short hair - don't care

oh hi so this happened. if you're not up to date on the instagram haps, i cut off my long hair. it just needed to happen. it's getting too hot and long hair is just unmanageable. so last weekend i just decided snip snip was the solution. And honestly, so far, it has been. it's only been hard because i am dying to do cool beach waves but my straight ass asian hair won't have any of it. it just plain refuses to hold a curl! i've tried two sea salt sprays and hair spray (at the same time) and both a flat iron and a curling iron and just nothing. it doesn't help that my bathroom is a sauna so by the time i'm done styling my hair i've sweat the entire style out. if you have any tips for someone with straight asian hair on how to keep a curl, you let a sistah know.

so now to address my absence... i just don't really know what to say. i've had photos piling up for outfit posts, even a few book reviews but honestly, i just havent felt like updating. this whole time i barely even turned on my computer. i spent most of my online time either checking out instagram, lurking facebook updates, and checking my email. that's it. i haven't read a single blog. (sorry friends!). i've just been so ridiculously tired. i was working a full time schedule and it was just draining me. i think soon i'll have more time to relax and catch up on blogs when i go back to a part time schedule. if the train had wifi, i'd be golden with catchin up on blogs. lol jk. in the mornings i like to just close my eyes and listen to music in peace. 

anyway, i hope you've all been well during my absence. i still have photos from longer haired days, so i'll probably run those through since my pal Eileen, who took my photos at work got a cool job elsewhere. i missssss herrrrrr. 

also, sorry for the crappy insta photo. i haven't made use of my camera in a long time. shame on me.

dress: via threadsence (sold out but you can find it at swell too!) 

Ruche Summer Lookbook 2014 + get a 20% coupon code!


guyssssss. i KNOW you've seen the new Ruche lookbook. ISN'T IT SO AWESOME?! so many goodies in this one, guys. just in case you haven't seen it, go check it out here! also, guess what? i have a special 20% off coupon you can use at shopruche.com until July 31st. best part? no exclusions and you can use it as many times as you want! 

i'm trying to win a contest at work* and if you use my personalized code, i get a point! obvi, person with most points wins! only rule: my code cannot land on a coupon site. which explains why i'm asking you to email me instead of just posting the code for the public to see. ;) feel free to email me directly at leeda@atthisvolume.com or you can also use the contact form on here. you can also leave me your email in the comments and i'll email you, whatever! help a sistah out! ^__^

alssssooooo....let me mention that you can also use the same code over at ThreadSence.com! so what are you waiting for!? contact me! we'll all w i n! haha :)



back to the lookbook though...can i just sayyyyy....i think it's awesome they didn't use a professional model for this shoot but rather used photographers. the Kidds work on most of the Ruche lookbooks and i've admired their work for so long i'm so glad they're being featured in the Ruche summer lookbook. they're the freakin cutest and kristin has the best smile! anywayyyy, i have so many favorite items from this lookbook i know my paycheck is going to sufferrrrrr. my top faves are in the first image, but believe me, it was ridiculously hard trying to narrow that down. you should see my wishlist right now, it's a hot mess. sigh.



*if you're new here...yes, i work for Ruche, Inc. No, my posts are not sponsored by Ruche, Inc. I do love Ruche (obvi or else i wouldn't work there silly!) so any time i post any items from Ruche, Inc it's because i truly love the items!

ein hund


am i writing in two days in a row!? don't get used to it! haha. jasssss keeeedin. yesterday was cool, Jenn, Ein & i went to the chili cook-off in tustin but......we left. lol. it was not as cool as we had anticipated, although everything sure did smell amazing! i mean, i don't really know exactly w h a t  we were expecting. the booth to buy the chili tickets was ridiculously hard to find, people were hanging out in the center of the walkway making it difficult to get by and did i mention there were lots of people? i dont regret leaving at all. but i do wish i had eaten a pulled pork sandwich they were selling because damn did it look good!

anyway, we left after ten minutes and then went to get brunch at my fave local place. i promised little Ein a sprinkles cupcake, but we got side tracked by the bunny park. we had a lot of fun running and terrorizing little children. you guys, i've been bitten by the doggy bug, i really really really R E A L L Y  want a doggie. T____T. D wants to get a cardigan corgi, but they're so hard to find. all the ones we have found are all in faraway states and we both feel kind of weird about getting a doggy shipped to us. it just doesn't seem right. annnnnd i really want to adopt a doggy, but D wants a cardigan corgi puppy. i have a feeling once he gets his puppy i'll have the green light to adopt a dog. besides two doggies are better than one! :)

okay back to my monday schedule....of saturday dreamin' ;).


this should be our next easter photo hehe


love that little Ein-bear!


details:
hat: free people | shorts: free people via macys | top: urban outfitters | boots: modern vice via threadsence | jewelry: vintage, vanessa mooney & brooke hill jewelry

Burger grrrl lives!


oh, haaaaaaaaiiiii. happy june! :) haha sorry for the absence again, i definitely lost track of time in the crazy that was the last two weeks. i had an awesome memorial day weekend that was basically a five day weekend! i'm not even kidding. i probably should have taken advantage of that and gone somewhere, but i'm boring and i had a ridiculously good time doing absolutely nothing. i did a quick update on sunday but that was about all the internet-ing i did so i definitely have a lot of blog reading left to do!

although i didnt go anywhere for my break, i did get a lot of cleaning done! my cleaning project right now is to go through all the piles and piles of magazines and sort through them. i'm only keeping the magazines that cost me $12+ and all the generic vogues, details, gq's, travel and leisture, etc. im setting aside for recycling. but first i'm going through them and taking out all the interesting pages. for example, i'm taking out all the work out pages and recipes from the women's health magazines i've managed to collect. since i worked at the bookstore i would get a discount on magazines and sometimes magazine subscriptions and i just went crazy signing up for all the things. also, i did cash out true blue miles for magazines since they were about to expire and i wasn't going anywhere. and that's part one of how i became a hoarder.  


now, let's take some time for this outfit. i really enjoy when bloggers post their lazy day outfits because let's be real guys, half the time we're not as cute/cool/well dressed as we make ourselves to be. i make it a point to never dress for the blog, but rather dress for my moods. and odds are if i'm wearing a cute outfit, i probably took photos at work. i can't necessarily show up looking like a slob (although i seriously don't think anyone would mind!). so if i can grab someone who has time to spare, i'll have them snap some shots. the point i'm trying to make is that even though sometimes we portray ourselves on the internet as these really cool people who can dress well, some times we just spend our days in pants and tees. it can't just be me right? and that just makes me feel better about bloggers, like hey you're actually human, cool! i think i like you more now ;). ya feel?

anyway, this is definitely a lazy day outfit. and let's be real, that's what weekends were made for right? Pants, a comfy tee, boots and light jacket. i'm all about it. 


this tee was on my wishlist foreverrrrrrr! i just couldn't give in to paying for shipping for just a shirt so it just sat in my wishlist. but then i got lucky and won a gc to UrbanOG on instagram and finally got this shirt! yay! even better when it's free ^___^. it's ridiculously soft too! a perfect burger shirt for burger girl! i ALMOST wore it with my burger necklace but D said it was overkill lol.

brown and black together? idgaf.

also, i think it's time we discuss these modern vice boots. my newest addition (and should be my final for at least a few months) to my shoe collection! they are freaking beautiful. they made a huge dent in my wallet...but i just couldnt say no. Threadsence had a killer memorial day weekend sale and i got these babies for 40 percent off! still a high number but let's be real, that's the cheapest i will ever see these babies go for. thus, financial irresponsibility brain went on. sigh. i almost was going to return them because they were just a little too pointy toed for my taste, but after sitting on it for a few days i decided they were too rock and roll to not keep them. 


all right. i hope ya'll have a cool week! i'm not going to promise any updates, since i always break those promises because i suck. haha. until next time!

details:
tee: urbanog | pants: santee alley | boots: modern vice via threadsence | purse: kate spade saturday (more on this puppy in an upcoming post!)

maxin'


hi there. took a quick break here since i basically melted away from the heat. thankfully this past week was much, much cooler and bearable.  been getting a move on on my spring cleaning, which i'm pretty sure is going to turn into summer cleaning as well. i take too many breaks, that's the problem. you know when you're looking through things and then you find something that makes you nostalgic and then you get so nostalgic that five hours pass by and then you have to do something else or go to bed? yeah. that's been happening a lot. i clearly have no cleaning discipline. so, it took me this whole week to just clean a corner of the living room. lol. and that drafting table i keep blabbing about? still hasn't been put back together. soon. SOON. it has to happen soon!


so, i have a confession to make. this is my first ever maxi dress. yes, it's true. i've never owned a maxi dress with the intention of wearing it as a maxi dress. every maxi dress i've ever thrifted i've always altered and hemmed. i couldn't get maxis to work on me without looking like Mrs. Roper from Three's Company. but now, i'm really diggin the Mrs. Roper look so i'm not trippin' any more. haha. this dress is from free people and i'm in love (i mean, at that price tag you kind of have to be! haha). but on the real, the embroidery is so gosh darn beautiful! i need to add another hook an eye to the front to keep the ladies inside since it's not really the type of dress you wanna keep puncturing with a safety pin. and really, if you've got the skills to fix dresses, just do it. i have a pile of things i need to fix but i'm so lazy. i've got plenty of projects to keep me busy this summer haha. anyway, i think i've been bitten by the maxi dress bug. eep!


oh, i have a question for ya'll. have you guys ever worn shoes with ankle straps and had the ankle straps give you blisters? like wtf! these super cute gee wawa's gave me blisters and i'm so afraid to wear them again. i'm thinking of putting some moleskine along the strap so it doesnt irritate my skin so much. this has never happened to me so i'm a little confused. if i ever get blisters it's usually on the back of the heel or on the ball of my right foot. i emailed gee wawa and i didn't get a response. thanks a lot guys, really makes me wanna purchase your shoes again. (eye roll).  oh well, if you have any tricks let me know, i'd appreciate it. i wanna wear these shoes again!

the embroidery is too good 

i should probably wear a slip with this

all right. i'm off to see if i'm really allergic to cats!

details:
dress: free people | shoes: gee wawa via free people | necklace: erica weiner | sunnies: warby parker x leith clark | bracelets: vanessa mooney & vintage | lip color: wet n wild megalast in cherry bomb

through the heatwave


well, it's finally happened. triple digit heatwave everybody! i was fortunate enough to have the last two days off so i happily stayed in and managed to stay cool for most of this heatwave. according to the acu weather app, we'll be in 70s on saturday. hallelujah! i don't fare well in sweltering heat. i know, i know, i should move somewhere where it's always cold. but you show me a place that's cold and has amazing mexican food A N D vietnamese food and we'll talk. if you ain't got all three i'm not going anywhere! 


i really have nothing to report. life is good. mother's day was cool. got to spend some time with my momma although not enough time as i had anticipated, but a little time is better than no time. then spent some time with my boy's momma. split duties nowadays. good thing christmas will never be an argument as mexicans celebrate it on christmas eve and pretty much everyone else focuses more on christmas day. 




love my Live Beautifully tote bag from Ruche! they made these puppies for their 5 year anniversary and to celebrate their Live Beautifully campaign. i bought five of them and gave away 4 to some pals and one to my sis. i think they're perfect reminders to live our lives in a beautiful way, a way that makes us happy and fulfills us. i know it can be very easy to fall prey to intrusive thoughts always badgering us about not being thin enough or pretty enough or w h a t e v e r, we just need to take a step back and go in another direction. the one that will light the way to not caring what anyone else has to say--that's the road we wanna be on. self love is tough, partly because we are our own worst critics. but i think little by little, letting that hatred go opens up the path to living beautifully. and truthfully, we all deserve to be on that path.

rosy cheeks courtesy of this hot hot heat!

details:
top: urban outfitters | skirt: ruche | shoes: urban outfitters (really old) | tote: ruche | glasses: london retro via myoptique | bracelets: vanessa mooney, brooke hill jewelry & vintage




In Dreams: A Day at the Farmer's Market

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

go ahead and tell me this isn't the perfect outfit for a day at the farmer's market! you can't! hahah. but on the real, i would probably wear this everywhere. can i please have these jett modern vice booties?! P L E A S E ! They are seriously so perfect in every way. In person, the leather is just so soft and dreamy. But that price tag. I just. I can't. HOLD ON. I need a moment to collect myself. 

okay. i've decided just now, i'm going to start saving them pennies for these babies because i just don't think i can live without them. ever since the day i saw them in real life i've needed them. i dont even know why i do this to myself. can i just win the lottery? liiiiiike am i going to get a second job so i can buy these? maybe.

okay. okay. let's move on before i have a breakdown. when i was a kid i loved fringe on everything! everything! i had a little fringe jacket and it was my favorite thing in the worrrld! until we moved and no one was able to find it. i was seriously depressed at age 6 over a fringe jacket. which btw, i didnt list here but cleobella has the fringe jacket of my dreams. this second job is probably gonna need to happen isn't it? ahaha anyway this little bag from irene's story is a good compromise for now, right?

this dress from Ruche is too perfect. i need it. need it. neeeeeed. i freakin adore the floral embroidery so much. it seriously makes the dress. there is also a similar one in sage green if you're interested. ;) i find that lately i've been gearing towards more blue clothing. all shades of blue. i don't know what this means. 

okay i'm getting loopy i have to get food now. have a good weekend and be good to your moms tomorrow.

In Dreams: Anthropologie May Lookbook 2014 // Guanajuato, MX


by now you've seen Anthropologie's May lookbook. when i got this sucker in the mail, before i even opened it, immediately i knew it was shot in Guanajuato, Mexico. GTO has a special place in my heart so i just knew. spring break 2009, i took a trip there to visit my friend who was doing a study abroad program and it was amazing. it was my first solo trip, my first airplane ride, and my first visit to Guanajuato. ah, to be 21 and adventurous again!

just looking through the catalogue really made me miss it. i had the best food i've ever had (please don't tell my mom), and was inspired nearly every day i was there. the colors man, they do something to ya. i really didn't want to come back but i did have those coachella tickets, lol. Guanajuato is a big college town so no one finds it weird to see an asian girl speaking fluent spanish. If there's anything i've learned about Mexicans (my other half) is that they love involving people from other cultures to learn their ways, to try their food, to learn their language and share all the good things they have to offer. which in turn, makes me wish mexico wasn't so corrupt and overrun by the drug lords because i want to go back. there is beauty there that needs to be seen. i just want to go to oaxaca, and quintana roo, and nayarit and soooo many other places in mexico, and not to mention i'd love to one day visit the land that raised me, Sinaloa. but it doesn't help that sinaloa is one of mexico's most dangerous states. T___T. it will happen for me, one day. hopefully.

coincidentally, i did wear an anthro top on this trip! hah! 
(this is my friend derek, an african-american and korean boy from kentucky who i met while he studied abroad in mexico. tell me that's not like the funniest story ever? haha. derek, my friend angie, and i were totally joined at the hip during this trip. explorers!)

more photos from my mexico trip can be found here if you care! they're unedited, so dont cringe too much. 
anywayyy, i love when Anthro shoots on location because their photos are just breathtakingly beautiful. what i didn't like about this lookbook was that nearly all items in this catalogue all had spanish words in them. was that necessary? i didn't see ya'll give vietnamese names to all the products on the previous vietnam lookbook. maybe i'm just being nitpicky. you win some, you lose some.
SOME   F  A  V  E  S:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
left to right

you can see the rest of the lookbook here.

schoolin'


i know. i know. WHERE ARE THE CORGI PHOTOS!?  i promised them and i definitely didn't deliver on that. sorry about that. i owe you guys corgi photos okay? i edited half of them and then when i picked up the editing for the second half i realized i didn't like any of them. that's what happens when you shoot in bright daylight guys, it just messes everything up. sooooo when i redo them i will post them and you will all die from cute attacks. just sayin.



so guess what's finally happening? SPRING CLEANING! it's taking me forever because i just have so. much. stuff. !!! It's exhausting. not going to lie i feel like if i start a fire it'll be easier. for a long time i didn't really know where to begin, it was so overwhelming. but i just got to it and i've been throwing things away and setting things that deserve better homes aside so i could list them somewhere. it's been kind of like a scary episode of hoarders. first step is admitting you have a problem right?

my goal for the end of the day is to clear everything from one side of the living room so i can move the couch. in hopes that this weekend i'll be able to set up my drafting table that i keep freakin talking about. lol. we're also thinking of getting rid of the couch. yikes! where am i going to take all my cat naps!? sigh. it's probably a good idea though, we have a really small apartment and we should probably get a smaller couch. i'd probably be more productive without a couch though let's be honest. i dunno, i'll keep ya'll posted on the very important couch decision of 2014. 


enough rambling, now on to this outfit. im 26 still lookin like a high schooler. lol. ay dios! i can't help it. sometimes i get dressed and this happens. i gotta say, these warby parker shades are everything. i wear them all the time even though sometimes i have to admit that they don't really go with my outfit. prescription sunglasses are the shit though. feels so good to not have to induce headaches by being a dork and wearing sunglasses with no prescription. on another note, i think i have to mention that this skirt is not crooked. the buttons are actually to the side. i bought this skirt in two colors because i thought the side button thing was ridiculously cute but when worn it totally looks like i'm dorky and wearing the skirt weird. although, that's definitely happened before with other skirts so, yeah. 

by the way, this backpack is so rad. i got it when i worked at the bookstore and found it in the sale bin for half off. plus i had a coupon AND a membership card. so majorrrrr $aving$! ah, the types of thrills around here. haha. man, i don't even know about this obsession with backpacks. one day i'll grow up and be a real adult with a handbag.

but, until then, you'll see lots of backpacks around here. haha


details:
sweater: h&m | top: urban outfitters (men's section) | skirt: tulle | socks: h&m | boots: zuriick (similar) | glasses: warby parker x leith clark | necklace: 31Bits via Ruche | backpack: barnes & noble (sale section heck yeah!)

Meet Ein


So if you follow me on instagram, then you know that two weekends ago i totally died of a cute attack at the amazing Corgi Beach Day event at the doggy beach in Huntington Beach. Over 250 corgis just running around all over the beach! Some were off leash and they would just come by and play with you and leave. It was insane! I had to seriously fight everything within me so that i didnt steal a corgi that day. i want one so bad!

My date to corgi beach day was this handsome pup, Ein. he's seriously so adorable. Everything is exciting to him and he looooves making new friends. Also, Ein is the most passive dog i've ever met. I didnt hear him bark once! AHHHHH I can't wait to hang out with this little doggy soon! His owner, my pal Jenn, and i have lots of adventures planned for this coming summer so hopefully there will be more of Ein around here!


he's very well trained!


On a different note, i loooove this super comfy outfit. Both top and bottoms are from Ruche and while i normally would not have worn these together, i'm so glad i did because i'm totally digging it now. Happy accident! The embroidery detailing on this top is sooooo nice. I'm really glad embroidery detailing is popular again because i love lurking for new clothes that have great little details. But really though, i don't think it ever really went out of style. Maybe, that's just my opinion because i'm always buying stuff with a folksy touch. Love that embroidery!

Also, these lounge pants! I LOVE THEM. i'm turning into a lounge pant crazy lady! ayyyy. These are so freaking awesome. Breezy and comfy and rad color too. I'm pretty sure you're going to see these a lot around here. sorryimnotsorry! haha. Only thing that drives me crazy about these pants is how easily they wrinkle. T___T but everything that wrinkles drives me crazy.

yes, he was named Ein because of Cowboy Bebop!

details:
top: Ruche | bottoms: Ruche | necklace: st. eve via threadsence | bracelets: brooke hill jewelry via prism boutique & anthropologie | shoes: mia | glasses: london retro via myoptique | lip color: MAC see sheer

doggy hugs!

Actual corgi beach day photos to come tomorrow, i promise!

egg business


Easter egg hunts at my sister's house are serious business. 
here are a few photos of this year's craziness. 

we never dyed eggs as kids so i always look forward to watching my sister's kids do this.


i can't believe they're growing up so fast. secondly, i can't believe my sister has three kids. i am the lucky one though, because at the end of the day, i get to go home to peace and quiet. ;) 


the little one. she kills me







Holidaze: Bunny Sunday


So remember in January when Free People released this dress for their January catalog and i fell in love? It finally went on sale!!! Still not the best sale ever but i just needed it. i needed a reward for working so hard and maintaining positivity in my life. hey, i've always been the pessimist so being positive deserves a reward. hehe. also, i knew easter was approaching and i was feeling nostalgic and decided i needed a new dress. when i was a kid my mom would always buy me a new white dress for easter. i no longer adhere to her religious views, but sometimes nostalgia is nice. we just never know how much longer we have with our parents so sometimes its nice to appease them when we can. she did ask me what i was giving up for lent and i said d r i v i n g . lololololololololol. oh man that was a good one. although, i have sort of given up driving but rather for the earth. ;)

bunny circles because why not?



details:
dress: free people new romantics | bracelet: vanessa mooney via threadsence | shoes: sven x loeffler randall via tradesy | sunglasses:  warby parker x leith clark | necklace: threadsence




my favorite part of the dress is the back detailing! just. i can't. so good. also, suuuper obsessed with these shoes right now. i can already tell i'm going to wear them to death this summer. more info on them later when i have time, i promise. 


well, i gotta get ready to be on my way to spend the day with my family. i love watching my sister's kids do the easter egg hunt. always a fun time. also, i'm totally breaking paleo because i know my mom's making my favorite macaroni salad haha. 

i hope ya'll have a happy easter if you're into that. ;)