December 7, 2010

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 : )


64 comments:

  1. I'm glad you had fun. I went to the Barking Crab in Boston over the weekend with my family. We had a 10lb lobster with 4lbs of crabs plus other seafood... crazyyyyy costing us like over $600 -___-"

    Anyways, the place where you went for dimsum, used to be an old Chinese theater.

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  2. When I'm pregnant, I'll be eating lots and lots of seafood. (Or just eat when I see food) Haha. I'm pretty sure you are just as smart as your sister, but in a different way.

    Wow, it's extremely expensive to attend Harvard. All those students must be in deep debts after they finish. How are your parents paying for this? But on the other hand, Harvard is worth it to be in debts. =)

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  3. OMG!! Steph! Thank you for all the photos and update about your trip!! <3 All I can say is.. "WOW!!" The food pics looked absolutely delish! You had some Pinkberry!!! <3 yumm!! and the pics of Boston were beautiful!! :D
    Steph!! You have such a beautiful family. Your sister looks so much like you. :D
    I currently don't own any Tory Burch shoes, but I hear that they can be uncomfortable? What would you say about them? I'm really not a flats person but I'm crazy about wedges!!
    xoxo

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  4. I saw your "blank canvas" on Twitter! It's sooo pretty and I love the "one finger" thing. I usually do one finger designs. : ) Not sure if you tried this, but "Metallic Muse" by China Glaze is SO pretty. I posted a swatch here if you'd like a look! : )

    I soooo agree with your Vietnamese adult strangers comment. It's weird..and I usually prefer not having to have contact with them at all. LOL Leave it to the parents!

    Your doggies are so adorable. : ) I love how you spoil them! Yay for the wedges! I really like that colour!! Great find.

    Art is art. : ) Doesn't matter if it's super expensive or not..as long as the viewer enjoys looking at it, then it has accomplished its task.

    $59,000 for tuition & room & board!! WOWW. And over here, we think a $6000/year tuition is too much (which it is!). Thank goodness for my scholarships from first year. I received the highest scholarship of my high school with $2500, $1000 from the university, and some random hundreds ones. ^_^ PROUD<3 I can see why you think Harvard is like Hogwarts.. I certainly get that vibe from looking at the buildings.

    Ouu I love how most of us saw these pics via Twitter already. :P I love that dim sum dish! I love all your food pics too..oyster...*drools* I love seafood<3

    And finally...can't wait to see your Sephora haul and Michael Buble is AMAZING!

    xx The Little Dust Princess

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  5. Wow looks like you had a great time! I love all the pics you took of Harvard - LOL at the superstition too funny!

    Hey your mom's favorite dim sum dish is mine too but I don't know what it's called - I always just ask my mom to order the "one that I like" hahaha!

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  6. @Mindy TB flats can be a bit tight at first, but once you wear them for a while they mold to your feet and become quite comfy

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  7. That silver nail polish looks great! You should wear it for christmas :).
    Your mom's all time favorite dim sum is also my favorite! I have to get that dish when I dim sum with the family hehe.

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  8. I loveeed going to Au Bon Pain when I interned in Chicago.

    Also, FRIENDSHIP FIRST-- GIMME DAT $1,000 WORTH OF SEPHORA!!!

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  9. I feel like our blogs are just your tweets explained in depth.
    But, never the less, interesting to read.
    :D
    Over all I think I'm jelious about the frozen yogurt!! Lol, we have nothing that yummy in small town Hermitage.
    :(
    But maybe some day!!
    I'm glad you had fun on your trip and I'm glad your back~

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  10. Sooo many comments lol:

    - Little Julia is SO modest! She should be so proud of herself. Kudos to her for going on a full ride...but Harvard has an awesome financial aid program anyways eh? I think it's one of the best in the country...middle class families pay like $10-15k a year or something for tuition depending on income. Your parents are also amazing for shelling out for your tuition. Mine would not...so I just had to go wherever I could find a full ride ; (

    - Yum yum yum! All the food pics. Seems like you went to a lot of tourist faves...too bad you missed $1 oysters at Legal. It starts early afternoon and I don't think there is a line lol. I'm with your mom all the way...ASIAN FOOD...

    - OMG, those snakeskin Tory's looked so so familiar. It just hit me why. I got them from Nordstroms regular, and they were recalled!! I was like wha? Why do I have to return these? They said they were defective and there had been lots of complaints about the "snakeskin" peeling off...mhmm so of course they've made their way to Norides rack. Glad that you got your wedges...I think I have the black version and they're lovely.

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  11. wow! long blog post with lots of pictures! the picture of that opera looking ceiling is quite cool :D and im glad u enjoyed the MB concert ^_^

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  12. Yay...this is the kind of post i've been waiting for :). Welcome back to blogging! :D

    I rather pay $3.75 for an OPI nail polish at the Viet place no matter how strange and rude they are! LOL!!! One time i went to Ulta and bought a Seche Vite top coat for $9.00 plus 9.75% tax! I could have gotten 3 of those for the same price at the Asian place. Another bonus is that the Asian store's owner is a man. He's very nice and always gives me good discounts every time i'm there:). If the owner were a woman, she'll stare like you said, and you can forget about the extra discounts & goodies. Haha!!

    Wow, Harvard looks amazing! Congrats to Julia again in getting into Harvard, and for getting a 'full ride'. You must be a proud sister!! I know my aunt was when my cousin attended Harvard law school. She wouldn't stop talking about it. LOL!!

    I love TB flats! You're so right, they're very uncomfortable on at first. It does take a while to break them in. I have a patent pair in the color sand, and they hurt my feet still. Well, i only wear them 3 times so far. Most of my shoes are 7.5 in size, but i have to wear an 8 in the TB flats. It's strange how the TB sales associate advises me to get half a size smaller b/c the leather will stretch out, but in fact, i need to go half a size up.

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  13. So I am not even halfway through your post but decided to open a comment box up right now so I can write as I go because I have SO much to comment to you about.
    Is it weird that I feel like your my blogger buddy? haha
    Wow that sounds super creepy but it really is not supposed to be haha

    But I never knew BBB had nail polish nor makeup stuff! That is SO great. I JUST got the "Shine" polish at ULTA @ Northgate mall for free, actually! The Seventeen magazine I got in the mail (It is a little embarrasing I still get 17, for some reason, they just keep coming! haha) but the mag. had a coupon for that color, or a blue or neon pink. Shine was gorgeous and I swooped it up right away :)
    I am actually going to blog about it soon haha

    Also, I LOVE the crown nail file. I JUST got a file this past weekend with crowns on it! I am obsessed. I am seriously thinking about going to buy the one you bought too because it is SO cute.

    So I had no idea at Pinkberry you can get pomegranate in the ice cream! You know they are putting a pinkberry on Broadway over on Capitol Hill? I am SO excited for it!

    Dang I didn't realize people at Harvard viewed state schools as everyone views community college. You and your sister seem very down to earth, but is it hard because at Harvard are a lot of people stuck up/ not down to Earth?
    My mouth dropped to know that your sister nearly got a full-ride to Harvard! & at 59,000 a year, that is a GREAT thing to have paid for by Harvard.
    Good for her though! & good for you too for graduating from MSU even though it is only a "state" school as you say haha-(totally good still though) :)

    Oh my gosh- that is so great about the lower tax- I believe WA state has the highest sales tax in the nation. Also, that is SO cool about the under $100.00 thing! I wish WA would catch on haha

    I can't wait to see your blog on your Sephora huge haul! So crazy but so cool! haha
    & your clearcube video, etc.

    The pic. of you and your fam. in Boston is super, super cute! Boston looks like a very beautiful city!

    ALSO-- not relating to this post: So I totally went and got my eyebrows and lip threaded in the Northgate mall! I definitely was inspired to do so by u! haha
    I had always wanted it done, but after you did it and I saw the photos, etc. I was convinced haha
    It was a great experience and if I don't break out super bad, etc. I definitely might get the membership thing so it is cheaper in the long run!

    TTYL (&sorry for the super, super long post)- Pearls&Politics

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  14. BTW, the food looked amazing!!! The whole fish dish looked scaryyyyy!! I'd eat everything, but that. Haha!!

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  15. Wow..Harvard will forever be one of my dreams haha I have no doubt that your sister is doing very well there..she'll probably will become valedictorian, dont you think so? hehe

    Boston is my place to be! I LOVE seafood..it would be so nice to have lobster rolls here in this darn land locked state..bleh

    I'm glad you had a safe and awesome trip with your family :]

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  16. This blog post may seem long but I loved it cause it went by super quick for me. Heheh! The pictures are awesome especially the campus pics. I didnt think it was that beautiful! But now after seeing your pictures its way nicer than I'd imagine.

    Oh goodness, I love your food pics. Drools! Ha ha. I absoultely love seafood and seeing those lobster legs and oysters looks so yummylicious. I can also see why your parents pick asian food over american. Heheh, my parents are the same. Steph, your always buying shoes from Nordstorm, I wanna see your shoe collection. I bet you have like 20 pairs of TB shoes! heheh. I did like the first pair you were holding, I'd definitely wear em. :) Well overall, great blog post and the pictures really sum everything up by saying you did have a great time with your family + Minh. :)

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  17. Boston sounds fun! :) I hope I will be able to visit Boston one day and your post will be my tour guide teehee :)

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  18. That's so awesome you all got a chance to go to harvard.. Your sister is a smarty pants! I wish I was the same way but I've always disliked school. I'm in my fourth year of college and I still hate it!! I'm sure when I graduate and start working a 9 to 5 job I would miss being in school more :(

    I love your hauls. Cannot wait for that $913 haul from sephora! At least you splurged on stuff you love. I spent about $150 today printing and mounting stuff for my final project :( there goes my Christmas money.

    Anyway, welcome back. And I missed your blogs so much while you were away. Lol. Its like a nightly routine for me, come home, take a shower, check steph's blog (and a few others), and on to homework!

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  19. That's so awesome you all got a chance to go to garbage. Your sister is a smarty pants! I wish I was the same way but I've always disliked school. I'm in my fourthvyear of college and I still hate it!! I'm sure when I graduate and start working a 9 to 5 job I would miss being in school more :(

    I love your hauls. Cannot wait for that $913 haul from sephora! At least you splurged on stuff you love. I spent about $150 today printing and mounting stuff for my final project :( there goes my Christmas money.

    Anyway, welcome back. And I missed your blogs so much while you were away. Lol. Its like a nightly routine for me, come home, take a shower, check steph's blog (and a few others), and on to homework!

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  20. Harvard looks amazing! So does that crazy building at MIT. I loveeeee lobster rolls, so gooood! That orzo also looks really big for orzo lol. I'm glad you had such an amazing time in Cambridge though! I just found out that there is a Nordstrom Rack in Union Square, NYC when I went home for Thanksgiving. First thing T thought of was you when I saw it! Too bad I didn't have time to check it out :(. Hopefully when I go back in January!

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  21. Did you ever get the Orly Cosmic FX collection that was a dupe to the MAC VV collection polishes? They are really nice! Essie has been amping up their game. I use to think they just made polishes for the "office," like neutral colors and such, but I have been loving their fall colors.
    Those red croc Tory's are HOT! I was just at a TB store & it's hard because I want everything.
    Harvard/ Boston has so much history. I found that after I have moved away from the fam, that I actually want to spend time with them.
    Michael Buble FTW!!

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  22. Wow, this post was awesome! Go away more often if you are going to come back with a BANG like you did now haha, glad you had a fabulous time, and I had NO idea that Matt Damon went to harvard. Cool!

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  23. yay ! update post...

    i had no idea triple b's sell orly !! hehe.. i always get coupons in the mail and never use them.. i shall stroll in one day.. =D hopefully my store has them.. and i like the idea of calling them "triple b's" lol!

    i've never seen or heard of TB's until i started reading blogs.. lol.. i've yet to seem them at nordstrom here in VA.. either they are always sold out or they don't carry them?? idk.. the red crocodile flats look great!! it's love at first sight! lol. i'll probably never find them..

    i am such a noob when it comes to art.. i have lots of wallspace in my house too.. but barely any art.. although i am always looking.. i just cant justify spending 200$+ for a painting that i don't really like.. =(

    harvard looks like such a pretty campus.. i really know nothing of the school traditions/myths/famous ppl that went there, but it was very interesting to read.. hehe.. i know awhile ago you also said to go to harvardrejects.com lol.. and i thought that was hilarious! i posted it on my facebook and my friends thought it was funny too!

    the shrimp noodle crepe is my favorite dimsum dish too!! i went to a vietnamese restaurant and they making something simliar.. idk what its called but i remembered they topped it with peanuts and such.. still good!

    i've never tried lobster rolls.. but being on the east coast.. i need to get try some!

    woooo. i think i got everything i wanted to say ^_^

    btw. i love your long posts.. haha.. idk why. most ppl like short, sweet, and to the point.. and i love to read read read blog posts.. i wish i was the same way with my schoolbooks..

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  24. OMG!! The food looks AMAZING not to mention all those nailpolishes!! =D I want them all!! Harvard is so very pretty! I can't wait to actually see if in real life one day :)

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  26. sounds so fun in Boston! =) should make a trip down there soon. and WOW nailpolish galore! i wish i lived next door to beauty supplies and stuff...it would make my life so much easier...and leave me broke!

    harvard is absolutely GORGEOUS. if only i was smart enough =P

    and WHAT? no sales tax under $100?? no way. i would buy so many shoes and clothes they'd burst out of my closet...oh wait, that's my closet right now! LOL

    and OMG michael buble! YOU WERE SO CLOSE i'm so jealous!

    glad you're back Steph!

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  27. OMG, so much seafood, you've made me hungry. Even though I've never eaten lobsters and oysters, I find myself constantly craving them. I wonder what that's all about, haha?

    Harvard campus looks gorgeous! Tbh, if someone mentioned in a conversation that they're from there, I'd be instantly curious and would probably end up bombarding them with questions, rather than let it ruin the conversation. :D

    OH! And I also love the paintings you chose - they even seem to depict a similar era. It reminded me that I need to go out and buy some paintings as well for my apartment - my walls are completely bare right now, and while the white walls look good, it gets kind of boring after a while.

    As for the Maybelline display - the design of the new line looks great, and I agree about new displays being tempting! Too bad that most drugstore foundations break me out, my skin's kind of picky.

    When I first got into nailpolishes, I used to use quite a of of Essie, but I haven't touched them since OPI came to Estonia. Now the formula seems kind of.. watery, and the brush is a bit skinny for my taste. They do have a huge color selection, and if I ever decide that I want to give OPI a rest, I'll give Essie another try. As for Orly, I've been wanting to try it forever, but they don't sell it here, so I guess I'll have to wait. :)


    Maria

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  28. The Tory Burch flats are gorgeous; especially the red crocodile pair! But I opt for a Tory Burch wallet instead when I went to Nordstrom.. fell in love the moment I saw it<3 Tho now seeing all your pics makes me want a pair of Tory Burch flats again!

    Also reminds me I have to pick up a Seche Vite, everyone's been raving about it! Except seeing the $10 price tag here in Canada just made me die a little ><

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  29. Great find on the mini Orly polishes, they are so cute! And at less than $4 a bottle after your 20% discount, that's a deal! Heck if I had that many coupons and a BBB next to me, I would go everyday to get one too.

    Kleenex has super cute designs on their boxes now, makes them seem more like accessories than necessities.

    You should look into independent doggy day cares around your area instead of the Petsmart one, Petsmart seems a bit "so-so" with watching them. My coworker used it before and she says independent ones (where you drop your babies off at a house instead of a shop) are way more loving with your pets - they make sure your pets eat, get playtime, don't fight, etc. Nickel (and Wally and Timmy) are such lucky pups to be fed boiled chicken!! I'm afraid to feed it to my dog incase he gets accustomed to it and then refuses to eat his dry food, oi that would not be a good thing. Maybe one day though when I have more time to pamper him.

    The Hayward campus looks stunning! And congrats to your sister for getting in with a full ride (hey, almost full-ride is practically a full ride!). Think of all the visits you and your parents can squeeze in in the next three years, so jealous!

    Can't wait to see your updated Clear Cube video.

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  30. What an awesome post...I loved reading it. All the food sure looks yummy and I can't wait to see what my bed bath and beyond has in the beauty aisle the next time I'm there! The Nordstrom Rack shoes look super cute, too...are they as comfy as they look?

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  31. I'm so glad you're back to bloggin'!! I missed your cute posts lol. Sephora haul??!! I wanna see!!!

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  32. Glad you had lots of fun. Expect a lil card in the mail within the next couple of days!

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  33. Yay on the update!
    Your pups are soooo cute, I want to hug them!
    Nice Tory Burch finds! I have a couple pairs of the Revas but find them uncomfortable because I have un-proportionally wide feet! =( Hope yours are more comfy!
    And Julia is SO smart, full ride?!?! That's amazing! What field is she going to study, science? Whatever it is, she's going to be unbelievably successful!

    -M

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  34. YAY new blog! =)

    I'm glad you had such a good time in Boston! I had no idea the city was so fancy and full of good food! definitely one of the places to check out. what are you guys doing for christmas? everyone head home back to Michigan for a last hurrah? haha when i saw you twitter about doing your nails, i was going to ask you if you ever use Konad plates but it sort of looks like you did in the most recent one? i've been really in to Konad-ing lately and get so many compliments even from boys ;) hahah and ugh, i didn't even know Essie even had that many colors! How come everything in Seattle is 1000x cooler than San Diego? My BBB doesn't carry nail polishes at all! and my ulta is always sold out of everything =(

    OPI's Diva of Geneva looks really good with your skin tone. super sexy but still good for the holidays haha ;) i never tried Orly but when you said their metallic polish is light, i was hooked!

    and ugh you know I've gone to Nordstrom Rack a ton of times since you blogged about finding Tory Burch there! I even make my bf go when I can't but never have we seen a single Tory Burch item! just a ton of Coach shoes and Cole Haan. i have 2 of the Groupon coupons and I don't even know what to use them for :( your shoe collection sounds ridiculous now btw! how many TB shoes do you have now!? 4? 5?!?!?!

    and what kind of a name is Super Mall? lol the creative juices were flowing when they decided on that one!

    and i was never a fan of snakeskin anything before but the pair you picked up for your sister and the black pair are TDF! i might even like the black pair more than the classic revas? maybe maybe. lol love the little bow detailing.

    i learn so much from your blog. i didn't even know BCF sold paintings? love the color scheme on them. very office appropriate!

    hope you're not stressing out from orders or anything! its so cool how most of your business is international? and you never showed us your clear cube all filled up!!! gosh!! :)

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  35. OMG you have one of the longest blog posts of anyone. but i love it! i love seeing places other people are visiting and what they're up to. (my friends call my nosy...i say i'm just being curious :P )

    First of all, that's awesome your sister goes to Harvard! Not so awesome you went to MSU. But only because your school beat my school (UIUC) pretty badly this past season haha

    Also, is there a Sally's by you? They sell full sized orly for $5.99. And it's even cheaper if you have their beauty card. And I HATE ESSIE. omg finally someone else who doesn't like them! It takes like 4 coats for a color to be even semi opaque!

    drooling over those tory burch wedges and i'm really looking forward to seeing at massive sephora haul! and don't even get me started on the food :P

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  36. Wow Steph, thanks for making me super hungry. I love seafood vs land food (chicken, beef, pork, etc). Seeing all that oysters and lobsters makes my tummy rumble. Hahah, but I'm MB is sooo dreamy. I really love his voice and his stage charisma is amazing.

    Yes, please do post up your clear cube w/ all the makeup in it. I duno, if I was the owner of a nail salon (lol), I'd buy a buncha clear cubes and stick all the pretty nail polishes according to color scheme in each compartment. I think that would look awesome!

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  37. aww it looks like you had so much fun! the silver nail polish is super pretty! i saw those tb wedges and nordies rack and i wanted them soo bad! but damn my college budget! one day, one day. harvard totally looks like hogwarts haha

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  38. yay for a long post with tons of great pictures! (: it feels as tho I was there experiencing all the good things with u! hehehe it would be totally awesome if i could own a whole shelf of those Orly Mini polishes. its like if u were feeling a certain tint of red, u could choose a dark or light shade. I never new Triple B had all these goodies! I should go check out mine near me.

    aww Timmy & Wally <3

    more fancy lookin flats to ur collection. :D does the female attorney at the office have her own little art gallery? HAHAHA the pictures u took of Harvard makes me want to go explore and visit the university. the buildings all look so big and tall!

    when i do visit Boston I can't wait to check out their Chinatown! I've been to Toronto's Chinatown, most of New York's but Boston n California I have yet to go LOL all the food pics look super delicious! its making my mouth water hahaha that lobster's claw looks like the size of our own hand! O_O

    anyways i am so glad to hear u had an awesome time in Boston with ur family! very happy to see you back! missed u! :)



    -SharBEAR

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  39. Ooh! You're so lucky to live right beside a place that sells so many polishes! It's kind of hard for me to find good selections of OPI, Essie, and Orly in Toronto =/
    I hope that Maybelline's new line will come to Canada soon! It looks so cool!

    Yay! You got the shoes you wanted and a couple more! You must love shoes. huh? I've seen so many shoe pictures from you! LOL

    Harvard looks so awesome! Heehee, the "H" bomb!! I'm so proud of your sister too (I think I said that before already) She's going to have a fantastic future!

    The buildings at MIT's campus looks coolio!! They look like something from a cartoon!!

    OMG! My favourite Dim Sum dish!!! My whole family loves it!! When we go out for dim sum, we usually each order a plate of this! =)
    Love the rest of the food too!! I love seafood too but I get allergic reactions from it if I eat too much =(

    I'm glad you had a great time with your family!! The last picture is beautiful, with a lovely family and a beautiful background =) All that's missing in Minh, heehee! XD

    Good luck with your DSK orders! I hope all your lovely customers will enjoy your pieces and that it will reach them before Christmas! *hugs*

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  40. Nice to know that BB&B has the Orly nail polishes, now I can finally use those coupons that I get from BB&B. BTW, NYC has recently put tax back on clothing purchases, so the no tax under $100 on clothing is over. NJ and Boston is the place to go to buy clothes without tax. =P

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  41. no tax on clothes/shoes under $100?! Your kidding me! I live in Canada so that would be a miracle. lol

    Ive never been to Boston but it looks absolutely gorgeous!

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  42. Finally! My computer's having issues. This is the 5th try to comment. Arrrgh!

    Movin on...

    Ok, talk about food porn! Eating Viet vermicelli while really craving for oysters! Oooh, slurp. Looks like you had lots of awesomeness! Bet Minh was feeling in his element when you guys went to 'Legal Seafood' huh?

    Not a fan of Essie polishes. Their base formula is ~eh~ and colors are blase. Of course, OPI's formula is much better. My biased opinion. ;) But Orly's 'Shine' is beautiful! Perfect for the holiday season.

    Since reading your post a while back about the TB Revas, I've been stalking my local NR for them and still don't have one in my possession! OMG, they are so hard to find! I even went to the TB store at South Coast Plaza on Black Friday to see if I'll get lucky but they were all still more expensive than NR! Boo! Lucky Steph and Julia!

    I would love to visit the East Coast one day when the little one is older. The East Coast has so much more history and class than the West Coast. Not complaining though. The West Coast is so much more lax and chill.

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  43. first off, DAMN UR DOGS GREW!!! lol ...i love the "shine" np. it doesnt get any more metallic than that. I love ur food porn. I'm asian so the whole steamed fish looks delish! =)

    and do make those videos! i'm sure we're all interested!

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  44. Good luck with the shipping Steph! You can do it :D
    The Orly Mini Polishes look amazing, so many colours to choose from! Shame I live in Scotland though... I doubt they'll have it here T_T If they did, I would've probably bought them all haha!
    Wally & Timmy have grown up so much! Hope Penny gets well soon ^^
    The food photos look so tasty, they also look like huge portions compared to Scotland! I know some are supposed to be shared amongst others but it does look pretty big ^^
    Cant believe you went to see Michael Buble! His singing just melts everyones hearts haha! Oh... he looks amazing live, I wanna go see him some day! =D
    Lovely family photo too! Your mum seems to have good fashion sense too, I like her chocolate UGGs ^^

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  45. I love all those photos especially of the hottie Buble. Check out my facebook I posted a video where he walked in to the aisle passed my Boyfriend(now ex) and GRABBED HIS ARM and looked at him and said "hey buddy" it was magical!
    I love the foodie pics!! yum
    I would totally rock out the Harvard gear cuz I'd feel special and want the world to know it ha ha instead I just went to University of MD. oh well....

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  46. I've heard of the name Tory Burch are they really that comfortable compared to regular flats? What's the big deal? I'm curious now and contemplating calling my local Rack and see if they have some for my feet I'm a 8-8.5! Shoes are hard to find

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  47. WOW! it seems like you had an amazing time visiting your sister. I LOVE seeing pictures of food. For whatever reason those tend to be my favorites. Im glad you had such a good time seeing where your sister spends her time, she must totally miss you. I would really like to see how you have filled up the clear glass box you got a few weeks ago...where did it go?

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  48. wow harvard looks amazing!!.. huge area for it too.. well compared to my piddly sydney city ones where everythign is squashed.

    im newish to here :) so im sort of going through the past posts also hehe.. i like pictures :D all the pretty makeup n nail polish and shopping posts hehe..

    so please dont mind me if you see me posting on realllly old blog posts.. ^__^

    Tinny

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  49. I LOVVEEE DIOR make up I have never tried their brushes though I hope they work out well I usually use MAC brushes because my friend gets discount and their high quality. Im sure Dior probably is to I have to test them.

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  50. Wow it seems like you really had fun visiting your sister. All that food looks really good. It must be funny looking at all the students avoid the gate. I guess its good that they dont say they go Harvard.

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  51. I AM SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK!!! :D i have to say though... your blog never helps with my diet!! FOOD PR0N!!! hahaa i'm so hungry now...

    harvard is freakin beautiful! i'm so jealous you got to go to the east coast! i was planning to go next week but because of our wedding in 7 months, we decided to cancel the trip to save some money :( AND i can't believe your sis got almost a full ride!!! smarty :)

    one last thing: michael buble!! <3 SWOOON!!!! looks like you got awesome seats!

    glad to see you back... now check your old blog comments and see my kiwi video!!! :D

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  52. why am i so late on commenting!!!...

    I am glad you had a blast in Boston...congrats on your sister for getting a full ride to HAVVVADDDDDD...what a smartie! great snags on the TB...they take a while to break in but my gosh are they lovely...let me ask you would you ever consider living here in boston? i could deal with it if the weather wasn't sooo harsh as in 13 degree harsh! btw your blog does not update on my blogroll :(..that is mainly where i catch up with all my reads... says it cant detect a feed :( tried multiple times but no bueno

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  53. What a LONG entry!! :D :D :D I love to read long posts. Now... where to start!

    Okay, first... I love the metallic nail polish!! It's like a party on your nails!! LOL I use to fear metallic colors will chip off fast because the color is so sharp. But thank god for top coats! LOL

    I love BBB too!! :) Triple B, that's funny! They take expired coupons as well!! I went to a few of the stores once and had an expired coupon and they said it's fine. They also take competitor ones from Anna's Linens and Michaels (maybe)... lol Just an FYI for you in case you need it! :p I used it there to buy face washes! Some of the stores have an awesome selection of beauty stuff! :) It looks like yours does since they have Orly :) Lucky that you live so close!! :D I would go all the time if I lived that close!! And you are going to do your nails in the office?? LOL!!
    Minh is going to be working so hard and you will be on the phone doing your nails :) That's the life!

    Gld you had fun in Vancouver! Is that close to the border of Canada? :) I've never been to Vancouver, only Seattle :p Why do you all have such adorable doggies! Aww, they are so cute!!!!!! :)

    Those TB flats are gorgeous!!!! I want to invest in a nice designer flat so I'll always wear something nice no matter where I go :) hahaha Nordstrom Rack it is for me this weekend! I love the pieces you bought at Burlington :) It's nice to have nice wall art at work.

    Yay for pomegrantes! I actually got some too and I am waiting to do that water thing with it so all my seeds can come out. I used to be so ridic with the fruit LOL It took me years to open and take the seeds out!! LOL

    Your sister's campus is amazing. I was one of those people who went to rub the statue's shoe for good luck!! LOL A few summers ago I went on an East Coast trip to NY, Boston, Philly, etc and like the nerd, I visited the Havard and MIT campuses. Harvard was as breathtaking as it is beautiful... absolutely a historical masterpiece of a campus. It's amazign :)

    Glad you had a great vacation!! Michael Buble is great!! I have all his older Christmas albums and stuff :) I hear his music a lot of the radio these days! :D He must be better live though :) haha

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  54. Wow...what a super long post. Took me 20 minutes to read it all.

    I love 'pig noodles' too...(what u had for dim sum). Haven't had that for a while.

    Your sister is sooooo smart! $59k/year on a full scholarship!

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  55. i want...everythign in this post. nailpolish, brush kit. michael buble concert, fancy shoes. lol JEALOUSY!!!!:))) haha the food... however..i dunno..its not my style harhar :)))D

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  56. what a great long post, now i don't even know which one to comment on. congrats to your sister, being able to get a full ride to any school is the pride of an asian family. i happened to get a full ride too, and it is such a relief for our family, so congrats to julia and your parents = )

    i didn't know harvard had the guy with the golden shoe too, i thought that was only at yale . . . i guess i will have to find out about that soon. anyway, boston is a lot of fun, i need to visit again soon

    o yea, the $913 haul? i wish i had that money, but then again i'm not smart like you to have your own company at such a young age

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  57. the whopper thing cracked me up!! and harvidians hahah
    yay you got the coconut wedges. i think they're super cute. you always find good stuff at nordiess

    i'm glad you had a fun time here in boston :) i wish i still find this place fun lol
    the good thing about the T is that is conveniently brings you everywhere around boston. did you take it during rush hour? OMG it is crazy packed!

    i'm like swallowing air reading this post..so hungry. :P
    there's a legal seafoods right next to the aquarium which is so weird because it's like you go see saved fishies and marine animals and then you walk across the street to eat them lol

    i hope you post abt your sephora haul soon! :))

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  58. Ohh, I hope you got some great days in Boston with your family, but seeing the pictures I have been a great day. You've done everything that he likes a girl, shopping, walking and eating tasty dishes, and watch Michael Bubble!. I love that man, I love his voice.

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  59. Hey there, I'm a new subbie.

    Looks really cold in Boston. LOL. I'm heading out your way to Seattle in a few weeks, hopefully won't be too bad.

    Making me very hungry....

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  60. Wow Orly has so many colors to chose from! I love triple B...haha One of my favorite stores. Aww the doggies are super cute when they sleeping like that. You took some great shots of the school, and wow that tuition is enough to give me a heart attack...haha The food looks delish!

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  61. OMG... Michael is STUNNING!!!! Oh and I loooove the silver and red nails... so gorgeous! Oh and glad to see you back!

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  62. omg look at all that food! salivating right now! I wish I could have a seafood feast like that. yum yum yum

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Thank you for your comments!