Sunday, October 31, 2010

Blaze it Up!



my indecisive self decided not to be Tina Turner when this stroke of genius hit me....BLAZE from American Gladiator. I thought it fitting for my immigrant self be patriotic and what better character to best exemplify awesomeness?! this year i spent a pretty penny. although my costume itself cost just under $40 i paid $60 to get my hair did! that's $100 now that i think about it! wtf?! i would have done my hair my dang self but with the bathroom being renovated and all i have no mirror or time for that matter. or did i? i went to one of the many braiding salons here on 125th however my critical eye couldn't stand the fact that the woman doing my hair didn't know what the heck she was doing. it should have only taken 1.5hrs but it took her nearly 3! i could do it in 1.5hrs. i'm getting mad just sitting here thinking about it so let's move on :)

that's me in the zone with 15mins to spare before heading to work. we got to rock our costume! YAY! David was crackin' jokes on me saying i looked like a super hero sewing her costume



red, white, and blue...the making of



those would be my super hero bottoms




luckily i had a red tank top. all i need now is some white trim :)



of course the full blown photo shoot is just around the corner :)


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

home improvement

how's the bathroom you ask? the bathroom was on hold because these housing peeps broke a huge hole in the wall to fix a leak on the apartment below and didn't patch up their mess for 2 weeks. but after maya's harassing tactics someone finally came in and did their job yesterday. since we couldn't do anything in the bathroom my impatient behind moved onto the ugly NY wood cabinets. with the help of my uber strong hubby i repainted them and installed a new counter top from ikea. progress is being made! renos are stressful for me. not having a home for items, tippy toeing, and cleaning up sawdust and drywall is not cool but having a place i can relax is :)
here are the before photos. after photos coming soon





are you seeing the layers of personality left behind? and that hideous paint job? would it kill you to remove the plate before painting?



i can't wait to share what i've done. oh i can see the finish line already

It's all in Your Head

What better way to spend your commuting time than reading a good book that sparks a new awareness. I'm all about growing and evolving as a person and here are my two recent reads that have done just that. Any more suggestions?
cost: $$12.95 (The War of Art)
$16.95 (Millionaire Next Door)


This is a must read for anyone who stumbles onto this blog. We all have resistance and this book screams at you in the face to get up and start working on that thing you've been putting off.



I don't know a single soul who has their finances in check. I don't care how much your a$$ makes. You are either in debt or you have little to no savings. This book is great as it gives case studies on the wealthy (not to be confused with "rich") and how their thought patterns are different. It's not about the "now" and instant gratification but more about planning and sacrificing for a comfy future. I love how the secret to being wealthy revealed by author Thomas Stanley is....drum roll please......FRUGALITY! There is an entire chapter entitled FRUGAL FRUGAL FRUGAL.
"Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building. Yet far too often the big spenders are promoted and sensationalized by the popular press".
You do know what this means right? It only confirm what I'm working very hard towards which is being wealthy beyond belief :)




Please share any suggestions on good read as I'm almost finished The War of Art

Sunday, October 24, 2010

visionary

Kanye is at it again!
even though his ego can get extreme there's something to be said about having so much faith and conviction in your craft you could care less about what the world thinks. i think all his latest personal ish really gave him the inspiration to create this brilliance. love it!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

frugal street style

while in Toronto I got to hang with my BFF's slash cousins. i attempted to go shopping which was a joke. however i did quiz my cousins on what they were wearing and how much they spent...i was pleasantly surprised. they seem to have taken a turn down frugal road. these two brothers are shopaholics and love to spend. and lucky for us we were approached by Quinntyne Brown who snapped some shots for his blog.

Michael is wearing:
Trench coat from Izuze, Hong Kong, $200
Denim Chambray Shirt, Gap, $29
Shoes Sperry Top Sider, Kensington Market, $15
Mason Bag, Ace Tools online, $40
Aviators, Rayban $140
Scarf, Augustina, $75




Jeigh is wearing:
Jean Jacket, H&M, $29
White v-neck, Gap, $15 (2 for $30, 1 for $19)
Belt, Club Monaco, on sale $19
Jeans, Cheap Monday on sale $39
Shoes, Cole Haan, ebay $19.99!!!
Scarf $51
Sunglasses Rayban, brother's



Maya wishes she wasn't wearing her pj's before wandering the streets of Toronto:

Thursday, October 14, 2010

road to home

roadtrips! i have a love hate relationship with them. when i feel as though i've spent more time getting there than actually enjoying the final destination i feel jipped. anywhozzers... i went back home to Toronto to spend a grand total of 2 days with the fams. such a tease but i'll be back and next time longer.

cost: $300/car rental + $120/gas


jackie all up in my shot


what this trip was all about...breaking bread with people you love. Thanksgiving pinoy style :)


since i'm frugal like that i headed to Toronto's Habitat for Humanity's Restore searching for a bathroom vanity hoping to lug it across the boarder.


they didn't have what i was looking for :( i need shelving and doors. still a favourite shopping spot of mine but Home Depot here I come.



i did not buy a single thing on my trip. i'm still on the prowl for black ankle booties that lace up and have a heel. i guess i'll go online. but while cruising the mall i saw these wonderful window displays at Artizia



so cute! i want one!


miss Jackie was happy wagging her tail just before we hit the road. then we arrived to Toronto and she got sick :( this is us at East York Animal Clinic. I love these peeps! In NY these vets will hustle you using fear tactics to dose you pup on meds and everything else. EYAC listen, are understanding and use a holistic approach so my little lady will be switching her diet to the raw meats. ummm!



5 AM back on the road to home



the kraken sleeps



how my stay felt...actually how my life feels



sometimes i'm able to bend time and slow it down...



our good friend Damion discovering his addiction to photography



i finally wake up and it's light


unless you live or drive by the Canadian boarder you Americans have no idea of the joy Tim Horton's brings to my life. especially when you're on the road counting miles


there should be epic music playing along side this photo


i loves how there's a gas station named loves ♥



Damion posing it up with missy


everybody loves them some Jackie O even my cousins kitten Kobe. hopefully i can get the video footage. but here's papa and his little girl :)



oh the memories!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

it's closer than you think

HALLOWEEN!!! that is!
halloween in NYC is going to be an explosion of fun for me. as you all know i love to do it up big and if you don't know you can check it here and here. i know i'm going to be a diva this year and i think i'm settled on Tina Turner. the hubby is still figuring it out. latest addition Miss Jackie O will get to experience her first Halloween Maya style! David came up with the most genius costume....Ash from Fantastic Mr. Fox. If you haven't seen it already go rent it. brilliant movie! anyways we'll have to train her to leave the sock on her head :) but my little girl has a fox look to her so it's perfect!






she doesn't look too impressed...but perfect casting don't you think?

and the saga continues

i had no idea what i was in for when i decided to work on this bathroom project. i feel like Mike Holmes. nothing is as it seems. 4 days of stripping paint stressed me the heck out. imagine applying stripper on the ceiling. what happens is gravity pulls the weight of the stripper and paint down leaving the layers below unaffected. did everything come off after 4 days of stripping twice a day and 2 cans later? of course not. so i started sanding to level as much as i could. mind you i'm working on a ceiling exhausting my muscles. now that's done i'm plastering everything to smooth it out. it's looking slightly better. no paint in sight. my goal is to have a clean smooth surface to work on before i leave for Toronto for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. in the mean time lets bump those gross images in my post below with some fresh inspiration.