A Mid-Week Night Out

Well, it's official! I am going to be staying in Okayama for at least two more months! Things are going well here. This week I found myself going out a few times! The first night for Okonomiyaki and a new cafe. The second, for a mid week celebration at our favorite cafe. Here is what I wore in the evening. It's so great to get into jeans and wear something a little more exciting than a suit! The scarf is Celine. I found it at a thrift store in Numazu. A little heavy on the matching!

Today I am moving into the apartment I will be living here for the next two months. Good bye dorm, hello normal apartment!!!! Read the caption below the photo about where each piece came from! All around Japan and even from Hawaii!

Scarf-Celine-Recycle Shop Numazu
Jeans-American Eagle Hawaii
Shoes-Thrifted Fuji
Shirt-Zara Tokyo
Vest-Gap Osaka
Belt-Thrifted Fuji
Necklace-Thrifted Numazu

Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong

I am a huge fan of Louis Armstrong and have been since the age eight or nine. A new book has been published written by Terry Teachout. It is being hailed as the most in depth and comprehensive autobiography ever written about the singer. The book is largely based on tapes that Louis self recorded throughout his life. Terry Teachout, national drama critic for the Wall Street Journal, says about Louis, "He knew what he was. He knew he was a very important figure in the history of American art. And so he saved everything that he could. But in making these tapes, he's entirely unself-conscious. He just records parts of his life. . . . He is the only major jazz musician who has left behind a very large volume of documents of this kind." Available on Amazon. Are you a Louis Armstrong fan? Will you read it?

I heard about this great new book
on CBC Radio's Q hosted by Jian
Ghomeshi

Project Runway Season Seven Episode Two!

Finally! Project Runway is back in New York. Season six in L.A. was a bust. The designers were
blasé and I couldn't believe they gave it to "Meana Irina". It's all in the past now and a new exciting season complete with talented designers has officially begun. There is so much talent this year, it is hard to comprehend. I believe this will be one of the best yet!

Recap:
This episode was all about creating a look out of a burlap potatoe sack. As the saying goes "she would even look great in a burlap sack". Designers were given burlap and told to create a new look according to their model's wishes. Not only were the models the clients, they also got to choose which designers they wanted to work with. This caused a lot of anger for Mila whose model chose not to work with her. She went on to complain about it for the entire episode. Nevertheless, she came back to complete a great dress which came in a close second to Jay's dress (see below). I was not in love with the dress and so you will not see it featured here. For a selection of all the looks you can visit the home page here. Is anyone else loving Anthony? He is hilarious and he came back from the bottom (episode 1) and created a fantastic garment! This was probably one of the best Project Runway Episodes I have ever seen on Project Runway. The looks were all top-notch. It is going to be a tight competition this year!

Designer: Jay Nicolas Sario
The winner

Designer:
Amy Sarabi

Designer:
Ben Chmura

Designer: Anthony Williams

Designer:
Seth Aaron

Last Weekend

Another Okayama adventure last weekend. I had heard a lot about this burger restaurant called Raccos. I am a sucker for dive restaurants and for Japan and this, was definitely a dive. It wasn't dirty though! It was very clean (the bathroom was spotless), just small and cluttered, my favorite! The burgers are small of course but there are a variety of unusual combinations. (Check out their website here.)Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I wasn't able to take a picture of the fabulous avocado I tried! For around seven dollars we got a burger fries and small salad. Afterward, we headed to the bowling alley for some good old fashioned bowling. I actually played better than ever. Who would have thought? I got three strikes in a row!

I also discovered a new vintage shop. There are quite a few interesting jewelry pieces and postcards. The dresses are very vintage so would definitely need altering. That brings the total to three shops I have discovered now. My friends also discovered an expensive consignment store on the other side of the train station as well, which I am going to check out this weekend or next! Today, we are all going to yoga and then in the evening we are finally going to see "Where the Wild Things are" (it just came out in Japan) and then going for Turkish food!! Hurrah for the weekend! I'll try and take a few photos of the delicious Turkish food!

Raccos Burger!

Menu!

What I wore.
Sorry for the darkness. I had
to resort to the balcony as there were
a ton of people staying in the dorm!

Cute vintage shop!

Sweaters and Curry

After living in dorm-style accommodations for a few weeks I realized that I needed to add some sweaters to my winter wardrobe. I basically had to go outside to go downstairs to the kitchen as the hallways are not inside. BRRRRRRRRR. I found this cute vintage shop during winter vacation. This is where I found my new lovely Christmas themed sweater. I have been wearing it a lot with shorts and tights or black jeans and boots. It has definitely been a good investment and gotten me through some rather chilly times!

What I wore on my curry adventure!

Cute vintage shop!

A few weeks ago I came across a cute little curry shop across from the river by the Okayama Castle. I knew it would be a great place to sit and have a coffee and look at the view but I decided against going as I'm not a huge curry fan. This past weekend I decided to go back and give it a go. Having essays to work on and blogs to compose, I thought it would be the perfect place to get some writing done. I decided once I arrived that I would have to try the curry! I was pleasantly surprised to find full wireless internet, a pleasant staff and a delicious lunch set! For just under ten dollars I got: a salad, Japanese curry, a fruit juice drink and a coffee pudding. Delicious! See the images below.

A bit about Japanese curry. Curry was first introduced between 1869-1913 in Japan when India was administered by Britain. It became extremely popular in the 1960's and has been served in restaurants throughout Japan ever since. The main vegetables are onions, carrots, potatoes and the meats are beef, pork, chicken and sometimes duck. The curry I tried was beef curry and it was fantastic!

The sign out front.

The menu

The shop

Up the stairs! (Always in Japan)

The cafe

The view
Can you see the river and bridge just ahead?

Salad

Japanese Curry

Additional toppings (cheese, vegies, chili powder etc)

Yummy fruit juice served after the meal.

Coffee pudding

Coffee!

Golden Globes 2010! My Favorites

Here are my top three Golden Globe red carpet dresses. I was rather disappointed with the dresses this year. Many of them looked overdone and very prom queen like. What did you think? Who were your favorites?

The ever adorable Glee star Lea Michelle rocked
this Oscar de la Renta. Accessorized with
emerald and diamond jewelry.

Kate Hudson is always taking risks
trying new looks. Here she is in Marchesa.
Accessorized with Casadei pumps
and Russel Diamond Jewelry.

Drew Barrymore looked stunning
in this Atelier Versace. Accessorized with
Lorraine Schwartz diamonds,
Roger Vivier Clutch and Jimmy Choos.

A Saturday Night Out!

Happy Weekend to everyone! I hope everyone is having a great new year! Things have been going really well in Okayama. It will be really hard when I have to leave and travel to a new city to fill in. I am still not sure where yet. I am sure something will come up though. I have definitely started to gain confidence in my exploring skills. I have found numerous little recycle and vintage shops near where I am staying. I have also discovered new restaurants, cafes and seen some beautiful architecture here. I still have one or two more Hawaii posts to do and a few Okayama pictures. I promise to update my flickr soon! I wish I was able to watch the Golden Globes! Hope everyone is enjoying.

Last weekend, I went out with friends in the evening. Perhaps it has been living in a big city again or perhaps it is just the drastic change of living somewhere completely different; but I am feeling inspired and motivated to try and keep getting outfit posts up, trying new fashion trends and reading, writing and watching as many movies as possible! Yoga, especially Ashtanga has become my newest obsession. Any yoga enthusiasts? Here are a few photos of my outfit and one of us all out together!

Shimmery tights AA
T-shirt AA
Skirt-Thrifted Numazu Recycle Shop (Hard Off)
Boots (Thrifted Value Village - Vancouver)
Bangles (Elaine, a recycle shop in Okayama)
Ring-Toronto City Hall Vendor-Egypt





Bangles, bangles!
 

The Velvet Room Boutique-Canadian Fashion-Canadian Made

Wriiten by Treasure Seeker Colleen
Location: Vancouver

On November 22, I went to the Make It : Handmade Revolution, Canadian Made show at the Vancouver Croatian Cultural Centre. This event will be held again in May 2010. I saw the work of 90 fabulous designers but was most impressed with The Velvet Room Boutique's presentation, collection and service. It truly has WOW appeal. This store is owned by the mother-daughter team: Deborah Richardson and Jessica Elliott (see image below).


Opened in October of 2007, the store features over 40 Canadian designers. A wide range of designs includes jewelry, clothing, leather bags, bath and beauty products, scarves and belts, plus a great travel line featuring a gorgeous resort dresses.

Deborah and Jessica have had their own jewelry line for five years, Coral Moon Designs, and I was lucky enough to receive a pair of classic earrings in a tiny, black wooly earring bag from this line. They were included with a unique bracelet, scented candle and other treats that came in the gift bag I won in the on-line contest for this event. Thank-you Deborah and Jessica.


I like the team concept of The Velvet Room Boutique. First, there is the mother-daughter team. Then there is the work team of mom, daughter, and sales associate Emily Heaps, Emily Farlow, Journalist and Kyla Hemmelgam, Photographer. Although the Make It show was very busy, both Deborah and Jessica took time to answer questions and to show their exquisite designs. They talked about the importance of being mentored when they first started up and how they constantly mentor students and young designers. I highly recommend a visit to the website, store and future shows.

Visit The Velvet Room Boutique at www.thevelvetroomboutique.com. The store is located at 2248 W. 41st, (Kerrisdale) Vancouver.

Allison Wonderland New Spring Collection

Check out the latest Allison Wonderland Spring Lookbook. The collection, designed by Allison Smith, consists of light blouses, dresses and skirts. It is inspired by Vancouver itself and "is all about basking in the sunshine at the beach and reading magazines." "[The collection] is really a love letter to the city, inspired by patio parties, lying in the grass, dancing all night long, early morning swims at the beach, and backyard barbecues."

Looks include: The Georgia Dress ($188), The Howe skirt ($128), The Denman Dress ($188) and more! Take a closer look at Allison Wonderland.

Hawaii Part Three

Another fabulous Hawaii post. I took over 700 pictures and I still have more pictures to share! Things are going well here in Okayama. It was another busy weekend. It included pilates, yoga, movie night (we watched Reign over me at a friend's apartment and had Pizza Hut!), coffees and of course a little thrifting. I discovered yet another recycle shop in my area and word has it there are more! Sad that the weekend is over. Back to the grind and not another holiday until May!

This post includes a varitey of pictures from several days. The first four were taken during our evening dinner cruise! What fun. We were driven to the only catamaran cruise ship in the world and treated to a dinner buffet and live entertainment. We even had to get up and dance..this included the macarena..yes..the macarena. It was a great experience though and fun to view Hawaii from the bay.

The next two photos were taken of my cousin Elaine and I during a lunch with my parents at the secret mai tai restaurant (see previous Hawaii posts) and the Cheeseburger restaurant. YUM! The Cheeseburger Restaurant was started by two women from California and they now run a number of restaurants in Hawaii. They had a great breakfast special and of course cheap happy hour. We ended up visiting the restaurant twice in one day. Both times we had great service and of course admired the tacky walls covered in bric-a-brac (see images below).

We also visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial and went on a tour of one of the retired submarines, the USS Bowfin. Unfortunately the Missouri was closed for renovations. After our Pearl Harbor tour we visited Chinatown. There definitely wasn't much happening. While it was a Sunday afternoon, it was like a ghost town and we basically just passed through. I was still able to get a few pictures though (see below).

The last two pictures involve restuarants. Of course! One was taken of my cousin and I in front of a mural of Waikiki. What fun! The last one is of the amazing hamburger I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. I really enjoyed eating large portions again! I missed hamburgers and morning breakfast fry ups. Japan just doesn't have breakfast restaurants or cafes serving breakfast. At least, not like at home. What a fabulous treat. I jumped and clapped with happiness everytime I ate in Hawaii!

Sailboats. Taken from the catamaran cruise ship.

The shore from the boat.

Entertainment.

Lunch. Can you spy the large plate of
nachos???!!!

At the Cheeseburger.

Tacky tacky wall.

Tacky statues out the front of the restaurant.

Bowfin.

Office on the submarine.

Kitchen. EW!

Missouri

Chinatown market

Vintage building in Chinatown.

At the revolving tower restaurant.

Amazingness