winnie

stitchfix summer box

August 22, 2017 winnie Comments 0 Comment

Thanks to T-Mobile Tuesday for the $25 credit hookup in July! Best thing EVER. I asked my friends and family for their code so I could finally refresh my wardrobe. I really wanted everything in this box to be something I would like to keep and I got just what I wanted! YAY!!! I am ready to take on the world with 5 additional pieces!
♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

Just a quick blurb on Stitch Fix, in case you’re not familiar:

Stitch Fix is an online styling service that delivers a truly personalized shopping experience, just for you. Fill out your Style Profile and a personal stylist will hand pick pieces to fit your tastes, needs and budget—and mail them directly to your door. Each box contains five items of clothing, shoes and accessories for you to try on at home. Keep what you love, send the rest back in a prepaid USPS envelope. Shipping and returns are free—even for exchanges!

I got my first box last year (Jan 2016) and haven’t ordered another one since. Not because they didn’t send me things I like (I liked them all), but because of the price point. You can read that post here.

Alrightie, so here are my 5 pieces. I was BEYOND excited to open the box (it sat near my door for 3 days):

Colibri Sleeveless Top by Market & Spruce
Cost: $44
Size: XS
Dianna Skinny Jean by Prosperity
Cost: $78
Size: 0
Jimena Embroided Top
Cost: $54
Size: XS
Pineda Split Neck Top by Fun2Fun
Cost: $44
Size: XS
Mankai Halter Swing Knit Tank Top
Cost: $44
Size: XS

Here’s the style card that I got from Mai to pair to items I may already own. I tried to find the outfit in my closet to photograph the style as close as possible 🙂

makai halter swing knit tank top

pineda split neck top

jimena embroidered top

dianana skinny jean

colibri sleeveless top

Here is my stylist’s note to me. It made me so happy. It’s like she knew me!! I love the comment where she said Extra Petite (fashion blogger) would approve LOL. And they were all breathable materials that won’t make me stinky in the summer <3 (this was my comment after I submitted my order in the what else do you want to share?). I spent about 5 minutes with the box after I opened it before I had to do some errands, but I already knew it was a keeper and I was so excited to take pictures the following week. (Such a loser, haha.)

stitchfix stylist note — it’s like she knows me!

1. Colibri Sleeveless Top by Market & Spruce

When I took this out the box, I was like YES! I love sleeveless tops and things with pockets!! Every time I see something like this at H&M, I always want it. But it’s usually polyester, which means a no-go for me. And they are usually less than $15.

After I tried it on, I realized it was pretty long for a top–I can cover my entire underwear, but it’s no way a dress. The V neck seemed pretty low, but it was actually a really good spot. I also love how it has a pocket on the left side–perfect for my work ID and chapstick.

I paired this with the skinny jeans and some gray shoes as noted in the outfit suggestion card 🙂

colibri sleeveless top, dianna skinny jeans — no filter 😀 I have a sunroof and I’m gonna use it!

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the lantern fest

February 2, 2017 winnie Comments 0 Comment

Last year, I attended The Lantern Fest at the Philadelphia location. They host the event in various locations across the USA. The gates open at 4 PM, but you really don’t need to get there so early since the lighting can’t start until the sun is down. Although if you’re a large group (6+), getting there by around 7 PM is your best bet to still have enough space for the group and the lighting at night.

The Philadelphia location was pretty spacious. It was open land with little grass. People brought blankets and beach chairs to have a good day’s picnic and fun. There was a stage and people were performing. I don’t really remember what was going on but people were very into it. Some guy also wore a Pikachu onesie and danced on stage. I don’t know how he was surviving the heat. There were other tents for children’s activities, like coloring and face paint. There was a super long line for the balloon animals. So long that the guys making them were just twisting up balloon swords instead of taking requests. (Their insurance was ending at 5 PM, which means they had to stop working). I got myself a sword though 🙂

There was a booth right in front of our spot that was a sponsor: Bai Water. I never had it before and tried their coconut and watermelon flavors. I’m glad they had a water sponsor because sitting out in the heat is NO JOKE. Bring umbrellas! I brought my beach chairs and should’ve packed a blanket (and a picnic basket and more food).

lantern-fest-pennsylvania-2016-before-dark — photo of the event space as the sun is setting

There is an area where food can be purchased. They serve only fast food like chicken sandwich, chicken fingers, burgers, fries, and soda. It was about $7 for a sandwich that reminded me of elementary school lunch–wrapped up in an aluminum foil and probably mass baked to heat everything up.

The admission ticket came with an entire Hershey’s chocolate bar 🍫, 4 marshmallows, a pack of graham crackers (about 10?), and 2 mini Sharpies to decorate your lantern. It’s best to share with your friends since there are different colors 😛.

Finally, it was time for the fire 🔥 activity! I was wondering what the sticks in the ground were all night. The fire lighting is pretty dangerous if you don’t do it right. My first lantern did not have enough hot air in it and I let it go. I had to chase after it… Thank goodness they have the Police and Firefighter team at the event in case of any accidents.

lantern-fest-pennsylvania-2016-lighting — so excited to send my doodle to the sky

And after you set your lanterns into the sky with your wishes, you can enjoy some s’mores 🍢 (close enough emoji, lol).

lantern-fest-pennsylvania-2016-marshmallows — asian squatting makes the s’mores taste better

See ya there this year? 🙂

costa rica pura vida

December 16, 2016 winnie Comments 0 Comment

Costa Rica was the perfect getaway from NYC—escaping just as the snow came flurrying to the northeast. To my sadness as I write this (Friday night before my flight), the weather back home is SNOWY the day we fly and will be 20 degrees F by 12 AM 😱

Overall, the trip was pura vida, which is simply the way of life in Costa Rica. Although it translates directly to pure life, it is something that all Costa Ricans embrace whether in happiness, poor health, or everyday occurrences.

This blog post will cover everything from where we went, what we ate, where we stayed at, and even Pokemon Go coverage 🙂

Blue icons are the places we went and yellow are the places I would check out the next time I go.

Activities & Places Visited (province):
1. Britt Coffee Tour (Heredia)
2. Tabacon Resort @ Arenal Volcano area (La Fortuna de San Carlos)
3. Mistico Park – Arenal Hanging Bridges (La Fortuna de San Carlos)
4. Don Olivo Chocolate Tour (La Fortuna de San Carlos)
5. Extremo Superman Zipline @ Monteverde (Santa Elena @ Puntarenas)
6. Manuel Antonio National Park (Puntarenas)
7. Crocodile Bridge (Puntarenas)

Hotels & Accommodations:
1. Hampton Inn (Heredia @ San Jose)
2. Tabacon Hotel (La Fortuna de San Carlos)
3. DoubleTree Resort All Inclusive (Puntarenas)
4. Hotel San Bada (Puntarenas)
5. DoubleTree (Heredia @ San Jose)

Traveling Around

We rented a car from National for 263 USD for the entire week, what a steal!!! Collision damage is required (forgot the price) and we opted out since it’s covered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (sign up for one here). This price is like one day in Iceland !!! (see my Iceland post here) or half a week in the USA. A 4×4 car is a must if you are considering making a trip to Monteverde.

Waze the is the best navigation app to use in Costa Rica, as recommended by all the locals. Google Maps, while good for looking up distances and estimated drives, is not as reliable for directions. With Waze, there are no addresses to input. You type up the name of the destination and hit go. The traffic data is not the most accurate, so the ETA was underestimated for the most part of our trip.

The street signs are pretty terrible. Some signs are small white boxes and black text that you cannot see until you make a turn already. Just trust Waze and don’t rely on reading any street signs. The larger signs when there is a fork in the road can be useful; they show county names and KM distance.

costa rica street sign — are you lost yet?

The locals drive here like there are no rules. We drove a total of approx 600 km, mostly winding roads and on the mountains, with at least 90 km of unpaved rocky roads, and even got stuck in a mud pit. The locals tend to cross over the yellow line whenever there is a turn, so drive with caution. The roads are mostly one lane on each side and drivers tend to pass slow cars by driving into the opposite lane. This is necessary to skip trucks and buses.

Cellular Service

We didn’t really look into this since our plan with T-Mobile includes international data roaming and calls for $0.20 a minute. We had cellular service through Movistar (local Costa Rica network) most of the time. During our drive on the mountain, we lost service in certain spots. Looking back, I would get a SIM card for those moments when service is gone. Driving through a mountain is no easy feat and it’s always reassuring to know you can call for help.

Money & Economics

The week’s rate was 1 USD to approx 550 CRC (see current rates on Google). The USD is really strong right now. A lot of tourist areas take USD, but the CRC is usually the best rate if you have a credit card without any foreign transaction fees (compared to the USD price listed). It doesn’t hurt to do some quick math on a calculator to figure out the best price.

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Iceland Trip 🏔🌋

September 24, 2016 winnie Comments 1 comment

What better way to spend a 1:20 flight delay than to start this post! 😊

Vacationing in Iceland was definitely worth it! The views are spectacular and it really is a country full of geological wonders. We booked our flight + hotel package through Expedia.com and stayed at the Icelandlair Hotel Reykjavik Natura.

It is a pricey place to go (one of the top 5 expensive places in the world) so be prepared to spend money. We spent an average of 650 kr ($5.66) for a 8 oz latte; 2,100 kr ($18.27) for lunch; 4,900 kr for dinner ($42.63); and 1,750 kr ($15.23) for a 6 minute taxi cab ride.

A lot of my friends rented with SAD Cars, so we did as well. On the first day, we swapped a car due to the EPS service light (electric power steering) after driving 20 towards Blue Lagoon. The second night, after booking a tour and getting back to our hotel, we drove the exchanged car 10-15 minutes and it started to smoke up. There was still water fluid in the car so that was pretty crazy. We did not swap for a third car. Thank goodness for enterprise.

Here are the places we visited:

Reykjavik

Inside the Volcano

How cool is this!! The excursion is 42,000 kr (~$365) and 5-6 hours, book it here. The mini tourbus picked us up from the hotel and to the booking center. In 50 minutes, we reached the other camp site to gear up. They provide these long yellow rain jackets which were a must!!

The walk to the base camp is about 45 minutes, so dress warm. So warm–like your snowboarding gear. We wish we brought ours. Even the goggles, because that can be helpful against hail (or even to trek closer to the waterfalls mentioned below for beautiful photos).

Once we arrived at the base camp, we were greeted by warm tea and coffee. After a brief safety message, the Group 1 geared up with helmets. The tour experience is only for 6 people at a time since the window washing transporter can only fit 6-7 people max. Patiently waiting for our turn, while supping tea, we mounted the GoPro to the helmet. Yay for the 2 helmets with the mount!!

Once it was our turn, it started to rain harder. But no worries, the experience was highly anticipated. We took off our helpful yellow rain coats and braced the cold. We went down the window washing transporter, which had wheels on one side to buffer against the uneven volcano opening (it actually got warmer as we were further from the opening). There was even a portion of the volcano wall that had metal reinforcement to ease the machine down. Safely stopped at the volcano bottom, we had about 20-30 minutes to explore the space.

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living the happy life

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