Haute Stuff- November ‘09

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Posted on 30th November 2009 by Tomi in Fashion

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I may be a day behind, yet these remain stylish in my fashion dictionary:

GeorgioArmaniSuit1

Pantsuit by Giorgio Armani, Necklace by Janis by Janis Savitt

Love the silhouette.

I’m a huge fan of a mannish outfit like above, especially with a touch of feminism illustrated by the precious pearls resting on a beautifully tailored black pant suit.

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Sweater and Skirt by Vera Wang, Necklace by Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel

Navy blue and bright orange are a perfect match made in heaven; Seriously diggin’ the combination these days. The green/orange necklace and the orange polish add final touches to the look, of course.

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Blouse and Skirt by Prada, Headband by Jennifer Ouellette, Earrings and Necklace by Chopard, Bag by Yves Saint Laurent

I adore how elegant she looks here. The hair and makeup play a critical role.

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Cardigan by Moncler, Shirt by Guess, Skirt by Alexander Wang, Bow by Diane von Furstenberg, Necklaces by Krizia

Lovin’ the red lips and the BOW!!!  I wish I lived in a place where people don’t mind me running around in one! :P

Dior

Dress by Dior

Ahhh— I have developed a deep affection towards this leopard print dress after gazing at it for weeks!!! It’s absolutely stunning. The shape, the collar, the pockets, the details, the fabric… pretty much everything about it. Again, her smokey eyes and side-swept curls instantly upgrade the look. Oh, and those leopard bangles are wonderful- definitely elevates the status from ‘beautiful’ to ‘unforgettable’.

Haute Stuff from the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar

Local Vacation

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Posted on 29th November 2009 by Tomi in Art | Exercise | Movie | Travel | food

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Vacation doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go away. It’s really in the eye of the beholder, you see?

Here’s a collage of my 2009 Thanksgiving weekend as an example:

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Entertained by Botero’s exaggerated, colorful figures @ Bowers Museum

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Helped roast 1,000 turkeys until 1 in the morning (3 am for the hubby and his friends; Thanks again for your help- You know who you are!) for a Thanksgiving Outreach Program (yay! our turkeys are on the news!)

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A bike ride in the hood (it’s so nice to live in a place surrounded by nature; did I tell you that we saw a coyote during our usual evening walk a few weeks ago? and it was like half a mile from where we live? crazy, I know. Then again, I see rabbits all the time in the parking lot at work.)

Hondaya

Had some great authentic Japanese food at a neighborhood Izakaya

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Octopus in ponzu/wasabi sauce or something. It looks kind of gross but trust me, it’s very refreshing. A great Tsuki dashi.

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Grilled Black Cod- mmm… melts in your mouth

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Tako Yaki- one of my favorites. I order these whenever I see them on a menu. I even considered buying a takoyaki grill at one point. LOL

Honda Ya
556 El Camino Real
TustinCA 92780

Hiking1

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Hiking in Laguna… well, it was more like half-hiking since I didn’t get to finish the route. I don’t think hiking likes me too much. bleh.

Then, there were two family gatherings at two different places located 2 hours from each other, 4 hours at a sauna, New Moon (uhh yeah, can someone please put a shirt back on the 16 yr-old boy? It’s just not right, it’s not…), 3 hours at Starbucks strategizing on world domination, experimenting a new curry recipe, and about 5 movies in two languages.

Btw, check out this movie called Mary and Max- a claymated film about an unlikely friendship between an 8 year old growing up in Australia and an old man living in New York City with a mental disorder. Much better than New Moon (uh oh, my cousin is going to kill me for saying this).

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All in all, I feel like I did so much over the weekend that it almost feels like I went on a mini vacation although I never really left home.

Rejuvenated and refreshed- bring it on!

Seafood Galore

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Posted on 29th November 2009 by Tomi in food

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After a Magic Straight Perm, a hair cut, a bag of Chrysanthemum Bread, and a tour of Beverly Hills, we decided to head back to Korea Town for some good seafood:

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one happy family :)

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Appetizers which include a salad, spicy rice cake with seafood cooked on a table grill, dynamite, Korean pancake, sweet potato tempura, porridge, mussel stew, stir fried udon, etc.

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After you finish the clams, scallops, mussels, oysters, grilled shrimps, octopus, and squid, the waiter cooks rice in one of the shells with spicy sauce and seaweed… heavenly.

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Seafood galore for $39.99

We ate until we couldn’t breathe anymore, then took some home for lunch the next day.

I had always wanted try a clam place (it’s very popular in Korea), yet didn’t think I would be able to see one in the states anytime soon. So glad I discovered this place. I would choose clams over meat anytime.

Chungdam Jogae; 청담동 조개구이
Chapman Plaza
3465 W 6th St

Los AngelesCA 90020

Go Mexican Tonight

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Posted on 23rd November 2009 by Tomi in Eats

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Fajita, Tomimito-style

Made in 30 minutes.

Steak Fajita1

What you will need:

1. Sauteed Veggies: 2 Bell Peppers in Red & Green, 1/2 Yellow Onion (use rest for salsa)

2. Meat: Ribeye Steak or Chicken Breast (Mine’s from Costco- 1 slab is good for 2 people; Costco’s pack comes in 5-6 slabs, so it’s only like $3 for 1!)- Cut into bite-sized or small pieces

3. Salsa- 4 Roma Tomatoes, 1/2 Yellow Onion (both diced), 1 Cilantro bunch, 1 Lime, Pepper, Salt

4. Lawry’s Seasoning Powder & Pepper for seasoning both veggies and the meat

5. Flour or Corn Tortilla (or your favorite kind)

6. and.. my favorite hot sauce, TAPATIO!

steak

Cut meat into small pieces and stir fry it in a pan… when it’s half way cooked, sprinkle Lawry’s seasoning powder, or your favorite Fajita or Taco seasoning!

bell peppers

Cook the veggies in a separate pan the same way as the meat, just don’t overcook it!

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Homemade salsa made in 15 min: Dice Tomatoes and Onion. Add chopped cilantro, squeeze some lime juice (I use 1 whole lime), add salt and pepper to taste. Voila, you are done. I added Kiwi as well the other day to give it a sweet twist.

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My favorite Mexican man

Warm the tortilla on a pan for about a minute, flip, & do the same for the other side.

Place it on your plate, toss some of the grilled/sauteed veggies, add meat, top with salsa. Sprinkle Tapatio, wrap it, and eat it! There, you’ve now arrived in Fajita heaven!

Enjoy!!

Fabulous in New York

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Posted on 23rd November 2009 by Tomi in Fashion | Thoughts

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No, I was actually miserable.

When I lived in New York, I had a friend who always looked so polished and composed. With her job at a reputable investment bank backed by a degree from a prestigious college, I admired her lifestyle and always wanted to be like her. Although I was leading quite an occupied life myself with a full time job while going to school full time, whenever I would look at myself to see where I was, I’d be terribly disappointed with how behind I was compared to her in every sense: style-wise, career-wise, bling-wise, etc, etc… I remember constantly being hit by these depression-like symptoms every time I’d come home from spending time with her. When I would tag along on her 5th Avenue shopping spree, I would try my best to look a bit more upscale but fail miserably… We’d walk into Louis Vuitton where I’d be awestruck by the beauty and magnificence of such art pieces. I’d get really nervous whenever a sales person would approach me, and be scared to death to even get a chance to touch some of their amazing products. This will sound pathetic, but I wanted to be one of those people who’d walk into a store like that and buy these ridiculously-priced products like they were cereals on grocery store shelves. That’s what drove me to work and study harder at the time. I wanted the monetary power to own all those beautiful things and join the ranks of fabulously stylish New Yorkers.

Fast-forward couple years (yup, you guessed right! A LOT happened in those “couple years”), I finally set my hands on this baby:

LV Multicolor Speedy

Louis Vuitton Monogram Multicolor Speedy 30 (which obviously needs a wash; LOL)

I fell in love the first time I saw it in this stylish lady’s hand on my flight back to California. It had already been a bit ‘played-out’ by the time I decided to purchase it but even the newest Multicolor model didn’t faze me. This was the only Vuitton I wanted and there, I had it. Ahh- how I cherished my very first moments with Murakami… then I went to Maui and found its twin at a lower price (Tax is lower there). I snatched it, and returned the first one I bought upon my arrival in Cali. Can you tell that I really am obsessed with getting bargains?! Is there anyone else who does that? Join the crew!

So here is the verdict on its long-term value… I still love the bag, but not as much as I did when I first laid my hands on it. Hence it’s very unlikely that I will be paying ridiculous money for another bag anytime soon… then again, the definition of “ridiculous money” varies… lol

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I’m a bit saddened by the fact that it’s become truly challenging to find a picture of the REAL Multicolor nowadays. Literally thousands of images were displayed when I did an image search on Google, yet not one was authentic (Not sure about above one’s authenticity either; actually, now that I look at it, it looks fake.. bleh-). What a disgrace to Murakami and Vuitton.

Anyhow, to conclude my story, do I feel better about myself because of the acquisition? Yes, I feel much better and comfortable about myself than I did back in my NYC days, but not because of the bag, but because I’ve come to an enlightenment that God loves me, and that life is more than about having nice bags and shoes (though I still do enjoy their company from time to time. :D ).

Louis Vuitton

Photoshop is for Designers.

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Posted on 19th November 2009 by Tomi in Uncategorized

Tomimito

looks like it will take a while to brush up on my photoshop skills… Mad rusty, I tell ya. :P

The Gaga Style

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Posted on 18th November 2009 by Tomi in Fashion | Pop Stars

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She sure knows how to surprise us. Remember this?

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Woah, that outfit scares me. I hope she doesn’t show up in my dreams.

I probably will never fully comprehend miss Gaga’s style during my life time, which is why I was shocked to learn that some of the super popular designers (including Prada, Rodarte, Alexander Wang) were possibly inspired by her style for their new spring collections. Then again, perhaps she’s just trying to be who she is- to live up to her name, which means “Crazy/Silly”.

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Is that dress made out of her hair? What about that dog purse? Jeff Koons would totally be excited to see his famous art piece recreated into a purse made with REAL blonde hair.balloon dog

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Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons

Image Source: theinsider.com; The New York Times

Hey, wait.. I’ve seen that haircut before..

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narsha

Narsha from Brown Eyed Girls

So… what came first- the chicken or the egg?

LOL

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