Candles, Lotion, Lip HAUL!

I suddenly wanted to get lip stuff, and I got the M.A.C. Hot Tahiti. It's fall, and I think its perfect! It's a burgundy red purplish color. Bold but natural. 

I also got the Skin Food Brunch Lip Box. There were three different sets, but this one I got is called "Tomato". The other two had more pink and red colors, this one has more coral colors which I think is good for everyday. 

This is a mini L'Occitane Haul. I thought the Peony smelled really good. Even though its fall/winter already, I just couldn't stop myself from getting it. It's like a splash of bouquet! I tried other hand lotions but I'm coming back to these again! Crabtree and Evelyn is my other Favorite though. Also, if anyone likes JASMINE perfume, L'Occitane have the PUREST JASMINE perfume ever! Like, OMG! I'm going to die. But I have to use up my old ones first.

I never understood why people raved about CANDLES, but my roommate is really into candles so now I'm crazy for them too. Bath and Body Works is have a sale for the big 3 wicks candles; they are 50% off, so $10 for the big ones. I personally like lighter and clean scents, and most of the candles I got were like that. But the PEPPERMINT MOCHA smells ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. I just want to eat it!!! Bath and Body Works has a different brand of candles, so I don't know how these burn yet - they're called White Barn, the brand last year was Slatkin and Co. They still have some of those too. I thought the Stress Relief Candle was cool too but I didn't want to buy too many in one go. They also have this one that smells like GRAVY. I know it sounds gross, but IT'S DELICIOUS! I just love the ambiance of having candles lit, especially a lot of small candles and I'm looking for pretty candle holders. I will continue my search for Candles! 

<3, Kansie

College Life, or no Life

I finally moved in to my new apartment for college. I was basically rotting at home when all of my friends left one by one. Since I am a freshman, I don't really know a lot people, so it has just been my roommate and I. Davis is a bike town, and since I didn't bring my car, we've been biking everywhere. People warned us about bike accidents, but they didn't tell us how much your butt will hurt from biking!

I was worried about school at first, but I'm more optimistic about it now. I just REALLY need to get off my butt and initiate hangouts with people. That will be my goal, to make friends.

Though it wasn't as exciting as TV shows make it, I'm pretty excited about this upcoming school year and I absolutely love my apartment and roomie :) We've been cooking delicious food too!

~Kansie

DIY braided bracelet?

Whenever I see someone doing  DIYs or some sort of arts and crafts, I would always be amazed by their patience and creativity. Patience and creativity are definitely two traits I wish I had and am working on to improve. And...with DIY projects, I have found that I can slowly improve both qualities!

Recently, I've been into a new interest in making bracelets. There are many versions on making a simple braided bracelet but since I made one today, I decided why not share my interpretation.

Materials:
Needle Nose Pliers
Scissors
Chain
Closure
Suede Cording

 

A) Take three of the suede cords and wrap them around your wrist once and cut the cords at the end.

B) Use the needle nose pliers to detach two separate 5-6 long peice  chains.

C) Place the three cords though one of the chain pieces and tie a knot to secure it in place.

D) Tape the ends of the cords down and begin braiding the cords. Be sure to make the braids as tight as possible.

E) Once you have finished braiding, place the ends into another one of the chain pieces and tie a knot to secure your braid.

F) Then use the pair of scissors to cut any extra cord following the knot.

G) Use the needle nose pliers to open the end of each chain and attach a closure onto each side.

And Ta Da!!!

Now that I have successfully completed a DIY project, I am off to find another to complete. I can definitely sense that this will become a new obsession of mine, so I will probably be making a lot more bracelets and layering them all on my arm for the next couple of months.

xoxo,
Nickel

First Concert?!

This past thursday, August 9th, was my first time going to a concert! I went to the Summer Splash 99.7 hosted at California's Great America.

One of my friends had actually told me about the concert and as soon as I heard who was performing, I knew I needed to go.

Since I knew it was going to be one of those ridiculously hot summer days in the afternoon and cool down throughout the day, I decided to pick the simple flowy tank top and jeans.

Top: I have no idea where I got it
Jeans: Nordstorm (I am loving colored jeans at the moment although it is hard to find the right time to wear them in the hot summer weather)
Bag: Coach
Sandals: Macy's
Bracelets: Gifts from friends








I totally thought my 40 bucks was worth it since I had an amazing time screaming at the top of my lungs to the lyrics at the Summer Splash and I was able to see  some of my favorite artists at the moment!! Chris Rene, Marina and the Diamonds, Sean Kingston, Austin Mahone, and Cher Lloyd all performed that day.

Marina and the Diamonds

(I am in love with her song: How to be a Heartbreaker)

And I can't believe I saw Cher Lloyd!!! Both of these artists are
definitely one of my favorites at the moment. Both are super talented, super pretty, and I love their cute and quirky personalities!!


xoxo,
Nickel

A Life Without Music?

Even though most of the time we don't notice or pay to much about music in our lives, but if you think about it, it's everywhere. I'm not just talking about Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga; there is all types of music. If you ask me, even though vocal music is what is given to us, I think instrumental and classical music are the most beautiful. Most of the mainstream music today is hyped up for a couple weeks, month or years, but how many of them do you think will last a century.

Well yes... there is Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, but I still think nothing compares to classical music. It just never grows old. Okay fine, maybe I'm biased since I played violin for 10 years and absolutely love being in a orchestra (5 years)...and also... I can't sing. I still love hip hop and upbeat songs, but the only ones that moves me to tears and chills behind my backs are these awesome masterpieces of art of symphonies.

If you haven't really gotten into classical music, let me suggest to you a couple of my favorite pieces ( of course these include musicals, some contemporary music, and what not). These are not in any particular order nor in any particular categories.

Dvorak: New World Symphony
Schubert: Serenade
Andrew Loyd Webber: Memory (from Cats).
       btw I love him, check out some of his other ones (don't cry for me argentina, music of the night, sunset
       blvd, suitcase in the hall, and last but not least phantom of the opera!!!)
Shostakovich: First Cello Concerto
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2
Listz: Hungarian Rapsody
Holst: The Planets (my fave is Jupiter, Mars, Saturn)
Borodin: Prince Igor
Ravel: Bolero
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
Vitali: Chaccone
Massenet: Meditation (Thais)
RossiniL William Tell Overture

Uhmmm... I'm losing track. There is so many!!!! This is impossible. I give up here. Just go and listen to music. CARPE DIEM.
     Tell me your absolute favorite pieces :)

Music makes life beautiful

Love, Kansie

My Last Dance... sort of

1,2..3, 4..chasse, pas de bourree...passe, plie. I have been dancing since elementary school, and have never regretted it. My mom was the one who signed me up and came up with the idea, but I was the one that chose to stick with it.

Before a performance, people would ask me whether I was nervous and I would always nod my head, but during the moment just before going on stage, the butterflies in my stomach would disappear. Instead I would feel a rush of adrenaline and excitement when on stage; I would feel like a different person.

Most of my friends have never seen me perform before, but they assume that I am really good since I have been dancing for a majority of my life. Unfortunately,... I wouldn't say I am. I am fairly flexible and have a tendency to surprise myself once in a while, but I lack the strength that allows a ballet dancer to receive the ability to hold a pose to what seems to be forever.

As I was looking at a dance calender that hung in the studio a couple years back, I found a picture of a ballet dancer doing a penche. I was amazed at the pose and stared at it for a good five minutes trying to take in the image. On that day I vowed to accomplish this move sometime in the future, and so whenever I would see a picture like this,

 
 a rush of inspiration would flow through my body.

Everyday in the studio is different and interesting. One day you can find your center easily and do so many turns that you lose count, but other days you can lose your center and end up barely even doing three. Each day is a chance to conquer my balance and master the techniques. Ballet educates me to be mentally and physically stronger.

Since I will be going off to college this fall, I am sad that I will not be able to dance with the friends I have known for years and dance in the studio that I have practically grown up in. Although I will be going off to college, I promise my dancing career will not end here. I plan to continue dancing ballet and even possibly try hip hop or jazz. I will be in a new studio and meet new dance-mates, but I will keep the memories forever.

-Nickel

Summer Irony

 I thoroughly enjoyed my day today. I woke up around 10:00 and played some games on my phone. I got up to eat when I got hungry, and then went back to bed to watch some dramas and read some mangas....till now (about 7pm). Reading/watching romantic things always make me sad. I'm always in a daze whenever I finish a good book or movie, and can't help but reflect on how mediocre my life is. Then again, its because in literature and movies, they dramatize everything. I swear its like drugs that hype up your dopamine levels and then after its over there comes the depression. This just reminds me of a poem by Robert Frost called "Directive". It's basically about how we, as adults, are unhappy and harder to be satisfied in comparison to the innocent and younger children that we were who would be happy just with a lollipop. Go check it out.  It shows us how small we are. How insignificant we are to the world, yet we are so self centered sometimes.
LIFE IS GOOD
Read Poems. Become literate as the whole world is becoming more illiterate. CARPE DIEM.
TRAGEDIES ARE BEAUTIFUL. that reminds me. I need to make a post/rant about tragedies. I'm not crazy. It's crazy how often I have to convince some of my friends that I'm not weird. I'm normal. I'm a normal weird person. Don't just me judge because I'm the way I am; because you are the way you are and its perfect like that. This is not gibberish. 

Maybe I should do something productive this summer. I'll leave the brainstorming to later.

     Tomorrow is finally graduation for Nickel and I! For a whole year all I yearned was to sleep in and do absolutely nothing. But now as summer is approaching, I'm really worried that I won't have anything to do and die of boredom. As much as I feel like a hermit a lot of the time, if I stay in my room for more than two days without going anywhere, I WILL GO MAD.

 I'm hungry again. This is the 3rd day I had hives. I hope it goes away soon. As you see, I'm quite random. I want to go swimming on a PINK BEACH! No, I am not high.  This is me.

-Kansie