Stuff: US Edition

And just like that, I’m back in Manila!

But before I attend to my impending backlog of travel posts from my recent trip to the US of A, some stuff! Not necessarily everything I got for myself or other people, but ones I’m particularly enthusiastic about.

I’ve been bugging Kiks and Karl for some time now for us to get some new props for our shoots. I made the most of my shopping time in the US looking for things we could use, instead of shopping for clothes and things. (I think I ended up buying just one piece of clothing for myself, apart from some socks/tights!)

I finally found these packs of striped straws (because I’m more into stripes than polka dots) in Magnolia Bakery in New York (my favorite!) and immediately bought some! Found these blue buffet napkins in San Francisco — I figured we could use more colorful cloth! That bottle of maple syrup was actually a gift from our gracious host during our DC/Virginia leg of the trip. I’m torn between using it as a prop, and actually consuming the syrup.

I found the cutest little shop in Japantown in SanFo called MaiDo, and I literally wanted to buy the whole store! But since the money in my wallet wouldn’t allow it, I settled for these washi tapes which are actually more for personal use.

These, I actually didn’t buy on my own (though I wanted to) — they’re an early birthday present from my mom and my uncle in SanFo! I think Haight & Ashbury is my favorite place in San Francisco. There are so many interesting looking people walking around, lots of cool stores, and not to mention a store dedicated to Dr. Martens! YES! I felt a little sad that the day we went was a day too early for the launch of Agyness Deyn’s (!!!) collection. Ah well. Scored some lovely new DMs! My mom was a little surprised that I fancied a pair with flowers on them. But mom, they’re still black! Hahaha. :)

This is probably one of the cheesiest things I’ll ever post on here, so do forgive me!

Kiks didn’t really want anything in particular for me to bring home for him, so it was slightly difficult looking for a present. I was roaming the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum when I stumbled upon these little gems. They’re actually marbles, representing the planets of the solar system! And if you read what’s on that note, yeah. Cue the dripping cheese.

(Source: blog.tracymonsod.com)

Daria, and a declaration of love for Dr. Martens

I don’t think I could ever outgrow my style, if you can call it that, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m not really one to label myself or how I dress (slapping on stuff like rocker chick or edgy just doesn’t do it for me), since I just pick out stuff that appeals to me, as well as stuff I’d be comfortable in.

For majority of my life, I think I’ve always been fond of boots of various shape, size, and color. My love affair with this specific kind of footwear began when I was around 8 years old, when my feet were small enough to allow me to borrow shoes from my mom. Being born on Halloween, I’d always have a costume party, and in a certain year, cowboy/cowgirl costumes were somehow the in-thing. I had everything except the boots. My mom lent me her pointy, scrunchy, black leather ankle boots. I put on my hat, and I thought I looked awesome.

I’ve owned a plethora of boots, but I dedicate this post to my two year old 14-eye Doc Martens, which pretty much speaks volumes about me.

I think I’ve spent half my life looking for these, or at least something similar, and I’ve worn them ever since! I pair them with everything — from casual, to work, even all the way to formal if I so choose. DMs are just so classic that way. And I feel that if people were to equate me with a shoe, these would be it. Doc Martens are the ultimate Tracy shoes.

Why Doc Martens, of all the boots I could choose from? As a kid, I remember watching Daria, one of the cartoons on MTV, and really admiring Daria & Jane. They were so cool and smart and creative. They taught me that it was okay to be different, and that it didn’t matter if you weren’t popular and didn’t have a vast number of friends — as long as you had those few whom you trust and accept you for who you are. So in those days of my youth, I said to myself, “That’s who I want to be when I get to high school.”

I think being so hooked onto that cartoon and falling in love with the characters somehow shaped me into who I am now. Now that I think about it, the clothes I pick for myself these days revolve around Daria & Jane. They must have stuck at the back of my mind, and make my spidey-sense start tingling when I go shopping for clothes or shoes or even glasses.

Some people prefer to have a statement necklace or a statement shirt to give a hint on what kind of people they are (or at least their taste in terms of style). I prefer to have my boots. Will I ever get tired of these eventually, and evolve my style? You can bet your boots I won’t. Pun intended.

Colors

Wore my new burgundy tights that I bought last January 3 from Promod, and I love them, and I wish I could wear them foreverrrrr. They’re such a lovely shade of red!

Outfit for today, just because I quite like documenting the outfits that I especially like. One of my favorite baby doll dresses that I bought from Hong Kong + burgundy tights from Promod + handmade scarf + default shoes since July 2010, a.k.a. my Doc Martens! I think the flowery dark grayish brown details on my dress go nicely with my crocheted scarf. :D Also, I have so much fun coordinating my outfit with my hair color once in a while, ohohoho~

And speaking of colors, Kiks bought me a mood ring today, in the shape of a sea turtle! ♥ Cutest. (: It confuses me a bit that it turns into a lot of colors at a time — the head and…flippers? are one color, the middle of the shell is another color, and the shapes on the outer portion of the shell yet another! Which one do I follow?? Or does that mean I’m feeling a lot of different things? Mysteries of the universe. I love it nonetheless, thank you love!

* * *

Had lunch with college friends, and then work date after with Kiks, Tricia, and Karl who followed. (: It’s been a busy week so far, and there seems to be no sign of the work load letting up! This of course isn’t a bad thing, I just received an email that induced some excitement. I’m having a blast, and my mood ring can prove it to you.

Hong Kong, November 2011!

Sooooo I went on a quick vacation to one of my favorite places in the world, Hong Kong!

Upon arriving at the Tsing Yi airport, I spotted Kai Wong from DigitalRev TV. What a way to start the vacation! I sort of stalked him a bit while waiting for my cousins to arrive and took pictures with my iPod. Being photographers and having great fun watching Kai review cameras and lenses, my cousin Troy and I are big fans! So of course we went up to him with our cameras and asked to take photos with him.

Lots of interesting food things scattered around the Kowloon area, but my favorite were these things called egg puffs! I wasn’t able to try them the first time I visited Hong Kong, so I made it a point to do so this time! They’re really good, they taste like pancakes.

I also made it a point to visit the Mong Kok area this time, too. Our lack of a proper itinerary allowed me to roam around freely, and I found that Mong Kok was home to my ever elusive Doc Martens 20-eye boots — both in black and red! If money weren’t an issue, I would have bought everything in sight in a heartbeat.

Of course, A Hong Kong trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Hong Kong Disneyland! Growing up with it, Disney has always held a special place and my heart. I even cried a bit while watching the fireworks go off to the music of “When You Wish Upon a Star”. Ah, the magic of Disney.

We met up with my uncle who’s based in HK, and he treated us to some delightful Peking duck, among other things.

And then of course there’s shopping in HK.

Time flies when you’re having fun, so pretty soon, it was time to leave again. Til next time, Hong Kong!

If I could afford it, I’d collect Doc Martens the way I collect different pairs of Chucks. Hurrrr.