts and one sandwich (never used, put them on display, but realized I have too much)
Black & pink eye masks - never used - just pinned them to my wall (might have small pink holes)
Pink heart tin case (you can put your cigarettes in there if you smoke, or coins or whatever) - never used
bear basket - really cute to use for display.. it was on my shelf, I put my jewelry in there
pink hello kitty bento box - used (not for food), i think i placed my accessories and jewelry in there, little scuff marks on there, but hardly noticeable
charmmy kitty doll - bought and put it on display on my shelf
big dessert box - i placed my stationary in here, otherwise it's good as new
hello kitty hair clips - tried it on, but never used to go out
diy coconut can decoed container - i made this, but i realized i have too many decorated cans, i placed my pens & makeup brushes in here .. otherwise it's as good as new
charmmy kitty case - placed this on my wall, has tiny pin holes in the back and some small pencil stains by zipper & inside - otherwise as good as new
handmade himelike brooch - got this online at a cute shop, wore it a couple of times.. still very pretty, a little frayed at some areas
handmade hime barrette - used once
pink heart notepad - tore out several papers in there, some blank paper left inside.. very cute .. you dont have to use this as a notepad.. i put a little string through it and tied it around my teddy bear for a necklace
cute little strawberry plushie pendant - used for a necklace once
heart stirrers - never used this, only for taking photos with.. you can use these for your drinks or even on display, i just placed it with my pens and pencils to decorate

Here's a photo of all the details.. Please comment if you are interested. If you are interested in buying any of these separately, let me know.. I might be willing to sell it individually if no one is interested in buying the package as a whole.

Individual Sales
Pretty Pink Bow Necklace - Used it only once or twice , bought it on etsy one of a kind - $10 + 5.00 small flat rate box shipping - $15

Deco Stationary Pad
Selling for $4 + $3 shipping - $7 (1 or 2 pages torn out)

you are only waiting for this moment to arrive

2010-05-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

like the new layout guys? i know, i know, it's stripped away of all it's glamour and glitter and is now almost pure and naked with all this white space. what happened to all the cluttered graphics you ask? just trying something new. i feel after the semester ended, i wanted something more simplistic and decided that this will be more like a photo blog, focused straight onto to the pictures. i might decide to throw in a graphic header later, but not anytime soon.

trips to japantown are always exciting for me. so i didn't mind going again yesterday for the umpteenth time (even though i know there are other lovely places of san francisco that i haven't yet explored!) i could spend hours in kinokuniya browsing through endless sources of art books & magazines from the weirdest to the chic dripping with new inspiration! it's a graphic designer's paradise! sadly i did not buy anything, but i plan to purchase "paris mon apartement a moi" very soon. i love exploring & seeing pictures of other people's interior spaces. the french have lovely lovely interior spaces! so fresh and fun! lately, ive been obsessed with reading more up on France / Paris. i saw some france travel memoirs at borders the past week that i wanted to purchase: french milk by lucky knisley, french dirt, and french lessons. anyway, besides kinokuniya, i love browsing through all the random toy shops where you can find bizzare japanese (or non japanese character toys) like "the new teddy bear," which i totally wanted! i have this new craving of collecting the oddest of odd and random unknown charactered items. i haven't had any cravings for any hello kitty stuff lately (amazingly!) Which is a good thing, because as much as i love her and sanrio, im thinking my hello kitty and sanrio days are pretty much over. spending wise i mean. don't get me wrong, i still like to admire and look at the stuff.

ended the day visiting two macaron shops!!! ahhhhhh macarons.... *drool* thanks to my friend and her bf for taking us there. went to paulette and miette confiserie and purchased some very tasty items. i loved hearing the paulette employees with their french accents... made me feel like in Paris! Miette Confeserie was one of the prettiest sweet bakeries I ever seen! From Paulette, I bought a 6 macaron set with interesting flavors like lychee & violet cassis. From Miette Confiserie - i bought several chocolates including sea salt chocolate and orange noir. I also bought an old fashioned cupcake and two macarons.... mmm..

Writing about this is making me hungry... i haven't tasted all the macarons yet so I'm thinking I'm going to do that right now.

Stay tuned for more photos, still have to upload photos from my Diamond circle's Gal*amorous party from last April!

Semester's Almost Over

2010-05-18T12:26:00.001-07:00

yay semester is almost over and i guess i should update you all of what's being going on with me! stay tuned .. got loads to upload..

relax, no need to be dramatic - it's just graphic design

2010-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

on my never-ending path to self-discovery, i came upon the harsh and bitter realization that everything i have accomplished thus far in the realm of the graphic design world has been to put it plainly and utterly, child's play. although we can conclude that child's play can be conceived as being innocent, free without any constraints or boundaries on imagination or creativity whatsoever - through my newly developed aspiring graphic designer's eyes, i have awoken and to put it more in "graphical" terms - slapped HARD in the face. child's play does not cut it in the real world.

an ear piercing shrill, "WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!" echoed through my mind, not once or twice, but repeatedly. i have never experienced such a LOUD! breakthrough in my contented reality. through new eyes, i have looked upon my own designs with disgust, not with utter joy and feeling that i have felt before. how could i have been so vain? typography errors, not enough attention to line or balance, too many elements going on at once (which i admit, i have been guilty of - every damn single time), even the way i have set up my blog entries (the images, the paragraphs, the fonts, the way i watermarked my pictures) the list of the errors of my designing ways kept going on for miles and replaying through my head. why is it through all these years, i have been designing "so fucken blindly"? sure, an artist designs the way they want to, not thinking about "rules" or "regulations", but i came upon the conclusion, that in the designing world, "you need to know the rules first, before you can decide to break them".

although through other's perceptions, this may not be a big or even serious thing, but to me - it is one of the biggest obstacles i have come upon in my entire life. i used to base everything on what i thought i knew, but now it is like i am being reborn learning the ways of the world again. i feel the urge to start from scratch, wipe that slate clean. be whole, be new. this time working with my eyes wide open, taking everything that i have learned thus far and applying it into my design. this time, this time i hope it won't be child play.

after this bitter realization that has manifested itself onto me, i proceeded to start taking down all of my graphic design work off the internet. first with deviantart, myspace, tumblr and all of the other social networking sites that i have come into contact with. with each delete, i felt revived, and a little saddened. my facebook, flickr and blogspot has remained untouched for now, but it seems later on that i might have to start deleting that too.

this has been such an emotional experience for me. i have literally built a foundation of my graphic design work on the internet for years. it has been a big part of my life. i have been designing for almost a decade. all the habits & routines i have integrated into my system along the way needs to be changed. it is time for a design detoxification.

i am still not done with this journey. i don't think i ever will be. i have to admit at this point, i am still a little confused on how i am even going to start walking. there is a difference with "blindy" knowing everything, and then being confused with eyes open. i am at the point of confusion. if you understand what i mean. i am still trying to find out how i can integrate my new found knowledge into my design.

at this point in time, i have started to change my workspace around. so what you see in my current flickr page will change within a few weeks. if i want to be a graphic designer, i certainly need to start with my workspace. i have started printing out inspiring work which i want my work to be like too and trying to figure out how to arrange it in my work area for "bouts of inspiration". and am going to start engrossing my self in designing websites and books for that matter. immersion, immersion, immersion (what i learned from one of my professors at school). i am also hoping to shy and gradually cut away the unnecessary (weed out what is not needed in my development right now).

as far as how this will apply to my gal lifestyle, i think at this moment I am going to keep those two separate for now. But one day I hope to have both my designing style & gal style work together seamlessly - connected as one - not disjointed from each other. I want both influences to effect one another, in a positive way.

in conclusion to this text, i hope you guys don't mind that i have shared this with you. i would really appreciate any feedback or any constructive criticism. if you have any advice on how i would go about this, it would be appreciated 110%.

p.s. thank you to those who commented on my last entry. you have no idea how much it means to me. your support, feedback & advice. i really need that right now! *Hugs*

sorry again for two dramatic posts in a row !

to lighten this ever depressing post, for those who will be in LA on April 17, my Diamond circle is hosting a gal party - details can be seen here on facebook :
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112851215396985&ref=mf
You can RSVP there too!

i don't know

2010-04-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

i'm so torn

between the monotone and the colorful

minimalistic vs. the cluttered

i feel like i want to make myself over

start fresh

in design, in life

i feel like the transition is so hard

financially especially & just the exhausting ties that come with it

especially the presence i have online

the desire is there though

i just don't know where to start

a renovation is needed

im confused at this point

maybe because im outgrowing certain things?

is there a way to keep the existing interests that i do still like while adding new ones without them clashing awkwardly together?

like the magazine juxtapoz

maybe a
Juxtaposition

is what my life is

freeflowing, full of contradictions within contradictions, confusion yet stability, the desire for plain & simple minimalistic living but yet still has the mind of acluttered packrat?

is it even possible?

this is so random, im confusing myself. my thoughts are just spewing out.

it must be the rockstar latte, and the benson & hedges i found outside of my school building.

happy easter everyone!

p.s. sorry for the awkward post everyone, i feel like my life is a swirling whirlpool right now. i want to redo my entire website / makeover my online presence online. i feel like i want to integrate my new interests in design and redo them especially on this blog and a few other sites i have online. what do you guys think? i know it's been awhile since i posted, just trying to find myself right now.

Happy March!

2010-03-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Wow , has it really been a month since I last updated, AGAIN? It seems like I might be updating once a month only. Although I don't really want to. Well, I have been reading a lot of your blogs, sometimes I don't comment though because for the past month, my keyboard's letter "n" hasn't been working, so I would have to ctrl+v (paste) the n everytime I typed. It got really annoying, and then sometimes blogger's comment boxes won't allow me to "paste" anything.. so my words would be missing "n"s so most of the time I didn't bother. Needless to say, I only have been on facebook pretty much. Forget blogger & livejournal. Oh and I been on tumblr too, because it's so easy - I just reblog pictures. Anyway, I got a new mac wireless keyboard, but now my volume on it doesn't work. So I have yet to go back and return it and get a new one again. It's just my luck. Boo.

Speaking of luck, I am sick right now. Arghhh it's horrible, because I haven't been this sick in a long time. I had my share of minor coughs & colds, but this one I feel really nasty. Argh. My bf went to school today, so I told him on his way home to pick up some medicine, chicken noodle soup & 7up & crackers (I think 7up and crackers is a filipino thing- every person I know who is sick is given that by their mom when they were young). I wonder why? I dunno, it seems to help though. I don't even like medicine - I try to avoid western medicine and go for more natural healing methods if possible, but this time I am so sick, I just can't ignore it.

It's funny though because earlier this week, I had to update my pictures for my style update for my gal circle, Diamond, and I was feeling fine! The photos are scattered throughout my blog as you can see :) I been so inspired by colors lately. Rainbowy colors! I dunno, to me, I'll always love colors. I've been inspired by the colors in Cocolulu, the cuteness in SBY & W<3c,

And as you all know already, I am a cheap ass , and I always love a good bargain. I put together this outfit for under $10!! Yup, that's right folks! It's Cocolulu inspired! Everything I'm wearing was $1.00-$1.50 each, except the sweater which was like $5.00 which I manage to find at Goodwill on Haight St. I say, if you can't afford to spend a lot of cash for a gal outfit, thrift shopping is your answer. Just bring lots of hand sanitizer when browsing through clothes, and if you have allergies like me, be prepared to sneeze a lot. (That happened to me yesterday when I had to run an errand for my bf at Mission St. and I was already sick?!) But anyway, you just have to be on the lookout , keep your eyes peeled for sales & bargains. Sometimes you'll get lucky, sometimes you won't. But who could pass off a cute pink sweater for $5.00? I dunno, I been so cheap lately, I feel weird if I spend more than $10 on a top. I did buy a big Betsey Johnson bag on ebay though (maybe I'm willing to spend more on bags?) Anyway, the necklace, beanie, scarf, ring were all $1.00 at Claire's . Even my lashes were $1.00, from the dollar store. Yes, it was like 50% off already marked down items! The bear patch was from Daiso for a $1.50. I just stuck it on the beanie. Oh and the scrunchies were a $1.50 at Daiso too. I notice a lot of gals wear scrunchies as bracelets (at least that's what I see in gal blogs & street photos anyway). I think it's cute, and it's so cheap too. I know in Hawaii though, my friend Juvy said that someone was laughing at her because she had a scrunchie (argh they don't know!). I think they're cute!

Anyway, here are the stuff that I bought this past month, all from Daiso, Claire's, Ichibankan and Hot Topic. Everything here was like $1.00 - $1.50 each so I did get a good deal. Well except the hk bunnies (which from my friend Jessica - thanks girl) and the japanese magazines from Kinokuniya. (I guess if you think of quantity though, I did spend a lot) I'm lazy to put captions right now. I'll edit this later

Cute colorful scrunchies from Daiso were a $1.50 each. I seen so many of these in gal magazines, and in some gal blogs. Gals wore them not only in their hair, but on their wrists as bracelets. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I thought it was cute. I know they seem childish and colorful, but I just love how you can add cute splashes of color to your outfit without breaking your wallet. It's a small overlooked trend I think. The little bunny plushes were gifts from Jessica. She got them from the sanrio store for me.

Everything I bought when I went to Daiso, Claire's and Hot Topic. $1.00 - 3.00 deals.

Another close up pic.

Hot Topic arm bands that were 98 cents each. I don't know what I want to use these for, and they don't seem very gal but I seen kanako sporting them in some of her ensembles. They were so cheap, I bought them. color always attracts me!

Claire's had such cheap jewelry. I seen my Diamond sister Val wear a similar necklace with the bow, so I was inspired by her when I bought this.

Bows bows bows galore! And cute pompom hairbands, fingerless gloves, and ear muffs.

Patches.. I want to add cute flares in my outfit :) Added the bear to one of my beanies :)

More scrunchies again. This is so sailor-esque.

Stickers.. I started collecting useless junk like stickers again. I used this to decorate one of my mirrors :)

Ichibankan haul. Except the magazines which were brought from Kinokuniya. This was bought on another day. I went to Japantown one rainy day while Ian was at school (on my non school day). I really wanted japanese writing books to practice my hiragana and katakana so I bought the two books on the bottom left. They are so cute!! :) I wanted the rilakkuma file folders to put on my wall (not to actually use as folders) since I decided I wanted to make a collage / magazine / inspiration wall again. (I miss my old room) Oh and I decided to start collecting japanese magazines again. I'm getting tired of looking at scans online. I just like how having japanese magazines in your hand feels so comfortable, so tangible. I get more inspired from leafing through the pages, than when staring at it on the computer screen. I really miss Shirokiya where I can buy used japanese gal magazines for cheap.

Close up of cute ice cream figurines. Figure they would add a cute addition to my desk or shelf.

Mirror I decorated with the stickers I got. Practiced my hiragana and katakana. This was after I got my friend Juvy to help me write my name, so excuse the mistakes in this mirror.

More useless junk. Mirror, eye mask when I sleep, two ashtrays (I figure I'll put coins or misc. jewelry in here like rings) Some bows and paper for when I do collages.

All of this stuff is for my friend Juvy. I have my friend Lani's stuff too but I didn't get to take a picture of it yet. I need to send it to them sometime soon. I'm so lazy to walk to the post office.. LOL

Pic of scrunchies again surrounded by stationary. I only like certain stationary with the deco look to it. I used to buy a lot of stationary when I was younger, but I stopped. I think Jessica my friend is influencing me to buy more again. She has such an extensive collection.

Cute bags that I'm not sure I will ever use. They were so cute though. Pattern, packaging always inspires me in my design. I need to collect samples of everything for my inspired collection. These will be cute to use in physical collages too.

Little tote bag that I thought was cute (skull girl) reminds me of Betsey Johnson. And a poodle mirror, just because. You can never have too many mirrors.

DOLLFRONT.COM plug
If you live in the U.S. and want to get circle lenses for cheap, and get free shipping. I highly recommend, dollfront.com ! In the pictures above I'm wearing the ultra angel grey. They are really comfortable. Mention my blog, and you get $1.00 off your order. :) I got free lashes & a pretty cute contact lens case with my order. I'm still waiting for my nudy blues and I'll show you a picture when I get a chance.

[EDIT]Kawaiiislandgurl72 Etsy Shop
Please visit my homegurl, Jessica's etsy website and purchase her goodies! She got pretty homemade cards, for all your letter writing and corresponding needs

Anyway, I feel really drowsy now. I just took medicine and I think I'm going to sleep.

New February Post! Pinksugarichigo updates!

2010-02-08T03:04:00.000-08:00

ヽ(ﾟ◇ﾟ )ﾉ OMGOMG it's been over a month since i updated!!! i do want to apologize to my followers, i kinda lost my blogging streak this first month of the new year. i do admit, i have somewhat disconnected from the blogging world (both blogger and livejournal) and have been more engaged in other activities. i guess it's bad when i have such a wide range of interests, and sometimes i can't keep up with everything. im hoping to get back in the groove of blogging though, although it may not be frequent as i used to be.

i started school last week, and although i have only two classes, i can tell that i'll be doing some heavy studying and spending a lot of time working on projects. aside from actual schoolwork, im also doing some self studying - and trying to learn japanese writing. i already memorized almost all of the hiragana characters and have started on katakana. i hope to memorize that soon so i can start the long journey of learning kanji. i been trying to find a self studying method that suits me, and that is a process in itself. so far i just been immersing myself with podcasts, youtube vids, and just plain reading. it's going okay so far. anyway, partly the reason for this self-study in japanese is because they do not offer language courses at the school im attending since it's primarily an art school. im surprised that i haven't started on this japanese language self-study years ago, since i have been into the culture for quite a long time now. i admit, it's the fashion and kawaii culture that attracted me at first but i have taken an interest in everything else otherwise. anyway, i would really like to reaccess one of my goals as far as getting my bachelors in design, i'm also thinking about designing in japan or doing designs for japan in the near future. i know it will take hard work & actual skill and talent, i know it will be rough but we shall see how it goes over the next 5 years or so. i know i can't be playing around anymore, i really have to get serious about my goals.

so what else i have been up to this past month really? anyway, since im all about the visual - of course, i can't forget to throw some colorful images in here.. so here is what ive been up to, enhanced with pictures -- haha

meeting up with dolly & jessica in daly city

so michi (my diamond sister) had a meet up with some gals in LA including this gal named Dolly (i already knew her from the lj community everyday_gyaru) and since she was back home in the bay area - we decided we would hang out too. so me & Jessica met up with her, we had lunch at Elephant Bar & did a little window shopping at the Seramonte mall. i wanted to buy so many things there but i was saving up for shopping at Daiso. i loved all the accessories at 21 though, Forever 21's accessory store. I found so much rocker-gyaru stuff there, and cute hats like this purple beanie and leopard hat like they have in gyaru magazines. I didn't buy anything though. After we hit up Daiso, i decided to buy things i would actually use. so i bought a set of nails, some deco stuff for nails, a new cow print mug for drinking tea, and some lashes. anyway, we had a fun time, even though it was only for a short while. hopefully we can meet up sometime again this year.

gyaru style in the works!

so i admit, ive been so busy to actually try out new styles BUT~! i did manage to try out a new hairstyle and did a little variation on my makeup. what do you think? i think its hard to do hairstyles with clip on hair extensions than if the extensions were braided in but im working on trying out more updos! and since we're talking about hair, im really bored of mine right now. im thinking of getting a trim and dying it once i get some money again. as far as color and cut, i don't know what style yet.. but once i do, i'll update you.

nails!

and nails! so i was inspired by a lotta nail art for the past couple months especially from my diamond sister (val) so i just decided to make my own (although rather simple and not as elaborate as all the other nail art photos out on the web). what do you think? i actually really like this one. i wanna make more, but i just haven't dedicated the time to. (see when you have so many interests?)

skype convo with BFF juvy and lani!

so i finally joined the bandwagon and got skype . i got it since my friend juvy told me too and i really don't know why it took me so long, it's so fun to have. im only using it to chat with close family & friends so no skype friend requests in the comments please.

anyway, our convo included random stuff like taking screenshot photos of each other and photoshopping each other in different japanese fashion genres. juvy & lani were photoshopping screenshots of me, and i photoshopped screenshots of them. here we have old school ganguro, visual kei & hime style. i apologize if any of this offends you, but this was all in good humor and fun. having chats with them makes me miss them more than i already have, and corny it may seem, our skype chat was like we were all together again. i look forward to our reunion one day.

3 year anniversary with Ian

me and ian made 3 years this month!! :) i seriously believe i love him more and more each day. im sincerely in love with him - and i think being together here in california living with each other bonded our relationship more.. we fight here and there like every couple of course, but i love him so much. i wanna grow old with this guy. there's no one else i want to be with. just having him by my side makes me the happiest girl alive. anyway, i guess that's all i have to say for now. i want to update more, but i think this will do for now. i hope you guys are having an awesome 2010! ;) happy early valentines day too..
x-posted to all my blogging platforms - livejournal & ameblo ;D

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-01-01T04:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone! I'm so happy that a new year has begun. I declare great and exciting things to happen, to all of us! Here's to wonderful opportunities, meeting fabulous new people and becoming a better and beautiful you! Take lots of photos this year (have a mini photo shoot with your friends), travel & eat amazing food, cook, eat local fruits, shop at a thrift shop and put together a fabulous outfit for less! I'm leaving you with some fab fab gyaru spam to inspire the gyaru in you. Photos are all from tumblr, i don't claim CREDIT for any of them, just sharing them with you to get inspired!

The Repetition Kills You

2009-12-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hello, my blogspot friends! :) It's been awhile since I lasted posted! haha more cam whoring, and yes, this was done late in the early morning again. All dressed up and no where to go. Me and Ian are still jobless, so we don't go out much unless to grocery shop so until we start school in February, our sleeping schedules are pretty much messed up. Sleep during the day, and awake and alive at night! Anyway, so I decided to try the rock gyaru look with messy , wavy hair. I tried to do the waves with the straightening iron, kind of like how Sakurina does her wavy hair ~ mines is more messy though. I really need to get a crimper. :) All the info of my clothes and christmas gifts will be below the pics, but I'll edit that after I sleep. Just wanted to post real quick before I forget. :D

I saw this cute little raggedy bear in Thrift Town for under $2! I been a softie for cute brown teddy bears lately, like when I was a child. :) Dress, hand finger gloves were from my Dad who bought it from my Forever 21 Wishlist. Bangle bracelets were from Thrift Town for $2, lace arm warmer was from Daiso, studded bracelet from Juvy, belt is from Juvy, heart necklace is from Bebe (a long time ago), and Minnie Mouse sweatshirt (a new favorite) is from my Dad who also bought it from my Forever 21 wishlist. I love Forever 21!

Hot pink and striped jacket also from Forever 21 (bought my Dad too), and stole Ian's Iron Maiden shirt ;) Scarf was bought from Old Navy a long time ago

Cute bear shirt, dress, tights, finger gloves is from Dad, (again bought a whole bunch on my wishlist from Forever 21 - thanks Dad), Hello Kitty shirt was bought from Thrift Town for under a $1

I thought I'd try my hand at making my own purikura and tried to make it as simple as possible, I thought it came out ok, dont you?

I decided to use little bottles I saved to hold my bracelets, & leg and arm garters on. I had a pink wine bottle (although you can't see it since it's covered by all the bracelets). Anyway, I thought it matched with my other decorated containers :)

Cute plushie cell phone charms I got awhile back from my online friend islegrl

Faux leather skirt, belt & studded bracelet from my friend Juvy :)

Some of the food goodies in the care package from my friends Lani & Juvy: local hawaii brand snacks & curry packets to make curry - yum, I'm craving it now!

Cute hello kitty pouch & keychain from my bf's sister in Japan, and a cute silver wallet from my bf's other sister in Texas :)

Another close up of the goodies from Juvy & Lani <3
Aren't these lollipops so cute??

Cute stationary & letter from my online friend, misspisces

cute bead set from Juvy & Lani. Me and Lani were talking about making necklaces and stuff before since we saw some cute ones online :) I love it!

Anyway, that's about it. I feel so thankful and appreciative of all those who sent me gifts. I feel so bad since I had no money to go out and purchase gifts and send to my friends far away. Also to my family, my dad who's in New York and my mom & brother who's in Hawaii. I feel a little sad that I'm not with them over the holiday season. But it's ok! :) I honestly just can't wait for the New Year to start so I can start fresh in a new place!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2009-12-25T11:32:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to greet everyone a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! New blog entry will be coming up maybe in the next week or so! Hope everyone is having a great time spending with their friends and family!

This is what happens when you have insomnia.

2009-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ok time to sleep. (Its 9am in the morning) Sorry, im out of words.

EDIT - ok I decided to post some answers to some questions people have been asking here, to make it easier.

FAQ
What program do you use to make your graphics / edit your photos?
I use Adobe Photoshop

Where did you get your hello kitty bow?
I got it from my good friend's online shop pinkyanela.etsy.com

What do you use to curl your hair?
I use a hair straightening iron. For this look, I was inspired by gyaru model Sakurina, and hime hair. I used a hair rat on top to add volume.

Are you wearing hair extensions?
Yes, I am. Before I moved here to California, I have been buying them on ebay , now I go to a local hair place that sells human hair extensions, and they're way cheaper. (I have to sew on the clips though). The ones I'm wearing were about $34

In the photos above - I got my sanrio top at Sanrio (Pearlridge in Hawaii), pink lace leg garter and black arm lace garters from Daiso, leopard lingerie top from Ross, nails from pinkyanela.etsy.com, rings and bracelets are from Claires, Charlotte Russe, Artbox (Hawaii), Island Sweetie (Waikiki, Hawaii), hello kitty necklace is from my boyfriend, hello kitty face bag is from Ross, leopard scrunchie on my hand is from Daiso, faux fur jacket is from Goodwill, brown teddy bear is from the Dollar Tree. Everything I'm wearing is inexpensive. Just thrown together for a fun look.

I'm on a mission to go on a shopping spree at Thrift Town or goodwill and put together a cool gyaru look from there.

Gal's Outing - December!

2009-12-14T02:30:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello. Spent another lovely Saturday, with my two gals Valentine and Jessica as well as meeting up with my other Diamond sister, Lisha, who flew in from Chicago for the week, and also Mikko with her awesome hair (btw, her and her bf are so adorable--aww). We originally planned to go to the New People Bazaar Bizzare taking place at the Golden Gate Park and also to Club Rouge, but because of the rainy weather and time constraints we just stayed in warm Japantown and took purikura (my purikura book is getting filled up - woohoo!) and tons of pics. I wished we did more, but hopefully we'll do more next time. By the way, if anyone from the Bay Area wants to meet up with us, let me know.. I want to plan a gal day or something

Getting ready on one hour sleep! I use my mac Photobooth as my mirror. LOL I was trying to do my hair differently that's why I had the rollers except I didn't have enough time so I just curled my hair like usual.

Val's nails are amazing. She did them herself!

Another close up of Val's nails . DAMN!

If you didn't know already, I got this bag from Goodwill for $4! ;D I added some cell phone charms to it! I got everything here as gifts from my friends Michi,Val and Clarice except the black ice cream cone which I got from Ichibankan for $1.50! XD

Cute ice cream cones, no? We borrowed this from Pikapika while taking purikura. They were selling these at Daiso for $1.50 .. didn't buy them though. wahh, i regret it now..

Lovely Valentine (my twin)! Her and Michi (my fellow Diamond sisters) are my serious REAL life style role models! fawkin hotttt!

Close-up of my nails. Not as elaborate as Val's though! I got these at Daiso ! XD

Val brought her little christmas headbands!

I thought this pic was so cute! XD

I really love this photo of Jessica. She did pin curls at night, isn't her hair so pretty? I'm digging her Rolling Stones tee too !

I decorated one of my old mirrors with stickers from one of my old gal magazines and some purikura! hehehehe

I like this pic of Jessica too! I like when people smile big with their teeth. I wish I could smile with my teeth!

Val and Mikko. Her and her bf are so cute together! Poor Mikko hurt her foot before she came to meet us, that's why she left early! wahhh *cries*

Finally met Lisha ! XD She's so tall! XD

Haha Lisha crouching down to match our height! XD

DIAMOND GALS!!!

Lisha trying to be a spider.

NOW FOR THE PURIKURA!

Excuse the bad quality, I took these with my camera.. I really need to buy my own scanner, it's not an excuse not to have one now! hehe I think I need to redo some of these pictures again.. I'll do it later, I'm kind of lazy now.

And that's it for now. I'm going to eat now, I'm hungry ....

Diamond Gal Circle's New Myspace Layout!

2009-12-12T03:34:00.000-08:00

Hello, I finally finished the new layout for my Diamond Circle's myspace:

If you haven't already added us on myspace, please do so.
Visit us at myspace.com/diamondgals

Also, my fellow Diamond sister, Kaizo, made a little video of us:

Cute yeah?

Also, made a new graphic awhile back. Thanks to those who are supporting me and my designing style! I'm finally going to my dream school starting February! Spring semester! woohoo!

It's Fun to Shop and Eat! Especially if it's cheap! And Other Stuff too!

2009-12-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm writing this blog as I am cooking dinner, broiled thai peanut chicken and beef curry, while munching on some lumpia I fried earlier. Plus I have dye in my hair that I need to rinse out! Talk about multi-tasking! Anyway, I wanted to blog about my recent purchases lately, plus a little bit about food, and the care package I got from my boyfriend's sister in japan. So let's begin, shall we!

It pays to be a smart shopper! Who says that being a gal has to be really expensive? It really doesn't! Especially for me now, being jobless here in California except being lucky with a few freelance graphic design jobs now and then, I can't always afford to go shopping.. But for those times I get a chance, I definitely am keeping my eye out for great deals and bargains! The best deals I've gotten so far are from dollar shops, Ross, and my most favorite, thrift shops! XD Here's what I got!

From Ross:

I saw this cute clear hello kitty face purse and fell in love! I think it was really meant to showcase the cute hello kitty toiletries like a gift set, but I could care less about that.

Here's how it looks like without all that stuff inside! :D

I gave the hello kitty toiletries to my friend Puakalehua since all I cared for was the purse!

I had a hello kitty face purse that I used before, and I thought it made such a cute statement! <3 This was taken in 2007, I think? So I'm glad to having a clear purse for those days I just want to be casual! From Ichibankan in Japantown, San Francisco:

Ice cream plushie cell phone strap! :D This was only a $1.50 so of course I had to get it! I love that Ichiban kan have loads of cute japanese items on the cheap. They also have lashes there for $1.50. Definitely a great place to shop at if you're around San Francisco area.

From Daiso in Japantown, San Francisco:

Cute black lacey arm bands! It's so erokawa! Black lace is so sexy! Daiso is my new favorite dollar shop. Well not everything there is for a dollar, but majority of the items there are. If you haven't seen my previous daiso haul, click here! Anyway, definitely get your beauty accessory, cute stuff fix here.

From Dollar Tree:

Ok, I didn't buy these eyeshadows, but my friend Jessica bought them for me :D These LA color eyeshadow palettes are only a dollar each, so if you want to experiment with eye shadows and don't want to spend too much, get em here! I haven't tried them yet, but I seen youtube reviews as well as read blog reviews and there was positive feedback on them. :D

Cute teddy bear! :D Ok, this purchase was not very practical, but it was only a dollar and I couldn't resist this brown teddy bear! :D Plus, I want to take a photo similar with a teddy bear like how I did with my pink teddy bear here. (BTW, I got my pink teddy bear from Savers XD)

Taken in early 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! For Christmas, it's only going to be Ian and I this year, so I wanted to make Christmas a little festive for us. I wanted cute little trays to eat our soon to be-homemade-cookies on, and use some Christmas stuff for the kitchen. Let's not forget the santa hats! :D I made Ian and I, take photos with Santa hats last year Dec 2008 back in Hawaii, @ Honolulu Hale :D

From the thrift shops! I got all of the below stuff from thrift town and goodwill. Seriously, you just need a good eye, and lots of time to browse through the racks. I spent a few good hours there. You wouldn't believe the stuff people give away.. and wonder why they would. I notice some people give away stuff that has a few smudges of dirt on it, but once you wipe it off with sanitizing wipes (tip I learned from my friend Jessica), some things can look great again. Plus you're sanitizing it. Another tip is if you're buying shoes from thrift shops, just clean the inside with sanitizing wipes, spray with lysol and leave out in the sun to kill germs. I found these killer black cowboy boots and I would have got them, but when I tried them on, they looked too big on me (my friend Jessica said it looked like I had clown feet..boo). Anyway, I really love thrifting.. I think it's the hunt and pursuit of things I love the most, scouring through racks and shelves and finding treasures. Like that quote, "One man's trash is another man's treasure!" And you can seriously find gyaru clothing in thrift shops too, don't knock it if you haven't tried it! XD Study japanese gyaru magazines and remember outfit pieces you like then just look for them in the racks!

5 jackets and cute purse from Goodwill - all for under $35!

Faux fur jacket and the cute handbag I found looks so cute together!

Pink and black urban print outhoodie. The strings are missing but who cares?

I love the lipstick and the lips :D

I don't like the way the jacket looks in the picture, but it looks better in person. I bought this because I was inspired by this image that I posted on an earlier blog (see below). It's not exactly like it, but I love it! I want to add some patches and stuff to it later.

Ann Taylor jacket which I will spruce up with studs or somethin'

I love this faux fur jacket so much! Everything here is all thrift store items! My leopard dress is from this store called Stylus, this awesome thrift store place in Hawaii.. (see my shopping haul from Stylus below -- minus the Betsey Johnson bag) I just put together this outfit to see how it would look!

Stylus score! Back in 2008? I forgot XD The plushies are from Savers & Pricebusters.

Stylus even has cool flyers of their shop and a website: click here. If you live on Oahu, Hawaii you can find them at:
2615 S. King Street Suite A-301
Honolulu, Hawaii
(they're located by University of Hawaii)

Another look with the leopard print dress. I got the black boots below from Thrift Town

Another jacket I got! Charter Club brand.

Studded belt ! I love studded stuff so much now! :D Add this to my rocker gyaru accessory collection!

Close up of purses. Top bag is from Thrift Town, bottom is from Goodwill. Both were cleaned thoroughly with sanitizing wipes :D

I always wanted a patchwork quilt bag ever since my friend Juvy scored one at Savers back in Hawaii a long time ago. Now I have my own ;D And I figure I can add some stuff to it to make it look good. I'm seriously thinking of adding my hello kitty pendant on here. What do you think? This was only $5!

Close up of other bag! I love the vintage look of this so much. This was only $2!

Jessica spotted this, a cute hello kitty top for a $1.50 ! I grabbed this quickly!

Cute container! I noticed it says Jasmine on the top, I guess it's to hold the Disney Princess, Jasmine? Oh well, it's cute and I love the roses and purple on it. I think I might put some of my cute junk here! :D oh the possibilities.

Gorgeous leopard print planner! I finally found out what I'm going to put my purikura pics in! XD This is a lisa frank planner and had a hideous pink happy face patch on the outside. I took it out though (Thanks for helping Jess), and plan to deco this with some lace and bows! My favorite combo (leopard print, lace and bows!) This was only 99 cents!

Now that we're done talking about that, let's get down to talking about food! XD My other favorite thing in the world! I love grocery shopping! Especially since I'm on my own again, I like trying new recipes and cooking food for Ian and I. Sometimes it's successful, and sometimes it's not, but I love experimenting!

From the asian supermarket:

I love asian supermarkets! I got fish balls (ate these in the Philippines), premade pork buns, some mango and kalamansi juice, coconut milk so I can make coconut milk dishes (like Bicol Express .. yum), spring roll wrappers (Ian wanted me to make lumpia), and frozen pork hash (or dumplings?), garlic and green onion (I ALWAYS NEED garlic and onion in my kitchen!)

BBQ Pork Buns with oyster sauce. Yum. this was really good! Ok, this was really easy. Just microwave it, and voila! This makes me miss the manapua you can buy in 711 in Hawaii.

From Nijiya Market:
I forgot to mention when I was out with Val & Jessica in Japantown, San Francisco. We stopped by Nijiya Market (a japanese supermarket). I loved Nijiya back when I was in Hawaii, so of course I had to stop by here!

Cod Roe Spaghetti packet. There's something about fishy & noodles that make me say oooh and ahh.. I bought this before in Hawaii and loved it. Basically you just cook your spaghetti noodles and add the cod roe condiments and seaweed flakes on top. It's really yummy and easy! Fishy spaghetti at it's best!

*DROOL* The pink stuff looks weird, but trust me! It's good. Non seafood loves, steer clear. Ian did not like it, which was good, because more for me! hehehe!

S&B is the best brand for curry. This was the instant packet where you microwave the sauce and pour it over meat. I recommend the curry blocks which you can add to the pot and cook with your meat more. But this one was good too! I ate this earlier with sauteed beef and my broiled peanut thai chicken :D

I love sauces, herb and spices.. Hmm..I notice I say, "I love.." a lot.. But I like experimenting with sauces. I was craving thai peanut chicken that I used to eat back in Hawaii at this place called, Blazin Steak (amazing steak plate lunches and peanut chicken lunches for only $6!). So I bought these from Lucky's. I used this marinade earlier to marinate my chicken for a couple hours, then I put them in the broiler (since I don't have a grill) It came out crispy & juicy on the inside with a yummy peanut taste. The middle one (Sweet Chili Sauce) is what I use as a dipping sauce for anything! Especially fried stuff! My mom always buys this in Hawaii.. it's so good! I just made lumpia earlier and used this as a dipping sauce. Better than sweet & sour! :D Wonnie's Bul Go Ki Sauce on the right is what I'm going to use when I'm going to cook short ribs. I always ate a lot of korean kalbi in Hawaii, let's see if this marinade lives up to my standards!

Care package from Ian's sister:

Care package from Ian's sister in Japan! Ian's sister was so sweet to send us this package full of japanese snacks and treats from Japan.

Instant curry packets from Japan. I love japanese curry.. I used to eat at this restaurant called Curry House in Hawaii. It was so good!

Yummy crackers!

Wasabi arare (rice crackers) OMG! THIS WAS SO GOOD! I seriously want more of this, it was so hot and spicey, but I couldn't stop eating it.. and Ian couldn't either!

I love Bourbon brand dessert snacks! This particular bag had individually wrapped coffee flavored and chocolate wafers inside. These were so delicious. And Ian couldn't stop eating them and didn't leave enough for me. I went out with my friend Jessica, and I went home, I found all these wrappers (see below)!

Empty wrappers next to Ian's McDonald double cheeseburgers.

Another bag full of Bourbon snacks! So good!

Close up of bourbon goodies!

Cute coke and fanta cans from Japan! These are so tiny and cute! I was tempted to drink the coke ones, but Ian stopped me! The coke cans would be perfect if they sold them here. I can never finish a regular can of Coke here in the US, and Ian always says that he needs to find me a smaller Coke so that I can finish it all! This is my answer!

"Wanna Fanta? Don't you wanna fanta?" That song is stuck in my head! Sooo cute!

Finally.. Fat Fish Sushi!
Ok, I blogged about this before, but it deserves another entry, because it's just so damn good. Plus the $1 draft beers is awesome! Ian and I love to come here, enjoy our dinner and drink some beer and play, "I Never,". Haha..

I could use some beer right now..

Deep fried California and top spicy salmon & deep fried california & top spicy scallop mix tobiko! ;D I love the little scallops on top.. so good!

yumm

Spider roll - deep fried soft shell crab, crab & avocado - this was really yummy - healthier than the fried ones, but I still love the fried sushi the best! XD

Anyway, I'm amazed this blog was so long and amazed if you guys read all of it! XD Anyway, until next time...

A Day With Valentine & Puakalehua!

2009-11-29T00:07:00.000-08:00

So last week Saturday, (Nov 21), I went out to Japantown, San Francisco with my friends Puakalehua (Jessica) and Valentine (my fellow Diamond sister). We went out for the art gallery showing that they had at New People, and took some purikura & ate some sushi. Just a fun gal's outing which every gal needs to do every so often to be sane! ;D Anyway, here are the pics. Val looked sexay with her hair, I was so jealous! Which reminds me, I need to buy new hair extensions and redye (or bleach) my roots! Forgive the quality of purikura pics, it's a picture of a picture! ;D

Outfit rundown:
Black top - Jeans Warehouse (Hawaii)
Scarf - Wet Seal
Heart Necklace - Bebe
Bear Necklace - keychain turned into a necklace (Daiso)
Bracelets, rings - Forever21
Skirt - Hot Topic
Tights - Urban Outfitters
Boots - hand me downs from Aunt
Nails - not really visible (see below) from Chinatown

And that's all the photos for now!

Want to Take Good Photos For Your Myspace Or Other Websites? Tips!

2009-11-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, after making that fave look post, I was a little inspired and bored, so I decided to practice my makeup and then take some photos. It was pretty fun, I tried out the lashes, and all the jewelry I got at Forever21. If you have a mac, the photobooth is pretty good for a webcam ;D I also took some with my digital cam as well. Tips to taking your own photos? If you're taking photos with your digital cam for your myspace (*cough* typical *cough* - haha, kidding - I do it too) or actually for any social networking site out there, take photos in the bathroom with NO FLASH. The light is usually good in there, and flash just washes you right out. And always take photos from above, so your face looks less smaller and you don't have a double chin ;P You can always open up your medicine cabinet , set your camera there and put the self-timer. ;D haha, why am I sharing this? Another thing I learned is, it's easier to edit photos when you're against a plain white wall, or something, that way if you want to change the background, you can easily change it out on photoshop with minimal effort.. hmm ok that's all! Oh and when taking photos of your items, like your shopping haul, please turn the macro setting on. that way you can see the details and it's not all blurry. Also when you have photos of your shopping haul items in your photo editor, use the sharpen tool. I think it makes items more noticeable too. (That wasn't really related) Oh and someone asked what kind of lenses I was wearing earlier on my facebook, and I'm wearing these lenses:

It's the one on the very left. Called Angel Violet. I got it from seller japanesecandy.net. Very reliable seller. I got this awhile back and it's still in good condition too. I want to buy more lenses, but I don't have money right now :( I want to try the barbie king size circle lenses that JoeyAnna wears. Hopefully I can get that next time!

Here are the photos! Cut outs were a little messy, because I didn't use the pen tool. For sharper cutting in more serious graphics, like layouts ;D use the pen tool, it's better. Does anyone want me to make a photoshop tutorial on how to cut out photos and put the background in! Let me know, and I'll do it in my upcoming blog posts! The photos below were taken with Mac's Photobooth, the picture at the top was taken with my digital cam. Notice the difference? Still good quality for both!

That's all for now, I'm going to make another post later on about my gal circle, Diamond & another inspiration / fave look post!

Pinksugarichigo's Favorite Gal Looks! Clothes, Makeup, Accessories, Hair, Nails!

2009-11-19T17:37:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! First of all, thanks to my new followers and those who left a comment on my last post! I appreciate it so much! Anyway, I decided I wanted to make a post of some of my favorite looks I been seeing in gyaru fashion magazines, and gyaru models blogs! I wanted to share it with all of you and also put it here so I can refer to it, next time I go shopping or want to recreate or get inspiration from a look! So here we go!

I do not take credit for any of these images. They do not belong to me. Credit for these images goes to:Gal Style LJ Community and Japanese Magazine Scans LJ Community. Please visit those sites, I highly recommend them!

Jelly December 2009 Cover - I am loving the thigh high boots. I have yet to own a pair.

I love the emphasis on loads of necklace accessories, and I am digging the plaid glove.

I love lace gloves! They look so hot & sexy! My diamondsister Michi wears them a lot! I found some you can get online here: click here. I need to buy a pair!

I love magazines that feature many different looks you can wear with each outfit piece. This works for me, because I have several plaid button long sleeves already.. hehe. I am loving the boots on the model on the very left. I want lace up black boots with buckles! And I love the black pleather pants!

I love this smokey eye look! More emphasize on thicker eyeshadow and liner on the bottom! And I am loving her necklace! I definitely need to practice more on eye makeup!

Here is a mini tutorial on the eye makeup! Such a sultry look!

Oh Maison Gilfy, how I want your clothes. I want a black jacket similar to this, with the ribbed sleeves and feathery hoodie. I love the japanese brand Maison Gilfy a lot! Their website is here: Click here. If only online shipping didn't cost so much! You can find similar items at Forever 21 though if you are in the US.

I love the stars and lightning on the jeans. If you wanted to create something similar, you can always sew on stars and lightning shapes on your own jeans and boots!

Adore this messy hairdo!

I love this jacket with her look.. sporty & feminine together.. It's unique but it matches!

I like the girl's outfit in the right. Ian has a bunch of t-shirts that look like the one she's wearing from Hot Topic, I figure I can steal one of his shirts and cut it up! Uh oh.. should I not have said that, LOL. Oh and fingerless gloves are a must-have! Put that on my buying / wish list.

Bangles with rhinestones, studs is what I want more of! I'm also digging animal (like bunnies and bears) rhinestone keychains, and pendants! XD

Happie Nuts December 2009 Cover

Of course, leopard print is my fave.. I want a faux fur leopard print jacket like this which I can wear casually over a cute top and denim shorts or skinny jean when it's cold!

I saw one a similar jacket at forever21.com but it's a little short in length! Still cute though:

Link is here: click

Studded jewelry, studded shoes, studded bags!

I need more bows, but less pink ones.. more silver, black, & shiny, metallic ones.

I like the crimped hair look.. Where can I buy a crimper??

Black leather jacket, shiny metallic skirt, black knee highs.. I need to get all of these!

OMG! These nails are to die for! Lots of nail art inspiration here! I love the ones with lace on them!

More awesome nails. Now I have to get some gems and nail polish!

I love black + leopard print + with a hint of hot pink! Currently one of my favorite combos right now!

Ranzuki December 2009 Cover - I was surprised to see the cover because usually Ranzuki has a lot of pastel pale colors.. This is my favorite cover by Ranzuki yet so far. ;D

All my favorite colors are here: deep purple, black and hot pink. Add this to my wishlist please - hot pink shiny skirt, and black neko hoodie!

I just recently discovered this av model her name is Maimai and she's so gorgeous. Plus I love her style! Nails = perfect. Hair = perfect. Makeup = perfect. I love all her accessories too.

I love her hairstyle here! And I wish I had big boobs like her TnT *cries*

All her accessories work together here.

I love Aina Tanaka! She's one of my style role models! She is currently a model for Egg Magazine and I just love her look so much - ash blonde hair and tan skin :D

I love aina's 3d nails here! XD Super long nails and not very practical, but so gorgeous..

Perfect curls! Cute hello kitty pouch!

Aina Tanaka and Yuma Takahashi (they're both Egg models and best friends)! Both so cute!

I just love everything about this picture!

Black & leopard print nails ! Simple, but so cute.

It's winter now, but her outfit is so cute! I would so wear this if I was still living in Hawaii! Maybe if I lose weight in my thighs! LOL

Sakurina! My favorite Ageha model. I like her dark, edgier rocker gal looks opposed to her hime-ish ones though!

Her 3d nails are always to the extreme, and I love it!

Anyway, that's all for my favorite looks for now.

Shopping Haul, Gifts and Food!

2009-11-14T02:43:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!!! How are you? So anyway, I just wanted to share with you my shopping haul I got last Saturday and gifts from some of my friends (aren't they so sweet?) awhile back that I haven't been able to post earlier.

So here goes!

So last Saturday, me and my friend Jessica finally went out to the Daiso in Daly City, which I heard from people online that it was huge!!!! Way bigger than the one I went to in Japantown, San Francisco. So I was definitely excited. I also heard from my friend Val that they had nails there. I was ready to shop! although, I really shouldn't but I earned a little money from designing graphics, so I definitely had to treat myself.

So I grabbed a shopping basket (NO, not cart) and was on my way.. So this is what I got!

DAISO HAUL

Pink leopard print and black and silver zebra print phone decoration stickers. The leopard print is so soft and furry. Oh so cute! Leopard print and zebra print are my favorite patterns at the moment. As well as every other girl's favorite out there as well.

Cute nails! Nails with a peach sparkley gradient and simple gold and white squared patterned nails! Perfect! XD They would be cute with gems on them, but i like them simple too.

Purple and pink garters! I can't wait to wear these with shorts, or a skirt with black knee highs! Sexy, lacey and pretty! I am really loving the erokawa look, and these garters also remind me of Mars! clothing. Purple, pink, black are my three favorite colors at the moment.

I saw these false lashes and immediately knew I had to buy them. There was one post in a japanese fashion magazine where a model was using something similar. If I could remember what magazine it was from, I'll post it here. If you're planning to go to Daiso and getting this pair, the number is #11.

Flash Eye Color eyeshadow palette and silver glitter nail polish. They had a wide variety of eye shadows at Daiso, but I wasn't sure about the quality so I only bought one. Mainly I wanted it for the middle color.. The sparkly glittery silver. I'll let you know if it works good.

Puffy glittery heart notepad and glass bear keychain. I couldn't resist this pink heart notepad.. It was soft and plushy, and glittery and pink, and just oh so pretty and cute! Perfect to carry in my purse so I can take notes on the whim! XD Always carry a cute notepad in your purse for those spontaneous moments you need to write something down, or if you have an idea! Better cute than boring, I say. This glass bear reminded me of my friend Michi, she has a necklace with a bear and a ring too... so cute! XD I might make this into a necklace too.

I love this so much! Black with pink polka dots! It's so girly and again, pink and black are my favorite colors. I realized my blogspot friend has the same case too. I don't know what to put in here. I'll think of something! You can never own too many cases!

Cute japanese workbook for kids that teaches you how to write hiragana. I'm trying to learn japanese online, it's hard when it's self-taught, but I am determined. I bought this book because it's just so cute, and might help me as I learn online.

Here's another picture of my puffy heart notepad with my bow heart notepad which reminds me of Hello Kitty. XD the bow notepad is almost used up though!

GIFTS

Stuff Jessica got me! I forgot to blog about it before, so I'm putting it here. Cute makeup stick-it notes. "Love step" stationary -- the paper is so girly & pretty! Cute bows she made herself, a keychain, a little hairclip and a pink pen with feathers! So cute!! Thanks so much Jessica. I have other stuff she got me, but I don't know where it went! I have too many things!

Prizes! This is what I chose from D&Bs when Jessica brought me and Ian there a long time ago. Ian has a lot of credit on his card, so this barely effected his account at all. Hello kitty hair clips and temporary tattoos XD I want a real one though ;P

Miss bunny drawstring bag from my diamond sister, Michi. If you don't remember, this is the female bunny from Bambi! Japanese really made her look girly and cute , huh? I love Disney products from Japan, everything there is so much cuter!

Other gifts from Michi. Marie mirror, chocolate mirror, and cute dessert cell phone charm! XD I love cute stuff like this! She got this when she went on her trip to Japan! Thank you so much girl!

Close up of Marie mirror! Marie from Aristocats and Minnie Mouse are my favorite Disney characters!

Cute gold earrings from Michi. I'm still thinking of what outfit to wear with this! Can't wait to wear them!

Popteen lollipop holder. Ok the lollipop is missing because I ate it! But isn't it so cute. It's Popteen and Hello Kitty brand together! I think Hello Kitty was made to resemble gyaru or Tsubasa (a former gyaru model) of Popteen.

MORE STUFF

I forgot to take photos of the fake nails I got in Chinatown, San Francisco. They're obviously the decorated ones on the bottom. I want to go back to that store to buy more, I forgot the name of it though :P Boo, they were reasonably priced. I got four packs for $20. The other two from Chinatown are not pictured here.

Eyelashes! I forgot to share these eyelashes I bought at this beauty place nearby my house. Aside from the ones, I got from Daiso, I got these Red Cherry Ones #38 and Kiss individual lashes which I'm hoping to use for my bottom lashes since it's so hard to use a whole bottom lash. We'll see, gotta practice more with lashes.

FOREVER 21 HAUL & SKIRT FROM HOT TOPIC

I'm so into the rocker gal look now, and am slowly but surely getting bits and pieces for my wardrobe! I want a clothes makeover! I love pink a lot but I want to integrate more dark, black and edgier clothes and accessories.. it's so hot! I want a black leather jacket, and boots with buckles, and black blazers, and black laced stuff! I like all the bling bling and silver jewel toned stuff!

Glistening elastic ring, rhinestone elastic ring, multi strand wide rings and black bracelet!

Close up of bracelet. I love the gold shapes on here!

Bow bracelet! OMG i love it!

Everything I got for my rocker gal look. The skirt here is from Hot Topic, and it was so cheap! Originally $34, marked down to $8 . they had a sale! ;D And the chain link belt was only $8 from Forever 21.

Up! on blu-ray from Target

Ian and I finally got Up! on blu-ray! So exciting! Yay! Ian and I are big fans of Pixar and when we first watched Up! in the theaters we were so touched by it! We also cried in the beginning! They also included the little cloud short in the beginning which was also touching as well. As predicted, I cried again in this movie. Pixar evokes so much emotion in me, they really make touching heart felt movies. The bonus features showed the thought process of the whole making of the movie.. I was so impressed and awed at the extensive research and numerous tries they go through to get this perfect movie! I totally recommend it! XD Go out and get the dvd and watch it with your loved one!

Anyway, so that's about it for the hauls!

But before I go, let me leave you with some pics of some yummy foods I been eating lately! Not made by me, but I totally recommend getting if you're hungry for something good! I love food so much XD I'm getting hungry now..

Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Bowl

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this bowl beats out eh terikyaki bowl any day (actually I don't even like the teriyaki bowls). I'm a big fan of Jack in the Boxy Southwestern chicken salad, but this rice bowl is so rich and filling and so yummy ! And it tastes really fresh and not so fast-foody if you know what I mean. Try it, it's really cheap! And a nice alternative to the regular burger and fries combo which me and Ian always used to order from there.

Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper Wings from Wingstop

OH MY GOD, these are to die for! This is my first time eating from here because they don't have a Wingstop in Hawaii. They should seriously think about opening one. I never realized the goodness of combining different flavors to fried chicken wings.. I usually have them plain, which I love too. But with garlic parmesan and lemon pepper? I'm in love. See, I love sauces and herbs and flavors .. Seasoning is what I love. I like to do that with my foods, and I always add stuff to it. Anyway, the chicken wings are really good.. try them!

Fat Fish Sushi

Oh the wonder that is sushi. I never thought I would find a sushi place that is equivalent to those in Hawaii and with reasonably prices too. I love how innovative sushi is nowadays, and especially like the crunchy fried tempura feel in my sushi (heck I like everything fried, that is my weakness), as well as lots of sauces, and mayonaise, and shoyu and wasabi! I am addicted to this sushi place so much, Ian and I have ate here about 4 times since we moved here. They also offer $1 draft beer specials too! XD This what we usually get!

E-14th (Deep Fried California + Top Spicy Tuna) & Big Spicy Tuna (deep fried spicy tuna roll)

Lion King - not a really good picture, but very tasty! California + Baked Salmon + Tobiko

Care Package

Anyway, last pic! My mom sent me a care package last week or so! Me and Ian inhaled almost everything here already! XD I miss Hawaii snacks and stuff, and the convenience of local food staples everywhere. I haven't ate portuguese sausage since I came here! Wahhh!
Some of the stuff seen here can be bought at asian stores here, but like the mochi crunch, chocolate macadamian nuts, hawaiian shortbread cookies (OMG -- SO GOOD) and tag clubhouse li hing mui candy is a little hard to come by here.. If anyone knows where you can get them in the Bay Area, please let me know!

Ok kiddies that's about it!!!! Until next time!

HOW TO HAVE A KAWAII PHOTOSHOOT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

2009-11-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! How are you? I decided that this month, I am going to be sharing some tutorials, and tips on stuff that interests me ranging from makeup, hair, cute stuff, graphic design, gyaru culture, etc. One of my old quotes are.. "I live life like a japanese fashion magazine - bright, colorful & cute with lots of pictures!" Anyway, I just want to share with the world what I love and have some fun, and I'm hoping you'll have fun too! DISCLAIMER: None of the stuff I share has to be taken seriously, take your own spin on it and be creative!

Okay, pinksugarichigo ~ get into the content already...

Bored and don't know what to do? Why not have a cute photoshoot with your friends? It doesn't have to be professional, it can be cheap and really fun!

About Our Photos:
My Happy Time photoshoot with Eat Juice was inspired by a lot of our interests: cute stuff, 80s, kawaii culture, himegyaru fashion, gyaru fashion, our love of the color pink, and of course, Spank! Fashion..

We took a lot of inspiration from these cute Spank! girls .. and of course, took our own spin on it and combined our other interests into the mix.

A lot of these things in our photoshoot can be found in thrift stores. Actually most of the stuff we have in this photoshoot are from thrift stores. If you're on Oahu, Hawaii ~ the best one I've been to is Savers in Waipahu, but there's also Kalihi as well. Here are the addresses:

Savers Waipahu
94-300 Farrington Hwy
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797
(808) 671-0071

Savers Kalihi
1505 Dillingham Blvd
Honolulu, HI
(808) 842-0061

Surprisingly , there are a lot of old 80s and 90s toys there. Look through the bins, they're hiding in there somewhere. They also sell premade bags filled with misc toys! They sell for a dollar or two I think. Definitely a great deal! I found a lot of cute My Little Ponies toys in there.

Here is some tips and suggestions of what you can get for your photoshoot. Again, these are only suggestions and tips.

Friends make everything more fun!

A backdrop ~ Old bedsheets with cartoon characters are always fun, a lot of cool ones can be found from thrift stores. Just be sure to wash the blanket first. I found a lot of barbie ones, as well as vintage minnie mouse sheets for like $4.00 which makes really cute backdrops :D You can also use fabric sheets from the fabric store.. I bought some really cool zebraprint fabric from Walmart ~ check them out, sometimes they sell cheap swatches of fabric, and have amazing deals. You can also search on ebay.com for sanrio fabric, like hello kitty or kuromi. They have a whole bunch of variety on there.

Get some props for your background...Stuffed plushies, animals and toys galore!!! Me and Eat Juice were in a addictive phase for "castles", and we bought a whole bunch from Savers. I also got old 80s and 90s toys including Care Bears, My Little Ponies, and Barbie stuff. I was looking for Popples but unfortunately could not find any. Some exceptions were the hello kitty toys which I bought from Sanrio, if you already have a lot of hello kitty toys throw that in as well! Overall, here are all the characters that I had in these photoshoot: Kuromi, Hello Kitty, Marie from Disney, Carebears, Rilakumma. Aside from that, I also had a few non-charactered items: pink bear and pink poodle. Another tip I can give you to is to stock up on cute toys during Easter season. They sell a lot of cute plushies like bears, and bunnies in really pretty pastel colors such as pink, blue, purple, etc. Those colored plastic eggs would be good for props too.

Balloons can also add a cute touch to your photos. We bought a pack of different colored balloons over from Party City in Waikele. Again, if you're on Oahu, Hawaii - here's the address:

Party City
Waikele Center
94-799 Lumiaina Street
Suite C
Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 671-3133

We blew up the balloons ourselves. Easy peasy. If you have a helium machine, that'll be even better. Price Busters always sells fancy character ones too, like the ones for birthday parties if that's something you would like.

And yes, more props again! I forgot to mention you can use props to hold in the photo, too! In this case, I found these cool Disney Princess wands at Savers and they were so cheap! :D I later went to Disneyland and they were selling them for like $20 + so I saved a great deal. I also found this cool piano , neon pink with bright colors and they made a colorful addition to the photo.. Never tried to see if it still works though.. hmm oh well.

So anyway, now that you got the backdrop and props, it's time to ARRANGE AND DECORATE!

First off, find a room that you can use to arrange your backdrop and props. Even your bedroom is fine, in this case, we used Eat Juice's bedroom. We cleared an area nearby her bed, and used that space to set up. Her room was also perfect in that case, because she has huge windows, which let us use a lot of natural light during the day. However if you're in a dark place with few windows, or you're taking photos at night, you can of course use your home lighting including floor lamps, and track lights. No need to spend your money on expensive lighting unless you really want to. Don't have enough lighting? Borrow some from the other rooms!

Next, take your blanket or fabric and place them on your wall. For us, we used silly putty or something.. Bah, I forgot what it was called. All I know it was something sticky. We used a lot of it is all I remember. We didn't want to ruin Eat Juice's wall, so that seemed to work out best. But you can also use heavy duty duck tape or thumb tacks, or push pins.. those usually ruin the wall though, so I wouldn't recommend it.

After all that, arrange the floor area! I forgot to mention, you'll also need something for the floor. In this case, you can use another cute blanket like we did here. Or cute rugs. One thing I would have done different with this photoshoot is change the blanket out with some really cute hot pink furry rugs. Yeah, that would have been colorful.

Finally, arrange all your props! There's no right or wrong way to do it. The more props you put in, the more it will make an interesting and colorful photo. I'm not really for simplistic or bare minimum tastes, so the more, the better for me! But it's totally up to you!

And now, for the hair, makeup and clothes!

Here is a video of us talking about our look!

I'm not really going to get into detail about the hair and makeup, but I am planning to a hair and gyaru makeup tutorial later on, so please be on the lookout for that!

Anyway, I usually like to wear my hair curled like all the gyaru with their curled hair, so I curled my hair using the chi straightening iron. For the hair accessory, I added a big bow.

I love Eat Juice's hair because it's sleek and black, and volumized at the top. Just tease with your comb, and spray!

For clothes, we got inspiration from the following fashion styles : decora, himegyaru, spank!fashion, and haady gyaru. I'm not going to post any photos here, but feel to search them on google. You can also download japanese fashion magazine scans, which I recommend getting here:
http://livejournal.com/community/jmagazinescans
You need a livejournal account though.

Sidenote: Some of the japanese magazines I download are: Egg, Ageha, Popteen, Nylon, Nuts, Jelly, Glamorous, Kera, Zipper, etc.

Please watch the video, and it will give you details of where we got our clothes, shoes and stuff!

Finally, it's time to take your photos!!! Of course, you'll need a camera in this case. Preferably, a digital camera. If you don't have one, buy one or borrow!!! I'm sure someone you know has one. The one that I used for this photoshoot is a Canon, I have the PowerShot SD1000. After you get your camera, decide who's going to be taking the photos. Of course, if you all want to be in the photo at the same time, then get someone else to take your photos: your boyfriend, a sibling, a friend who's not going to be in the photoshoot. In this case, we had no one, so the self-timer on the camera was our friend for our group photos. We set up the camera by stacking shoe boxes on a chair, and just doing some test shots. The self timer was set to every 2 seconds for 10 shots. We had a lot of fun with that one.

Poses, expressions and stuff - We had no idea how to pose, but we made do. Some people are just natural in front of the camera, but we tried our best! This is for fun and no way professional, so feel free to be as weird or crazy as you want. We did however, scour Eat Juice's egg magazines for random poses, and try to imitate them. And you can take as many photos as you want, and just delete the pictures you don't like.

Upload and Editing Photos -That's another tutorial altogether, so I'm not going into too much detail here. I'll have adobe photoshop tutorials soon in this blog, so be on the lookout for that also. I did however, upload the photos on my imac, and used Adobe Photoshop to edit the photos using different tools- brightness/contrast, levels, curves, hue/saturation, blur, sharpen, etc.

See the Before And After Here

See the difference??

Anyway, that's bout it, I'm going to end it the entry with more photos! Enjoy! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I appreciate and love comments, so please feel free to leave them and also follow this blog! I got more things I want to share with you in the near future! Anyway, that's it.. HAVE A PINKSUGARICHIGO FILLED DAY!

Happy Time Outtakes

Halloween 2009 - Diamond Meetup

2009-11-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Happy Belated Halloween! Thanks to all those who greeted me, and many many thanks and love to all my new followers! So on Halloween I was down at LA and got to meet-up with my fellow Diamond (our gal circle) gals! We took purikura at Cue! and ate at Captain Crab, and discussed future plans for our circle (many exciting things in the works). We also went to the Hollywood Carnaval which was also fun..I was so happy to meet everyone, and wished I lived nearby so I can always see them. I miss them already! Special thanks to Val for letting me and my bf drive down with her and her man from the bay area, and also to Michi for letting us stay at her place! All my Diamond gals are special, and so sweet! :D I cannot say enough, how proud I am to be in this circle. So mushy and lame, I know, but that's just meeee! Anyway, enough words, onto the photos!

Anyway, that's all for now, don't forget to visit our website here and add us on myspace!
Love,
Pinksugarichigo

Graphic Design & A Plug

2009-10-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Made a graphic for my homegurl Saori's deco shop: pinkyanela.etsy.com. Click image below to see her shop. I got my hello kitty bow that I'm wearing in my header (above) from her. She has lots of sparkly stuff , and her stuff is genuine and not a copy like some of the shops I've seen popping up out there. So pay her a visit and let her know that I said so! ;D

Anyway, speaking of graphics, I made this for my bf the other day:

I been doing some fun photoshop tutorials and this is unlike the ordinary for me since I always design pretty, cute and colorful stuff. I need to venture out.

Oh, if you're interested in ordering a custom graphic from me, please email me at pinksugarichigo@hellokitty.com and let me know. Prices start at $20+. I'll put more samples here as soon as I get a chance. I don't have a job right now so I need more money! Wahhh.. That's about it for now!

Room Post!

2009-10-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share photos of my room that I decorated early this year before I moved. I shared an apartment with my boyfriend and brother, it was the most fun ever! We lived in downtown Honolulu. Ahh, I am pretty homesick now and missing Hawaii. My room style I guess you could say would be a sort of messy cluttered girly cute inspired by my love of himegyaru and pink, my graphic style is sort of the same way. I made a youtube video of my room, and here are the photos to go along with it.

Here is closeup of my bulletin board. I used a pink satiny pillowcase I found at the thrift store for the backdrop, and then I added some black lace, and bows, magazine cut outs fromgyaru magazines, stationary cut outs, photos, stickers, graphics that I made, japanese snack boxes, whatever was cute and girly! Here are more close-up pictures. Basically I just arranged it and made it like how I do my graphics, slap everything on it all at once! This is definitely not for someone with simplistic tastes.

Here is my messy desk. I decorated my imac with zebraprint ribbon and lace, and a bow which I bought premade from Walmart. I decorated my keyboard too and put stickers on it. My desk is cluttered as you can tell. I tried to go for a black, pink, white and purple theme. Anyway, my imac looks different now, it looks like this:

This is my gold chest which I got a great deal on at Ross. I decorated with zebraprint ribbon and bows and lace.. (Can you kind of tell how I decorate my room now?) I gave the gold chest to my BFF himitsudayo before I left Hawaii though because it was impossible to bring it with me. The two hello kitty stuffed toy and porcelain bank are from my boyfriend. The picture frame is actually an electronic picture frame that I didn't plug in.

I used to keep little knickknacks and jewelries in here, I gave this little drawer to my BFF too.

This was made out of a bra. I had an old bra that I didn't use anymore, so I used one of the cups to cover a cup (ha!). And then added a bow! Tada! Useful for pens and whatever!

Picture frame made out of pink post-it paper and black lace.

I tore the covers off some of my favorite gal magazines (dont worry, I got them in Shirokiya and they were discounted!) and put them on my wall for inspiration. Nuts, Egg, Jelly, Ageha are my favorite gal magazines! I love Vivi too even though that's not considered gal, but Ayumi Hamasaki is one of my favorite jpop singers and she's sometime on the cover. The fake flowers were from Walmart, I just draped it around my mirror.

Last photo! You can see in the background how the room is a little messy.. bahh oh well!

Note: all the decorating stuff like fabric, lace, ribbons, glue, gems.. most of them were all from Walmart! So you don't have to go to anyplace fancy to decorate your room. Very simple, very easy and affordable!

San Francisco Gal Meet

2009-10-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Long time no update! Sorry that I haven't been updating regular here on blogspot, especially since I have new followers! Thank you to all that added me, and defended me here in my comment box. Please just know who the real pinksugarichigo is! Hehe, I had this name since 2005 and earlier, I have proof in my deviantart page because I uploaded graphics with "pinksugarichigo" on it since then! So it's been about 4 years already!

Anyway, continuing on! This past Saturday, I went to a San Francisco Gal Meet that my Diamond sister, Val organized! She invited other gals in the bay area and sac area to also attend. My other Diamond sister, Michi also came down from LA so i got to finally meet her in person! Very exciting! My good lj friend Jessica also came down. Anyway, we all met up in Japantown and I got to see new faces and meet new people! We took purikura, walked around and did a little shopping at Kinokuniya, went to Union Square and ended the night with dinner and drinks! Anyway, here are some of the photos from that day! Please enjoy! If you are interested to learn more about our Gal Circle, DIAMOND, please do check our myspace website by clicking the banner below and add us!

Onward to the pics!

Anyway, that's all for now! Will be blogging more later!

Meeting up with Val , Joining Diamond

2009-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

So besides the not being able to get a job yet since I've been here, life in Cali has been pretty good so far. I was asked personally by my lj friend Michi to join their gal circle, DIAMOND I've known their circle and some of their members for quite awhile online, and also been a fan of the gyaru lifestyle for quite some time too, so I was really honored and surprised that they would consider having me in their gal circle. XD Anyway, I applied, and I everyone in the circle voted for me to join, so I was pretty happy! I'm working hard to develop my own style and make sure that I live up to the diamond name ;D Anyway, please do visit our website, and also add us on myspace:

http://diamondmobile.webs.com/
http://myspace.com/diamondgals

Then this past weekend, I finally got to meet up with my diamond sister, Val! I was so nervous .. We met up in Japantown, and she gave me flowers and a card from the Diamond circle welcoming me! Isn't she sweet?.. Anyway, she's so gorgeous and totally evokes gal-quality style and more! I have a thing or two to learn from her about fashion, makeup and hair and from everyone else in Diamond.. Anyway, her and her bf showed me and my bf Ian around San Francisco. Ate at a sushi place, took purikura and ended the night drinking at a sports bar filled with USC fans cheering for them during the USC vs Berkeley game. I wish I was more aware of what was going on, sports wisel.. haha. (And sad to say, am not really into sports! XD) But anyway, we dis, but I don't attend school at alcussed future plans of the gal circle like meets and all that other fun stuff. I'm so happy be making good friends here in Cali, considering that I left all my friends back home in Hawaii when I moved and I haven't started working or going to school yet so we don't really know anyone.. but anyway, that's what's going on with me so far.

Anyway, here are our pictures from that day.. I wish we took more, but we will next time!

Oh been practicing with makeup & hair & all that good stuff. Next future posts will be backdated entries that coincide with my youtube videos.. maybe the happy time pictures to go with the video? We'll see.

Pinku Girls!

2009-09-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I had a dress-up and fun photoshoot with my friends. This was taken in January. The theme wasn't really planned but we sort of took the styles we liked and combined it together. We all brought our clothes, accessories & makeup to eatjuice's house, and put together what you see here. Style inspiration comes from our love of cute stuff, haady fashion, gyaru fashion, decora & spank girls. My friend himitsudayo (the girl in the yellow) created this magazine, Pinku, for us. We had big plans to do different themed photoshoots, but sadly because of our conflicting work schedules & school, it seemed hard to find time.Maybe one day we can all meet up again, and do another theme Below the magazine pages are regular edited photos...Anyway, please enjoy!

it's getting better all the time

2009-09-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, I decorated another empty coconut milk can again! I wish I could sew and apply this decorating concept to my clothes.

My New Hime Workspace and Tutorial

2009-09-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

*this is copied from my livejournal because i was too lazy to write the same entry over* by the way, thanks to all my new followers... please let me know if you add me, and i shall do the same! I like making new friends!

So yeah I finally got my imac in the mail thanks to Ian's dad! Yay! I decorated it again because I took off the ribbons when I packed it up in Hawaii. Luckily I had some lace that I saved in my luggage when I came here so I was able to fix it up again. Anyway, the little Mickey and chipmunk are actually from vending machines, I remember when I wanted to get the Minnie Mouse, and I was with eatjuice and himitsudayo and they both got it :( EXCEPT ME!!!! Wahhh anyway.. I also decorated my camera, and my charger.. I tried piling my desk/workspace (haha) with some of the things I brought over from Hawaii and what I bought here in San Francisco, and I immediately felt "home" like how I do when I was in Hawaii surrounded by my cute things. I dunno what it is, but cute things always makes me feel happy, who cares about the "stop being materialistic" crap.. I just love cute things.. I tried to reason with myself before that I'm a grown up and already 27(*gasp!!!*) but there's no denying who I am and what I love!! And I love cute stuff!!!! You only live once! I took pictures with all my stuff from pinkyanela.etsy.com She has the most amazing stuff. My most favorite is the bow she made with the rhinestone hello kitty which I wear all the time.. a little too much..

So two nights ago I was bored, so I followed one of michi's gyaru eye makeup tutorial. Thanks michi! I tried putting bottom falsies, I need more to practice with! Hehe.. Don't mind my pursing lips, I know some people hate it. I'm also taking pics with pinkyanela's stuff here.. LOL! I also have a photo of myself (way below) with one of the bows puakalehua made me! she's amazing at making cute hairbows! The one she made me is with the strawberry!

Then last night, I tried to dye my hair back to this color (I took the picture above almost a year ago in October 2008).. I used revlon's light auburn shade.. and it didn't go over my light blonde color >_< Needless to say, I was disappointed, now my hair is brown underneath and on the roots, and the same blonde color on top! Ahh ... what should I do?????? I want my hair brown again! What brand will be able to make my hair all one uniform color??

Oh while I was taking photos, I decided to do a little craft tutorial. Maing your own cute, girly hime container.. perfect to hold your pens, makeup brushes, or whatever! It's really simple and easy, just wanted to share with you how I do it!

I been cooking with coconut milk lately, so I decided to be frugal and save the can!

Lace, lace, lace.. I get mines from Walmart, I have white, black and pink lace. I have thin beaded ones too..

Ribbon or fabric to cover the can with. I didn't have any fabric because I gave it away so I am using ribbon instead.

Bows! You can make your own or buy premade ones.. I got mine from Walmart.

Deco stuff.. beads, gems, etc. You can get deco stuff anywhere on the web.

Cover can with ribbon or fabric. Add lace to your liking. Layers are always good. Add a bow. Add a gem and deco embellishments! You're done! I made mine really simple.. You can do this with just about any container.. Just like in photoshop, layers are your friend!

The End!!

Anyway, I'm supposed to be sleeping already because I have to meet puakalehua tomorrow! So good night folks!!!

First Long Post on Blogspot

2009-09-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! This is my first entry on blogspot. I usually post on livejournal.com which is my main blogging site, but I decided to make a blog here since there's a couple of people I know online that I want to add on as friends, and interact with so I decided to blog here also. Plus I also wanted to make some new friends.

Anyway, for my first entry, I guess I'll just update with what's been going on with my life. I just recently moved from my hometown Hawaii to northern cal in the Bay Area and I'll post from everything since I left Hawaii until now.

Before I left Hawaii:
Had a princess photoshoot with my girls, himitsudayo and eatjuice. We dressed up as the disney princesses, in our own style. I call us "The Ghetto Disney Princesses"

Threw my bf Ian a surprise birthday party at Krazy Karaoke at Pearl Kai. It was for his 21st. The stupid workers kicked us out, because I had people under 21 attend the party and I agreed that there wouldn't be alcohol in the room. However, there was a parrot bay bottle in one of the coolers. But instead of just confiscating the alcohol which would have been better, they kicked us out and we had 3 paid hours left. They didn't refund my money. They had no sympathy even though last time I TIPPED the workers there $20 and they knew who I was. I DON'T RECOMMEND KRAZY KARAOKE. Other than that, we had a good time. Me and Ian worked at the same place in Hawaii, so majority of the people there were our coworkers. We got to spend time with all of them before we left.

Here with my BFF, eatjuice and himitsudayo! I miss them a lot!!!!!
IT'S THE LONGS PARTY BIATCHES!

Had my last day of work at the pharmacy. Took pictures with all my coworkers. Eatjuice made me a sign and gave me balloons for my last day. Isn't it so cute?? It meets her haady & spankgirl fashioned personality!

After Leaving Hawaii:

Went to Vegas for Ian's 21st! This is us in the Excalibur (the hotel we stayed at) by the bar.
On the bridge that connects Excalibur to New York New York hotel

Went to Disneyland and California Adventure for 2 days! I finally got my wish and got to take a picture with Minnie and Mickey Mouse. Ian is standing right behind me because he was wearing a Hooters t-shirt and Mickey Mouse didn't like it! LOL

Ian loves Pixar so much! I do too! I love California Adventure because they have one of my favorite rides, the Toy Story Mania!Mickey Mouse shaped rice krispie treat with chocolate and sprinkles ! Nom!
Finally settling down in the Bay Area and visiting Japantown in San Francisco. We stayed at Hotel Tomo before we found a place to live. This restaurant had taiyaki, one of my favorite snacks! I love the red bean filling the best!
I love Totoro. I love Hayao Miyazaki films! This dvd store had a huge Totoro in the front so I had to take a pic with it!

Here at pikapika! This place has so many purikura machines. The purikura we took came out glittery!
I love how they have gyaru models for the purikura machines! Isn't she pretty? Argh I really need to recolor my hair!

One of the stores in Japantown that sell anime toys! Here's Ian pointing to Ponyo! I love Ponyo!!! Watched the english adaptation in the theaters. English or japanese dubbed with english subtitles, I love it !! I thought the little ponyos were so cute...
I just love the graphics and designs for all these machines! Graphic design inspiration!
Sanrio! This one is in Japantown, I used to work at the one in Hawaii. Then I went broke because I spent all my paycheck there... j/k.
Finally met up with my online friend puakalehua , took Purikura at Pikapika. Went to 6%Dokidoki which sell colorful accessories and clothes inside (spank fashion inspired) , bought a cute pink bag from there. Took pictures with Yuka! She's too cute! I felt blah next to her.. Finally, most of the stuff that I bought before and after coming to California!
Cute deco nails and hello kitty ring from I bought from pinkyanela.etsy.com
Haha narcissistic pic!

Other stuff I bought from pinkyanela.etsy.com: A hello kitty bow pin that I wear all the time (most of the time too much), decoed mirror and decoed lighter (no I don't smoke - only sometimes, I just thought it was pretty glam to have) and also the hello kitty nails (which you guys seen already)
Tops I bought in Hawaii . From Sears, Hot Topic and Forever 21! Not in that particular order.
More clothes: The cutest pink tube dress from Forever 21. Hot pink leopard pants from Hot Topic. Another dress from Forever 21. Some accessories.Mickey and Minnie mouse keychains .. the Minnie Mouse in the middle is a mirror! I love Minnie Mouse so much ! As much as I love Hello Kitty!

Lots and lots of stuff! Stickers, notepads, decoed items, key chains, accessories, etc. Hello Kitty t-shirt is from Hot Topic!
More stuff that I bought here in California! Everything pictured here is from Japantown and Chinatown, and also from my online friend puakalehua who I met up with yesterday! she gave me the hair bows, makeup stick it notes, and stationary pad! The rest of the stuff are from Daiso and Ichiban Kan except the pink bag with the hearts and bow on it! That one is from 6%DokiDoki store in the New People building! They sell really cute stuff like spank!inspired fashion. Unfortunately I'm on a budget and could only afford the bag. They're only going to be around until Tuesday :( *cries* That's ok, at least Daiso and Ichiban Kan are around! They're my two new favorite stores. You can find the cutest stuff for $1.50 or really cheap prices. I got really cute plates, bowls, and kitchen stuff (not pictured) for $1.50 each.

I love the gift bag because it's so pink and hime-ish. The ice cream is actually bubbles. The ice cream part is where the wand part is. I got four sets of deco nails from Chinatown for about $20 ! The only thing is, they forgot to put the last set in my bag :( I have to go back next week to get them!
Anyway, that's about it for now!! Until next time! I look forward to making friends on here and posting here more often! :D Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! I look forward to hearing from you..