Happy Halloween!

Needless to say, we had a ridiculously fun and crazy Halloween. The Boyfriend rocked a Ronald McDonald costume, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that he probably took fifty photos with complete strangers coming up to him asking for a snapshot with the icon of deliciously unhealthy fast food.

Black Swan has been my absolute favorite movie of the year, and I knew it would make a great costume. My amazing artist friend did my makeup, which pretty much made the look, and it was surprisingly easy to find a black tutu and ballet shoes.

After a festive night of dancing, laughing, taking photos and basically just causing a ruckus here in Taipei, The Boyfriend and I decided that there was only one more thing left to do; we HAD TO go to McDonalds! 

Now you can just imagine this scene for yourself; it's 3am, you're working the graveyard shift, and in walks Ronald McDonald himself. (To be honest, if it was me working there, I would've had a mini heart attack, because that shiz is damn scary.) Anyway, we had a good laugh and it was a truly surreal experience having a McDonalds meal with Ronald. 

I hope everyone had a great Halloween? I can't wait to hear everyone's stories!

Blonde or brunette?

 
 Do blondes really have more fun? And do gentlemen really prefer blondes? Well, I can't tell you that just yet. I've only been a brunette for five days, and so far I'm still having a lot of fun, and I'm pretty sure gentlemen prefer, well, any woman...

I have good reasons for going darker, and I'm sure other blondes would agree with me. It's damn expensive and the bleach destroys your hair. Also, I was in desperate need of a change after being blonde for, well, my entire life so far. 

I still do a double take when I pass a mirror, and I feel like none of my clothes go with my hair, but I'm sure I will get used to it, and I know the color will fade a little after a few weeks anyway. For now, I'm really enjoying the change and I think it's very appropriate for fall. I would love to know what you guys think? Are you Team Blonde or Team Brunette?

A message from Violet

Click image to enlarge

Last week I received this cute message from AnimalsTaiwan, after deciding to sponsor one of their dogs, Violet, at the rescue center. (Read more about this sponsorship here).

They were kind enough to send me a video of Violet to show me how she’s doing. I've been thinking about her a lot, and my heart broke at the thought that she might not be able to play and do other normal doggy things because of her spine malformation. So I was delighted to see that Violet is still able to play with a ball and move around.

I’m planning on visiting her at the shelter soon for some bonding time and to play with her. Because of sponsorships, Violet will be getting a wheelchair, which will make her spine stronger, and overall improve her quality of life. It’s crazy to think that the small amount of money I donate every month can contribute to helping out this little girl in such a big way.

If you are inspired by this, how about sponsoring an animal in your city or area? If you want to learn more about the wonderful work they do at AnimalsTaiwan, go visit their blog.

"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened" 

Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY pleasures? I don't think so! I would never feel guilty for something that gives me pleasure. Isn't joy, happiness and pleasure what we spend our lives trying to find and experience? When you find something that blows your hair back, why would you feel guilty about that?

It got me thinking about my definitely-not-guilty guilty pleasures. And seeing that making lists gives me an immense amount of pleasure, here is my Top 10 “guilty” pleasures list:

1. Reality shows - The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Bachelorette, Project Runway, Keeping up with the Kardashians, you name it, I'll watch it. 
2. Sleeping in on a Saturday - And it's even better when I continue to wear my pajamas for the rest of the afternoon. 
3. McDonalds delivery -  Don't be too jealous, but here in Taiwan, McDonalds delivers to your door 24/7. You heard me, even at 3:00am! 
4. Shopping - Anywhere, anytime and any place. 
5. Doing absolutely nothing 
6. People-watching - We humans do really strange, and entertaining, things when we think nobody is watching us. 
7. www.peopleofwalmart.com - This website makes me feel really good about myself. 
8. Staying in a really nice hotel - It's clean, it has a nice, big bath tub, fluffy white robes and a mini bar. What's not to love? 
9. Buying stationery -  I can never have enough notebooks, color markers, highlighters, Post Its or multicolored folders.  
10. Chips and snacks - I'm a snacker. I love to munch and nibble around the clock.

Honestly, I don't feel a teeny tiny bit guilty about any of these things. If I'm not hurting myself or anyone else, I should not feel guilty for wanting to know what the Kardashian sisters are up to, or for eating that whole family size bag of Cheetos by myself. So what “guilty” pleasure blows your hair back?

What the duck?

Exhibit A

I wish I had a legitimate excuse for these photos, I really do. The infamous duck face photos. I found that it's only been around in recent times though, because I’ve never seen an image of my grandma or mom in college, making the duck face. (Thankfully!) Although, picturing that makes me giggle.

So what caused this phenomenon? Why on earth would we girls (and unfortunately some guys, too) make this face? It looks absolutely ridiculous. I often chuckle when I see a duck face staring back at me from Facebook, and I hang my head in shame for having participated in this madness myself, quite a few times (please refer to Exhibit A). Actually, I am appalled by the amount of photos there are of me, sporting the duck face. In my defense, I can say that most of these photos were taken two or more years ago. (Like that’s an excuse, right?)

My friends and I have discussed this topic numerous times, and I came up with some possible reasons why people make this face:

Reason 1: We think it makes us look sexy. (Unfortunately, it really doesn’t…)

Reason 2: Sometimes we drink a lot and it’s the only face we are able to make. (Fail!)

Reason 3: We think it makes our lips look fuller and pouty, just like Angelina Jolie’s. (Delusional much?)

Now come on, be honest, I know you have photos like these, too. Maybe yours are hidden away in the back of a drawer or, rightfully, burned? Maybe you display yours oh-so-proudly on Facebook like I do?

So what was your, maybe even acceptable, reasons for making the duck face? Can you think of any? Yeah, didn’t think so. 

September Favorites 2011

It's favorites time, so let's just jump right into it, shall we? My favorite buy during September was this bag from a company called Raw here in Taiwan. It's a handmade traveling bag, and absolutely perfect. I got the red one, although there are other colors available.

The black shoes are from Toms and I got it back in August while in the States. It is probably the most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever had (not counting my big, fluffy frog slippers). When you buy these, the company actually donates a pair of their shoes to a child in need. Shopping for a good cause? Well, now that's something I can get on board with!

For the past month, I've been wearing these necklaces almost every day. The two golden ones, with the heart and the leaf, I got at Forever21 in the States, but I can't remember where I got the silver one. Love these, they go with everything!

Then there's the Conair Infiniti Curling Wand. Best hair curler I've ever owned. The curls stay in until the next day, and it takes me only about ten minutes to do my hair. In case you didn't know, that's REALLY fast in long-straight-hair-curling-time-world. 

I wore Essie's Peach Dacquiri nail polish during September, and I've loved these face masks my sister sent me from Dubai. I've also been using MAC's Lady Blush blusher to give this pale white girl some much needed color on the cheeks. Some other random September favorites include Project Runway (favorite TV show), Pumped up kicks by Foster the People (favorite song) and, of course, The Boyfriend (all time human favorite).

Finally! It's Fall.

It’s here, and I couldn't be happier! Fall (or Autumn, if you will). At least, I think it’s here… you never know here in Taiwan, the past week might have just been a fluke. Don’t get me wrong, I love Summer. But Summer in Taiwan is not quite the tanned skin-cocktails on the beach-beautiful warm nights-scenario that is usually associated with the Sunny Season. Because of the humidity here, it’s more of a can barely breathe-clothes sticking to body-frizzy hair-walking from one air conditioner to the next-fiasco.

I like Fall for many reasons. I love when the trees start changing color, and the refreshing, cool breeze in the mornings while I wait at the bus stop. I like that I don't have to have the air conditioner blasting away 24/7, and that I can snuggle up under my little IKEA blanket while watching TV, with a nice cup of tea.

It's also getting colder, which means that it’s time for my butler to get out my Fall/Winter wardrobe from storage and get it dry-cleaned. And of course, by butler I mean me, and by Fall/Winter wardrobe I mean jeans, and by dry-cleaned I mean wash it in my 93-year old leaking washing machine.

So, happy Fall to all my Fall-loving-Northern-Hemisphere friends, and happy Spring to the ones down under.

Something is better than nothing

Violet

After deciding to stay in Taiwan for a while, The Boyfriend and I thought it was time for us to take the next step in our relationship. (Don’t book the church and caterers just yet, Mom, I’m not talking about that step.) We decided that we were ready to get a dog.

We both love dogs, and were crushed when The Landlord informed us that we “can’t have K-9s or kitties in the apartment.” We’ve been so excited to bring a little furry friend into our lives, and now we will have to wait until we move into another apartment one day.

This little lady in the photo is Violet. I found her on the AnimalsTaiwan website, which is one of the many shelters in Taiwan for stray animals. Violet is one of the thousands of dogs in Taiwan that doesn’t have a home, and because I can't give her a home myself, I’m going to be sponsoring her for the next year. That means that I will send the shelter money every month, which they will use to buy her food, pay her medical bills and use for anything else she might need. I can also go to the shelter to play with her.

I can’t believe I haven’t thought about doing this sooner as I've always had this need to help out in some way. And for only 500nt (about $15) a month, I can help make a difference in this little angel's life. I know it’s only a drop in the bucket, but I believe it’s better to do something than do nothing.

If you are inspired by this, visit some of your local shelters or find one online, and sponsor a dog for a year. You'll feel good for doing good. I know for a fact this money will mean more to this animal than what those two Starbucks coffees, which I will be giving up every month for a year, means to me.