Hello!

Hey everyone!

I'm back to blogging : )

Harvard, Cambridge/Boston was fun fun. Great to see my parents and sister again.
I've been home since the 2nd of December, but both Minh and I have been consumed by work. Him with ALG, me with DSK. As of right now, getting orders out is my biggest priority because it's almost Christmas! I would say 60% of my DSK customers are non-US, so I have to be very fast at shipping this week so everyone can get their DSK gifts in time for the holidays.

Instead of rambling about what has already happened right off the bat. I'm going to share with you what's happening currently :-)
I just painted my nails. It's current what I consider my "blank canvas."
I plan to do some fun designs later tonight when I get home.
I walked next door to Triple B (Bed, Bath, and Beyond) to use one of my handy dandy coupons!
I needed to pick up some nail goodies so I could groom my nails at the office.
I would have walked home...but walking back requires going up hill. hahahaha

As I walked to check out I noticed Orly Mini Polishes!!!
I've been looking all over for these babies, but never found them at my local Ultas.
I'm so glad they live just next door. I'm going to walk over everyday with my 20% off coupon and buy one : )
(The red is OPI's Diva of Geneva.)
I love love love their metallic polish. I'm wearing the silver one "Shine."
I love how "light" their metallic polishes apply.
It's not thick at all, and the polish really does feel thin on your nails.
The mini's at BBB are $3.99
I believe the full size is $7.99 at Ulta
(I know, I know, I can go to the beauty supplies in Chinatown and get them for a fraction of the price, but I don't..I honestly don't like Vietnamese "grown up" strangers.)
They just like to stare at you...awkward.
Anyhow! I don't mind paying retail for nail polish if I can avoid the creepy Asian people in Chinatown. lol
They had a huge stock of Essie polishes next door too!
I'm not a big fan of Essie..I just never find any of their shades to look nice on my skin.
I might haul out all my Essie polishes and blog sale them soon.

I was just browsing the makeup section at the BB&B and noticed Maybelline has a new line of makeup. I thought the package was very modern. I haven't used drugstore foundation in a while. I can never color match, but seeing a new display always tempts me : )
Overall, my Bed Bath and Beyond lunch time haul!
Box of kleenex (fancy!) Tweezerman nail file & nail clippers (Minh needed them..not really me)
I paid $10 for everything : ) The cashier let me use the $5 off $15 purchase coupon on all my goods.
The file was a cute surprise, I had no idea it was so pretty princess. Bonus!

In Wally & Timmy news:
They had a great time at Minh's parents home in Vancouver, Washington.
They got to hang out with Penny and Nickel (Minh's parents Chihuahua's)
I returned Nickel to stay with Penny since she got in a bad car accident. I figured she'd like his company. She's lost a lot of weight since her accident, and Nickel has gained a lot of weight since living with me :D I fed the little monster boiled chicken a few times each week. He was pretty spoiled. Minh hopes to take him back once we get a place with a yard. Having 3 dogs is a lot of work!

Minh's dad told me that he'll keep Timmy & Penny and for us to take Nickel & Wally lol
Timmy & Penny are very tame and well mannered..Nickel is yappy, and Wally is jumpy & yappy!
Next time we leave town, I'll let the boys check in at Petsmart Doggy Daycare/Hotel.
It seems like Wally really needs to get his energy out. He's such a little rascal!

Now I will share with you what I found on Sunday shopping at Nordstrom Rack at the Super Mall in Auburn. It was only my second time to the Super Mall...it's this huge mall with tons and tons of stores, including Sam's Club! lol
It's not the fanciest place, but I'll take that to my advantage because their Nordstrom Rack had SO many pairs of designer shoes that weren't yet snatched up!

The Nordstrom Rack I live by is the one near Pike's place..that place is always hoppin' and I rarely ever go there because I can never find anything good..it's all been snatched up!
I also love going to Factoria's NR but same story..all the good stuff is hoarded by some stay at home Mom's (it's the suburb east side of Seattle) lol.

Remember how I had wanted these "Coconut" wedges?
They were all sold out in my size locally so I asked the sales girl to locate some for me and they had 2 pairs left at the Super Mall location. :D When I got to the NR at the Super Mall..I was blown away by the 20-30 Tory Burch shoe boxes in the designer shoe section! lol
$99-$179..not shabby for TB's
I snagged myself the pair in 7.5 : )
They had at least 10 pairs of this style in stock lol. I was all worried they'd be all gone.

I found these two snakeskin pairs in black & silver.
I had bought my sister the gold pair before I left. She really likes them btw : )
They also had these red crocodile flats!
They were in a size 6..way to small for me. They're just the perfect color! How I wanted them..sigh
They had tons and tons of the Chocolate Reva's with Gold Medallions left for $119, but I already picked those up from one of my local NR. :D

Then Minh and I went to Burlington Coat Factory to look at some art.
He picked out 3 really pretty paintings, $69.99 each and they were pretty huge!
I loveee the man and the woman..it's so romantic how they're just standing on the ferry starring into the city.
The middle one is really nice too : ) Just a couple attending a lavish looking event
We hoarded them for the office. The office is a bit over 3,000 square feet so it has a lot of wall space. I find no shame in buying art from BCF, TJ Maxx or Marshalls : )
Maybe when I'm old and grey will I invest in extravagant art work.
The female attorney in our office is the type to spend hundreds on a tiny painting for her home lol.
I just don't get it, but to each his / her own.
Manufactured Art. I digg it!

Want to see what else I found over the weekend?
I picked up this fruit basket from the new Marshall's at the Landing in Renton : )
As you can see...I went to Costco and got my Pomegranates!!! haha
That's Minh in the background watching TV. And yes. I have lots of USPS boxes against the wall :D And also...we do have a Panda waste basket that's not supposed to be there.

Now for a little bit of Harvard, Cambridge, and Michael Buble in Boston : )

This is my sister's dorm, Matthews Hall at Harvard University
The first person to live in her room was in 1771..talk about old school lol
Matt Damon (the actor) also lived a floor below her..and Bill Gate's father also lived here when he was in school : )

Tuition w/ Room & Board at Harvard comes out to be around $59,000 a year.
My little sister is pretty much...on a full ride : )
GO JULIA! haha thank you for contributing to my inheritance hahaha jk, but not really b/c it's semi-true.

Now do you see why I buy my sister so many things? She deserves to be spoiled rotten!

My Mom and Dad paid for my 4 year at MSU (I got 2 scholarships but it barely totaled $5k)..so really my tuition is the money tyrant haha or was the money tyrant in the family.

My bad, but I'll make up for it one day to my parents : )
View from Julia's dorm. It's of the John Harvard Statue! There are a bazillion tourist who come to visit the campus and touch John Harvard's shoe for luck.

The John Harvard statue is the statue of three lies..you should look it up.
Quite interesting story.
This is Annenburg, where my sister eats her meals.
Lots of gorgeous stained glass.. this building holds a lot of history.
As do almost every building on Harvard's campus.
I sneaked a peek and it looks just like the dining hall at HOGWARTS (HARRY POTTER)
Harvard Library.. I think! haha Julia correct me if I'm wrong
Freaking Harvard is so gorgeous, it's pretty big..I barely captured photos
Kirkland House! Where Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook) created Facebook :D

Overall..Hogwarts = Harvard

So there's this gate, Johnston gate I believe it's called.
It's rarely open but it was that day I was walking by..and students NEVER walk under it because there's a myth that says that an undergrad will never graduate from Harvard..so they all avoid it and walk on the side gates lol. My mom and I stood there for a little bit watching students AVOID the gate hahaha we pretty much laughed our asses off. They all just walk right past it to the side gate. hahaha. ok not as funny as it was at the moment. But fun superstitions at the "H"

My little sister says her and her friends try not to tell people where they go to school when other's ask because it always ruins the conversation they're having with those people. They call it the "H" bomb lol.

My sister usually goes.."I go to school in Cambridge..and not MIT" haha

I would be sporting Harvard gear everywhere if I went to Harvard! Get me some Harvard socks, hats, mittens, everything! I'll even walk around holding a Harvard coffee mug haha
But that's only because I'm a "commoner," and not an "elitist" like these Harvidians lol

Boston, we took the "T" (subway) everywhere!
You get these fancy Charlie card and you load them with money..and rideeee
Quincy Market, tons of people!
Lots of shopping, and food. It reminds me of our Pike's Market

My family did tour MIT's campus too. Look how awesome their building looks?

This is inside the Dim Sum restaurant lol it must have been a former Opera House
My mom's all time favorite dim sum dish!
I didn't take that many pictures of food early on in the trip.
I only brought an SD card and borrowed my sister's point shoot camera. Towards the end of the trip it was just my blackberry. I didn't really plan well.

Original & Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt w/ Pomegranate at Pinkberry on Newbury Street!
Newbury Street was freaking amazing. It's like the Rodeo Dr. of The East Coast..but then again I don't know much about the East Coast haha
Almost every designer you could think of had a store on Newbury Street. Eprops Boston.

Time for Some Food Pics!

@Legal Seafood, we had to try it because we thought the name was funny.
Legal = Minh
Minh ordered a Crab, Scallop, Lobster Roll w/ fries & cole slaw

Apparently, Boston is known for their Lobster Roll.
They're known for Lobster in general, it's everywhere! Might as well be the city's mascot.
What Lobsters are to Boston, Orca Killer Whales are to Seattle..except we don't eat Killer Whale hahaha, in that case..what Salmon is to Seattle lol
Dozen of Cape Cod Oysters at Legal Seafood. I had to try East Coast's raw oysters.
They were quite delicious! Our dozen was $27, a bit cheaper than Elliot's Oyster house where a dozen is around $30 normally unless you do the happy hour which I never had because I am not patient enough to wait in line for some oysters
I got the Lobster Roll w/ Orzo salad & cole slaw
Viet Rice Dish @ Le's at Harvard Square, my sister had a 10% off coupon! :D
Lobster & Clams in Chinatown Boston OBVIOUSLY my parents choice of place to eat that night.
HOLY MOTHER of a WHOLE FISH ENTREE lol
Fresh Steamed Fish : ) I hope I don't creep out my non-Asian readers.
Cousin Oliver Burger & Fries at B.Good at Harvard Square (I tell ya I spent 70% of my time at Harvard Square). We even went to see Harry Potter there : )
Look at how big this claw was! Part of a 2lb lobster
Last day in Cambridge, dinner with my sister Julia : )
Summer Shack (thanks Jennifer for the recommendation!)
We ordered two 2lb lobsters at $46/each.
I know nothing about the price of lobster, but $46 for one lobster sounds like a lot haha
I was like, "WHEN IN ROME", and I ordered them :D

My sister loves seafood, I like seafood..but I don't love love it.
I wish I was smarter and loved seafood! My mom said she ate a lot of seafood when she was prego with my sister and that's why she's so smart. She only craved Whoppers when she was prego with me..and that's why I went to a STATE school (at least MSU is known for good football and basketball...and parties that I never went to...). lol I hope all you Harvidian reading this are getting a good laugh. ( I know who you all are by the way!)

Apparently, Harvard students view State schools..just like how everyone else views community college.. to each his own!

I liked my state school..Michigan State University FTW!


And freaking Au Bon Pain..pastries! I would go everyday if we had one here lol.
I loved the sweet cheese croissants & pastry : )
Plus, their Chai Latte is delicious!

1 of 2 things I bought in Boston. I picked up this Dior Brush Set at Macy's. Sales tax was only 6.75%! I was super excited. There's also no tax on clothes or shoes under $100 just like in NYC.
LUCKY Boston people. The 2nd item I got for myself was a North Face beanie (hat) because it was colddd

In Summary.

- Harvard was awesome

-Boston was fancy
-Michael Buble was heart melting

One of many clips from his concert : ) We had some pretty decent seats!
Much better than when Minh and I saw him in Seattle.
I think I will put all my clips together to make one video. I just haven't had the chance yet.
I look forward to doing so many things!

&

My crazy person $913 Sephora haul is in my possession (scoreeeeeeee)
More on that later. : )

I still need to clean my room...I really want to do an updated Clear Cube video with my makeup.
I do want to start making some videos of my obsession (cosmetics). I really want to share with you my bathroom and how I storage all my makeup, hair stuff etc : ) Just fun stuff (in my opinion). ^_^

Family, me, Julia, Mom, Dad : )
Thanks Minh for taking the photo!
I have a lot more photos from the trip. I'll upload them through out the week.
I have to leave the office now to head to the post office. Sorry if there are any spelling error, grammar errors..I don't have a chance to proof read yet, but I want to post :D


I'll see you all soon! I'm back : )