Zara blazer (similar) | H&M cropped top, necklace (similar)| Talula pants | Spring satchel (similar) | Shoes I don’t know (similar)

I’ve been in the dumps, these past two weeks. Okay, not really, but my blog was infected with malware and has been flagged by Google as “dangerous.” I am NOT dangerous. I am @#$%ing awesome. Google needs to get it straight. But in all seriousness, my blog was unfortunately hacked, causing me all sorts of panic and frustration. But it should be okay now. I’ve requested for Google to review my site so they can finally stop talking shit about me to my now zero visitors. Are you guys still there? Hello?

Well if you are, you’re safe… just clear your cache.

Out of all of this, I have learned a bit about malware. That shit is malicious. Which brings me to the moral of the experience — in the midst of disorder and ugliness always lies something beautiful. Whether it be an experience that builds your character, a realization, or  just plain “useless” knowledge, it’s an opportunity for you to add value to yourself. Which is really what I’d like to do every day, in one minuscule way or another. Even this stinking alley has pretty art and graffiti.

XO,

Photos: Bubby

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Zara peach top (similar), mint pants (similar) | Aldo capecoral pumps, necklace (similar) | H&M fringe hobo bag | Dior sunglasses (similar) | BCBG spike bracelet | Michael Kors watch (similar)

I first saw this beautiful mural of Science World on Alicia Fashionista, and then again on RickChung.com. So, being naturally drawn to pretty things, I had to find it. And by find, I really mean find. It’s a shame that such a pretty mural (which I’m sure took a long time to create) is hidden between buildings, on a small street, above a parking lot. What? Exactly.

It’s been a week since I’ve been back in Vancouver and I’m starting to get back into the grind. Back to reality. I started work on Tuesday (at a “new” company) and I get the privilege to work from home from time to time. Which is awesome, yet dangerous. You’d go crazy too if you were cooped up in a pink messy room for 8 hours with no one to talk to.

And within a week of being back, I’ve converted…. to an iPhone! So now I can instagram, face time, skype, and use my horrid Chinese writing skills on poor, unfortunate friends. And no, I don’t miss BBM. In all honesty, it’s like an annoying, unnecessary bother at times. And now that I’ve disappeared, it feels like a burden has been lifted! So If you don’t hear from me, it’s because I don’t want to talk to you. :)

XO,

PS. If you’re looking for the mural, you can find it on 45 East 8th Avenue, just off Quebec Street.

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I’m back…..! Yay…..? Not really. I wish my trip was a month or two longer. But, don’t we all? I’m experiencing some vacation withdrawal right now and I’ve been a bit depressed over the past few days. Okay, maybe depressed isn’t the right word. It sounds a bit too emo. But I really miss being there. Before I leave the past behind and get back to reality, here are my street shopping finds from Hong Kong, as promised!

One of my favorite pieces from HK — pretty good and inexpensive. Although it looks like it’ll have a knack for getting wrinkly.

Speaking of wrinkly, I probably shouldn’t have taken a picture of this mint fishtail maxi skirt… without ironing it first.

And yet another fishtail maxi skirt.

Another one of my favorite pieces… which looks awful in this picture. But it’s pretty in real life, I swear. And it comes with a hood. This is actually from Taipei.

Not sure if I like this as much as I did when I bought it, but I could always pair it with some stockings and a blazer, and wear it to work right?

This is a little small for me and my big butt. One size shopping doesn’t always work. But I love these shorts. Also, from Taipei.

Navy trousers with pink polka dots. So far, they look like pajama pants on me. Did I mention that one size street shopping also means no trying on clothes before buying them?

A favorite as well. I wish I also bought them in black. They’re a bit snug in the calves, but they do the job.

Big enough to throw all of my junk in for a night out, and studded enough to make me look a bit more stylish. I think this was about $15 though, which isn’t really “cheap” for Asia standards.

I hate to brag, but the rest of the bags (the 3 above) were $6.50 each. The tote bags are awesome – they fit a lot of stuff and the fake leather is great for… fake leather at $6.50. I wish I bought more. Let’s just see how long they last.

So my trip was @#$%ing awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I’m really glad I had the chance to go and I would definitely visit Taipei again. And now, I think I have am mild case of wanderlust. Good thing I have my next trip to Montreal and NY booked already. I’m going at the end of the month for a wedding. :)

And if you’re wondering if I shopped a lot…. I did. I had to buy an extra bag to bring everything home. And since the zipper of my Longchamp bag broke, I decided to get the Le Pliage travel bag in red. (I would suggest getting a dark color like navy or grey — black is boring — because it’ll get dirty from traveling, like mine already has.) It’s great for shopping trips because it folds into a little square that you can stick in your suitcase and take out once you’ve…. over-shopped.

Longchamp Le Pliage Travel Bag in Navy

I’m rambling. Now welcome me home.

XO,

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There are a lot of street vendors in Taipei (and I’m sure in Asia in general, but what would I know) that sell a variety of clothes, accessories and shoes. At first sight, it’s super exciting! There are stores with rows and rows and rows of shoes, and racks and racks of clothes with nothing costing more than $30.

After a bit of shopping, I noticed that although prices are really attractive (and exciting, so exciting it ignites a fire in your eyes), the quality is usually lacking… quite a bit. But what do you expect from a skirt for $6? You should expect it to be transparent. Which is what I’ve noticed with a lot of bottom garments and dresses. They. Are. Completely. Sheer. Woo hoo!

Inexpensive, but poorly made maxi skirt, as beautiful as it is. See the gap between the elastic and the actual skirt?

This is okay. Although the material is pretty thin. If it was toilet paper, it would be 1 ply.

The sewing of the trim is a bit off, but for $6 or so, it’s good to go.

I had to get this because of the peplum style and cotton candy colors. (Reminds me of last year’s Halloween costume.) With some ironing, I’m hoping that it won’t look too tacky.

This babydoll dress cost me $100NT which is about $3.35CAD. One of the straps broke off, but…. that’s okay I guess.

I really like this pink dress with navy accents and trim. Except that it’s sheer. I kind of knew that. So I wore black shorts underneath. But you could totally see my black shorts. And my black bra. I need a slip.

I didn’t buy this from the street. I got it from Accessorize. Being that it’s similar to Claires in my eyes, this store is expensive!

Other than street shopping, I wouldn’t say that shopping in general is cheap. Boutique shopping is similar to shopping in Vancouver — some inexpensive items, but mostly regular retail prices. Not completely unreasonable, but not the type of shopping I was hoping to splurge on.

One thing I’m super jealous of are the malls and department stores. They. Are. Amazing. And beautifully merchandised. There are so many luxury stores… (for me to window shop, boo) and designer brands wherever you go. They have Zara, where prices are generally the same. But Aldo.. Aldo is expensive. It’s about 50-100% more expensive (did that make sense?) than Vancouver. And it seems to be marketed more as a “higher-end” brand than it is back in North America. Department stores also carry it. Good job Aldo.

I’m leaving to Hong Kong in a few hours. I’ll continue my shopping expedition there. Wish me luck. I can barely contain myself! Ah, and Cantonese-English speaking people!

XO,

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