Recharged!

Had a two weeks break after summer term and it was JUST what I needed. During the whole summer term I was feeling unmotivated and anxious about everything, this break really allowed me to sit back and recharge. I've been keeping myself busy for the last two weeks...although its only been two weeks, it feels like I've been on break for a month (which is a good thing I guess). I got some stuff done on my 'to-do' list, but I still have a few crucial things I still need to do (uh hopefully it will miraculously be done by tomorrow) like setting up my art blog and finish designing a character for a friend. Thanks to (finally) having my drivers license, I can get all my errands done quickly and I've been getting out of the house a lot more...in fact, now it feels kind of weird to stay home all day. It's great to not have to depend on getting rides or waiting for the bus *shakes fist*. Now I only wished I'd gotten my license a few years earlier. Poo.

A pretty short post today.... could have sworn I had a lot of things I planned to take pictures of, but I can't remember any of them. I basically walked around the house (and my studio) to find things I needed to shoot...it was surprisingly a lot less than I had expected. My sister came back from HK with stuff I requested, but now I can't remember what else she brought back... it'll probably hit me after I finish this post.



Doma Speaki ! (no, Speaki is not a typo) My sister bought me this from HK, its basically a mini speaker for your ipod/mp3. Sound quality is surprising quite good despite being only around $12 USD each, definitely worth the price. It does need to be recharged (with a usb cord), but the battery doesn't run out quickly. He's a bit under 3 inches.



Skinfood kiwi masks!! Omg never knew the magic of facial masks until I tried this...Skinfood should start opening stores in the U.S (but then again, nothing ever comes to Oregon -.-)



My dad's friend in HK is a bit of a fashionista so she brought my sister on a shopping spree like 3 times a week. She brought me a lot of cardigans and shirts, as well as a bag I've been trying to find for ages. These were the two necklaces she bought me. The pink (its actually neon pink) one is black on the other side and has a colorful edge. It looks awesome although its a bit chunky to wear out. I'm thinking of turning it into a keychain for my bag...but right now it looks good just hung on my wall.



Been wanting this tote for years!! My sister found them in stock at the Uwajimaya in Seattle. I might actually start using tote bags when I go grocery shopping :O





Stayreal Mousey from HK! I asked my sister to bring me back one, but she brought back three! She also didn't know the one on the far right is in Mcdonald's costume. I'm not complaining though. Love the one on the left...it looks kind of like me HAHA.







American toy designs usually don't interest me at all...but Lalaloopsys are a total exception. I think they have a freaking awesome design team with a great sense of colors (omg finally a toy in America with good color schemes!!). They keep their designs cute but minimal, and they aren't afraid to push their designs. I also think its awesome how the label on their boxes say "for age 4 to 104".

I'm not really planning on collection Lalaloopsys, but this set and a few others caught my eyes. I think their mini figures are cuter (these are around 3 inches?) than the big dolls, which would appeal more to kids.







I have a thing for transparent-ish toys...and also this one reminded me of my labbit bubble collection!! Dammit, I just remember that I planned to photograph this with my labbits...i'll keep it in mind for later.



Fairytale series! So cute. The snow white one is my favorite.



I might try to hunt this one down...apparently, its hard to find in stores. His skeleton outfit is pure awesomeness and he gets brownie points for owning an Angrybird. (lol i know its just a parrot)




Most awesome toy-stroller design or what. If I ever caught this thing on sale, I'd totally buy it just for decor purposes. I think the design is strong enough that it can stand alone as an awesome display toy.



Bought this giant lego head container (it actually sorts out legos) at Target. Had $10 giftcard so it was only $20. Saw this at Toys R Us later and they were sold there for $40! Whaaaat?
Anyway, this thing is HUGE. Every Asian that sees this in real life will say it looks like a rice cooker.



Mini Ramen from HK. Also had kimchi flavor (which was DELICIOUS)...these are really tiny, like the size of your palm. Makes a good (but unhealthy) midnight snack.



My aunt sent this egg-waffle maker (a popular HK snack) to my sister...she and my cousin tried a few recipes but its extremely hard to master. So far they haven't succeed yet. Hopefully, they will some day cause the last time I had these were over 10 years ago. Best waffles ever.



This is actually a photo I took for their menu (yes lighting is a bit iffy), but they're starting to offer other bubble tea flavors. I'm personally not a big fan of fruit flavored bubble teas...im more of a plain milk + tea kind of person.



I told my cousin I was craving for some fried milk (which I haven't had in over 10 years) and he actually went ahead and tried the recipe! The inside is bit like a custard while the outside is light and crispy. Roll into sugar and eat as dessert...deliciousssss!! Gah now im craving for some. He actually made a lot more than this,  but I only photographed a few pieces.



Finishing this post with some awesome music. I've been obsessed with Wanting Qu's album. She's a singer/songwriter from Canada but released an album in China, so half of her songs are in English. They're great in either language...which is a rare accomplishment. I love how unique her voice and music style is. I pretty much like every single song in her album, but i'll share the most popular three.