HEY 2010 CAN I BUY YOU A DRINK?

This is that black H&M dress I bought with no occasion in mind, and my dead serious model stare which has been ruined by red-eye correction that makes one of my eyes look extra-shiny but maybe this means I'm a robot, you guys!

Not that I'm accustomed to partying it up on New Year's Eve, but it was even less likely than usual this year that I would spend the last minutes of 2009 out and about toasting with strangers, what with the 8-hour car ride back from LA and the 3 hours of laundry and the splitting headache. So this not-really-an-outfit is purely for my own vanity because I totally did not wear this out, guys, as you can probably tell by my ashy knees.

Black lace sleeve dress: H&M. Platform pumps: Payless.

velvetee & kindness

A while back (woahhh, this was in July), I was contacted by M80 on behalf of Old Navy to receive a $5 gift card to Old Navy as part of their "kindness appreciation" campaign. Naturally I didn't spend it until everything went on criminally cheap sales pre-Christmas, but I'm glad I waited because my mom snagged this (essentially free!) gray thermal for me. And I do love myself a good thermal tee.

Silver rhinestone cross necklace: SoGood Jewelry, gift. Black velvet tee: Express, secondhand. Gray thermal: Old Navy via M80. Denim shorts: mother's, Old Navy + scissors. Tights: some brand via Nordstrom. Black rain boots: Hunters via Zappos.

a delayed camera dump

From Christmas, although our tree's already been taken down. I can't figure out why I haven't seen any beach-themed Christmas ornaments before (perhaps because they're totally seasonally inappropriate?), but I must say they are genius.

O Christmas Tree

Kicking off 2010 with a cropped green sweater/brown corduroy pants outfit that looks like an artistic interpretation of a Christmas tree!

Fake pashmina: New York street vendor. Cropped green cardigan: The Limited via Goodwill. White long sleeve t-shirt: Apt 9 via Kohl's. Brown cords: delia's. Black and white oxfords: Payless. Crooked photos: skill.

My Resolutions for 2010

[via]

Speak more carefully. This means both enunciating and making more precise word choices, because messy use of a language I have total command of makes me sound lazy and un-self-aware, neither of which I ever want to be accused of being.

Stand up straight. Because “Stop slouching” doesn’t seem to be cutting it, and maybe rephrasing this repeat-offender resolution into a positive action (a Do instead of a Do Not) will be more helpful.

Stop wearing clothes that make me feel uncomfortable. On a physical discomfort level, this means I’m purging my closet of everything too small and too tight. On a mental discomfort level, this means I’m saying goodbye to everything that is unflattering, too revealing, not revealing enough, laden with emotional baggage, or ugly. (I see you, clingy off-the-shoulder bouclé Wet Seal sweater that someone borrowed, washed until you pilled, and returned. I am so over you already.)

Expand my vocabulary. Find more creative adjectives to incorporate into my regular speech, and be able to correctly and easily use penury, paucity, remuneration, acumen, and vicissitude, at least in writing. (This list is not yet definite.)

Put myself out there. In my relationships, in school, in work (whatever that means to me), in life – risk embarrassment, embrace looking uncool, open up, allow myself to get hurt really badly, ask for what I want even if I might get a no, and fail spectacularly, because I’ve spent enough time fixating on the unattainable and running away from what I care about.

Those are my new year’s resolutions, 2.5 readers. Thoughts? What about yours?

Things I Love: December 09

This last Things I Love for 2009 is a miniature, ruthlessly edited recap of why I loved December:

• Air high fives with Lee, and our scene
• My Indian roommate learning to write Chinese
• Lisa and early early early phone calls about homework
• Amman for doing my linguistics project with me
  

Above, Amman saying “Your face is very beautiful,” from the prosody section of my report.

• Seeing a hummingbird on my way out of class
• Will, my GSI, who is a fount of practical advice and curious vocabulary words
• Joce, Liz, and Erica for letting Kim and me shower at their place (and Jessie and Ching, whom we ran into)
• Michelle, Maddy, Jeff, Danica, Ben, Danielle, Stuart
• Lincoln and Tony for dealing with my crisis-ing at its worst and at ungodly hours
• Really nice sales associates, especially during Christmas season
• Past Me for having enough foresight to record my qualms (using FutureMe) about the educational path I told myself I wanted, and to send them to my future self at exactly the right time, and massive revelations about my choice of major
• Onigiri-making with Connie
  

Above, photo of misshapen onigiri lifted off Connie's blog. I must admit I am responsible for the one that looks like a landing strip.

• My uncle’s reaction (the manly version of squealing) when he opened his (extremely cold) Christmas present, which was 5 pounds of frozen Top Dog hot dogs in lemon chicken (his favorite)
• That I have stopped asking myself if some people are Sure Things
• My family
  

And we’ll finish off this year with a few fi-i-ine male specimens:

a(n edited) 2009 bumper survey

In the spirit of last year's recap...

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

Watch Rent live. Watch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Give myself a drastic haircut. Read Kurt Vonnegut. Relate to a book character so hard. Cable-knit. Get paid. Blow up a condom. Feel guilty enough about eating meat that I had to rethink it. Experience having a class I care about, badly. Learn how to apply eyeliner to my waterline. Attempt to go no-poo. Write a non-comedic play. Begin to come into full awareness of what it means to be Asian American. Feel cute in a one-piece instead of embarrassed about not owning a bikini. Tweet. Break 1000 Facebook photos (thanks, Carmen). Experience consecutive weekends of not feeling the dread of returning to Berkeley. Email my professor. Actually attempt to engage in the blogosphere. Cook. Drink coffee. Buy things with coupons. Help with Thanksgiving dinner. Meet people in person I knew only through the internet. Say no. Kiss someone really attractive and feel nothing. Attend a blogger meetup. Show up for a 1-hour class 58 minutes late. Eat a lot of meals with a spoon instead of a fork thanks to Vivian’s persuasion. Get a final A+. Tumble.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Not all of them, but that's because I set my goals at impossible. I have taken time out for myself whenever I've needed to, though, which is something I am glad of. And I will be making more resolutions for 2010.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, and I can't help it, I just fucking love babies, you guys.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A direction in life. A pair of black over-the-knee socks. Hair I am in love with again.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Thinking that my problems are unique and world-shattering and not remembering that we are all fighting our own battles.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

MAC lipstick in Swelter. Perfect color.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Tuition + rent. I feel so grown-up. And broke.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

“Touch Me”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Definitely happier.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Making the first move. Taking my blog seriously. Putting myself out there. Harmless flirting.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Romantically, no. But I fell in love with linguistics and with tumblr, which I think are just as important at this point.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Glee, hands down.

25. What was the best book you read?

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

27. What did you want and get?

Help. Advice. Legit rain boots. A different kind of year.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

I’m going to have to say District 9 because I went in with no idea what it was going to be about and left feeling devastated about humanity, although Half-Blood Prince should really win by default. I don’t watch very many movies, though.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Keep it clean.

33. What kept you sane?

Putting things into words.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I'm so indecisive (and have so much love for the world) that I'm looking at a 12-way tie among Dev Patel, Ash Stymest, Connie Wang, Darren Criss, Blake Bashoff, Andy Mientus, Ben Moss, Lea Michele, Steffi D, Kyle Riabko, Nicole Antoinette, and Tao Okamoto.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

The UC budget cuts and protests.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

A tie among Lisa, Chris, Will, Danica, Lee, Maddy, Danielle, Jeff, Stuart, and Michelle. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:

If you don't ask for it or go and get it yourself, you're really not going to get it.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Don't stop believing.