San Francisco Photo Diary

My family and I made a quick, spontaneous getaway to San Francisco this past weekend. As I said in my last post, it was a much needed break for everyone. We set off early Friday morning, arriving in SF just in time for lunch. We first made a stop at Coit Tower to take in the breathtaking view of the city. Before checking into the hotel, we drove down the infamous, winding Lombard Street. With all the steep hills, I didn't dare drive when we were in the city. Our hotel was situated in the heart of Union Square so shopping was really accessible. Just down the block were some of my favorite stores--H&M, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, Gap, and Forever 21. And it was a good thing too because I definitely underestimated how cold it would be in SF so I had to buy a sweater and a scarf to keep warm! Walking along the streets in Union Square reminded me of New York and how small and insignificant the tall buildings made me feel. On Friday night, we made our way to Fisherman's Wharf and caught a glimpse of Ghiradelli Square.  

On Saturday, we grabbed breakfast at the little cafe next door to our hotel, and did a little more shopping and exploring in Union Square. After checking out, we headed to Fort Point to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I have never gotten such a grand view of it before without having to fight off crowds to take pictures. It was a pretty clear day so we got a good view of the bridge. We then headed across the bridge to a little, charming town called Sausalito for the best crab roll sandwich I've ever had at Fish. After exploring Sausalito, we said goodbye to the city and made our way to Cupertino for some mediocre Chinese food. On Sunday morning, we made the trek home--making a stop in Monterey for the 17 Mile Pebble Beach Drive. It's been on my bucketlist to drive along PCH on a trip to SF, so I'm glad I can check that off! The final stop we made was in Santa Barbara for a family favorite restaurant--Fish House to conclude a wonderful family trip together.  

It feels good to be back home. Even though I've visited many of the big cities--LA, SF, and NYC--over the recent years, I always end up missing the simpleness of suburban life in Orange County. I have a few weeks before work starts up (one of the perks of being a teacher) so I'm going to try to travel a bit more around SoCal. I'm also going to try to get into the routine of blogging by snapping outfit photos at least once this week! 

Until next post,
Jasmine

San Diego Photo Diary

I'm in the final stretch of my grad program. Summer is just so close that I can actually see the light of the tunnel! Now that I'm student teaching full time as well as have a full load of classes though, life has pretty hectic and just crazy. From now until graduation day, it will be non-stop working and so a weekend away to San Diego to celebrate a friend's upcoming 24th birthday was just what I needed. We first grabbed lunch at an Ethiopian place and did a bit of thrifting before checking into the hotel. Once we got there, we glammed up for dinner, and a night of clubbing and bar hopping in the Gaslamp Quarter. We danced the night away until our feet hurt and I was eventually walking barefoot along the street. Just before this trip, I finally found a basic little black dress that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion. For that night, I wore it with a statement necklace, a mint belt, and a pair of black wedges. I forgot to ask my friends to take pictures of my evening outfit, but better pictures of my day outfit will be in the upcoming post! In any case, I'm sure I'll wear this LBD out a lot in the future and I'll be sure to get pictures of it then. For now though, you have pictorial evidence that I wear more than just jeans everyday!

Until next post,
Jasmine

Alone, Not Lonely

To be alone and not feel lonely was an important lesson I learned this year. A friend told me a little while ago that if you're bored, you're boring. At first I didn't quite understand what it meant, but after some pondering, I realized that a person is only interesting as the things he/she does. You are what you do, and as long as I have my camera with me, I will never be bored or lonely. As much as I love it, last Wednesday afternoon during my Thanksgiving break, I didn't want to be bothered with setting up my tripod and manually focusing. I decided to take a leaf out of Jen's book and shoot snippets of my outfit and of a beautiful Fall afternoon at the lake. It might not always be at the lake, but I'm definitely going to try and do more of these quick shots so I can blog more often. I've been really drawn to the color orange this season. My mom tried to talk me out of buying this top since she wasn't a fan of the color, but I love it as well as the peter pan collar. It's also extremely comfortable. I've worn it several times to fieldwork already since I got it last month. 

Until next post,

Jasmine

top - marshalls

sunglasses - raybans 

necklaces - brandy melville

jeans - gap

shoes - american eagle

watch - nordstrom

Through Thick and Thin

 

I want to look back on my blog and be able to remember happy moments that happened rather than just what I wore over the years, so here are some pictures from my quick weekend getaway to LA with two of my oldest and closets friends, Marilyn and Andrea. It was Marilyn's 23rd birthday which means we've now been friends for over a decade! The three of us have known each other since middle school! I'm so grateful that despite both of them moving to LA to go to USC, we're still good friends and stay in touch. Like I said in my last post, right now I'm just really trying to focus on things and people that make me happy--and these two girls surely do just that. Through thick and thin, these girls have been there and I'm just so lucky to have them in my life.

Over the weekend, Andrea and I left Orange County and went to Taste of Soul with another old and good friend. At first Taste of Soul was a bit overwhelming and a bit of a culture shock, but it was just really great to be immersed in such a contagiously fun and upbeat culture with hearty comfort food. After Taste of Soul, Andrea and I met up with Marilyn and her boyfriend. The four of us then headed out to the 626 Asian Night Market and got more delicious food and boba. Marilyn, Andrea, and I all walked away with new scarves which we then wore the next day (and in these pictures) after a night of talking and catching up. On Sunday, the three of us grabbed lunch at Green Street and then ice cream at Carmela's. The Earl Grey Ice Cream is life-changing!

I can't wait for more adventures with these girls!

Until next post,
Jasmine

Lately

It's been really quiet here on the blog this week, and I'm sorry to say that this might continue for another week. It's the final stretch of my Summer classes, and there are so many loose ends to tie up before the end--a project, presentations, quizzes, papers, and a test. I'll admit--I had a bit of a freak out earlier this week about all the assignments looming ahead, but I've broken them down to easy and more manageable tasks. Despite it all, I'm still taking a break today. I can feel the toll of all the stress on my body: I had a few dizzy attacks this past week, and so I just need to rest a little before I take everything on. Hopefully, I can get around to taking outfit pictures sometime today, even though I've been living in simple outfits this past week. Robert and I are going to see "The Dark Knight Rises," shop at Fashion Island, and go to the beach. I cannot wait to turn in my last paper next Friday because then I'll have three weeks of a real Summer before resuming school. Gotta get to work on my Summer Bucket List! 

Until next post,
Jasmine