I originally was not going to post a recipe for this as I'm not much of a chef. However, my fellow blogger, Bivi, gave me the friendly suggestion and I thought why not. So, here it is! I apologize ahead of time if the instructions are a somewhat lackluster. I had seen something similar on a website and wanted to emulate it with my own twist. Also, I only took one photo on my phone the entire night because I was too caught up in holiday revelries to remember to document everything. As I made them rather quickly, I am recalling the steps from memory. If you need a last minute party food for the new year, look no further. These mashed potato meatballs are super quick and easy to make, requiring very little effort. They look wonderful once plated and sure to grab everyone's attention. Without further adieu...!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions on the box of mashed potatoes. Add the extra seasoning to preference/taste.
1. Notes: For myself, I like a lot of garlic and peppers and often just eye it instead of measuring.
2. Set aside once finished.
3. As I didn't access to the oven, I sauteed the meatballs instead in the olive oil in a large nonstick pan for about 15-20 minutes until the outside is a golden brown and slightly crispy.
4. Arrange the meatballs on your pretty glass plate.
5. Top the meatballs with a dollop each of cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.
6. And you're done!
7. Note: I would recommend cooking the meatballs in the oven with the cranberry sauce to make it juicier. Pan frying can make them a bit dry (but that's why you secretly spoon more cranberry sauce onto your plate when the host isn't looking!).

Happy Holidays!

While I didn't experience a white Christmas (no white frosted winters here in SoCal!), the weather here has finally been cold enough that I could throw on a thick coat without sweating profusely. Autumn seems to have arrived late in our sunny state, but that's nothing to be surprised about. I'm  thoroughly enjoying it, however. Surrounded by all these beautiful leaves, what's not to love? Well, it's more like a couple of maple trees scattered here and there that we see on the road. We can't help but stop and take a look, slowly taking in this rare scene. They're not overly abundant here. I would like to take a trip to the east coast one day just to view the fall foliage. If that Family Guy episode speaks true about how congested and crowded it gets during leaf peeping season, I'm not sure I could handle it! I do have to say that during my stay many years ago that autumn in Japan, especially Kyoto, is absolutely stunning. I noticed the Japanese maple leaves were smaller and more delicate. And they turn a beautiful deep crimson red. It's amazing how many temples there are and the walks leading to them are so peaceful and awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit them all. I would love to visit again some day.

 ...to be jolly! Christmas is just days away and I feel like I'm walking in a daze of dazzling ornaments, twinkling lights and glittering tinsels. Everywhere I go, I am bombarded by displays of decked out Christmas trees and holiday streamers, brilliant and colorful under bright white lights. Every corner is a scene in itself. Scents of cinnamon and sugar and rich, sweet chocolate waft under my nose, and just a little longer, I might find myself inside a candy shop with bags full of sweets. And the nostalgic sound of classic Christmas music echo from a distance, recalling tender memories of our precious childhood. All this to say, I'm not ready for Christmas yet! I haven't wrapped any of my presents yet. I still need to sew on the eyes and nose of my fox scarves. I'm determined to knit until my hands can no longer move, stiff and clawlike. Who knows, you may find me resembling a zombie on Christmas day. Though I hope not. I want my face to be bright and cheerful, eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement - just like those faces you see on TV.

Even as a child, I was always interested in astronomy. How my eyes would light up should they witness a shooting star streak across the dark night sky. Ephemeral and radiant. The thing that always gets me is that our galaxy is just one of billions in the vast universe. How many other habitable planets must there be? How many other lifeforms? How insignificant everything seems then. My life seems to matter little in the grand scheme of the universe. I'm just this tiny little human being living on a planet in one galaxy. And to think that our living sun is just one of billions in the Milky Way. Now times that by all the other galaxies out there and just how many stars are there out there? Way too many to count.

While this particular outfit isn't as festive, I wanted to do a remix of this dress I wore around the same time last year. Unfortunately, the scrunched part of the dress sits higher than my natural waist so it protruded above the skirt in a rather unsightly way if I wasn't careful. Rather than worry about that, I decided to wear it anyway just because I really liked how the outfit turned out (just don't look too closely! :P). And just look how beautiful this little ginkgo tree is. Once a shade of light green now a lovely gold. Almost like a tree with thousands delciately gold-winged butterflies resting on their branches. I would love to come across an enormous full grown ginkgo tree. I remember when I was very young, one of my teachers told me that some gingko trees give off an odorous smell when it sheds its berries and its leaves start to turn yellow, signifying the coming of fall. I've never been at the right time at the right moment to experience this and honestly, I'm not sure I want to. I heard it's quite putrid!

 I had a rather eventful weekend full of music and dancing and cheerful holiday merrymaking. One of those nights we attended the Queen Mary CHILL event featuring a brightly lit Alice in Wonderland themed maze. I'd say this was the highlight of night. I had been convinced that ice skating was included with the general admission ticket but I was clearly wrong. It was an additional $15 on top of the Groupon ticket we purchased. As soon as we saw the actual rink, we were ecstatic that we had decided against it. It was really small and absolutely not worth it, imho.

Though we arrived with only a few hours until closing, and despite it being really crowded (don't remember if I said it before but I dislike crowded places), all in all, I had a pleasant time. I was initially disappointed that the actual event was located outside of the Queen Mary, but it makes sense for this to be outdoors. There were carnival rides and many food booths, which mostly took only cash and which we failed to carry on us that night! We had already stood in line and were ready to order hot apple cider and warm, crispy churros to go with it, happy as could be. Then, the joyous light in our eyes vanquished as soon as they alighted on the sign "CASH ONLY". Our life force shriveled into cold black coals, the ghosts of our souls seeping out of our gaping mouths. We slowly and mournfully walked away. The sweet lingering scent of cinnamon and sugar trailed after us. Ah, I could almost taste it. Such treachery.

 So sad. A child lost her precious little mitten!

***

What I wore:

Coat: Target (similar)

Dress: Choies

Oxfords: Miz Mooz

Beret: me

Photos: John & me

  I apologize in advance for the brevity of this past as I've got to catch up on all the fox scarves I promised friends and family I'd knit and give away as presents this Christmas. As it is, I'm super behind and have finished only a few. Anyway, a little bit about this vintage cardigan: I discovered this lovely gem some time ago before I banned myself from thrift shopping (I go way too often). My eyes were drawn to the color and pattern like moths to the glow of light. I don't think I can find anything else like this and that's what makes it so special.

 They say there are two types of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Clearly, I am the former. With the holiday season putting me in a very festive mood, I find it all too easy to overindulge this time of the year. I'll reach for that extra helping of mac n cheese or slice of pizza, that extra piece of decadent truffle chocolate or delicious Hokkaido cheese tart. And with all that eating, I've come to rely on A-line dresses like this festive red/navy plaid number (worn last year here) to hide my food baby. 

  I cannot express how happy I am that autumn has finally graced our sunny Southern Californian region. A blanket of dark, grey clouds stretched over our blue skies this past Thanksgiving weekend and unleashed a torrent of gusty rain. The temperature dropped significantly, requiring all to dig out their thick, warm coats and blast the heater inside their homes. I always thought the city looks so beautiful after a bout of rain. The smog and pollution have been temporarily washed away. The snow-tipped mountains now loom tall and dark behind the city - vivid and striking, no longer forgotten. The air is cold and crisp. The streets glitter, remnants of rain still lingering. And the plants and trees produce the most lush, vibrant greens.

I'm happy to say that I'm finally a proud owner of mustard colored tights. As someone with so-called thunder thighs, I've always been told to stay away from bright colors because they draw more attention to unwanted areas. "You must wear dark bottoms and light tops," they said. For many years, I'd only wear black tights because black is more "slimming". Well, that kind of mentality was bothering me for a while. I'm already a very shy person who ironically likes things that tend to attract people's attention. But finally I said screw it. I'm going for it. And I'm happy I did. It was such a wonderfully contrasting color to all the black I was wearing.

  I attended a wedding this past weekend and was not really up for fancy attire as I'd been sick nearly the entire week. Regretfully, I couldn't make it to the ceremony. Since the reception wouldn't take place until evening, I dropped by the park to kill some time. It was a beautiful day with clouds slowly blanketing the sky, bringing temperatures down to a pleasant temperature. The wind blew soft and gentle, the rustling of leaves a comforting sound. While families were out having lively picnics and peering curiously over at me, I was quite happy spending time alone by myself at the park. Most people fear being alone in public places, but I've come to enjoy it immensely lately. It's a very liberating and peaceful feeling. Aside from the two young men who playfully shouted "Say cheese!" at me, the photoshoot went well. I'm starting to get over my anxiety of onlookers judging me or stealing my equipment.  My battery was fully charged. And no one derailed me from my purpose for 20 minutes with their lifestory this time either. 

Indeed, a silly fool I was. I was excited to do this shoot because it was finally cool enough to wear this mustard beret I knitted last week. I had left my home and scampered off into the park without bothering to check one very important thing: my camera battery. I happily set up the tripod, managed some test shots, and watched a couple of squirrels play in the trees. All was ready. I ran on over to my spot and posed a few times while the self-timer went off. Ran back to check the photos. "Not bad," I said to myself as I deleted all the fails. As soon as I returned from a second round of photos, I saw that awful blinking warning on the display that tells you the battery is low and can't take anymore pictures! So, these were all that I managed to take. It really was unfortunate because I was quite eager to practice different angles as I don't always want to depend on someone else to do it. So, let this be a lesson for us all. Don't forget to charge your battery and always check before you leave!

 Many things didn't work out this weekend. I was to wear this outfit to a nice dinner in honor of our 8 years together, but I didn't expect to get so violently ill. I had woken up early and ran off into the park to snap these photos all by myself. John was still asleep. I wanted to surprise him by getting all dolled up in this sweet dress and lovely coat, which I completely abandoned right after this shoot because the weather was exceedingly hot. So, dinner didn't happen. We were also supposed to get brunch on Sunday with our friends but had to cancel that too. Sad days.

 It's been a rather stressful week to put it lightly. Things didn't work out the way I had hoped. I moped around for some time but eventually roused myself from the lethargic lull following a certain momentous event. I needed to get mind off things and this post was not going write itself. As famously quoted in Moulin Rouge (one of my favorite movies of all time), 

 With the lack of fall foliage in my life - aside from artificial decorations exploding from all the stores I visit - I find myself impulsively drawn to autumnal golds and russet reds. Even pumpkin oranges like this knit top I purchased from Uniqlo. You cannot imagine the happiness that alighted me as soon as I found out that Uniqlo stores were opening in select areas around me. When I was living in Japan for a short time many years ago, I'd visit the store quite often. I was unprepared for the cold weather in Japan as I was used to winters in California. I was completely enamored by the "Heat-Tec" technology in some of their basic clothing. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It's supposed to keep heat in so you stay warmer. And it really does. I still have one of the striped, long sleeved shirts I bought then, which I save for when it gets really cold. Makes me kinda sweaty otherwise.

 Remember what I said about shrinking your clothes in the washer/dryer and how you run the risk of too much shrinkage? Well, this burnt orange dress was a victim of such an atrocity. I purposely meant to shrink it down a size but I wasn't expecting it to shrink that much. It's shorter than I'd prefer but I still like it a lot. I'm just glad I'm short because no one wants to see butt cheeks! I think it's a good time to try my hand at one of those "how-to's" to reverse the damage. Should be easy, right? I would hate to ruin it. It's got such an awesome 70s inspired silhouette that's just so groovy (hehe). I love the vibrant, foxy burnt orange hue. I can already see myself wearing it with boots some time in the future.

 And so we come to this at last. The Velvet Panoply. I felt this name perfectly reflected the reason why I dress the way I do. I grew up with friends who weren't as interested in clothes/appearance as I was and often felt overdressed when we went anywhere. I was very self conscious of this but did not let it bother me because I felt comfortable and safe in the dress or blouse/skirt I wore. I felt like me. I love to wear soft, pretty, feminine things. This is who I am. I don't wear these things to garner attention. Attention is the last thing I want but because I differ from others around me, I obviously do stick out like a sore thumb at times. But I am happiest and brightest when I dress for myself. Just like a gleaming armor is part of a knight, my clothes are an extention of me. I feel good and condident.  I feel powerful in my own way. Do I need them to feel like this? No. And I honestly think as a matter of self expression, it is key to do what makes one happy. If I am seen as vain or conceited because I'd rather slip on my pretty clothes, then so be it. It surely will not be the death of me.

 Thought it was appropriate to make a post about our little adventure to The Rise exhibit. On display were thousands of uniquely carved pumpkins. There were simply too many to capture them all on camera so I've chosen a few I thought were especially interesting. As pictures are worth a thousands words, I'll let the pumpkins tell their story today. Enjoy!

 As stated by the title, that is exactly what we did last weekend. I needed to drop off my phone at the Apple store to get it fixed and knew was going to take several hours. I'd planned to do some shoots while we waited. What I hadn't planned on was for it to rain! When I left the house, it was nice and sunny. After I dropped off the phone and walked out of the mall, it was pouring. Normally I do check the weather but I truly thought I was safe. Didn't bring any umbrellas or jackets. We decided to wait it out and get a bite to eat. By the time we were done, the rain was letting up a little. Luckily, we found this grove of bamboo trees and were surprised the ground beneath was completely dry.

 I'm not too keen on DIY projects but thought this costume was the cutest thing ever. I had a talk with a friend and we encouraged each other to make something and show each other. And so I thought why not make a Halloween costume. It's fairly easy and does take a couple of hours. I split it between two days because I haven't that much time. I followed the basic guidelines from this blog and this one, tweaking them a little to fit what I had envisioned in my head. I feared it would turn into one of those Pinterest fails but I'm pretty darn proud of what I accomplished. And it was really fun!

 We visited Tanaka Farm last year and decided to stop by there again this year (mostly because our favorite Thai food place is here). And once again, the weather was in the high 80s. I often forget that my legs too need protection from the sun. So while the rest of me was safe, my legs burned that day. I already have a skin defect on my legs that make them darker than the rest of my body so this only makes it more obvious. Yay! Anyway, the corn maze is a must when visiting the farm. Because we went so late in October, it was super crowded. Any shots of my alone without others in them are pure luck and mad skillz. JK. As we really had to time them and do them super fast, they may look a little sloppy.

 I've been itching to wear this mock neck top ever since autumn officially began but weather in SoCal has been consistently in the high 80-90s. I despaired of ever experiencing fall in October because I honestly feel in my heart that it is the perfect autumnal month. How can one resist all those plump orange pumpkins decorating all the patches and the front of stores? How can one resist the beautiful russet transformation of leaves - do keep in mind most of the trees in California are evergreens so I can only live vicariously through others (sobs eternally). Anyway, as soon as the weather dropped to 75F, which I considered cool enough, I threw this top on and wore it gleefully all day.

Despite the ill fit, I liked the dress so much that I didn't want to return it. I don't know if it's just me but a lot of dresses that I consider "tea party" appropriate tend to have these nice delicate ruffle trims like this. Maybe it's the delicate nature of such tea parties in general. From the beautiful porcelain teapots and cups to the dainty sandwiches that are too pretty to eat. And the lovely, sweet pastries one eats. I don't think I'd feel right if I didn't wear something as equally elegant and endearing.

In terms of alterations, I've given myself two options: fix it or shrink it. As I'm only really capable of hemming, I always try to shrink it first.What I've come to depend on a lot of the times is the shrinkage that happens when I throw my clothes into the washer and dryer. Because I just toss everything into the machines (yes, even delicates!), I actually discovered by accident that rayon materials will shrink no matter what. If you haven't noticed, a lot of clothes these days are constructed from rayon. Viscose will shrink somewhat or quite a bit for me depending on the quality.  So, I tossed this dress into my pile of laundry, hoping it would shrink and it did! And now it fits perfectly as you can see in this post.







What I wore:
Dress: ASOS
Heels: vintage from Etsy
Bag: ASOS