A Real Weekend

 

With my work schedule I never actually get a typical weekend, but I actually worked extra days during the weekday so my supervisor was nice enough to let me get Saturday off. I can't remember the last time I actually got both Saturday and Sunday to relax. Although I guess starting this week I'll get "three day weekends" since I'll be getting Wednesday through Friday off (I still have evening classes Thursday so I don't know if that really counts). For some reason I'm always a little bit excited about starting a fresh set of classes. It's probably just the buying new stationery portion of it. 

Anyways my day off wasn't that exciting but it was exactly what I needed. We ended up grabbing some brunch at Bun Mee, this Vietnamese sandwich place. Pretty Americanized and definitely more expensive than regular bánh mì places, but it's delicious. Plus I love that they stuff their sandwiches with extra carrots and daikon. We also purchased a few macaroons at Sift Cupcakes. Their macaroons are really chewy which I like (we got the earl grey, espresso, and strawberry flavors). And in between we caught up on Modern Family episodes and started Arrested Development (new favorite!). 

Back to the grind tomorrow though...

 

 Accompanying sauce to the sweet potato fries

 Grilled pork sandwich

Grilled five spice chicken sandwich

Madewell Goodies

 

It's strange to think I've only recently discovered how much I love Madewell. Maybe it's because whenever I saw the name I thought it was this other store...either way it's pretty ridiculous since I feel like I can get away with wearing any item from here. The nearest store is a little under an hour away so I haven't had a chance to really browse in-person, but from what I have seen I'm in love! I stepped in because I was in the city doing some Christmas shopping (meant to go for Uniqlo but ironically never even made it into that store). I had to resist buying things for myself because I promised myself that this year I would not buy anything except presents for everyone on my list. 

Seeing that this no longer applies I've already gone through their website making my mental wishlist...now I just have to wait for next month's paycheck. 

• Silk Pajama Top: everyone needs that simple cream top that goes with everything and can be dressed up or down (yet isn't a stiff button-up shirt)
• The Archive Boot: my mom promised me some new black leather boots for Christmas so now I just need a cognac color and I'm set!
• Chain Minibag in Calf hair: since I'm usually wearing basics I like my accessories to be in fun colors or prints
• City Storyteller Scarf: can also be transitioned into spring
• Glitter Skinny Belt: I've always wanted one since I saw one similar last year at Gap
• Drifter Shades: I see cool glasses all the time at work but not so much for sunglasses. These are so different from my classic black Ray-Bans
• Cat Ring: This is just too cute
• Penfield Kasson Parka: I realized I'm lacking in casual jackets so this parka in a fun color is great
• Knitstripe Sweater: I'm always on the hunt for fun sweaters and this one isn't too Christmas-y so I can wear it as long as the weather allows!

Favorite iPhone Apps

I used to be one of those people that didn't get the appeal of smartphones. I remember when my boyfriend got his first droid phone. He was obsessed with that thing. I mean, I thought it was cool that you could always check your e-mail and play games on it when you're bored but not enough to make me want to leave my LG Venus (it was pink!)

It wasn't until he got an iPhone that I started to think about switching. And since then I've been sucked in! I would always complain about him checking his phone too much when we were together, and now he laughs that I'm always fiddling around on Instagram or Yelp.

So here are a few of the obvious favorites:
- Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr: gotta have my basic social media sites available
- Instagram: never got the appeal of this when I first dl-ed it, but after a few weeks I'm a loyal user
- Yelp: a girl who loves food and trying new places as much as I do needs this (plus so handy for quickly finding the directions or phone number to a particular restaurant)
- Starbucks: so much easier to use to pay since I usually have my phone out anyways

And the others:
- Livejournal: I used to be a major lj user back in the day (since 2003!) I still go on it every once in a while to go through community posts when I'm in the mood
- Netflix: I've recently gotten into Mad Men and Parks and Recreation so it's so much easier when they're all available on here to watch in HD!
- Frametastic: this doesn't need much explaining to my fellow Instagram users...
- BeFunky: A great editing program. It's like having a mini photoshop on your phone!
- Waze: Such a cute GPS app (plus it's interactive)
- Kakao Talk: A messenger app that enables me to talk to relatives and friends in Korea
- iNails: If you have a big nail polish collection this is a must. I don't know how else I would keep track of all the colors I already own (I hate when I repurchase something similar or even the exact ones sometimes)
- StylishGirl: Similar to the app above. It's time consuming to take pictures of items in your closet, but being able to quickly see what you already own is so worth it.
- KawaiiMEGU, Anipang: two "cutesy" games that I currently am addicted to.
- Truila Rent: At the moment I've been trying to find apartments closer to where I work and take classes at so I check this frequently.
- AOL Radio: An alternative to Pandora. I love their pre-made stations like "Top 50 Boy Band Songs" and "1-Hit Wonders."