Last day, rather early start, wandered into Mazarine Coffee for breakfast around 8AM:

I had found this place just by searching Google for coffee near me at the beginning of this trip, and I had wanted to go since the very first day, but circumstances brought me to Starbucks for efficiency’s sake. Eggs were done perfectly, just cooked, so softly poached with a light layer of sprouts and cracked pepper on top for flavours. I would come back in a heartbeat. Coffee was strong too. I think my barista was in training – the latte art got mushed up a bit. Not sure if that affected the flavour…

After breakfast, I had originally planned to finish watching Harry Potter, which was showing on the television, but after careful consideration and D’s reminder, I booked it to the airport to see if I could get on an earlier flight. Weather was being unpredictable in Vancouver…

Ended up spending about $150USD to switch my seat. There was even enough time to go to the Duty Free to pick up a bottle of Johnny Walker, a box of See’s candy, and this Laneige BB Cushion that has been out of stock EVERYWHERE for the past half year. I am just glad it’s back in my life. Still can’t find it on the Sephora website for Canada.

Laneige medium shade, and Nespresso as I get ready today.

I’m glad I cut my day short in SF because I made it back safe and sound, no delays. Whether it’s business or personal, it is sometimes for the best to just cut your losses, take what you have gained, and make the most of the situation. How do you determine at that you’ve given it your best? At what point do you walk away from the deal or the relationship?

Busy days and tough decisions ahead.

Here are the links to all the days from this trip:
Day 1
Day 2.. and sort of 3
Day 4 - Part 1
Day 4 - Part 2
Day 5 

…with this lipstick from Two Faced. Loved the Lady Balls shade (bright red), but it’s not really something for everyday wear, so went and got the Sell Out shade too (nude). Which one would you wear?

Sell Out:

Lady Balls:

Long lasting wear, didn’t have to reapply after the coffee, didn’t reapply after brunch with the old high school gang. Also got other things from Sephora, but will share more about it in a future post, because I must go out for Pokemon and coffee.

Things to look forward to:

-One more week until back up arrives for work

-Paying my downpayment in August

-Scandinave spa in September

-Hike tomorrow and next Sunday

Purchased this Chosungah 22  brow gel from Sephora in Grey Brown, many moons ago. The foam applicator tip fell off within the first 5 days, so I exchanged it for a new one… and the new one fell off again. Must be defective. Don’t get this again, but use up whatever I have left because I don’t like to waste.

It also doesn’t make a huge difference on my super thick brows. Maybe it works better for people who have thinner brows.

Above: Unhappy with bushy crazy brows that were not gelled down

Above: Intrigued by this brow gel idea…

Above: All 3 images taken in different lighting with brow gel on. Meh. Makes it darker, I suppose, but it still doesn’t quite satisfy me.

It’s so hard to be patient and wait. 2 more years until the condo is done, and who knows what’ll happen between then and now. Sometimes, I want a monotonous life without excitement, where every single evening is the same routine. Every morning, I would put on the same white shirt and blue jeans, possibly mix it up with a cool coat:

How do I train myself to be able to wait? One of the worst feelings in the world for me is waiting for results, whether it’s waiting for somebody to show up, somebody to return, or somebody to reply. It doesn’t matter in the end, because we are all just blips in the grand scheme of things. Is that depressing? Well, cats are awesome so here’s a cat pic to fix the mood:

I can cook, or at least that’s what I tell myself.

EGG + NUTELLA ON TOAST (COFFEE OF COURSE) – Fry the egg in medium heat, butter the bread with Nutella, put egg on Nutella-ed bread, turn stove off, slide the egg + Nutella + bread onto the frying pan to toast

I took over my mother’s thrift shop find – a weaved shelf/cupboard for $10-ish that she bought years ago but never used! I have tons of crap on it already.

Look at all the Laneige stuff I’ve collected (there’s more not included in this photo). I use the Water Sleeping Mask almost every night and it keeps everything so hydrated. No wonder Koreans have such nice skin.

Enjoying the sunshine.

Enjoying the Don Diablo UMF2016 Set (yes, I’m about a month behind on this, but who really gaf?)

Enjoying my half day off  and heading for a quick training session (hence Day 0) at the Vancouver Farmers Market (forever known as VFM moving forward). No longer jet lagged, but a little tired from Big Dong's birthday party last night. What a riot. 

(Top: turkey cranberry sausage; Bottom: Mango Blackberry Pie).

Hit up Acme Cafe with my LAG (little asian girl) crew, TPL and TAL (airport codes?) after 8:30AM hot hatha yoga at Chopra to replenish all the nutrients I sweated out. We were there more for the pie than the real nutritious stuff. The service was sort of lacking. Was the server hung over from Good Friday celebrations the night before? Who knows. I could’ve used some scrambled eggs instead of sunny side up (do hipster cafes not ask customers how they’d like their eggs done anymore?) and whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the pie (bring my own next time?). So many questions. Perhaps my expectations were too high, and I’ve always had great service on previous occasions. I’d probably go back just for the pie. Make sure it’s takeout.

Needed some extra moisture after skiing. Great time to use the Sephora Pomegranate Sleeping Mask:

It’s anti-fatigue and energizing, AND it smells good. How could I not buy this again? This little package lasts 3-4 uses, as long as it’s kept in a cool, dry place, such as a mason jar in my room.

Heard a snippet of Porter Robinson's Sad Machine on somebody's Snapchat, at the Pacific Coliseum this weekend. I went last year when he was at the Vogue theater and I'm sure his show this weekend was just as amazing. Good ol' days, not worrying about dumb shit. I'm such a boring old fart now. Home by 11PM + 1 drink limit to make sure I can still operate heavy machinery. This YouTube link to it is just not the same as the live version.



She depends on you... She'll go alone and never speak of this again... I'll depend on you. 

What better way to wind down on a Friday evening than drinks at home?


Some people might disapprove of drinking alone, but I did open this with my family near me and poured them a little bit before coming back into my room to put this together.

Cracked open this Chocolate Milk Stout from Hearthstone Brewery (brewery in North Vancouver! Support the locals!), and slapped on a mask. AQ got me the Origins Bests – Mask Trio for Christmas, and I just got a chance to use the Clear Improvement mask:

Dries pretty fast. Feels nice, skin was smooth after. I might get this again, if there’s a sale. It’s only $31, but I’d rather try out some other masks (Glamglow???)


Here’s a bonus from the week. Popbar at Metrotown opened! I tried the matcha bar with dark chocolate dipped in hazelnuts:

Almost $6 for this little bit of sugar. Wouldn’t purchase again, even though it tasted good, it’s just not worth it.

I'm starting to feel more comfortable about the recent changes at the company. This week has been quite hectic, Traveling again in a month – Chicago! Any suggestions for places to visit/avoid?

Picked up this awesome set during my trip to San Francisco with my points. The merch in the USA seems better than the Canadian selection.


100% Pure Argan Oil – Use this every morning

Pure Argan Milk Treatment (love this) – Also use every morning

Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Everlasting Honey – Smooth and moisturizing, but my lips still flake so not moisturizing enough

Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Veil – I don’t like shine and this glows like the sun

The Milk is really thick and gloopy, so it’s hard to pick up from the dropper. Love the way it feels though, definitely the most moisturizing thing I’ve put on my face in my entire life (combined with the 100% Pure Argan Oil). Maybe buy it again when it’s not $70 for a full size bottle of 30ml!!!

This has been one of the main things on my mind lately. Work has been pretty chill, lots of people that I don’t really agree with, but tis the life of corporations. Another person has resigned, another long time employee who seemed pretty happy. Was he? Am I? How should we proceed?

Why do things always have to change...

While I was in San Francisco, G also took me to the Latin America Club, where we caught up on life and I learned about the cost of living in San Francisco (over $2000 to live in a studio?!). They got some STRONG margaritas. I’m talking over 9000 strong. Stronger than the Hulk. Maybe as strong as the black coffee I have every morning. We couldn’t finish them, my fingers were tingling.

Before / After

 


Visited the Sephora in downtown San Francisco, hoping to find the belif eye cream, but it cost too much for my budget ($48USD to CAD is $68!!!), so I just asked for a sample. I tried it this morning, and it feels good so I might go back for more, but I did pick this up instead (among other things):

Egg Mousse Pack by Too Cool for School:

My skin’s not feeling so great, but this brightened and smoothed it out a bit. Felt very soothing, and only requires 5 minutes. I won’t bother taking a before and after, because my camera quality isn’t great and you won’t see any difference anyways. Boo. It’s pretty good for $20USD, so I’d probably get this again.

Today was a good day, despite some tremendous changes at work. Please try not to worry…