Thursday, September 29, 2011

Guu-ing + happy bday lisa + my new nails...

it's been a busy busy BUSY week...i actually kind of hate it when i get so busy, i don't have any energy left to do anything else. do you ever feel that way? quite useless in fact, huh? its been getting chilly lately and i think i forgot how to dress winter. but at the same time, i am excited about rockin my thigh highs. *sigh* what can i say....here goes longer nights & shorter days.

anyways, a few fridays ago was my girlfriend Lisa's bday dinner...we went to Guu. Guu-Izakaya is a japanese restaurant in the heart of toronto, where the atmosphere is LOUD, food is pretty awesome and the line-up is ridiculous. however, since Lisa is such a VIP...we didn't have to wait. i've gotta say...i had a really awesome time and i can't remember the last time i had so much fun at a bday dinner. not to mention, the company i was with were AWESOME-O!! thanks and kisses to sum of my fav ppl...mel, shaun, jen & lisa. before i forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!!!!

disclaimer: some photos were taken from lisa's fb...hahaha




the BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!

The food was decent at Guu....it's not the typical japanese stuff you find at all-you-can-eat or the regular japanese places. the four of us ordered many dishes so we can try a lot more and the food is very creative. the place is worth a try but i'm not sure if i'd say it's my fav place to eat...mainly because of the noise. when you walk in, all you hear is the staff screaming every 2 mins. it's very enthusiastic, not gonna lie, but dangggggg i need my eardrums!!! here are a few pics from the night...


all the HOT ASIAN girls...


jen, me, mel



mel & shaun - yes she finished that whole crapload of sapporo



a pumpkin dish with the egg in the middle


squid/octopus in some spicy sauce


lightly cooked raw tuna


the birthday cake & macaroons


....lastly, i got my nails done and this time, i did something different. i'm usually all over the french white tips, but this time....i was a bit more daring. what do you guys think??

Friday, September 9, 2011

MAC Me Over - My Thoughts....

Okay okay okay….I’ve finally gotten around to doing a post on MAC’s latest “MAC ME OVER” collection. I’ve actually been out of the loop with MAC”s collections because they have not been doing anything for me…..not even a tickle. I feel like they’re coming out with a new collection every week and if any of us were to follow the collections…we’d be on a never-ending yellow brick road to our debts. (just sayin!) But seriously….this is becoming a little bit overwhelming, however I still fell for this collection. Damn those marketing people @ MAC! I was good though….I only grabbed 4 items. I got:

- Heirloom Shadestick
- Street Cool Shadestick
- Curvaceous lipglass
- Illicit lipglass


left to right: street cool, heirloom, curvaceous & illicit

That is all and I swear I’m sticking to it. I’m not even sure why I grabbed the shadesticks but I am a collector at heart….or shall I say hoarder at heart…so I feel like I need these shadesticks because I have so many of them and it’s just WRONG that I don’t also have another 2 in my collection. Yes I do sound like those hoarders on A&E….Lord help me. Anyway….nothing else in the collection caught my eye in person. When I was browsing online – I had a few things in mind that I was excited to see and swatch, especially the lipsticks. Except I was utterly disappointed with the lipsticks….here is why:


Lippies
So this collection had 2 sets of lipsticks – neutrals/light and dark. I was excited about the darker colors because a) I don’t have many of them; b) I’ve been getting into this color fad lately and I have no idea why…..and c) I have way too many neutral or nude lipsticks and I really don’t need anymore MAC nude lipsticks in any textures because I can guarantee you, I’ve got them all. As I walked towards the display, I almost squealed in excitement…only to be let down because the colors were all soooooooo dupable. The reds, the dark purples, the pinks – they’re all dupable…maybe not to the T but enough for me to say “let me save my $ for something else.” Having said that, I just had to walk away with 2 lipglosses – illicit and curvaceous – I have to admit, the sole reason I got these is because of how opaque they are. One layer of this gloss is more than enough to turn your lip into a nudey beige or nudey mauve pink. The consistency actually kinda reminds me of “Glamour for All” lipgloss from the “All Ages, All Race, All Sexes” collection.

Shadesticks
We all are well aware that the NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencils knock these shadesticks out of the park….both in quality and price. However, I do love owning them – I can’t understand why either. They’re also not the best products to use – they crease if you don’t use them properly and they’re a bitch to put on, whether it’s straight from the tube or from a brush. So really, I don’t know why I got them – I got them just for the sake of saying “I got these shadesticks.” Sad I know – I haven’t played with them yet but I will and of course, I’ll let u guys know when I do.


Everything else…
Is not a must-have….I am telling you if you dig deep enough into your collection, you may actually find colors that are very VERY similar to this collection. I know my friend Sarah asked about the “stunner” blush – again….it’s nothing that jumped out at me. I find that the thing with MAC nowadays is that they’re just putting out product for the sake of putting our product….nothing is a “WOW” anymore and what is with this sudden price hike?? The shadesticks were like $21?!?!!!!!!!! All in all, this is something worth checking out but not necessarily buying….I’d wait for the Chanel fall stuff if I were you….hehe. Just sayin!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

japanese food + chanel = winning

its labor day long weekend...which only means 2 things: 1) summer is officially coming to an end, which starts my seasonal depression disorder (haha!) and 2) my daily commute will be crammed with students who love to talk about their so-called sexual escapades at 7am in the morning....really now? i figure i should enjoy this last long weekend before summer ends and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! i was asked to attend a few parties and such, but i realized a few months ago that i am done partying. it's just not my thing anymore. there is no gratification in standing in a dark place, with watered down alcoholic beverages that costs a small loan, with nastiness bumpin & grindin near me...just to end my night with ruined shoes & hurting, blistered feet. noooooo thank you. having said that, i ended my nights with either an early drink at a nice restaurant or a nice mango slush with tapioca bubble tea. THAT my friends, is the most enjoyable experience especially when you are surrounded by people you love.

the other night, i went to a new japanese resto with my mom. please note, my mother & i love to eat out...try different places and such. some times...it's just easier to eat out. anyways, so we found this new place...courtesy of my cousin Chris...called "inatei". when you first walk in, the decor was meh...i wasn't thoroughly impressed, especially after my cousin telling me their food can get pricey. i'm thinking, with this decor, they better not be charging me a small fortune...unless they have a dishwashing option. lol. but boy, was i wrong....this place was DEEEEELICIOUS and it's worth every penny. they're actually not too pricey...it's mediocre and especially for the quality of the food, it's so worth a try. my mom & i ordered a 15pcs sashimi "boat" set, a grilled mackerel for appetizer, pork cutlet udon and unadon (eel with rice). i again...failed to take pics of all the food but i did wat i could!!



15pcs sashimi set - the shrimp was SO DAMN GOOD. it was soo sweet!!


grilled mackerel appetizer


CHANEL!!
i wasn't going to put this up just yet...but i thought i am just as excited as you guys are about CHANEL, so i fig why not! i FINALLY saw the chanel fall 2011 stuff at the chanel counter. my girlfriend jen made the mistake of taking me to a cosmetics store that had chanel and everything else...so i hauled. *hangs head* i didn't grab any of the lippies or the quad, or even the nail polish because i always go get my nails done so it's not worth it for me to spend the $ on a nail polish i'll only use once in a while. hehe. that was my justification. so i got the illusion d'ombre - long wear luminous eyeshadow - i believe there were 6 colors in total, but i only got 4. the other 2 colors were too sheer or too "common" and was easily dupable with mac's paint pots or cream shadows. here are the ones that i got....and i can't wait to use them!



it comes with an awesome brush....


because it comes apart and you can make it into a longer brush - like a lipbrush...how awesome!!




ebloui




mirifique




illusoire




epatant

all of these eyeshadows (when i swatched them and played with them at the store) they were really soft and easily blendable....i was actually surprised, even with the black one. i thought it would be real sticky and dry - kinda like MAC's paintpots, but they weren't. i'm excited to use them and will def share when i use them. wooot!


Fall Style 2011
this fall, there is one thing i am looking forward to and that's wearing my over-the-knee boots with american apparel tights (the thicker material tights). i was rockin the look last winter and i plan to do it again this winter...booyah. here is the photo for inspiration:



her boots were loubs of course - but hey! my steve maddens work also!!! ....for now. haha. i love how kim k paired the look with a cropped jacket...it looks so professional yet classy and sexy. *drooolage*

Friday, September 2, 2011

Urban Eatery – Food Court Fine Dining?

If you live in Toronto or work near the financial district in the heart of the city….you will know that the number of places to dine at are endless. To the point where sometimes you don’t even know what you want to eat cuz there’s just SO MANY choices!! From your fine dining, to the on-the-go fast food….the possibilities are endless. Well, recently there’s been another breathtaking addition to the Toronto dining experience…..a luxurious, fancy food court at its finest. The Urban Eatery is located at Toronto’s largest indoor mall, the Toronto Eaton Centre on the lower level…this food court used to be a dump – chairs everywhere, tables uncleaned, used Styrofoam plates & cups everywhere. It wasn’t anywhere you’d want to eat in or even grab food from for that matter. That has since all changed….after a whoopin $48million and 14 months in renovations & revamping, we present the fanciest, go-green, stylish food court. (rest assured….I have photos to follow)



Everything about this food court screams style – from the artistic color schemes of each food place to the awesome looking (but not sure if comfortable) tables and chairs. Hell, even McDonalds is fancy! *cue the “fancy” song….oh u fancy huh, u fancy huh* Oh did I mention that this food court uses no Styrofoam or paper anything? All your cups, plates, utensils are REAL dishes….like the kind you wash and disinfect. That is their way of showing go-green support. I kinda like that idea of not eating like a barbarian on a paper/Styrofoam plate…but I’m not sure how well that will go down the road. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Now on to the dining experience….

When I first walked in all I could think was….this place is HUGE!! And then had this urge to run around with my shoes off like a kid at chuck-e-cheese, screaming my head off. Weirdo. I know……I digress. They had taken out some stores from the lower level to be able to accommodate such a massive food court. Granted, with the daily pedestrian traffic in the Toronto Eaton Centre, a food court this size is necessary. The place was spic-n-span clean, with “collection stations”, which is where you place your tray and dining wares, after you are done eating. With the size of this place, you actually have to take a walk around the food court to see all your choices before deciding on what you want to eat….that’s if you’re not still trying to decide between two places (my problem was big smoke burger or jimmy the greek). Once you decide what you want to eat, you stand in line and wait endlessly for your food….some places are better than others, as it’s less prepping but the “feeling” and vibe is the same as any other food court. I don’t know why I expected to come out of here having an “AHHH” *cue: angels singing* feeling?? Moving onto the food…

I had a cheeseburger combo with fries & coke from “Big Smoke Burger” – I’m not quite sure if it’s the charcoal smell that drew me to this place or the fact that I wanted to be a fatty today (err….today?) and have a burger. Regretfully, I forgot to take a pic of the most important thing….the burger!! BUT I’ll go back…..hahahaha. The burger was done okay…better than most places I guess, and it wasn’t bad tasting. It some-what reminded me of this burger place, Johnny’s (it’s NOT the same as Johnny Rockets) and apparently the fries are freshly cut everyday….I was impressed but at the same time, I didn’t get the “AHHHHH” feeling. Maybe it’s just me? I don’t know but I can tell you, they put my coke in a glass and I GUARANTEE after maybe 4 months, they’re going to have to switch back to the plastic cups. I can already see people putting the glasses, plates & cutlery into their huge bags when no one is looking – why? I’m not sure, maybe for souvenir purposes? Like if you think about it….every “out of town” family potentially takes a glass or a plate/fork home…..they can and WILL eventually, have a whole new set of dining wares. I digress……back to the food, I can honestly say, this wasn’t as impressive as I expected. At the end of the day….it’s a food court and it’s not going to give you the same “AHHHH” feeling as a brand new, swanky restaurant and it actually reminded me of all the other food courts in the financial district. You must understand, the Toronto Eaton Centre has “pedestrian” traffic of all and every kind of people….whereas the financial district only gets the office & corporate clientele, so we are used to seeing the clean, brightly lit and “swanky” food courts…minus the strollers running over my toes and kids screaming like the fire alarm.


crepe de licious


fast fresh salad bar


big smoke burger


aroma espresso bar


froshberg gelato


urban herbivore


RARE - i believe it's a salad bar



mcdonalds...fancy styles


KFC


thai express

To be honest, I can’t tell you how much I dislike working near the Eaton Centre and using their food court facilities….it is always swarmed with people, which eventually leads to dirtier tables/chairs and then you get all kinds of pedestrian traffic, kids, panhandlers, young’ns who hang out at the mall until their parents are ready to pick them up, etc. Not going to lie, I was one of those young’ns at one point….but it is only when you are OLDER, that you understand how annoying and irritating you were when you were YOUNGER. God help me….I am old. Anyway, I guess you can say I’ve been sheltered in the financial district, where food courts generally empty out after 2pm and then the coffee-breakers start to swarm again around 3pm-ish. Maybe that’s why I haven’t conjured up a huge like for this new food court…..or maybe because it’s no different than any other food court at the mall? Or were my expectations too high?