Wow it's May, where did April go, oh that's right April was spent doing what I do best, travelling! First trip on the agenda... good ol San Francisco. My mom and her sisters were taking a sister trip to visit my cousins Chels and BJ's newest addition to the Agbayani family, my second cousin Kaimi. I decided to tagalong for a few days, spend some quality time with the ohana.  We baked, sang karaoke, shopped, and best of all just talked story. It was nice to be surrounded and spoiled by my mom and aunties.
My Auntie Alda lives in Vacaville, which is an hour away from San Francisco, so I didn't get much time in the city. But we did go to Napa to eat at Mustards Grill, which was amazing. My mom and I shared the Mongolian pork chops with garlic mash and it was delish. On our way to Mustards we passed by the French Laundry, I can't wait for the day I'll be able to eat there! Hopefully one day with my parents and sister, or Priya, it has to be with someone equally excited about ridiculously amazing food.
My only day in the city was spent shopping in Union Square, hitting up Nordstrom and Marc by Marc Jacobs. We also visited the ferry terminal market in Embarcadero, one of my favorite places in San Francisco. Got my salumi cone from Boccalone, I love, love, love cured meat!!
My trip was short lived but it was just the little break I needed. Next up... New York City.

 

Photos above are from me and Wayne's photog field trip to Gasworks (one of my favorite places in the city) taken with my Lomo Mini Diana! I have always, always, always wanted a Diana camera and luckily the one we had at work went on sale, as did the film, I bought 12 rolls. These shots were my first roll and they came out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I love playing with the overlapping, I just have to remember to adjust the focus for each shot and work on keeping a steady hand. I can't wait to see what kind of marvelous photos I'll take in New York City.

Well, well, well it is April already and spring is in full swing. The days are longer, thanks to daylight savings time (which I don't fully get the concept of, I'm totally blonde about the whole why is there daylight savings and how does it work), and lately >knock on wood< we have had a string of nice weather days. Seriously, I had consecutive days of jogging this past week, it was wonderful. But it's not GOD awful hot, the air is still cool and when the sun shines it's nice. Living in cold damp weather for the last six months really makes you appreciate the nice sunny days.

I'm off to San Francisco bright and early tomorrow morning. I really should be sleeping and not typing this but, I have that I'm going on vacation excitement flowing throught my blood, despite only being off for three days. I'll take whatever I can get. I can't wait to see my family and my new cousin, every year a new cousin arrives. Hopefully I can squeeze in a quick visit with my little Michelley. We always try to make time to see each other whenever the other visits. I call it our annual reunion. It makes me grateful to be able to be still great friends with old coworkers, I met Michelle when she was just finishing up her junior year of high school, back then at the bong we were still hiring high schoolers. We bonded over ballet and Rent. :) After 8 years working at Billabong I have gone through many, many, many coworkers, some of them bad, but most of them super duper awesome. The best thing I got out of that job was the lifelong friends I've made. Speaking of Bong friends, Rossy and I have discovered that our parents are friends from way back when. I knew that he lived where my Aunty Dee-Dee lived in Aiea back in the day, we always used to joke how we could've been friends waaaay eariler if we knew this. Now realizing that our parents are good friends makes it almost like we were destined to become friends. lol.

Other random thoughts of the moment:
-EXACTLY 20 days until NYC with Wen. Poor girl is letting me do the planning, she doesn't know what she's gotten herself into.
-DAMN YOU Jimmy Fallon, I didn't get tix.
-CatPaint App for iPhone, download it, you won't regret it I promise.
-I'm kind of over DrawSomething, it's eats my battery up. That lasted like 1 week.
-Obsessed with strawberries, the grocery stores near my apartment seem to always have it on sale.
-Saw Hunger Games with Wu/Woo, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it, team Peeta for life. But Gale is so damn hot.
-Trying NOT to get into The Voice. After getting into American Idol for one season and the person I wanted to win didn't even get into the top five (yes the blind guy from season after David Cook), I gave up getting into competition singing shows, it was too much work and I'd just get frustrated. But The Voice has some substance and the newly single Adam Levine is easy on the eyes.

 

 

One of my favorite things about living on the mainland and working at my current job, being able to dress up and experiment with fashion. At home in HI despite working two jobs in the retail/fashion industry and having an interest in fashion, I never seemed to embrace it. At TR I'd wear a dress and leggings or a top and jeans, and vans, sometimes flats. Billabong was worse, tank top and shorts, slippers. Jewelry was pretty much non-existent, one necklace. I'm surprised the holes in my ears didn't close.
Here in Seattle I put more effort, partly because weather and my job challenges me to step out of my comfort zone, mix and match things, figure out what my "style" is. So far I've learned, tights (especially fleece tights) is a must for cold weather, tuck in those tunics, stack them bracelets, layer those necklaces, and always wear your rainboots or uggs and bring your work shoes with you. I've tried color blocking, mixing patterns, wearing things I wouldn't have thought I'd wear – ummm a chambray shirt, I remember vividly insulting exbf Mike for owning one; high waisted knee length skirts, chinos! And OXFORDS, how I love my oxfords.
In just six months of working at my job, my coworkers can already point out a "that's something Sarah would wear" piece of clothing. Collared shirts, polka dots, whimsical prints, primary colors, preppy, long cardis, skulls, and anything in the color MINT. Lol.
I can't wait for spring and warmer weather, it will be nice not to have to wear tights 24/7. I'm looking forward to shorts and knee socks, new Sam Edelman sandals, and I'll be able to bust out my tank tops I brought from home!

February 2012, via Instagram

L-R, top to bottom.

1, Borrowed NYC travel guides because I booked my ticket for my NYC trip with Wendy.

2, The Fray at the Paramount with Ryan.

3, My first visit to the Seattle Public Library.

4, Found Grimm's in Capitol Hill.

5, Jason Wu for Target with May Wu and Gloria Woo, that's a whole lotta Wu/Woo.

6, Gasworks with Wayne.

7, Happy Birthday May!!

8, More OOTDs.

9, Hendrix.

Snowmageddon 2012. Seattle, WA. 

My first snow was alright. Actually it SUCKED, I fell twice and lost my keys. I woke up one morning and EVERYTHING was covered in snow. From inside it looked quite magical, like what you see on TV. Everyone excited, kids outside, everything looking like a white blanket. Then you realize this isn't TV, you still have to go to work in this weather. And going to work can be a challenge, since buses run on different routes, roads are icy, and of course people drive slower. I had to work on the worst day and they sent me home after one hour, I made 4 over the phone sales. The next day was really bad, so bad they actually stopped the 65 bus from going up 35th Ave, my only life line. Just when I decide that I wasn't going to let the snow win and head down to U-Village for a free Trophy Cupcake, they STOP the 65! I was pissed. So I spent the day walking around Wedgwood, snapping photos, eating at Grateful Bread for lunch, rented movies from Safeway, and spent the night making Rice Krispies treats. The days that followed after the snow, still sucked as roads and walkways were still icy. But I'm glad I survived my first snow!

---------------------------------------------

New loves:

-DOWNTON ABBEY, obsessed with it. I took notice as Prof. McGonagall is in it and I saw that it was nominated for a few awards. The first season was only 7 episodes (reminded me of a Japanese drama), and I watched it in about 3 days. I'm now starting season 2 via pbs.org. It's a Masterpiece Classic, and when I watch I feel like I'm watching something SUPER sophisticated and classy. lol. I love the fashion and of course the lavish life of English aristocrats. Hell I'd love to be a servant in the house of Crawley. I highly recommend this show, it's REALLY, REALLY good, good story, good acting.

-Moleskine, Moleskine, Moleskine. I recently bought 3 Moleskine journals, my style journal, a NYC journal, and a larger notebook that I turned into a photo scrapbook. In hopes of inspiring creativity.

-And the reason for the NYC journal, I'll be returning to the concrete jungle at the end of April with Wendy!!! NYC it's been 6 years, I can't wait.

-Saw The Vow, loved it. Probably 75% because of Channing Tatum. Why he's married to Jenna Dewan I don't get.

 

 

 

January via Instagram (Starting from the top: L-R)
1. Snowed in, Wedgwood photog adventure.
2. Rang in 2012 with roomie Priya.
3. Started the Instagram Photo-A-Day Challenge, my Longchamp Le Pliage.
4. New coffee mug from UO.
5. Love text messages from Priya.
6. Chinese New Year after party at The Garage.
7. Sunny days.
8. Decisions, decisions.
9. Good morning 2012, first sunrise of the year in HI.

Home. I was fortunate enough to go home for New Years. It was under sad circumstances, but nonetheless I was happy and grateful to be home with family and friends. I also orchestrated the most awesome surprise ever. I managed to keep my trip home a secret from roomie Priya. All day I kept texting her telling her to call me when she was done with dinner so we could talk. But she didn't call me, so I decided to just stop by the Citron House and try to see if she was home. Luckily the front door was open and she was home. My dad says he could hear her scream from the street. Mission accomplished.
New Years Eve was spent with family, doing our Kawachi traditions, eating our Kawachi style New Years foods. I met up with Priya, Leanne, Kat, and Amy at The Edition, oh ahem excuse me, the Modern. And danced, danced, danced the night away, with bottle service, it was nice. Not wanting the party to end, we went to go watch the first sunrise of the new year at Christmas Tree park in Kaimuki. It was AMAZING. I got to visit the Bong, watch the Cowboys-Giants game at Kanpai, hang with Matty and paddleboard, watch the sunset at Magic Island, eat at I-Naba, Highway Inn, Paina Cafe, AND foodland poke. It was good to be home.
I'm not sure if it was because I haven't been away that long, it felt like I never left. I fell right back into EXACTLY what I was doing before I left. It was nice but it realized why I moved. I love my life in Hawaii and the people who make it amazing. But Seattle has challenged me to open up to new people and a different lifestyle, to become more independent, and to grow up a little. I know one day I'll be back, but I'm not so sure when, the adventure is really just beginning.
-----------
I've been in a writers block lately. Here's what's been goin on in the 206:
-Fun times with Seattle friends. Dinners, finding new bars, restaurants, etc.
-Work, work, work. And looking for more work.
-Snowmageddon (pictures to come)
-Chris Evans marathon and finally watched Bridesmaids. Seriously love both, Chris Evans and Bridesmaids.
-Finally watched the much anticipated documentary: Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. AMAZE-BALLS.
-Watched Tom Brady and my Pats reach the Superbowl.
-Watched Tom Brady and my Pats get their ass handed to them by Eli and the Giants. Damn you Eli.