My life according to Taylor Swift

I've missed you, blogger! I keep meaning to update, but I've once again gotten lazy with dressing myself and taking pictures. I seem to have fallen back into my ritual of eat-sleep-guard, but I do look forward to hanging out with a certain new friend after work, especially since he doesn't care how lazy I am with dressing myself. Pretty much anything is a step up from the black yoga pants and uniform tee that I dutifully sport every day at the pool.

I'm currently packing for a week-long trip to Alaska with my family. Tomorrow morning, I fly to Seattle and board a ship that will sail me around the glaciers. I love packing, yes I do! I'll admit it's kind of a hassle, but it just builds anticipation for the upcoming trip. Plus, I love any reason to go through my endless closet and excessive supply of shoes. Do I really need six pairs of shoes for this trip? I'm thinking yes.

I took this survey from clandestinique, who took it from someone else. Gotta love recycling! Given my recent obsession with Taylor Swift, I had to do it.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think! Re-post as “my life according to (band name)”

Pick your Artist: Taylor Swift

Are you a male or female: Tim McGraw? (Fail. Alright, I tried.)

Describe yourself: Tied Together With a Smile

How do you feel: Fearless

Describe where you currently live: A Place in This World

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Outside

Your favorite form of transportation: White Horse

Your best friend is: Crazier

You and your best friends are: Forever and Always

What’s the weather like? Cold As You

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: The Best Day

What is life to you: Love Story

Your current relationship: I'm Only Me When I'm With You

Your fear: Should've Said No

What is the best advice you have to give: Stay Beautiful

Thought for the Day: You Belong With Me

My motto: Breathe


Not bad, right? Way to go, Taylor! I'll resume the picture posts in Alaska as long as our room has free internet. I'm really excited to show off my new heels!

Sectumsempra - for enemies

Wearing: Target Mossimo cardigan, Free People silk tank, H&M leggings and bag, Steve Madden boots

Believe it or not, today was my first day shopping in downtown San Francisco since I've been back from LA. P and I had Thai for lunch and shopped around before watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I must say, with just the right amount of chuckle, seriousness, and romance, this is the best Harry Potter movie made thus far. Kudos.

DSW is quickly becoming one of my favorite stores. P quite literally had to detach me from the window display of Steve Madden pumps and booties to bring me inside. Even if I have no real reason to be shoe shopping, I still love walking down the aisles and perusing pumps that I'll probably never wear. Urban Outfitters, however, was such a tease today. P and I were so excited when we saw the SALE ON SALE signs in the display. After trying on a bazillion pieces, I bought nothing, and P, who tried on nothing, ended up with a skirt.

I'm working every single day next week, but I'm really excited because I'm not teaching swim lessons! I'll be lifeguarding and watching my coworkers teach from the guards stand. Life is good.

Channeling Carrie

Wearing: H&M tank, Forever 21 mesh tiered skirt, Lela Rose for Payless heels

I finally bought a Carrie Bradshaw-esque skirt and debuted it last Thursday for a night of clubbing with the girls. A fairly drunk M told me that I looked "just like Sex and the City, but just the Sex part!" And just like the ladies of Sex and the City, we were four friends walking the city in heels with fruity drinks and lots of boys (some gay, some not). It was a great night.

In other news, I'm happy to report that my social life is picking back up. Okay, so I've been making an effort to get up earlier to see friends and I've been going out on weekends. Let me just say, having friends and a job and a life is exhausting.

Sunny Monday

Wearing: Forever 21 oversize tank, H&M leggings and ruffle purse, Minnetonka fringed boots, miscellaneous jewelry from Urban Outfitters

I shopped online last night. I spent 2 hours and $80 at urbanoutfitters.com and I'm happy to report that I got some good deals. Still, I really need to find a more constructive outlet for my boredom.

This morning, I woke up to typical foggy-and-cold San Bruno weather. I put on leggings and a sweater and headed to San Francisco to meet up with friends only to find it ridiculously sunny in the sunset district. I had lunch at Hibachi with H and M on Irving, then headed over to Fillmore to visit P, who was working, and the Marc Jacobs specialty store there. We saw lots of cute things, like this sad puppy



and this Paris Je t'aime charm necklace

that I bought at the marc by Marc Jacobs store. A good day indeed!

The only downside to waking up "early" on a Monday is that I can't get my sh*t together in time to get out of the house when I need to. I forgot to bring extra shoes with me, but thankfully, I had an extra pair of flip flops in my work locker so I didn't have to lifeguard in fringed booties. I showed up to work almost an hour early, which was lucky because the pool was at maximum capacity and extra help never hurts. I guess the unexpected sunny weather drove lots of little swimmers to the Brisbane Pool.

p.s. That is my car in the pictures above. Just for the record, I don't stand in the street and take pictures with random cars.

Lazy

Wearing: Steve Madden sunglasses, American Apparel unisex zip hoody

I love buying sunglasses. I love eying the perfect pair of sunglasses from afar and venturing closer to try them on for the first time. I love going through the store's entire inventory and trying on every single pair of those sunglasses (because they all fit differently though they're all the same model/make) only to discover that the first pair I picked up fit me perfectly all along. Ever had that experience?

I've decided that I need to see my friends more. I hung out with S today for the first time in a looooong while. We shopped around, ate, and dropped by the Pink Cherry Spa in San Bruno for some much-needed body maintenance. Ennee was so sweet and she really knows what she's doing. The trip wasn't exactly cheap, but I'm not opposed to spending money on seemingly fruitless things like spa trips. Like I told S, I show more skin on a daily basis at the pool than a porn star. I think I meant that I show skin longer (or something). Whatever, you get the picture.

I've been really lazy with blogging lately because I've been really lazy with dressing myself lately. I wear my uniform (red swimsuit, lifeguard tee, black yoga pants or red shorts depending on the weather) more than anything else, and it's not really something that needs to be blogged about more than it already has. Anyways, I've been trying to dissociate the two things (blogging and dressing myself) along with trying to find inspiration in things that I don't normally do. In an attempt to do so, I made this wrap bracelet a couple of weeks ago.

Bracelet: 100% silk lilac cord, cheap gold [colored] metal chain, leaf charms - knotted all at one end and braided

Yosemite

(Lower Yosemite Falls)


(pedestrian-sized stop sign!)

Day One, hiking look: plain Gap beater, Thank You Mart studded shorts, Asics running shoes, Wet Seal floral sunglasses


(His name is Ace!)


(Half Dome)

Day Two, riding look: American Apparel deep-V tee, Forever 21 high-waisted shorts, black Converses, vintage bag

I spent the Fourth of July weekend in Yosemite with my family. Despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes, mites, fleas, and god-only-knows-what-else, it was a wonderful and relaxing trip. The park is full of giant trees, cascading waterfalls, and heartbreakingly beautiful meadows. Parts of the park were closed for seasonal burnings, and the smoke from the forest fires made for some really foggy views. From high elevations, the smoke looked a lot like clouds. I really wanted to take a free photography class, but I couldn't find it within myself to get out of bed at 6am in order to do so. I guess I'll just have to make do with the unskilled raw shots that I took.


Yosemite Falls from afar


I love playing with the effects of sunlight. The giant sequoias don't look too bad either.


more sunlight on the hike to Yosemite Falls


The ground looks golden, or covered in snow.


The view from Glacier Point. The cloudy smoke makes Half Dome look like Olympus.


At just 28 inches tall, this is officially Yosemite's smallest waterfall.


The Merced River at Valley View


Sunset over a place I like to call Edward's meadow.