Camp Virgo

Last weekend, my cousin (it was his birthday too!) and a couple of friends headed up the coast to go camping in the little town of Mendocino. Mendocino is located about 3 hours north of San Francisco and the drive takes you on windy roads through Redwood forests and cliff-dropping coastlines. Along the way, we stopped in a cute little town to pick up supplies and then a winery for some free tasting. The weather during the weekend was gorgeous but the nights dipped down as low as in the 40's. Our campsite was located off Caspar beach and we were able to camp in a forested area within walking distance of what seemed like a private beach. Around the area, visitors could go hiking, kayaking, or play some arcade games in the near-by general supply store. I spent the weekend eating a bunch of good food, drinking, listening to ghost stories, and sitting close to the leaping fire for warmth. Sometimes living in San Francisco, I do not really get a chance to view the sky at night to see the stars twinkling bright, but when you're in the middle of nowhere there really is not much fog or city light to compete with.  I had a really great time with fantastic company. I could not have asked for anything more for a birthday weekend. 

Above are some abalone divers getting their kayaks ready. We camped next to a bunch of these divers and they had left-over abalone and eggs to give us for breakfast one morning. It was delicious! These guys were so used to the great outdoors that they had no tents and simply slept on mats at night. They must have laughed at our camp's "glamping" set up. Such amateurs! 

I'm already restless since I've caught the camping bug. I can't wait to set out for another camping adventure. 

Winchester Mystery House

After taking care of Finnegan while Z and I were away visiting his family on the East coast, my sister drove up to San Francisco for a visit and to drop off my beloved pig pug. During her short visit, we decided to venture out to San Jose and check out the Winchester Mystery House. Growing up on the Central coast, we had always seen huge billboards advertising this spooky house and we finally decided to see what all the hype was about. We arrived at a lot surrounded by suburban malls, fast food chains, and parking lots to find this little Victorian house nestled in between. The place was definitely a tourist trap, but my sister and I made the best of things by enjoying some wine spritzers before going on the tour. I enjoyed learning the history of the house, the Winchester rifle, viewing the vintage decor and beautiful design of this famous ghost trap. We were only allowed to photograph the outside of the house, which is really such a shame since some of the work and detail that went into the inside of the house was amazing.

Outfit Details:

Mod Chambray Shift Dress // Vintage

Market Bag // Vintage

Sunglasses // H&M

Blue Sandals // Vintage

Here's a photo that my sister and I took before entering the house. We felt pretty awkward holding the imitation rifles. What were we supposed to do with them? Pretend to shoot each other? Use the rifles to make lewd gestures?  We decided to keep things G-rated since this was, after all, a family establishment.

Remember September

 
Happy Birthday to Z and I! We were both born on the same day! WEIRD! It makes bouncers at bars think that I have a fake ID since the odds of two people dating having the same exact birthday are pretty slim! Cheers!  I wish I could celebrate tonight, but I must get back to studying for my exam tomorrow. I want to make this exam my bitch, then I will party party like an underage gal getting free shots at the bar for her birthday. BROOO! I can't wait until this weekend, when the real celebration begins. Wish me luck!

Bang Bang

Still going through the ever-painful process of growing out my bangs. They don't seem to be growing out at all to me since they are barely pass my eye level right now.  I probably need to work on my patience. This transition is more difficult because as far as I've remembered, I have always had bangs and were able to  hide behind them. Bangs bring to mind memories of my mom. It used to be a ritual where my mom would sit in front of me and trim my bangs every other week or so. I was her little Asian doll.  However, if I happened to wiggle around too much, my bangs would end up a bit crooked and my mom would laugh.    
One evening when I was younger, I begged my mom to trim my bangs for me since I couldn't see anymore and I wanted to look my best for school pictures the next day. My mom was busy cleaning up after dinner and said that she would get to it later, but me being the impatient little girl decided to take the matters / scissors into my own hands. I trimmed away and noticed that one side was shorter than the other, so I tried to compensate for that and ended up trimming the opposite even shorter! I kept trying to even-out my bangs out and the next thing I knew, my bangs were barely even left. Of course, my mom happened to walk in at this very moment and said ,"Good! Now you go to school like that!" I begged and pleaded for her to fix them, but alas there was not much to do about it. I had to take my school photos with my crooked sad bangs that made me look similar to a poodle that had stuck its paw in an electrical socket, teased its fur, and then sprayed extra-hold hairspray on it. These bangs were so short that it was hardly considered a fringe to cover my forehead. (As seen here which I will probably take down the link to because my hair makes my head look alien huge) In the future, whenever I tried to disobey her, she would just have to show me my school picture to shut me up. NEVER FORGET.

Contrary to belief, I am not holding up peace signs.  These two fingers are actually scissors. AH! Thanks Mom!

Outfit Details:  Stripped Shirt // Vintage
Green Corduroy Pinafore // Vintage
NARS lipstick // Shanghai Express
I leave you all with Nancy crooning about a different type of Bang. Enjoy!