Celebrations of July 4th in my "Plant" outfit.

You can call me Ivy. Poison Ivy.

• Green dress: $2 thrift store, one of this summer's alterations. I have an alteration shop, come in and get altered.
• Brown belt that made my green dress look somewhat like a peter pan costume: non lo so.
• Flower Headband: LalaLiu Designs. (yah. that's me. branding is my new business.)
  

So happy belated fourth of July! I had a BBQ with my glitterati and it was the bomb-diggity (yah, let's bring that word back). I had this crazy dream for many years to host a BBQ. It would involve grass, blue skies, grilled meat, and fun people. I had saved it on my list of things to do in our google doc. Google doc. hehe. And finally it came true!

I was hostess of the evening which meant burning my hands while cutting chicken and making a somewhat spicier version of normal salsa. Yesterday was super fun and made me forget all about how I accidently winded up with a cell phone being washed in a washing machine for forty minutes.

Not only did I BBQ, but I got to play dress up with my favorite sequined pieces that I recently acquired. I totally have a thing for tacky things. What can I say? I'm attracted to the tackalicious.

Case in Point. Me and my crew working out the glitter. Oh that glitter. Oh that flash.

I declared my coat the technicolor dreamcoat if Joseph in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat was set in the 80's and was a party loving whore.

Afterwords we played with FIREWORKS.

Under my own umbrella. Wait. Wait. I feel a song coming from this.

Now for some consumerism. In the morning I went to pick up BusaBabe. We had wanted to go to Walmart to make a tutu for her tutu loving dreams. However when we got there we found that the Walmart we had gone to had no fabric section. Fail.

However, being the A-team that we are we wandered into a gigantic Forever 21 Outlet. Yes. a Forever 21 Outlet. I don't know if it was really an outlet, but the whole second floor was full of past season merchandise at heavily discounted prices. Many items were only $3.99 and they had everything for every season. I would have wandered towards the sweater section but it was just too hot to be in the mood for that.

The place used to be a two story Mervyns so the set up was excellent. Instead of being cramped into racks of clothes because mall loving teenie boppers are everywhere, there was actually space! Lot's of it! And it made the shopping excursion even better. The first floor is full of the current season's merchandise.

Despite of having failed at buying tickets for the American Apparel Factory Sale, I would say finding this gem beats that anytime! We spent a while there and both came out with a hot pink bag full of goodies! $35 got me really really happy. Three pairs of shoes for $5.99 (one of which we call my pimp shoes and the other our stripper shoes). A navy knit cotton tank for $3.99 and a interesting pleated Twelve by Twelve dress for $9.99. I need to come back again.

For all you OC dwellers if you wanna take a trip to the Forever 21 just head to Anaheim.

Summer is going by pretty fast but I have so much more things I want and need to do. Perhaps I should start on my homework.

Oh! Be sure to check out LalaLiu.Love for new auction items. One item is already up because I got frustrated with the ebay error messages that I tried it again until it actually worked. I have yet to figure out which charity to choose this year but in the mean time bid! And support my trip to China and LalaLiu.com.

I suck at marketing myself. Peace out fools.

Take me Back to Taiwan...please?

WARNING: Lots of pictures ahead. If you find that offensive somehow, then you can leave. Or suffer through the offensiveness.

So I'm back from Taiwan and life has become boring once again. Not that my life is boring, goodness no, but where my life is located, aka the sunny suburbs of California, is so dull compared to Taiwan. Whereas lights are out by 10 PM where I live, the lights never go out in the city. I really have become a city girl.

I love travelling. I love going to other places and seeing different cultures. Smelling different foods. Stalking different fashions. I should stop buying clothes so I can save money for my flight around the world. What an idealist I've become.

It took forever to load the images onto blogger. By the end I got tired so some days have more pictures than others. I don't believe in day elitism, I swear!

DAY1: Midnight flight to Taipei// Slept on plane// Tried to understand that I'm flying into the future // Watched Sex&City on the personal TV // Slept more // Landed in Taipei at like 5 in the morning // Bused it to the hotel // Met 3rd uncle on my dad side // Met a small typhoon// Realized third uncle on my dad size got a little fatter // Took us around the city, Taiwan drivers are CRAZY! // ate yummy breakfast // More driving around // Nap at hotel // Met my dad's crazy-interesting family // SLEEP. That was by far the longest day I ever had.

Day2:

Woke up// "YAY, I'm in Taiwan" thought // Met with sis's friend // Walked around the street // Took the metro // Off to Xinmen Ding for some shopping // Indulged in money spending // Memorized the exchange rate // Ate with second uncle from mom's side and met cousin I never met.

Day3:

Woke up // Went to get new glasses. Glasses here are so much cheaper! // Lunch with dad's opera classmates // WuFenPu Shopping!! So much cheap things, so little time // Went to harbor// Dinner with mom's friend at this really pretty building // Ate icecream // Tired.

Day4:

Awake // Took metro then taxi to resturant // Went to wrong resturant so took taxi again // decided not to eat there when we met up with mom's friend // Taipei 101!! // So pretty super fast elevator // went to National University for mom reunion // ate cheesecake and homemade milk // tour bus // hiked // sweaty pig = me// seafood.

Day5:

Left Taipei for our trip around the island with third uncle and his SUV // visited old towns // visited memorial sites // visited temples // visited dad's friend's museum// met third uncle's family and ate dinner // night market // coolest "motel" ever with swirly TV

Day6:

Lots of temples Day. Mosquito bites emerge.

Day7:

OMG! MONKIES!!! the coolest part of my trip was getting so close to these monkies. My uncle drove up this mountain and talked about how all these monkies just sit at the side of the road. I was super excitied but then when we got there there were no monkies. About to leave disappointed and super sad, I suddenly see a family of monkies coming closer and closer and WOWOW sooo cute. I fed them peanuts. Too bad my camera ran out of batteries :( // Food // Dutch Historical building // Night market .. stinky tofu=yum! // Boat ride at night to beach

Day8/9:

Coastal scenery.

Day9:

National parks!! // So beautiful // waterfall cave // super awesome.


Day11:

Drove back to Taipei// Went through a long tunnel // SOGO department store shopping and gawking at expensive things // back to WuFenPu for cheap stuff! // Met uncle on mom's side again and cousin I never met // Walked around // Market with adult stuff and snakes // back to WuFenPu! We're crazy // typhoon coming // Got drenched because dad told the taxi driver to get off at the wrong stop.

Day12:

Met with dad's friends and played with cute kids and cuter dogs // ate at this really weird but really cool resturant that's like a piece of art! It was sooo beautiful in a weird way. Called Five Cent Driftwood. I want to be like the architect.artist // Met with sis's friend // Watched an episode of drama at his house. Bleh. // Taipei 101 viewing! // ate at nice japanese resturant // love the graffitti.

Day13:

Picked up glasses // Bought thin 0.28 pens! Yes! // National Palace Museum // Taiwan bakeries are sooo good // dinner again with mom's friends

Day14:

Last day = sad // History Museum to see the Millet paintings. Dude it was super crowded, it was as if I was waiting in line at Disneyland, totally ruined the experience of art-going. but now I can say I've seen a piece of art that I learned about // Found a Mister Donut! YES! // Strolled XinmenDing // Strolled Computer Market // Went somewhere with second uncle // ate dinner at this rotating high building thing // ate escargot for the first time! // plane ride // bye bye taiwan!!

I still have serious jet lag. Bad Bad.

Working on LalaLiu tonight.

And remember to bid, if you wanna, no pressure.

Lala's Friday, Saturday, Sunday

I am officially 20 years and 7 days old. I don't feel any different. I don't feel like a sudden drastic change of "o.m.g. I'm not a teen anymore!" I still feel like me. Young, stupid, and immature. But I feel my year 20 will be amazing. Not only do I have my fashion show coming up but I'm excited about summer, about developing my business plan, about going to Taiwan (finally!), and about studying abroad in a foreign country. Yes. 20 might just be my favorite year. Let's keep fingers crossed.

I have sooooo much work ahead of me that I can barely breathe. I shouldn't even be typing this as we speak but since I love having people find inspiration on this blog I will spare a few minutes of my life.

Lala's Style of Friday... you know how it rolls.




THEME: Out of Africa. I saw this girl on campus last week with a really really really cool headwrap in this wicked green and black patterned cloth. Her hair was really high up and I was totally inspired by it that I made an outfit just for it.

• Black dress: $8 kohls
• Scarf around hair: gift from aunt
• Scarf pinned to dress: 0.50 local thrift
• Yellow Belt: $2 tjmaxx
• Necklace: Bacne!!
• Flipflops & bracelets

So friday night was post birthday celebration. Went out for yummy pizza. I got my free birthday icecream after nagging Bacne about it. I'm shameless.


Next day was the book festival. I was pumped up to meet Julie Andrews but the heat made me want to cry. I did not meet Julie Andrews.

I saw this poor character by the stairs. He pretty much summed up how I felt by the end of the day. I even became a little red around my shoulders. I got a horrible strap tan.

I did manage to score some really really cool fashion magazines. I bought a set of these large black and white magazines that I think were from Europe. It's called "Fashion Magazine by Bruce Gilden". I googled it up and saw that it's a set that's suppose to represent the seven deadly sins of fashion. I'm missing no. 5. It's all good though. $10 well spent.


Next day was beach day. I even brought Shivers because it was a family trip. Yes, yes. I we are pathetic. But patheticism makes me happy.

Awaiting crepes....
Pier picture
Feet Picture

Overall it was a FABULOUS weekend. I managed to get a bit more sewing done although I have tons more to do.