shopping – Kristi My Dao

The Lunar New Year Weekend of 2023

It is Lunar New Year, the new year celebration of many Asian households (at least, my family/local community has just wrapped up celebrating yesterday). I don’t know if I’m at an age where I’m just more aware of how much I don’t know or if I just never really know anything culturally, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot this week.

For example, one of my friends that I’ve made in the grad program is Filipino, and she was telling me about how there are also elements attached to the zodiac animal of the year. This year is apparently the year of the water rabbit. Then, the computer in my apartment complex is the thing that informed me that for the Vietnamese, this is actually the year of the cat. I originally thought it was just clickbait, but when I asked my parents, they said it was true.

So this just might be the year of learning for me. Today, we’re going to dive into my weekend, which has reminded me to be grateful for how lucky I am to live the life that I have.

6 Holiday Songs I Needed on My Playlist This Year

Can you believe we are at this point already? In about two weeks, we are going to be in 2023. I have to confess that I have had a hard time hopping into the holiday spirit. There is some serious shopping to be done, and it feels like I have so little time to do it.

Would it make me a Scrouge to say that it has been hard for me to get into Christmas this year? I’m not sure if it’s inflation that brings out the holiday cynic in me, or if I’ve just had my head down in the books and now I’m not prepared with Christmas in a week, but I’m not really feeling the Christmas vibes this year.

Something that is key to the vibe is music, so I’ve been trying to incorporate more into my December playlist. It might be something to share, so I’m going to share my six unique holiday songs to get me into the mood here.

An Egg-cellent Weekend of Breathing

This past weekend, I have taken the time to come back home, and that is where I am spending my time for a bit. I don’t think I see my grandma enough, and we’re coming up on her birthday soon, so I’m soaking up all of her energy while I’m home. My weekend included this and more, so keep reading if you want to find out.

The Tiny Collection of Things I Bought at Tempe Marketplace

Most people would just call this a “Tempe Marketplace Haul,” but I don’t think I bought enough to call it a haul. Plus, it didn’t take me a lot of effort or force to get it, and it wasn’t stolen or possessed illegally (I’m referencing Google definitions of the word haul). So while the title might be long, I think it is more accurate.

While everyone is out shopping for Black Friday Deals today, I am soaking in time with my family, but I’m definitely going to talk about shopping. During my time in Phoenix, someone I met recommended that I visit Tempe Marketplace while I was in town because it was a quickly developing shopping center. And I decided to go, after I forgot to pack a moisturizer and saw that there was an Ulta in the place. After spending a couple of hours at Tempe Market, just what did I buy?

The Weekend of Feeling Like a Woman

At the beginning of the semester, I kind of considered delaying starting graduate school. Why? The Ladygang announced their tour, and I immediately wanted to go and be a groupie, because I absolutely love them. Their podcast is the good part about my weeks, and no show is ever the same because the crowd is never the same. So I considered it for a minute, but I already enrolled in my classes and I couldn’t forget how hard I worked to be in graduate school.

But this past weekend, I got to live out my groupie dreams. I picked up tickets to their last few shows in Phoenix and Denver (because Los Angeles was sold out). So that’s what I did this weekend, and while I missed Asanti, he’s the best for reminding me how important it is to treat myself in the midst of all my hard work.

Breaking Down My Wedding Look

While I typically wouldn’t say that I have style, I can semi-dress myself. I think I started to doubt my fashion recently when my boyfriend made a comment about it (I will unpack that more later). However, I am kind of enjoying the process of unpacking my style and fashion, so I’m probably going to keep doing it (and sharing it here on the blog, of course).

Plus, I think I looked pretty cute, and I’m the one who pulled the look together (with some input here and there). So keep reading if you want to get my look for yourself. Remember, anything that I post is stuff that I buy on my own.

My 70’s Outfit Inspiration

At the end of the day, my outfit really came together for the 70’s event, but would you believe me if I said I really struggled to find something to wear? It’s true; I went through about two-thirds of the mall before I found something I liked, and even then I pitter-pattered around the store for about 30 more minutes feeling unsure about it. For today, I thought I would go through my thought process in choosing my outfit for the event and how I got really lucky at the end of the day.

My Short Story Box Buys

Here’s the long story, short: I had a friend who was reviewing personal styling services, and she needed a short person to try out Short Story Box. At 5 feet, I was a great fit. Now, I look forward to putting on a fashion show for my sisters and grandma every month, and I wanted to share my favorite buys today.

Day 2 in Detroit

Read all about my day in Detroit, which includes breakfast and an amazing movie, as well as more shopping to be shared.

Day 1 in Detroit

I’m doing some traveling, so I thought I would share. Read all about my laid-back, first day in Detroit.