A lot happened in March - now that I look back and review it all. I finally said 'see you later, New York' after the past few years losing sight of what I was meant to do there. Don't get me wrong, New York will always be home - but for now, I needed a new space to grow.

I don't know how it all came together within two weeks, but as you know from the previous post, everything that took place during NYFW was the final trigger for me to move on.

Looking for an apartment in Tokyo was quite stressful for a foreigner, but luckily I had a Japanese boyfriend and that made the whole process so much easier than I imagined. Moving into my very own place felt surreal, to say the least - and I was that much more excited to be in the same place with my longtime boyfriend again after 2 and a half years of long distance. We'll see how it goes-- (he's neater and I'm a mess).

Making the decision to drop everything and moving to a new country sounds thrilling for some people, it did too, for me - until I was about to hop on the plane. After seeing and speaking to some friends who encouraged me that this was an exciting time in my life - I still couldn't help but feel like it wasn't okay for me to be anxious despite literally not sleeping and packing until the very last minute. Speaking of packing - I'm usually pretty good at stuffing a bunch of things into my suitcases, but this time - I struggled so hard.

Either way - I'm here now and I'm excited for all there is to come.

Beige Coat: United Arrows / Similar
Top: GRANA
Pants: GRLFRND / Revolve Clothing
Scarf: Burberry
Shoes: Chanel Espadrilles
Bag: XNIHILO c/o

Photos by Christina L.

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Life

New York to Tokyo

New city, new hair - same attitude.

It’s thrilling to be young.
To be stuck and free all at once.
To be surrounded by friends to cheer you on and to find
parts of yourself you never knew existed when on your own.
To hold on and let go of people and places that provoke your emotions.
To miss things only when it’s gone.
To afford the luxury of making mistakes. And to have, really,
nothing to lose.

— Some thoughts I jotted down while itching to sit still on the flight to Tokyo.

Outfit

March 19, 2018

Second day in Japan, and we went to get the keys to our temporary apartment for the next 3 months or so! I was stoked, but also wore the same thing I wore on the plane since I was too lazy to unpack... But even throughout the month, this is an outfit that I wore at least 10 other times, typical.

Bomber Jacket: Alpha Industry
Ribbed Knit Dress: Asos
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Staud Clothing PVC Clear Tote / Alternative

Self-portraits

Travel

Hoi An, Vietnam

I was actually pretty excited to be in Tokyo during cherry blossoms season this year - but instead, Shun and I made a trip to Hoi An, Vietnam during the week of full blooms. I could say I was bummed about it but honestly, I've also waited forever to visit this place and cherry blossoms will bloom again next year!

To be quite frank, I was pretty nervous about taking Shun to Vietnam as he's always been the one leading me along in Japan and showing me around, so I felt like I was pressured to know a lot of things in case he had questions (like how I always have a million of them, haha).

But, with all my worries aside, it was such a good trip because it was our first trip with 2 cameras. It was really fun to go back on each of our film rolls and see what we each took photos of (see them on my photo diary).

Outfit

March 25, 2018

The weekend after we got back to Vietnam, both Shun and I came down with some pretty annoying health related issues (him, food poisining - mine, wisdom teeth infection). Because of that, we couldn't do anything but lay in bed all weekend and ultimately missed out on seeing the beautiful cherry blossoms that were holding on just for us.

Sweater: & Other Stories / Shopbop
Pants: GRLFRND Denim / Revolve Clothing
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Staud Clothing PVC Clear Tote

Self-portraits

Coveting

Spring things I've been eyeing

If you got to this point somehow, thank you so much for staying in touch with me and keeping up. I know this format is quite a heavy one and a lot of your time and attention has to commit to it. But just know that I really appreciate having this space to share my thoughts with whoever that's reading out there...

I hope that April will come with a lot more stories as I get even more settled into Tokyo.

Ps. If you got the title reference to Lost In Translation - thank you.

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Hoi An, Vietnam

It's taken me ages to visit Hoi An. As a Vietnamese native, I've always wanted to stop by this little lantern town in the city of Da Nang on all of my previous trips to Vietnam with my family. Yet somehow never managed because none of my relatives thought it was worthy of a trip. I mean, who can blame them? Vietnam is insanely diverse from North to South, and everyone has their own opinions which part is best.

As a sucker for colorful and cultural places, Hoi An was not just a check off my bucket list of UNESCO sites to see.

Vietnam's history is quite complicated and long- but what made me really interested in visiting this ancient town was its rich influences from the Chinese and Japanese. From the temples to the traditional pagoda bridge, there were tons of obvious little details of Chinese and Japanese that this place is composed of to this day. Being here for a good three days with my boyfriend was quite pleasant and it's the number of days that I'll recommend you give this place if you're thinking about seeing it yourself.

Hoi An during the day versus night is two completely different atmospheres. Heck, I woke up at 6 am on one of the days to check out the market and when we got to town at 11 am, I could already felt the vibe and scenery change. It's this reason that I'm really glad I gave this spot a few days to fully soak it in.

The canal that runs through Hoi An is quite small and shallow, so I honestly didn't expect it to be anything spectacular at night - but once I got on the wooden boat and started drifting away, the view from the water with the paper lanterns made it felt super rustic - as if I traveled back in time.

Below is a mixture of photographs that Shun and I took during the trip (since we had our own cameras this time). We really loved capturing the colors of this place and the people. If you're looking to experience a bit of an old-world-charm Tangled, I highly recommend visiting Hoi An.

Wearing: Asos top, Asos button cuffed pants, Common Projects sneakers, and Staud Clothing PVC bag.

Wearing: Orseund Iris tank top, Tularosa pants c/o Revolve, Common Projects sneakers and Staud Clothing PVC bag.

Wearing: FreePeople ribbed knit tank top, Privacy Please c/o Revolve skirt, Common Projects sneakers and Staud Clothing PVC bag.

A Few Things To Keep In Mind:

Since this place is a major tourist destination, you'll find that most shops, restaurants and even food stalls will be able to communicate with you in basic English. However, for the most part, knowing Vietnamese or traveling with someone who does speak the language will give you an advantage as many vendors are known for taking a little advantage of foreigners and tourists.

The main dish of the area is called "Cao Lau" which is basically a dry version of a Mi Quang. I definitely recommend trying both of these dishes to compare which one you prefer - but do not pay more than 35k Dong for a bowl!

As a Southern Vietnamese, the dish "Com Ga" is very different for me. So, to try the central version was really interesting. I was able to stop by Madam Buoi's spot and it did not disappoint!

When in Vietnam, make sure you have as much Vietnamese coffee as you can. Hoi An has so many good and photogenic cafes on every corner. Some of my favorites are Cong Cafe, Faifo, Hoi An Roastery and The Hill Station.

If time allows, make a visit to Reaching Out Tea House. Go for the tea sample set or coffee set and make sure you get their butter passionfruit cookies!

Don't be afraid to try the street food and stop by the night market to eat on the side of the streets. They were some of mine and Shun's best meals.

—
Camera Gear Used: Nikon D750 (body only) with 50mm F1/4 and 24-85mm F3.5 lens.

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022018 / Love, Lust, and Lackluster

It might not seem like it but I am as much as a hopeless romantic as any lunatics who you’ve seen in movies danced crazily in the rain and chased after departed buses you know they will not logically catch.

I’ve always had this inner calling to chase after ‘fashion’ despite not knowing what about it made me passionate. I loved learning the stories that clothes tell, not just by the people who wear it, but also by the people who design it.

My time with fashion hasn’t been long, but it sure does feels like ages. Especially after this NYFW season, I have never been surer of how unsure I feel about making this hobby of mine a job/career. I don’t know when I came to feel so let down by it, but it so might be just lust.

Oversized Coat: Maison Margiela / Farfetch
Sweater: Colette x F.A.M.T
Pants: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Madewell
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini
Glasses: Vasuma Eyewear / Tictail

Self-portraits

Outfit

February 9, 2018

I've been gravitating towards yellow a lot. It probably represents my craving for brighter days ahead.

As promised in January, I told myself I'd try to be more creatively independent this year - and self-portraiting have been really satisfying, to say the least. I don't even know why I've stopped in the first place. Maybe it's due to the bulky camera that I no longer can tolerate lugging around just so I can carelessly bang it up here and there.

Suede Moto Jacket: H&M
Sweater:United Arrows JP
Pants: Tularosa / Revolve
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini
Bag Charm: Fendi

Self-portraits

Coveting

'Orange Crush'

Outfit

February 10, 2018

My hair is up 90% of the time, but during fashion week, it's actually visible in photos. This fashion week, it was especially necessary that I kept it up. In the Airbnb that I stayed at - we had no hot water for 2 days straight, resulting in hair that dry shampoo couldn't even save (sorry Oribe).

Full disclosure also, that this outfit was loaned for NYFW (thanks, Tictail) - which I got to wear to Alexander Wang's last show's backstage in New York. For some reasons, I've always been afraid to wear red - it has nothing to do with what I think I'll look like, but more so to do with my own fear for the recollection of blood when I see this color in general. I wish my first thought would be of strawberries or red wine, but yeah - I did it though, with the help of some trusty old closet staples.

For most people who participate in fashion month, they probably have more than three outfits planned per day - because, options. But for me, I barely got to wear the one outfit I had in mind each day. I settled for a hoodie/crewneck sweater and sneakers after the 4th day. Oops.

Leather Jacket: deadwood
Sweater: Petite Studios (similar)
Dress: Dolores Haze
Shoes: Acne Studios
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini

Photos by Ryan C.

Fashion

NYFW Show Recaps FW18

Phillip Lim FW 18

If I told 18-year-old-self me, that she'd be sitting front row at Phillip Lim, Derek Lam, Brock Collection and perused backstage at Alexander Wang - she would probably cry tears of joy. Years ago when I created a blog right out of college, I figured - why not give it a shot to get my foot in the door. Who would have thought that one fashion corporate job later and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work under a high profile influencer that I'd be here today?

I still remember the first time I saved up for my Phillip Lim bag (it was a 'Pashli', that I use for pretty much all of my job interviews out of college). I graduated wearing a Derek Lam dress, that I still wear on summery occasions because asymmetric pleats will always be in style for me.

Brock Collection is a newer brand that I've been swooning over for many seasons previously and it was so dreamy to see the details backstage and on the runway. I loved that all of these shows pushed towards diversity on their runways and though each prominently featured warm tones, they were distinctly differentiated from one another (which I obviously expected no less of these designers).

It's these emotional attachments to fashion and the stories behind each design and purchases that I make that I can't seem to fathom how social media shapes the industry. Yes, there are pros and cons. But honestly, it's so rare to come across a fashion influencer who's actually invested in its deep-rooted history, and even inspirations.

Arguably, one can say that it doesn't matter how much someone knows about fashion to have influence/personal style - but I beg to differ. It's just illogical to me that someone who claims they love clothes and dressing up doesn't care more about what they put on their body beyond the brand name or label... Quite frankly, these are the so-call front row fashion bloggers/influencers that fail to acknowledge a designer's show notes that they either toss to the side or sit on top of and gets left behind as they rush out to the next show.

Thoughts/things like this deeply sadden me about the social media of fashion and working around too many of the same cases have mentally drained me.

So, I think I’m finally letting fashion go…

I’m not letting it go as in I’ve stopped loving it, but more so to see if it’ll come back to me or I’ll find my way back to it.

Derek Lam FW18

Brock Collection FW 18/ Backstage

I’ve learned these past couple years, that talent isn’t enough, and passion, too, is also not enough. But most of all, I’ve learned that working hard for the wrong thing also means it’s not worth it, at least for me.

I've lost the joy of having a purpose doing what I love - and I'm not exactly sure I can blame my experiences for that. Yes, although quite morally compromising at times, to weave words together for sponsored posts, and 'strategize' the best way to be authentic/organic due to it all being so carefully determined by how many 'likes' or ROI. I think about it all the time, how social media is slowly turning into a form of currency no different than Bitcoin, or anything else like it out there. We all like to think that the numbers don't matter, but deep down we all know they do.

It's amazing though, how many doors have opened for me because of social media, yet at the same time, how many it've shut as well because it opened my eyes to what some of these opportunities' realities are.

Travel

Old San Juan, PR

Leaving all of that heavy stuff behind, it was such a blessing to have this San Juan trip planned with my girl Christina for some fun in the sun. It's so crazy to think that a little over 4 years ago, we visited this little island with our significant other -- and now we're here together! We had the loveliest time just unwinding at the beautiful Hotel El Convento (where I napped several short, 15-min-naps, at a time at the rooftop pool and snuck back cheese and wine to our room to savor).

Despite all of the things that are taking place post-hurricane, the people are just as energetic as ever - and the vibe of this place is one of the most charming things about it. It's a balance between taking it slow but moving fast enough to keep up with the beat (almost like a salsa dance). And of course, you won't be able to keep your eyes off all of the colors of this place. How can you not smile with a series of rainbow houses painted 3 streets in a row?

Two days sure sounds short, but it definitely gave us a boost of energy that felt longer than a weekend. With all of the events taking a turn of its own, I'm looking forward to all that is to come.

Sweater: & Other Stories
Overalls Short: Urban Outfitters / Shopbop
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini
Anklet: Cornelia Webb x Net-A-Porter

Photos by Christina L.

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Wardrobe Updates

As I'm starting to pack for Japan, and Spring in general, here are some of the pieces I've been keeping in my cart, waiting for the right sales to snatch them up.

With the ups and downs this month, and it being the month of love (Valentine's Day) I couldn't help but feel that it was fitting to share my loves, lusts, and that which have become lackluster to me. For now, I'm just really lost and confused and in a dire need of a clean slate somehow. With that thought in mind, there's no better way to refresh, than in a whole new city (but really, it's more like my second home now -- Tokyo) for the next few months.

March, here I come.

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