A Glimpse of Glam

Hey everyone!

I originally planned to post another outfit post, but I decided to push that off until later. What happened just this past weekend was so incredibly powerful and remarkable, I just had to talk about it. I’m sure you all know what I’m getting at. The Women’s March on Washington. But, more importantly, the way it grew into a worldwide movement.

Literally the past two days everything I came across was related to politics. The concert, the inauguration, #CakeGate, fashion designers’ refusals, the mishap on Twitter, and of course the Women’s March. I am so proud to be living amongst activists, amongst people who won’t stand for shit, who will speak up for what they believe in. I am so proud to be a part of history in the making.

However, this also makes me quite depressed. To know that even though we are living in the 21st century, we still have to fight for human rights, for equality. This is in no way the best comparison, yet I can’t help but feel like we are living, to some extent, in a real life version of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Only because disappointing things keep happening, and our reality is such a nightmare we can’t wake from. Yet, this march that just happened does give us a glimmer of hope. Hope that we are getting somewhere. Hope that this ridiculous nonsense will finally end.

The Women’s March was such a brilliant positive, despite everything else going on.



I may not be as much of a social activist as I could, but I still strongly believe in speaking up and fighting for what you believe in. Injustice won’t stop if you sit around just hoping for it to end. You got to do something about it to spread the message that it’s not okay. I’ve only read in textbooks about monumental activist events. I never thought I would live in one. It’s so crazy to believe that one day, textbooks will be documenting that day, Saturday January 21st 2017.

Women’s rights shouldn’t be an issue to discuss. We make up half the population. Yet, we are considered the minority. Who gave men the power to dominate? To act like they are superior? Women are every much as capable and strong and intelligent. Equality should not be something to fight for. Equality should be a given.

This goes for not only gender inequalities, but also racial inequalities as well. As someone of minority, in terms of gender and race, this strongly resonates with me. I’ve had to face racism before, and it doesn’t just hurt. It tears you apart, and hits you deep down. It makes you question what it is that’s wrong with you. It makes you doubt everything you are worth. Though sexism has luckily not been a problem for me, and hopefully not ever), that doesn’t mean I care any less of it. We should treat each other as we want to be treated. This philosophy we were taught from childhood is anything but childish.

I don’t care if saying this makes me lose readers. If I wasn’t clear enough before, I will be clear now. I am completely against the 45th “president” of America. I am very much anti-Trump. It disgusts me to even type out his name. I wrote the word president in quotes because I refuse to admit that this has happened. The fact that someone of so very little political background has managed to win the electoral votes. What the hell happened?! Is this some kind of joke?! This isn’t even an issue of Democrats vs. Republicans. No. This goes far beyond that. Everything about this repulses me deep down to my bones.



Friday evening, at the University of Washington, what was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned violent. This happened so very close to home for me. As in, UW is where I go to school. The fact that this happened at UW is so crazy.

In the past couple months, there has been a petition going around to prevent a speaker from coming to UW. A student group invited someone who is very controversial, who holds ridiculous views, to come to UW and give a talk. Many wanted this talk to be canceled. Yet the petition did not work. And in the hours prior to the talk, a huge protest started. Protesters from downtown Seattle, who were already protesting because the inauguration was that same day, joined in to help the cause. And then someone got shot, and suffered major injuries to the abdomen. I don’t really know the details of what happened, but it did frighten me. This national dilemma we are all facing that has heavily divided the country is real. For those who are removed from the situation and are only getting information from the news, it may not seem as real. But this is very much real.

We are all people. We all deserve to be heard. To be treated and acknowledged as people. America is supposed to be the place where hopes and dreams become reality. We've all come so far. I hope that we don't become regressive.

I fear what will become of the country I live in, but I also hold hope that it will get better. At least, that’s all that we can do for now. Hope that things will change for the better. And continue fighting for what we believe in. Thank you to everyone who is showing their support, who is doing all they can! Let's keep this up, let's keep speaking up.

What are your thoughts on the Women’s March? Lemme know in the comments below! I would love to hear your opinions on this current event!

Thank you all for stopping by and reading! I hope you all have a wonderful week!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

My first post of the new year! If I haven’t already said it, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! It’s crazy that it is already 2017. 2016 is a thing of the past, and 2017 is the here and now. A warm welcome to you. Let’s hope this year brings about only good happenings, unlike the previous year, which was filled with ups and downs.

I hope you all had a wonderful holidays! With it being January, holiday season is coming to an end. Except for those of you who celebrate the Epiphany holiday on Jan 6th. I only know of it because I learned it when I took French back in middle school and high school. Not much French has stuck with me over the years, except for the parts pertaining to the occasions where we got to make and taste food. Because priorities.

For the holidays, I went to Canada (as usual because I literally go to Canada all the time). Spent a week with relatives on both sides of my family. Ate a ton of delicious food. Relaxed and did a lot of nothing. I would say it was a very productive winter break.

What did you do for the holidays? How did you celebrate New Year’s?

I know I get very repetitive, and that I say it year after year, but damn did the year fly by. I seriously cannot believe that 2016 is over. I feel like 2016 begun not too long ago. What happened? I mean obviously I know what happened, because a lot happened, but seriously the time went by way too fast to grasp.



In the past year, my blog really grew. I revamped this blog back in the fall of 2015, and really started putting in effort to make this exist. By early 2016, it started to actually become something, shaping into more than just one girl’s rambling thoughts. I’ve had the chance to collaborate and partner with many different companies. I’ve created and posted a ton of blog posts sharing with you all many outfit looks, some food recipes, reflections on current happenings, and more. Not to mention I’ve gained more readers, fellow bloggers of whom I’ve come to better know. Meeting new people, expanding my circles, all of this really made 2016 a great time for me.

Of course with highs there are lows. I shared long ago a post on toxic friends. 2016 was the year when I found out which friends were real and here to stay, and which friends were only there for the short term and for their own benefits. Losing people who were important to me really hit me hard. People you come in contact with, friends especially, shape who you are. When things split and change, there are mental and emotional repercussions. It takes time to adapt to a new reality, but once I did I knew it was for the better. Friends may play a major role in shaping you into who you are, but don’t let it become what defines you.

Despite that, other great things happened. I got to finally travel to the East Coast, and touch the Atlantic waters. It was a memorable trip that had me recounting it in multiple posts spanning several months. Literally up till the very end of the year.

Also, I am currently in my third year at university. I finally have a better grasp of how to go about what I want to do. I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, a fancy name for Art that isn’t specialized in just one medium. As in, I can do some of everything, with the freedom to incorporate it all into whatever style I want for my senior project. I am also double minoring, in Art History and Nutrition. I considered turning my art history minor into another major, but I decided that it would be too much. Beyond textiles and fashion, I finally found what inspires me in art that I can use in my studies. Definitely super helpful because I cannot keep meandering about. These last couple years at the university will definitely be packed, but at least I have a better idea of which direction to go.


The coming 2017 I really hope to continue expanding my circles, and going beyond my comfort zone. I’ve made a ton of good friends over this past year, many of whom I still keep in contact with. I had to force myself to stop being quiet in my classes, and to not be afraid to be the first to speak up. Usually I let others approach me, but it doesn’t hurt to be the one taking the first step. After all, if things go wrong, in ten weeks the quarter would be over and I won’t ever have to see their faces again. Taking some aspects of my customer-friendly persona at work, and applying that carefree cheery confidence into my daily life really helped me a lot. I definitely want to continue doing that. Pushing beyond those walls I’ve built in the past.

I also hope that this coming year my blog will continue to grow and achieve more. It can be difficult to set aside time to blog, as it is a job in itself. With school and my part-time job, it can be a lot to do. But the successes and achievements are worth the pain and hard work.

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t always the best choice for me. Sure making a list is easy. I can readily whip up a long list of things I hope to do and achieve. We all have things we want to improve on. But these lists don’t do anything to help me get closer to achieving my goals. What really helps is looking at past successes. Knowing that I have the capability of achieving certain things helps me to continue on and put in effort to make my goals happen. A competition between my past and present, if you will. Looking back on past me and wanting to surpass that really helps me make my aspirations a reality.

When comparing my current status with where I was at in the beginning of 2016, I definitely think that I've gotten somewhere. I made some New Year's resolutions last year to help guide me. I think that I have achieved my resolutions more or less. Be an achiever, be daring, be simple, be experimental, be myself. Those where what I set out to do and improve on. Check, check, check, check, and check..?

Sorta kinda maybe...?

I mean I think I've grown and gotten closer to where I want to be. Maybe not all of them to their fullest, but definitely somewhere. Let's go with that.


How do you go about achieving your New Year’s Resolutions?

I really hope this coming year will be a good one. Let’s see how this goes. In a short 365 days I will be looking back and comparing. I wonder what future me will think. If you could gaze into the future… Shut up. I’ve been watching way too many Disney Channel reruns. Back when the shows used to actually be entertaining and worth watching. Hence one of my recent Instagram post and this reference here… Comment down below if you know what I am talking bout! (Also don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram if you haven't already. Mwa ha ha ha shameless self promotion)

What are some of your aspirations for 2017? How do you think your 2016 went? Did you achieve any of the goals you had set? Lemme know in the comments below! 

I hope you all enjoyed reading this longer rant of a post! Thanks for sticking it out and reading it! You guys are amazing, and I wish you all a wonderful week!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and happy holidays!! I went to Canada as usual, and spent Christmas with my family. Prior to the actual day, I celebrated with my friends on a couple different occasions already. Having several Christmas celebrations is really fun because spreading out the whole gift giving and receiving makes Christmas feel like it’s lasting longer. How was your Christmas?

If you follow me on Instagram (haha shameless plug yet again!), you will know I baked a ton of goodies for the holidays! Specifically gluten free goodies. Because gluten-free is the best way to go. I literally stayed up several nights in a row to finish baking, and making food. I made white chocolate fudge bites, snickerdoodle cookie pops, chocolate dipped sugar cookies with crushed peppermint, peanut butter cookie truffles, and flourless chewy chocolate cookies. That last gluten free dessert I’ve posted before on my blog! Check out that recipe if you haven’t yet! It’s super easy to make, and definitely a huge hit for all chocolate and sweets lovers!

I also made an apple crumble, which I made for Thanksgiving as well. And a huge quantity of macaroni and cheese. Doesn’t really sound like your typical Christmas feast, but hey it tasted damn good and that’s what counts! It was a huge hit as well. Most people I know associate mac and cheese with the artificially cheesy boxed Kraft mac and cheese, and generally don’t like it. But once they’ve tasted real authentic from-scratch mac and cheese, everything changes. What did you eat for Christmas, or for your holiday feast?

Anyways, as I have mentioned a billion of times before, I am finally finishing up the travel posts I’ve been doing since September. Literally a trip I took back in September I am still talking about now. Am I the champion of prolonging or what? In my defense, there was so much we did, and many places we went to it couldn’t have fit all in one post. If you haven’t read the previous posts yet, check them out here!





Our last couple stops for this cruise was to Bar Harbor in Maine, and then Boston. Boston really wasn’t much because it was our departure day. We only had a brief couple hours there so I mostly have only pictures to show of it. Maine, on the other hand, was really nice!





After days of dreary grey skies, our previous stop in Saint John was a nice change of pace. Maine also satisfied our desire for sunny days too. We stopped at Bar Harbor, a small town by the shore known for their abundance of recreational activities perfect for nature lovers. As someone who prefers admiring Mother Nature from afar, I chose to peruse the many shops and stroll the streets instead of joining in on the hikes or boating activities.




I’ve never been to Maine, but I’ve always heard rumors that Maine has amazing lobster. I had to give that a try for myself to see if it was true. After days of fancy-ish and complicated cruise food, good ol' buttery lobster sounded even more enticing. That lobster lunch I had there was so delicious! Rumors are definitely true. There were so many restaurants that offered lobster rolls and other lobster dishes, it was difficult to choose which to try out. We settled on one that was a farther walk from the port that wasn’t as crowded as the others. This allowed us to walk around and see a bit of the town before eating.




Because literally every restaurant advertised lobster rolls, we had to order one to try out. We also ordered a full lobster to share amongst the four of us, and another order of fish and chips. All three orders came with a side of fries. As a gluten-free eater, I luckily could eat the lobster and fries.




The lobster was SO GOOD! It was perfectly juicy and tender, and the buttery goodness was just so divine. Though it was unsettling to see the lobster being torn apart and dismantled. I have this thing where I get really nauseous when I see meat on a bone, or in a shell. I can’t look at meat or seafood intact and whole like that. Seriously sometimes I consider being vegetarian because of that uneasiness.

We also ordered blueberry soda, which apparently is a thing. I normally don’t go for drinks when I eat out and just keep with my ice water, but the blueberry soda on the menu really sounded interesting. I’m so glad I went with that because it tasted really good.






After lunch, we walked the streets some more. I passed by this one boutique called Birch Moon with unique handmade jewelry. One silver ring with a simple design really caught my eye. I considered it for a while, went to other stores, returned to admire the ring again, walked around other stores, and doubled back and finally bought it. I literally went back a couple times before deciding that I just had to buy the ring. It fit me perfectly, and just looked so nice.





Because of the sunny warm weather, we decided to get some ice cream after lunch. An ice cream shop down the street had a huge variety of flavors to boast. I kept letting people order ahead of me because I took so long deciding. I am very indecisive when there are a ton of choices. Give me more options and I just get overwhelmed. I finally decided to try out this ice cream with chocolate, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, and Bailey’s. I don’t actually know if there was any alcohol in it though...




The last day on a trip always ends up being quite sad. Vacation draws to an end and reality looms imminently ahead. On our last night, we didn’t watch any shows but retired to our rooms earlier to pack and get ready for an early start the following day.

Whenever I leave a place, whether it be a hotel or a stateroom on a cruise, I like to take all the complementary goodies like the shampoos, lotions, soaps and notepad. I have a whole collection of complementary loot I’ve gotten over the years. It’s a fun way to remember the places I’ve been to because of the variety in my collection.





Our ship traveled from Maine to Boston on that last day. It was a 7 day cruise one way, and 14 days total to return to Quebec. We had an early afternoon flight home so we got a short tour of the city before heading to the airport. I’ve never been to Boston, so it was nice to see a bit of the city. Though we didn’t have a ton of time to walk around and sightsee.




I managed to get some photos of the crowded narrow streets, and the beautiful architecture. Literally every tall building I saw I would say “Look it’s the Tipton Hotel!”, in reference to the hotel from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, a TV show my friends and I watched when we were young. Do you remember that show?

I definitely plan on returning to the East Coast soon to see more and do more. Cruises are so much fun. I wish I had more time for vacations and traveling. School breaks are much too short.




The end of the year is fast approaching. 2016 has been one heck of a ride. So much has happened, and it’s definitely been a memorable (in both positive and negative manners) year. I honestly don’t know what to expect for the upcoming year. Have you made a New Years Resolutions list yet?

Comment down below what you did for the holidays this year! Where do you plan on traveling to, or hope to travel to this upcoming year? Where have you traveled to that has been your favorite yet? Lemme know in the comments!

Also don’t forget to comment down below what kinds of foods you’ve eaten/made this year for the holidays!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holidays with friends and family! Thanks for stopping by! I know I’ve prolonged this travel series for an incredibly long time. So thank you for sticking with me. And even if you’re silently judging me, I still hope you enjoyed the post and the pictures.

I wish you all a wonderful day!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

And you thought I was done with this…

Before you say anything, yes I still have some more left of my tale. We are nearly finished with this, and I could have left it where I had stopped before. But I figured why not round it out by finishing up the recounts of (nevermind they were months ago) my travels?

I apologize for not posting in over a week and half. Finals hit me hard. I had projects and exams to cram for. It was terrible and stressful and a huge pain in the derriere. I am so glad I am done for the quarter! Now I can sit back and relax.

It has been extremely cold here in Seattle the past couple weeks. I wore so many layers I couldn’t really zip up my coat. I also had a huge scarf wrapped around my neck, and it was difficult to turn my head without turning my whole body too. But all that cold did result into something nice. We finally got a bit of snow! If you follow me on Instagram (cough cough hint hint), then you will know I’ve been wishing for snow. Ask and you shall receive. Though it was only a little bit of snow. It snowed at around 9pm and continued on throughout the night. However, by morning, the rain had washed away a lot of it. I did get a chance before it melted to walk in the fresh snow, and spin around under the soft glow of the moonlight reflected off the snow. There is just something so magical and beautiful about snow at night. During the daytime, it feels very festive, a winter wonderland. But at night, that’s when the magic really happens. The world is silent, winding down for the night, and there you are standing amidst the dancing white.

I really wish for a white Christmas this year.

Do you like snow? And do you get to enjoy it where you live?

Anyways, let’s take a trip back down memory lane, shall we? Rewind back to a couple months ago. If you missed my last recount of this New England cruise, read my previous post on it!



Our next stop on the cruise was Saint John, New Brunswick. At this point, the cruise was more than half over. It gets quite sad when vacations draw to an end. The thrill of traveling starts to fade after the mid point. Then the focus is just on trying to have as much fun, and make the most of the whatever time is left. Or at least, that's what it is for me. I can't help it. Regardless of this, I still really enjoyed seeing the last couple port stops.

When we went to Saint John, it ended up being a sunny warm day. The previous days were gloomier and rainy. It is hard to enjoy a trip when the weather dampens the mood, pun intended. But our stop at Saint John worked out in our favor.

Reversing Falls earlier in the day

There was a tour that went around the town to see landmarks and other points of interest. One place in particular was the Reversing Falls. Apparently, the water flowed upstream at certain times of the day, rather than going downstream like most do because of gravity. To be honest, I couldn’t really see the difference. That could be because I couldn’t tell to begin with which direction it was supposed to go. I did enjoy the view though. The sunlight glittered on the water in such a brilliant way. I had just gotten an iPhone 6s at the time, so I played around with the slow-mo and other picture settings to capture it.


I mentioned this before, but I really appreciate how cruises provide the chance to see glimpses of many places. Like some of you had similarly commented on in my last post about this trip, I agree that cruises don’t allow for a more detailed and authentic experience of a new place, but it does allow us to see more in a short time. I guess, you win some and you lose some. My desire is to travel to more places, to get to see more of the world. I want to be able to say I’ve checked off every place on my list. But, I also really want to experience these places in a real, memorable way. Sometimes, on vacations we tend to only see things in the superficial, touristy perspective. What I would give and do to have the chance to live for a month or several in a new place, then move on to another. That would definitely help to gain a better experience of a place. But it would also require a lot of time. And money.

One day, I hope to have the ability to say that every place I’ve seen in textbooks and online, I’ve experienced in person.

I took these photos on the tour bus, so the window reflection is shown. Oops...

The feel of this city, from the bit I got, was similar to Halifax, in that it reminded me of Victoria, BC. It also could have been because it was by the port. A smaller town, busy and lively in it’s own way, but not super crowded or urban.

Those randoms photobombing...

As I mentioned before, the Reversing Falls, well, reverse at a particular time of day. We ended up returning later in the day to see it happen. I did notice that it went a different direction, but I still couldn't quite tell for sure. But, now that I look back at the photos, I guess I can see the difference. It's not super clear, but it is somewhat there. It's pretty cool how this happens. Sometimes the beauty of nature just amazes me so much.

The Reversing Falls later in the day

If only I can go back to this moment. Back to being on vacation. Although, I am done with finals. Winter break has officially arrived! But the feel is still different. A very short break of only a couple weeks. Definitely not enough!

I've gotten done with all my Christmas shopping already! For once I actually went in with a plan and stuck with it. Usually I would have only a vague idea of what to get, and would wander the aisles of many stores before finding what I want. This year, I planned ahead and made a list of what to get everyone. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. I honestly cannot wait to give my friends and family their gifts now. I personally really find joy in giving people great gifts. Seeing their faces light up with excitement, and knowing that they truly appreciate the thought, time and effort put into it is so rewarding. Do you prefer to make or buy your holiday gifts?

Last couple bits of this trip I went on ages ago will be up soon to finish this tale I've been dragging out forever! I'm actually quite amazed I've dragged it out for this long. How did that even happen?

Are you traveling anywhere this winter? What do you have planned for the upcoming holidays? Comment down below to lemme know!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a fabulous week!


Til next time,
~A