what's in my clutch?

You'd be amazed at what I can fit in this thing.

Celine bi-color pouch can hold:

• wallet
• envelope pencil case holder for lipstick and other necessities
• Dior Addict lipstick in Diorkiss
• Fresh's Strawberry Flowers travel perfume
• butter nail polish in Lady Muck & Artful Dodger (I've now started painting nails while sitting in the car)
• Fujifilm Nexia Q1 for fun photos
• Kindle - because one day I will finish the "Game of Thrones" series

crossing the ga/al state lines pt. 3

Although the trip to UBC proved fruitless, I didn't completely hate the entire trip or regret it. We had a really good lunch at the Magnolia House, where we drank sweet tea and had a meat 'n three. I may not talk like a southerner or look like one, but gravy and fried okra runs in my veins. The best thing about living in the south is the massive amount of fatty, delicious food. BBQ pork, collards, candied yams, green beans, country fried steak, and oh god, the cornbread. Is your mouth watering yet?




And no trip is complete without a photo of Georgia red clay. This is the soil that's responsible for cotton, tobacco, and peaches.

photo by Jinah

Jinah captured this photo of me goofing off.

photo by Jinah

crossing the ga/al state lines pt. 1

Yesterday, Jinah and I took a mini road trip to finally check out the Unclaimed Baggage Center. There have been tons of rumors flying about this place, and we were determined to put them to rest. I didn't take photos inside the store, but you can head over to Jinah's blog for those photos. To be honest, my haul wasn't as good as hers, but I'll post more on that tomorrow.

For now, I have these photos from the road trip part. We passed through so many cute towns and wanted to stop by everything - abandoned buildings, impromptu highway fruit stands, and various general stores. Buuuuut, we managed to restrain ourselves to a dilapidated schoolhouse in Summerville and a fruit stand off Hwy. 140 where we picked up peaches and preserves.

conflicting emotions

I've got some issues. I used to pass myself off as a "maximalist" (not a real word, I am aware) to excuse my ridiculous double closet plus 80-100 shoe count. (Other excuses used: "Jinah has a bigger closet and bigger hoarding issues than me, so I am okay." For the record, Jinah says this to herself as well, replacing her name with someone else's. I'm convinced this is a way of life for most girls.)

I look at people who are able to keep their shoe count down to the single digits, or even bloggers like Dead Fleurette who has created a wardrobe based around the French 4-5 piece philosophy in absolute amazement. Seriously, how do you come to the decision to reduce and maintain a small wardrobe? My closet is literally bursting with crap. The sad thing is, I can tell you exactly where I got each item, an approximate price point, and a small anecdote about said item. Is this a sign that I should sign up for an A&E show?

I think I could probably reduce my shoe collection. All the shoes in the first two rows are the ones I've been wearing the most this summer:


Top: Balenciaga cut out boots, Alexander Wang Frejas, Jeffrey Campbell Ticks in Tribal
Bottom: Chloe Kirsten Wedge, Balenciaga space boots from FW08, Alexander Wang mules

But how do I even begin to conquer my clothes? I suppose the first question I should be asking is if this lifestyle is viable for me. Opinions, experiences, and advice requested. Also, if anyone has tried it and decided against it, please tell me your story!

why i will never be on the real world

I have a penchant for really bad television, and I mean, really bad television. I've watched two seasons of The Bad Girls Club, nearly every single reality show on VH1 (including both seasons of What Chili Wants), and countless other craptastic reality shows. But what really prompted my insatiable desire was Real World Paris, the first Real World I ever saw.*

Now that I've seen a whopping NINE seasons (ten, if you include me making my way through this year's Las Vegas), I've come to the conclusion that I would never be chosen to be featured on this show for the following reasons:

1. I'm too smart. I have a degree from a decent university, graduated with a relatively high GPA, and studied English Literature. Paper credentials aside, I watch the news, listen to NPR religiously, and read voraciously (even if I do spend a lot of time reading shit novels like the Sookie Stackhouse series). Sarah from Real World Philadelphia closely matched my academic field and interests, and she turned out to be a total snooze, often casting her roommates aside for a more creative crowd. Since then, The Real World has yet to cast another English major.

2. I'm not a homophobe. As proven by homophobic but possible-homosexual (and thus self-loathing, potential gay man) Ryan from New Orleans among many others, placing intolerant people in a house with a stereotype of the group of people he/she cannot stand makes instant television gold. This formula has been rehashed by the Real World group for countless seasons, and it still doesn't bore me.

3. I'm Asian. The last Asian to be featured on The Real World was San Diego's Jamie Chung, who later went on to be a D-list movie star. In a possible move to prevent the world from seeing films like "Sorority Row," the casting crew of The Real World series has refused to place another Asian face in the show. I prefer this reasoning, because the other (and most obvious) would be that The Real World is racist.

4. I don't have a drug addiction/abusive boyfriend/rough home life/crazy religious upbringing.

5. I'm not a nymphomaniac.

6. I'm not straight edge or a religious celibate either.

7. I'm too old.

*This really comes at a shock to most people, but my parents didn't get cable I was in college. This probably explains why I consume cable television voraciously.
OMG, I think the bird outside my window is having sex because the chirping noises just got REALLY FAST, GROSS!!!!!




top. Zara
pants. Zara
jacket. Zara
shoes. Balenciaga
Fuck me for wearing all Zara.

it's hard to recall the taste of summer

Jinah and I have been trying to go to Empire State South since last December, but our schedules didn't really coincide until last Thursday where we met for a late dinner. We sat outside where we were allowed to freely use the extra bright flash that came with her SO ADORABLE Alice in Wonderland Holga and gab about literally everything. Useless fact: she and I went to summer camp together when we were children, and the single sartorial memory I have of her as a kid has her wearing printed bicycle shorts and T-shirt with craft paint - both items I LOVED as a wayward and ill-advised 8-year-old. Thank God I burned those photos years ago.

As for Empire State South, I was a little underwhelmed, but I think 80% of it is due to me ordering the wrong dish. I had the trout while Jinah wisely chose the duck confit (with a little prodding from me - "Ohmygod, you HAVE to get it," also my catchphrase to egging friends into buying things they don't need). I'm trying to follow the diet advised in "Feed Your Face" by Jessica Wu, which I'm slowly discovering is impossible because I have to give up desserts. (If you see my Seoul posts, you will see that I've been to nearly all the cafes in Garosugil. I've been spoiled.) In a moment of experimental delusion, I ordered the cake puree (I don't even remember the dish's real name), which made me think of cake that's been vomited and repacked into a dessert. (Or something that came from Bridget Jones's dinner party.)

One thing I will attest to is their coffee. I sampled a bit of Jinah's macchiato, and I was briefly transported to Italy as my 14-year-old self where I tried my first espresso. And in true Alicia-like fashion, I spent the rest of the night playing Cooking Dash.





top. Christopher Kane for Topshop
skirt. Korean market
blazer. Zara
shoes. Balenciaga
clutch. Celine

first and last photos by jinah

happy easter 2011

This may be the last Easter. Let's all enjoy it.

P.S. Dyed eggs (real ones, not the plastic ones with candy in them) creep me out.

stuck on a dream that somewhere is better

Aside from griping about bloggers (see previous post), I'm spending a lot of time prepping for the Old English class I'm taking at summer school (yes, I know it's retroactive to take summer classes after graduation, but post-bac is now almost required).  Can you believe this professor is trying to weave "Lord of the Rings" into a curriculum that's traditionally encompassed King Arthur (personal fave), Beowulf/Grendel (another old fave), and Norse poetry (anything that links to Alexander Skarsgård is a yes)??? Pass.


I'm so in love with these jeans. I wore them everyday for a week. Is that gross? Yes, probably. Best $39.90 I've ever spent. I'm tempted to go back and buy more pairs. I have this habit where if I like something, I buy it in bulk. When I was a freshman in college, I was obsessed with these bootcut jeans from Express. I had four pairs of them and only lived in them for about a year. This is what happens when you're suddenly allowed to choose your daily wardrobe. (Catholic school.)





top. Retro Ballerina Chic (Korean store). pants. Zara. bag. Celine.

what's in your bag?

I was going to write this whole paragraph on the importance of a bag in the sartorial process, but I'm going to spare you the monotony. Instead, I'm going to tell you the story of how my mom found these free condoms I picked up in NYC (they had the subway symbols on them!) in my bag, and I blamed them on my gay friend Rahul. Whoops, end of story.

• Chanel sunglasses
• hand sanitizer (germs are everywhere)
• Avocado lotion, Lumix P&S
• Ricola throat drops (soooo soothing)
• Dior lipstick
• Honesty chocolate mints
• grapefruit scented oil sheets (love)
• keys
• possessed Motorola Cliq (it types on its own)
• Jetoy planner (I hate cats, but this was a gift)
• iTouch
• green envelope pen holder
• Kindle (my #1 survival tool)

Are there any must-have items that you carry around? Any daily beauty tips are welcomed.

Neighborhood: Cheongdam #1

I scored these free tickets to this extra large art sale at Coex this weekend and got to see the most amazing set of photographs ever (more on this later). As we tramped around the stalls to check out the works, we got really hungry so the trip to Poong-won (풍원) in Cheongdam (청담동), a Japanese izakaya. For some reason, they thought we weren't Korean. Maybe my hat threw them off. Post dinner sweets are now necessary in my life, and my sweet tooth was satisfied with what tasted like homemade ice cream (in blueberry tiramisu, cheesecake, and green tea flavors) at Monday-Tuesday.




Agedashi Tofu Salad

uptown it's dead now

Photo Diary for the 2nd Week of February

"A classic," suggested Anthony, "is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation. Then it's safe, like a style of architecture or furniture. It's acquired a picturesque dignity to take the place of its fashion..."
- from The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

the interior of Seoul Museum of Art (서울시립박물관)/the gift shop of the museum/classic road that wraps around Dukseo Palace (덕수궁)/the Canadian embassy/compressed figurines near the palace

Neighborhood: Hongdae #4

I've decided to take on a new project. Since there is a dearth of macarons in Atlanta, I'm going to have my fill while I'm in Seoul by trying them all. By the time I leave, I will have a ranking of the best macarons in Seoul, as well as directions to the cafes and bakeries that sell them. In my research thus far, the macarons seem to be mainly concentrated south of the river, in Sinsadong, mostly. However, there are two places in Hongdae that serve them.

I stopped by Le Petit Four this afternoon on my way home. The space is small with around 8 tables. It also tends to be really crowded in the afternoons. But the macarons and desserts aren't lacking. They had a full case of macarons, and a half filled case of other desserts not photographed because I'm in the market for macarons and macarons only.

The cafe is run by chef Kim Dae Hyun who has an extensive resume that mostly takes place in Europe. After studying at the Paul Bocuse Institute, he's worked in Paris and Vienna before bringing his skills back to Seoul. And these skills are quite refined, indeed. The cafe may lack in the appealing decor that I've come to expect from Seoul cafes, but it definitely does not lack in taste.








First row: Multi-vitamin, orange creme, Boutiy (coconut cream)
Second row: Macaron Melba, pistachio creme, lemon & ginger cream
Third row: Cognac, vanilla creme, chestnut? 

Verdict: The macarons didn't crumble very easily. They were less delicate than I expected and some were a bit chewy. The flavors, however, were absolutely perfect. Not too sweet, not too strong, just light and delightful. Except for the pistachio creme. I thought that was awful, which is unfortunate, because it's the classic macaron flavor. Best flavors for me were the multi-vitamin (raspberry flavors), vanilla creme, and cognac. The cognac macaron blew me away. Alcohol flavored macarons is a well married idea.

Price: 18,100 for a pack of 9.

How to get there: take subway to Hongdae Univ. (홍대입구) on the green line. Take exit #9 (the old exit #5). Go straight for one block. Make a left at the Citi Bank. Go straight, walk up the hill, pass the Starbucks until you get to this two storied building filled with restaurants. Le Petit Four is on the 2nd floor, next to a Japanese ramun shop.

Neighborhood: Hyoja Dong #1

After going to see the Chagall exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art (서울시립미술관), Sunny and I headed to Hyoja Dong (효자동) to grab lunch at 6.1.4. Located in a tiny residential alley near the Blue House (Korea's version of the White House), the space is small but well constructed using a lot of natural elements and incorporating lots of windows to let in natural light. They serve an interpretation of Italian food, but surprisingly one of the best I've had in Seoul. My only complaint would be the overdemanding ahjummas who were seated near us.









Rucola Pasta - either 18,000 or 21,000. (Can't remember.)

Daily Lunch Special: Cream of mushroom soup, tomato mozzarella panini, salad, plus coffee - 16,000.

How to get there:
Take subway line 3 to Kyeongbok Palace (경복궁) exit #3. Go straight. Take a right at the Paris Baguette. Pass Duomo (두오모) on your left, then take a left at the parking lot to the Blue House. You should see a rectangular sign for 6.1.4 on your left.