Outfit Snap: Pink for Luck

May 31, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Experimentation and innovation can be fun, but honestly I’m most at ease just being me the way I am. Thus I tend to wear and purchase items within one sub-style of lolita fashion (sweet) and typically one colour (pink). Left to my own free reign, I’ll just wear my favourites over and over–and I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with that. I want to get the maximum enjoyment out of the things I own, especially when they’re harder to acquire and costlier.

This picture is very shadowy thanks to the early morning sunlight being so intense! I should have faced into the sunlight, but then I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Saturday I attended a casually-arranged shopping trip meetup. I decided to wear my favourite pink one-piece, because I like to particularly wear pink when meeting new lolita. I think of it like a good luck charm! It’s also a good choice on days that I don’t plan on leisurely getting ready for the day, because I know what I like to wear with it; putting together a quick coordination is easy.

I also like wearing this dress because my husband likes it. It was a surprise gift from him for me during a time when I didn’t have the money to buy anything, so it has a lot of sweet memories attached to it as a result of his thoughtfulness~ ♥ It’s also incredibly comfortable and has a hidden pocket. I love garments with hidden pockets at the side seams–it’s the perfect place to keep my phone and bus pass so that I don’t have to fumble around for them in a purse.

A cardigan or parka is handy on days that can’t seem to make up their mind between sunny or chilly.

The weather was very bright and sunny, but also breezy, so I wore a cardigan for most of the day. I would have preferred to bring a parasol to shade me from the sun and simply deal with chillier moments, but I decided against it. It turned out to be a much better choice, because the farmer’s market was so crowded that it would have been very impolite of me to be carrying an open parasol. I might have poked someone’s eye out accidentally!

Meetup Report: Shopping Excursion

May 30, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Deliciously wonderful cherry amaretto ice cream! I didn’t expect it to have chocolate, too–but it did!

I’ve been so happy to have my husband to myself for a weekend that I didn’t want to waste a moment of it! (Especially as I am working Sunday and Monday–no long Memorial Day weekend for me~) However, there was a meetup to be organized on Saturday that I hoped to attend, as I keep missing out on a lot of events, and he had no objections, so we went!

We started the day bright and early. It’s easy to let a whole day be consumed by preparing for and attending a meetup (even a short one), but there were other things I wanted to do. We cleaned the house, made breakfast, and headed to the farmer’s market. My original plan was to go the farmer’s market and then to the meetup, but we arrived at the farmer’s market much earlier than I expected to. To bide some of the time, we popped into the free farm zoo that was right across the street.

Not sure the gender of that bovine–it probably was a bull–but regardless I thoroughly approve of it.

After wandering through, taking pictures of chickens, and dodging small children, we headed to the market. It was absolutely packed, the best of the vendors’ goods were long gone, and the heat was starting to make everything and everyone wilt a bit. We picked up some oyster mushrooms and strawberries. I was a bit iffy on the strawberries–there are lots of them for sale right now, but they aren’t always sweet. These also looked like they were getting soft from the ride to the farmer’s market and being in the sun. When I was offered a sample, however, I knew they were coming home with us! They were the perfect dessert…and even more amazing when drizzled with maple syrup.

After picking up the goods we headed towards the meetup destination. There was a very casual shopping excursion planned in an area of the city I don’t often visit, starting at LUSH and including Vosges. LUSH and I have a love-hate relationship, but the only strain between me and Vosges is that my wallet isn’t bountiful enough that I can buy everything I’d like. We loitered outside of the rendezvous point for a bit, taking pictures with some of the beautiful pink flowers.

There were also some roses, but they weren’t as vibrant as these flowers, and I tended to block them by accident.

Then, the hostess arrived, and soon the other girls assembled. It wasn’t a very big meetup, but that was probably best for the shops! I don’t necessarily think we could have fit everyone inside if there was more than a handful. We browsed the LUSH for a while. I did my best not to touch anything, even though I really wanted to! It’s a lovely store and I adore a lot of their products, but my stupid allergies complicate things. Even so, I couldn’t resist picking up some shampoo for my husband and one of the face masks. I just like the way it smells! (And the name.)

I really wish I could have brought home a sparkly pink bubble-bath bar, since those were always my favourites, but I knew I’d regret it. ;_; ♥ Why, bubble bar, why? I think I’m going to have to resort to tossing glitter into the bath tub to regain that lost sparkly-ness that I miss so much. (Although I’m sure that glitter is bad for the drain!)

Vosges was our next stop. We thankfully sidestepped a certain deadly stationery store, good for me and even better for another member of our group. Vosges had all of their toffee out for samples today, which was kind of alternatively-deadly~ The original toffee is wonderful, the bacon toffee is that salty & sweet taste that only comes from bacon + sugar, and the chile toffee had a kick right at the end that wasn’t unbearable but was certainly noticeable.

The interior of the store was so beautiful that I just had to get a picture of everyone. The couch and the chairs were really beatiful!

We loitered in the store a bit, waiting for my husband. He had run the farmer’s market produce back to the house and was on his way back to meet us again. Thankfully there was a soft, vintage couch–and the shop didn’t mind. I didn’t want to buy fancy expensive chocolates without getting his input, since I’d obviously be sharing them with him. ♥ I planned on getting caramels, but wound up with toffee instead! I usually get caramels, so I’m glad I went with something new this time. (The samples were very persuasive.)

Tasty, tasty cake-flavoured ice cream. Clearly I am not the only one who thinks cake ice cream is great, since two people in the group ordered it!

We stopped for ice cream afterward. It was sunny, with warm but not scorching weather, and ice cream sounded delicious~ The place we stopped at was a little window from a nearby building where we placed orders, received ice cream, and sat at the umbrella-shaded tables on the sidewalk. I ordered cherry amaretto~ ♥ The shop had a really nice selection of flavours–not the typical Edy’s-supplied lineup. Everything was delicious, too~

After that, it was time to part ways. I had a really great time, and was very happy to reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen in a while, spend time with friends, and make new friends~ ♥ There seem to always be more and more lolita in my area, and I’d love to meet them all! Little by little, I’m making my way towards doing so.

Sweet Treats: Clean Cup Move Down–More Tea

May 29, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Although my kitchen has a drawer dedicated to and overflowing with tea, I’m always on the lookout for something new. I drink tea on a constant basis–at home, at work, at restaurants, and at the homes of others. My closest friends tend to put the kettle on when they know I’m heading over, even when the summer sun is blazing. ♥ Lately I’ve been feeling somewhat bored with my current options. Mentions of small tea companies producing quality teas have been cropping up in every publication I’ve come across lately. I suspect it’s related to the Alice in Wonderland fever from the recently-released movie.

For Christmas a few years ago, my grandmother gave me a box of Tea Forté. The tea itself isn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it isn’t bad–and the packaging is so adorable! The tea “bags” are little narrow pyramids with a small green leaf atop a green wire, as if a small plant is sprouting from the tip of the bag. The rigid structure is very useful–it won’t slip into the cup like a teabag’s tag-on-a-string might, making it simple to remove the teabag later. Part of my grandmother’s gift included a set of little stands, perfectly suited to resting one of the tea bags. This prodded me towards purchasing another set of their teas when I found some at a store I stopped in for thank you notes.

With flavors like raspberry and chocolate, I could not leave this in the store. It had to come home with me.

As I am myself, I selected the “dessert tea” Dolce Vita set. The six flavors are Belgian Mint, Coco Truffle, Orchid Vanilla, Raspberry Nectar, Vienna Cinnamon & White Ambrosia~ The tea is fairly good quality, although not as good as, say Tea Gschwendner, my all-time favourite company. ♥ Although the tea isn’t sugary, the flavours are sweeter than a harsher tea yet also very intense. They’re intended to pair well with very sweet desserts, so they have to avoid being overpowered.

This was the raspberry nectar teabag~ It brewed a beautifully dark pink cup of tea and was VERY raspberry-ful. If I were going to tea-dye, this is the kind of tea I’d use!

That didn’t quite satisfy my desire for trying something new, though~ I poked around at local stores, but didn’t spot anything that really caught my attention. In an old-lady way, I save magazine and newspaper clippings; I recalled that I had a few for teas I wanted to try. Sure enough, I found one I had removed from a Martha Stewart Living magazine for Steven Smith Teamaker of Oregon. I browsed their beautiful website and placed my order, wishing that I could have smelled the teas in-store before purchasing.

There were so many things I wanted to try, but I didn’t want to overwhelm my already-stuffed tea drawer. I settled on all black teas, as that’s what I primarily drink; white and green teas could wait for a future order, if I place one. I ordered No. 23 Kandy because I couldn’t resist the name, No. 9 Yunna because I thought my husband might be intrigued with the description of “spice & leather,” and No. 64 Ceylon Dimbulla BOP1 because I like Ceylon yet rarely buy it and it’s a common base for Earl Grey, which I adore. (BOP1 is part of the grading system for Pekoe tea. It’s used for broken/fannings/dust teas–there’s a different system for crush/tear/curl teas. BOP1 means “broken Orange Pekoe first grade,” containing roughly 40% full leaves and 60% broken leaves.)

The wonderful assortment that greeted me when I opened the small box that arrived to my doorstep~ The thank-you note is a charming touch.

Ordering from Smith Tea was very simple. The website is beautiful but uncomplicated, and the ordering process well-organized. My tea shipped the day after I ordered it and arrived when estimated. The box was a little crushed at the corners, but the tea was well-packed and even the shipping invoice was unbent.

As soon as it arrived we opted to try No. 23 Kandy, obviously because of the name. It’s a smooth, mild black tea without bitterness. I liked the faint floral notes. It was very good, overall, and I can think of a lot of circumstances that it would be perfectly suited to~

I brewed it a bit darker than recommended, but it didn’t become bitter. I liked the colour–it does have a red tint.

No. 9 Yunna was the second to be tried. It did have a smoky flavor, as listed in the description, but not very intense. Usually, when I think of smoky teas I think of Lapsang Souchong, which is intensely smoky. This had a much more subdued flavor, and the taste of spices paired with it well. It went very well with the mini stroopwafels I had picked up earlier in the week~ ♥

Some other tea companies I hope to try include Damn Fine Tea, Tea for All Reasons, Portsmouth Tea (particularly because they make a blend specifically for Milk Tea), and Serendipitea. Maybe after Dolpa–if I keep buying tea it will interfere with my budgeting!

If you know any others, recommend or suggest something to me! ♥ I’m always looking to try something new~

Outfit Snap: Sweet Pink Again

May 29, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’m back into the swing of things and very much enjoying it! I only wish I could wear lolita fashion more frequently. I found myself thinking just the other day that I won’t be able to do a week-long challenge like I’ve tried in the past, because now I have a job that doesn’t schedule me week-to-week. The chance of having a whole week to myself is very unlikely, since I’d have to request it off…and my time off doesn’t seem to accrue fast enough! (Although I’d presume that it does.) So I don’t want to waste my weekends~

These sunglasses look amazingly silly, but I love them! They really do a good job of blocking the sunlight, too~

I’ve got a new pair of sunglasses! They’re pink heart-shaped sunglasses! ♥ I’ve wanted a pair since I was very young, when I first saw the video box for Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita in a rental store. I’d been spying them on Fred Flare, so I finally bought them. When they first arrived and I tried them on, I almost returned them. I thought they were too overwhelming, but I’m glad I kept them because I’ve really warmed up to them! I don’t like not having sunglasses on such bright days.

On the whole, my outfits don’t fit the current trends. I’m not much for wigs or big hair, crazy neon colours, or 80s toy inspiration like that from fairy kei. I have a soft spot for the more subdued coordinations that were popular when I started reading Gothic & Lolita Bible magazines and browsing the online shopping section of the brand-name websites. I love pastel pink, lace, and ribbons! That’s why I love this jumperskirt–for the pink, lace, and ribbons.

My hair seemed to be behaving pretty well today. Maybe the wind wasn’t as bad as it can be sometimes~

I really wanted to wear a white hairbow, since I recently added one to my wardrobe, so I tried to add more white to the rest of my outfit to balance it out. I actually hadn’t planned on wearing the cardigan, but the weather wasn’t quite warm enough to go without. There was just a little bit of a chill, and I was determined to go out and get cream puffs today. I liked the outfit more without it, but I wore it most of the day.

Mallow accompanied me today, since I didn’t want to neglect him just because I now have an usakumya. He is much easier to ride the train with! Monsieur Lait almost needs his own seat, but Mallow barely takes up any space.

I’ll probably wear this coordination again sometime~ I really liked it! Maybe I’ll do so next when it’s warm enough that I don’t need the sweater.

Sweet Treats: Nice Cream

May 27, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sweets are my biggest weakness. I’m sure that’s apparent, given that I created a section just to talk about it! Cookies remain my One True Love, but cupcakes are a close follower. Cake is also acceptable, as are other pastries. But when the weather gets warm, my thoughts turn to ice cream.

I was grocery shopping a few weeks ago when something caught my eye: a white container with a brown stripe and a pink label. It was a full end-cap display of ice cream, the little white pints neatly lined up, their brightly-coloured labels facing straight forward.

The two cute little pints of Nice Cream nestled close together. I love the packaging! It’s simple and adorable.

I was intrigued because I had never heard of Nice Cream, and I became more intrigued when I continued to read the labels. I expected vanilla, chocolate, maybe strawberry, but instead found Earl Grey, carrot cake, lavender vanilla, and pistachio. It’s basically impossible for me to resist anything tea-flavoured that isn’t tea, so into the shopping basket it went!

When I reached the register and the ice cream was blipped across the scanner, I almost had a mild heart attack. It was very expensive–I hadn’t seen a price on the shelf, but I had a general idea of how much I thought ice cream ought to be. This was nearly $10 per pint! x_x (Ouch!) At that moment I almost decided to have it put back, but I took it home anyway and hoped it was really that good.

Thankfully, it was. It wasn’t the most perfect ice cream I’ve ever tried, but it was definitely different than typical Edy’s or Ben & Jerry’s. Nice Cream prides themselves on organic, local ingredients. I appreciate the use of real cream, real eggs, and no preservatives–you can absolutely taste the difference! However, it doesn’t have a very long shelf life due to the lack of preservatives, so it needs to be eaten fairly promptly.

The pistachio honey flavor uses raw honey from beeline.

I picked out pistachio honey for my husband. He’s very laid back and generally likes anything, but I know he particularly likes pistachio. The pistachio flavour was very real, and there were pieces of pistachios studded in the pale green ice cream. The honey sweetness paired well with the nuts. He liked it so much he didn’t scold me for paying so much for ice cream. (Although, honestly, he never scolds me regardless of what silly thing I’ve done.)

I love Earl Grey everything and anything, and this was soooooo tasty~ ♥

Earl Grey was the obvious choice for my ice cream~ The shortbread cookie pieces were so delicious that I’m thinking I might have to take a trip to Swim Cafe and buy some to eat non-frozen-and-ice-creamy. (But perhaps that is part of the charm?) My only qualm was that the bergamot flavour was very heavy–adding a very intense layer of “orange” above the taste of the tea. A little bit less orange would have been slightly more to my taste. I think if I tried it again, I’d go for carrot cake!

There’s always something extra-exciting to me about finding something new that is region-specific. The fact that this ice cream can’t be purchased in stores across the country, because it’s made in one place in small batches, provides a different level of quality and creativity. It makes me wonder what delicious ice cream companies are in other regions that I can’t get here! Or, in fact, what other undiscovered-to-me dessert companies might be right under my nose~

Reading Corner: Alice I Have Been

May 25, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Many lolita idealize Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I can certainly understand the appeal–topsy-turvy tea parties, singing flowers, bizarre croquet… All of these things are fantasy-laced versions of historical truth–which, in many ways, fits lolita fashion. When wearing garments that aren’t quite fit for Versailles yet would also look out of place at a Victorian gathering, a strange land where people change sizes from eating a cookie certainly wouldn’t mind the “odd” things that make the style something in its own right. It’s easy to picture Alice in the blue dress and white pinafore, looking rather like a lolita fashion model herself. It’s intriguing; no wonder so many lolita are fascinated by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

I, however, am fascinated by Charles Dodgson.

If you were to ask me to explain myself, I wouldn’t fully be able to, because I’m not sure exactly why I find him intriguing. I’ve read many biographies cover to cover, which when focused on other subjects I’ve barely been able to take notes from. I don’t necessarily care if he was in love with Alice, or with children, or with penguins–it isn’t the controversy that interests me. I’m more curious about what someone who comes up with a wonderland must think about. His whimsy isn’t limited to the book he’s famous for. And what a combination of literary work–children’s novels and mathematical treatises!

When Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin was suggested at the Lolita Bookclub, I knew I wanted to read it. As I neglected poor May very badly for the bookclub, I hastily nominated Alice I Have Been mid-month (it had nearly won for April, being only slightly edged out by The Secret Garden) and set off to procure a copy.

I picked it up from the library after work and finished reading it before dinner. It’s a fictional tale of the life of Alice Liddell–not the one in the story, but the girl who grew up. It proposes and explores some very interesting situations based on hints of fact. Since I’ve read a fair bit about the Liddell family while reading about Dodgson, I don’t necessarily like some of the premises that seem to encourage or develop the “gossipy” elements, such as Dodgson’s often-speculated-on pedophilia. I did like the fact that the book followed Alice’s life until her death–too often she is immortalized as a character from a story, ignoring that she did indeed become an adult.

I sobbed through most of the end of the book as tragedy after tragedy (although, sadly, nothing that was too uncommon for the time) shook Alice’s later life. It’s definitely a book to keep tissues nearby for! She truly develops into a strong-willed, self-controlled woman; it makes me wonder what Alice Liddell was actually like–wonder if those who knew her would be amused at the fanciful tales, or recognize hints and traits of the person they knew. Whether in love with the prince or mourning her sister, she seemed admirable and steady…although some of the other characters certainly wouldn’t have agreed with me. It was easy to forget, at times, that this was a work of fiction and not simply a dramatized historical account.

I did particularly like the way Dodgson was written–as a soft-spoken, nervous young man who only rarely seemed at ease. The details of his photography made me wish I could have seen his equipment and technique. Children’s fascination with him make me wish more of his stories had been written down. As much as I did like reading about Alice, she doesn’t interest me quite as much.

I would have been far more satisfied had he featured more prominently, but the book isn’t “Carroll I Have Been,” after all!

Meetup Report: Bittersweet Treats

May 24, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I tried to keep myself occupied this weekend; it keeps me from moping around while my husband is out of town. My family kidnapped him and took him on a vacation I couldn’t join them on due to my work schedule. I am hoping that once he gets back we can have a few non-disappearing-husband weekends together. It seems like his busy schedule is always taking him off to some other place with one side of my family or the other!

My shark is always ready for a meetup…although his wardrobe needs some sprucing up.

So I met with Miss Lindsey and Miss ElleJay for lunch at one of my favourite places–Bittersweet! ♥ It’s a charming little bakery & café near my home. They sell delicious pastries and fancy desserts, and they serve breakfast and lunch at marble-topped tables in the sunlight from large windows. There isn’t a lot of seating and you can’t make reservations, but it isn’t counter service and the atmosphere inside is really great! If only we could make reservations I’d host a meetup there. It’s very popular, though, so we had to loiter a bit to find a table.

We had lunch and macarons~ I really enjoy the macarons there. Although they’re not Ultimate Perfect Unquestionable Macarons, they’re always good and don’t taste frozen. Frozen-tasting macarons are my least favourite, no matter what the flavor is supposed to be. I also had a piece of mushroom quiche. _ It was so delicious…they make a lovely quiche that isn’t overcooked and dry, but creamy and soft. ElleJay and Lindsey both brought a few of their ball-jointed dolls, so there were a lot of stares at the oddly-dressed table of girls with interesting dolls! I intended to bring my Claire but totally lost my nerve.

After we had finished eating we clearly weren’t ready to part ways, so we headed over to my house. We sat around on the carpeting (a staple of visits to Alice’s tiny house, as I have only kitchen chairs), drank tea, and talked about dolls~ It’s always a lot of fun to spend time with people that share the same hobbies, and thankfully we’re all pretty mild–no worries of hurt feelings or drama~

Lindsey brought these adorable magnetic wings that we had to try on every doll. On mine they make me think of a Cardcaptor Sakura battle costume!

It was really enjoyable to sit around in the sunlight from the window, sipping tea and taking pictures of dolls. It’s only in that span of brightest-sunlight hours that my apartment isn’t too dim for pictures, and since I wasn’t at the office during that time–as is usually the case–we were able to utilize it. The wig my doll usually wears has this awesome habit of looking ridiculously adorable on any other doll, so it was passed around a bit to show off its amazing technique.

Lindsey, who sells really awesome doll clothing as Studio404 on Etsy, has been working with me to branch out to other sizes. Since I have a doll that’s considered to have fairly standard proportions for a 1/4-scale doll, she’s been measuring, drafting, and testing clothing ideas. It’s a lot of fun! ♥ I’m bribing her with tasty desserts and the allure of an Usamomo plush bunny–the ultimate in Alice currency.

This time she brought little bloomers for both my doll and ElleJay’s doll~ They’re so cute! Her doll was wearing the prototype, a faintly-striped beige pair, ElleJay’s doll’s are a deep purple dupioni silk, and the ones I received for my doll are white polka-dotted pink flannel! (Perfect for my general tastes.) They fit perfectly–now she just needs a cute top and they’d look like pyjamas.

The pile-‘o-dolls-and-bunnies! We couldn’t help wanting to pile all the dolls on Lindsey’s largest doll, as she doesn’t necessarily look like the type who would WANT attention from so many “kids.”

We also took some pictures outside my building, to take advantage of the sunlight and nice weather while it lasts! Around here, you can never be sure what tomorrow will bring, after all~ The areas along the pathways and courtyard by where I live are always nicely taken care of, too–that’s why I’m always ready to take pictures there! It’s not a lush meadow or enchanted forest, but still better than a parking lot in my opinion!

ElleJay looking super cute with her red dress and fluffy hair~

I insisted that everyone take pictures with Monsieur Lait, which really doesn’t need much insisting. Usakumya are so soft and perfect for snuggling; no-one ever resists! He gets a lot of attention, and I get the feeling that it’s a-okay with the bunny bear.

Lindsey and bear. I get the feeling that she knows that he knows that he’s cute…

ElleJay and Monsieur Lait are adorable together. It’s pretty obvious in this picture how enormous he is!

Usa-usa-uuuuuusakumya~ ♥

When it was finally time for the tea and fun to end, I walked them back to their respective places of departure~ It turns out that another local lolita, who haven’t yet had the chance to meet, spotted me while she was at work. I got home to a “who was that” post on our local community; it was very entertaining to see that most of my friends immediately knew that it must be me based on the description of pink + pigtails. That is an accurate condensed description!

While she was taking pictures, a butterfly landed on ElleJay’s hair~ It made me wish I had been the one holding the camera so I could have taken a picture of it.

It was a really lovely time, and I can’t wait to do it again~ ♥

Daily Life: A “Momoko” Moment

May 24, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In most ways, I’m not much like Momoko of Kamikaze Girls (original title Shimotsuma Monogatari)–and I think that’s a good thing. Her personality isn’t exactly the best–she’s rude, selfish, untruthful, and conceited. She isn’t even in denial–she readily admits that beneath her beautiful clothes her soul is rotten. Despite my disapproval of her personality and actions, the way she lives is very intriguing, if unattainable. I’m sure I wouldn’t really want to lie around all day reading about embroidery and eating sugar-coated cereal for dinner, but sometimes when work or class is exhausting me I daydream about how relaxing it would be once in a while.

The scene from the film where she shows her sugary and insubstantial boxed lunch~

I particularly think of the food she’s always eating–always sweets, never anything else. I like sweets very much myself, but I keep it balanced with lots of vegetables and grains~ That wasn’t the case for her. I always wondered if she secretly ate other food, but she seemed the sort who would rather get scurvy than do something she disagreed with, so perhaps she just took really effective vitamins.

Since my husband isn’t here I haven’t really felt like cooking dinner. I don’t eat very much and I’m not very hungry, and it seems like a waste to make something if I don’t particularly care either way–and then I might hope those ingredients are still here for a future meal. (As if I’ll never get to a grocery store again–it’s completely irrational.) I did make a cheese soufflé the other day, but this evening I didn’t want to eat it again after having some for lunch already. I remembered that we had some strawberries that absolutely must be eaten or else, and thus my dinner was decided: tea and strawberries & cream.

The evening meal of ~~champions~~ very silly girls who absolutely know better. A honey & butter sandwich was made later and not pictured.

It was just one of those silly things that brightened my mood a bit. My husband hasn’t been gone for very long, and I’m sure he’s having a wonderful trip. I kept myself busy over the weekend so that I wouldn’t miss him too much, but I miss him just as much regardless of how many other things I’m doing to keep myself occupied. Sometimes doing something that you know isn’t necessarily the “right” thing to do, but is absolutely-completely-undeniably the “fun” thing do–the fun thing is the better choice. (And one non-nutritious meal is harmless. If I made a habit of this I’m sure I’d be quite sick!)

I’m also getting acquainted with my beautiful-wonderful-amazing new computer. ♥

My computer is rather old, and it’s been giving me trouble for quite a while. So much, in fact, that before I graduated from university my father told me that he would get me a new computer as a graduation present. (Yay!) And then I graduated, and heard nothing of the computer for months. When it was finally brought up again, the new computer was suddenly surrounded with red tape and more delays. It had gotten to the point where I thought I’d have to start saving up for the new computer myself–especially because my former computer has been continuously making suicide attempts. I haven’t actually been able to use it in over a month, but I thankfully my tiny pink netbook has been pulling me through! Tiny pink netbook is really not a permanent replacement, however: he runs Linux and has an itty-bitty screen.

Mallow and the computer. Both are cute, but Mallow’s still cuter. I think he can take solace in that. He hasn’t been forgotten even though Monsieur Lait has been prominently featured as of late.

The best part about my new computer is that it’s new. The second-best part of my new computer is that it’s PINK~ ♥ I love every centimeter of it’s textured pink Windows 7-running self. ♥ It has well over ten times as much hard disc space, much more RAM, doesn’t do crazy things for no reason… And it’s pink. Did I mention it’s pink? It’s pink.

My brother and father argued over the computer, apparently. I told my brother that I wanted a pink computer that wasn’t just junk, since whatever I get will have to be my internet-and-other-stuff terminal for a long time. I am not very swayed by new technology, preferring instead to buy frills and tea. My brother declared that this was the best pink computer in the given price range, and then my father looked up every review he could find and brought up whatever negative points others had found, for my brother to rebut them. I really appreciate both of their hard work! ♥

My father very seriously told me I should immediately tape my business card to the bottom of my laptop, so that I don’t pick up someone else’s when we go through the security checkpoint in the airport. Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.

Outfit Snap: Pink Weekend

May 23, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

To counteract the effects of not wearing lolita very much last weekend or the one before and due to the fact that my husband is out of town (something that tends to make me a bit of a grumpy-puff). I didn’t really have my heart set on a particular garment, and when I rustled through my closet nothing seemed to stand out. Then I caught sight of my pink glitter sneakers and knew what I wanted to wear~

This outfit is more on the casual side; a washing mishap with my pink cardigan made one of my ideas not possible to do at the moment, so I wore it with my pink cable-knit sweater and a white shirt. I suppose that’s the Alice-fied “casual” autopilot. I loved getting to wear my super-puffy ruffled lace knee socks, but they kept falling down my scrawny legs. ;_; Going to have to fix them–sock glue and ribbons have already been suggested.

I didn’t realize my skirt was lop-sided until I uploaded the picture! Oh well! XD My skirts always slide around during the day, but I don’t always remember to adjust them back to the way they ought to be. I really wish I had a pink tartan beret to match this skirt! (That would be awesome~)

On Saturday I opted for something less casual, since I was going out to lunch at my favourite bakery & café~ I settled on my Angelic☆School jumperskirt. The only problem with this is that this jumperskirt has a zipper problem; my little sister owns it in the white and black colourway and it happens to her dress as much as or more often than it happens to mine–the zipper sticks at the waist. The Japanese lolita brands tend to use a certain type of invisible zipper that isn’t very strong, and it has a hard time at the waist seam due to the layers of fabric and lining being joined in that area. That day I just could not get the zipper to pass that spot, and due to the zipper’s side location my arms were getting more and more tired every time I twisted around to attempt it. x_x

So I untied the ribbon lacing in the back, forced the zipper while the jumperskirt was flat and not being worn, and slid it over my head. Unfortunately, I couldn’t adjust the lacing after that, so I threw on a pink sweater and hurried out the door. All of the time I had wasted while tussling with my dress had made me a few minutes late! @_@ Darn! I arrived before my friends did, as they were also running late, but I was really worried as I headed over there!

I stuck the “county fair”-type badge from the jumperskirt on my sweater’s kangaroo pocket, so it could at least kind of pretend to not look as sloppy. Luckily one of my friends was able to re-tie the lacing before we went in for lunch–we looked pretty silly standing outside, though! n_n

I wore my hair in braids, partially because I thought it would be cute and partially because I wanted it out of my way~ I tied little pink jeweled hearts at the ends; I found some very cute hair baubles a few weeks ago at a little Japanese import shop near Maxwell Street~ I want to wear them more often! I did purchase some new pink hairbows (as I actually only have one and it doesn’t always match everything), but the exchange rate has gotten very bad recently. I don’t want to have them shipped to me until it recovers at least a little bit~

Monsieur Lait accompanied me for most of the day. I almost brought Mallow, but he doesn’t quite fit my camera and did want to take some pictures. In the end I didn’t get any in the café, though! I completely forgot I was going to take some. u_u

Daily Life: Stark Contrast

May 22, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When I was little I was an avid reader of Highlights magazine for children. One of the regular features was a comic strip called “Goofus & Gallant,” where two boys in the same situation responded in different ways. Goofus always picked the “wrong” thing to do, while Gallant picked the “right” thing to do. Even as a very young child, I knew that Goofus’ behavior wasn’t right. He would do things like eat before everyone else was seated at the table, boss his friends around, or refuse to share. This weekend I experienced my very own “Goofus & Gallant” tale.

On Friday I visited my father, and returned home very late. The train was mostly empty when I got on, but at the next stop a group of five or six young men (university-aged) got on. They were joking and clearly enjoying each other’s company, but without being rude or overly noisy. My skirt was sneaking onto the seat next to me, and one of these fellows politely asked me if he might sit there–instead of just plopping down on it. He took a seat facing away from me, and he and his friends continued their conversation.

However, at the next stop there was a pause. I looked up to see all of them staring at me, and the young man next to me broke the silence. “I’m very curious–what’s with the stuffed animal?”

I replied that it was a backpack (they were referencing Monsieur Lait, my usakumya), and immediately all of the gentlemen were intrigued. They wanted to see the straps, see how it zippered, tell me what they had thought it was. The one sitting next to me introduced himself, shook my hand, and started to ask questions. I don’t particularly like speaking to strangers on the train, but they were far from rude and quite unthreatening. I felt uncomfortable only in that I was tired and wanted some piece and quiet.

They asked about my clothing, the young man in front of my announcing to the others that he thought it was some Japanese thing–which, obviously, it is. They were intrigued and posed a few other questions. When they exited the train, they said goodbye and gave a wave. While it wasn’t necessarily enjoyable, their good spirits and kindness (I’m sure they were thinking it, but no-one called me a freak or acted like I was crazy) made it more than tolerable.

This afternoon, after seeing my guests to their car and returning home, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to tip our waitress at lunch in my rush to pay for the check. I hurried over to remedy the situation, hoping that the café wouldn’t yet be closed, and managed to make it just in time! I headed home more slowly, a bit worn out from the panic and hurry.

The weather has been quite nice today, so the bar I passed soon after had opened the front to allow circulations. Five men, older than those who had ridden with me on the train, leaned forward over the bar and started calling to me. One kept going, “Hey! Hey! Hey!” and another waved a camera saying over and over, “Can I get a picture with you? Can I get a picture with you?” I froze although I knew I should have kept walking.

They started to shift as if they would get up from their bar stools and walk towards me, with the man holding the camera looking around for someone to take the picture for him. Another of the patrons–the one who had been doing the calling–started trying to “ask me a question” which sounded suspiciously like some kind of obscene joke or unpleasant pick-up-line. I didn’t remain still for too much longer and briskly walked off.

And that is exactly how not to behave when you see someone dressed oddly. I seem to only get such distasteful behavior from drunk people–they feel the need to yell strange things at me or try to get close to me. I never should have stopped walking–that was a severe error on my part–but I really shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of hassling simply because I am pink and rather fluffy. I would take the young men on the train talking to me endlessly any time over drunk men saying inappropriate things and making me feel unsafe. Ugh! I don’t think I really need to spell out which group was Goofuses and which were Gallants!

Pink ♥ Milk ♥ Tea

May I interest you in one lump or two?

Month: May 2010