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    Outfit

    Royal Blue

    October 27, 2014
    Photos by Ale Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Maison Jules Dress (Similar)
    H&M Sandals
    Madewell Bag
    I must start off this post by confessing that I broke my 6-month shopping ban. My mother convinced me to go window shopping with her, and I fell in love with this royal blue dress. Even though my mother offered to buy it for me as a very early Christmas present in order to prevent me from breaking my ban, I still went ahead and purchased a couple of other items anyway. I’ve come to realize that I really don’t spend that much money on myself, and it’s okay to treat myself every once in a while as long as I’m not making any mindless purchases. Well, there my confession for you all. Now you know that my willpower can only last for a couple of weeks.
    I really don’t have many life updates at this moment, other than I had to go back to work last week and that’s been a bit of a transition, especially after such a relaxing and productive vacation. I spent most of my time this weekend studying, cleaning and working on my blog, so it wasn’t the most exciting. As uneventful as it was, this weekend has made me realize that in order to maintain some balance in my life, I’m going to have to back off a bit from blogging and other activities that I use to procrastinate. I really need to set aside some of that time to concentrate on studying for the GRE for the next month, as well as to start working on grad school applications. I’ve been trying to post 3 times a week, and that’s just way too much for me. After all, I did start blogging in order to have a creative outlet, and not to have another source of stress in my life. I also want to make sure that I put in a good amount of effort to whatever I do post on my blog.
    I also have to admit that one of the reasons that I want to lay off blogging is because I’m concerned about how much time I spend on social media. I feel that blogging has in a way made me become more obsessed with social media, and made me feel the pressure to put things out there. Athough I’m not looking to completely quit using social media outlets, I would like to learn not to walk around with my phone in hand, while looking for the next thing to post on Instagram. Of course, that’s easier said than done, and we all know how successful my shopping ban was.
    This might be a weird place to ask this, but do any of you have any tricks on how to decrease your social media use? I could really use all of your advice.
    xoxo,
    Helen
    Outfit, Travel

    Surviving Los Angeles Without A Car

    October 20, 2014
    If you’ve been following along these past few weeks, you might remember that I was in a car accident, and I’m currently on vacation while my car is in the shop. Although many people might be bummed about not having a car while in Los Angeles, the idea was kind of exciting for me. Even though I didn’t have a car for the first few months after I graduated from college, I still found a way to go out and explore and do things around Los Angeles. However, since I bought a car, I feel like I’ve been really lazy and don’t make an effort to venture out of the bubble that is my neighborhood. I think part of that is because, despite popular belief, having a car can be more difficult at times, especially when you have to deal with parking fees and traffic in the L.A. area. That is why not having to rely on my car for a couple of days, actually seemed kind of a relief to me.
    My first day of vacation and life without a car, my sister Ale and I took the Metro gold line straight from Pasadena into Little Tokyo/The Los Angeles Arts District. On our little adventure, we had the opportunity to discover some new cool spots, and visit some old favorites. Keep on reading to check out some of the things that we did.
    Blacktop Coffee: After walking around the Arts District and appreciating all the wonderful street art, my sister and I made our first stop at Blacktop Coffee. This coffee shop opened up earlier this year, and serves delicious Sightglass Coffee. My sister Ale had a macchiato and I had the cold brew, and both were really delicious. The inside space of the coffee shop is pretty small and cozy, and doesn’t have any seating space. However, the shop itself feels very open and welcoming since the doors to the shop are kept open, and it has a very nice outdoor seating area.
    Poketo: I always make sure to stop by Poketo every time that I’m in the Arts District. This store always has beautifully designed decor, clothes and accessories. I always love looking through all of their stationery and kitchenware. You can also usually find me browsing through all of their children’s toys, which are so cool that I sometimes wonder if they’re not actually meant for adults.
    Woo Souvenir Shop: This small boutique is tucked away in a little corner of the Arts District. The only reason that Ale and I found it was because there were a couple of signs pointing in its direction. Although most of the things inside of Woo Souvenir Shop were outside my price range, I’m glad that we decided to head over there. Many of the pieces in the shop were really beautiful to look at, and I would buy them if I had the money to spare. Even though I obviously didn’t buy any  new clothes, I did end up leaving with a really cool greeting card for someone special. I also loved how cute and cozy the shop was; the designer/owner of Woo Souvenir Shop was also really nice, and she had a beautiful dog that greeted Ale and me as soon as we walked into the shop.
    Daily Dose Cafe: Ale and I headed over to the Daily Dose Cafe for lunch. I had been wanting to try out this place for quite some time, simply because I kept seeing pictures of it, and it looked like such a cute space to hang out at. Luckily for my sister, who was really hungry and couldn’t care less what the place looked like, the food was delicious as well. We both had “The Daily Toast,” which was a delicious piece of bread topped with spicy guacamole, grilled onions, peppers, and a fried egg. Another thing that I liked about the cafe was that the inside reminded me of my college coffee shop, The Motley–the interior of the cafe was really cozy and looked like a great place to go work or study.
    My sister Ale was my wonderful partner in crime for the day. She was the perfect person to go out exploring with, because she was down for doing anything. I’m also glad that she didn’t mind all the walking that I made her do throughout the day.

     

    Cafe Dulce: Before Ale and I headed back to Little Tokyo Station in order to go back home to Pasadena, I had to stop at Cafe Dulce in Little Tokyo–one of my old favorites. Cafe Dulce brews delicious coffee, and has an awesome selection of pastries. I’m a sucker for their green tea donuts, which have a delicious cream filling that is just sweet enough for me. They’re so good that my best friend Laura and I once visited the shop about 6 times in one day.
    To end this post, I have to say that although I really liked all the spots I visited on my day trip into Downtown L.A., I definitely don’t want to call this a guide of the Arts District and Little Tokyo. The reason why I don’t want to do that, is because this list in no way reflects all of the things that I like to do in those two places. However, If you want more suggestions of things to do in the Arts District, you can check out this post as well. I hoped you enjoyed reading, and let me know if there are any places that you think that I should check out on my next adventure.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace

     

    Outfit

    What A Steal!

    October 13, 2014

    Photos by Ale Veyna

    Outfit Details:
    H&M Dress (Old)
    Forever 21 Clutch (Old)
    Seychelles Pumps (Old)
    This dress from H&M is one of the purchases that I’m most proud of. I bought it while I was studying abroad in Spain for about 5 euros, which is about $7. Black was very trendy during the winter months that I was in Spain, and I’m sure that the reason that this dress was on sale was because most people were turned off by the bold and colorful floral print. I, however, fell in love with this dress for that very reason, and was more than thrilled to get it for such a steal. Brown and black are great colors for fall and winter, but I also think that there’s no reason to be afraid to experiment with a little bit of color during these seasons. Even though I’m kind of saddened by the fact that not everybody shares my love for wearing colorful floral prints during the cooler months, I’m really glad that it led to me getting a great deal on this dress

     

     

    I wanted to take this post as an opportunity to share a couple of facts about myself, since I realize that those who don’t know me in person only get tiny bits and pieces about my life on this blog. Another reason why I’m sharing these facts is because Katherine, from the lovely blog Wander Hour, nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award. In order to accept the award, I’m required to list 7 facts about myself.  Doing this activity was very fun, and I’m so honored that Katherine nominated me for the award. If you haven’t checked out Katherine’s blog, you definitely should. She has a great sense of style, and is also an amazing photographer.
    7 Facts About Myself
    1. I didn’t really learn how to speak and read in English until I was 6-years-old, and in the first grade. I don’t remember having any trouble learning the language, and it’s probably because I had always watched English-language television and listened to family members speak to each other in English. But until this point in my life, I only knew how to speak and read in Spanish.
    2. I attended Scripps College, a small women’s college in Claremont, CA, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve always had very feminist ideals, but I always felt that I was never in an environment where I felt safe and comfortable enough to express them. Scripps really changed that for me, because it finally gave me the opportunity to be in a space where female empowerment was really encouraged. I met some of my best friends and learned so much about myself while I was there.
    3. I was named after a small chocolate company called Helen Grace Chocolates. My mother couldn’t decide whether to name me Helen-the Greek form of her middle name Elena-or Grace, after my Grandma Graciela. She got the idea to combine the names after looking at a Helen Grace chocolate bar.  I, of course, did not realize this until I was about 5 and somebody was selling Helen Grace chocolate bars to fundraise money for a family member’s little league team. I was initially really excited to see my name printed on a chocolate bar, since I don’t think I completely understood what was going on at that time. However, it did lead to me slightly getting made fun of in high school.
    4. I started running about 3 years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite activities. I used to hate running because I expected myself to immediately be able to run 6 miles, and felt weak and defeated when I wasn’t able to do so. When I graduated from college, I had a couple of coworkers who were really into running, and they encouraged me to pick up the sport. This time around, I went in with a different attitude, and decided to take it slow. My patience and hard work paid off, and I was able to run my first half-marathon 8 months later. Running has become one of my favorite activities because it has taught me to appreciate and really care for my body, and also serves as a way for me to relieve stress at the end of the day.
    5. I would describe myself as an introvert with an outgoing personality. I get anxious whenever I have too much alone time. Oddly enough, even though I crave being around people, I’m also really shy and don’t always have the energy to be sociable. I think the reason that I really love hanging around coffee shops is because it gives me an opportunity to hang out around other people, without having to actually interact with them. If you want to learn more about what it’s like to be introverted and have an outgoing personality at the same time, you can check out this article here.
    6. Coffee is my favorite beverage. I don’t really know much about coffee, but I really enjoy the taste of it. One of my favorite pastimes is exploring new coffee shops with friends, and there have been days when I’ve only had coffee and pastries for every meal of the day. I can’t say that is the healthiest diet, but it sure is yummy!
    7.  I love traveling and, although I have been fortunate enough to do my fair share of it, I wish I could do more. While I was studying abroad in Spain, I was able to travel to 6 countries, and more than 10 cities. I definitely want to make my way over back to Europe, so that I can visit more countries there. I also want to explore South America and, in the near future, I want to make a trip to Mexico so that I can visit my Dad’s side of the family.
    I hope you enjoyed learning a couple of things about me. I’m not completely following the rules of the One Lovely Blog Award, and tagging other bloggers. That’s only because it’s too hard for me to just pick out a couple of bloggers whose blogs I really enjoy. However, if you want to go ahead and tag yourself, you can check out the complete set of rules on Katherine’s blog. Definitely let me know if you do decide to share a couple of facts about yourself on your blog. I’d love to learn more about you!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace