hello weekend! + Happy Chinese New Year

 This photo was taken when Aust & I went back to Taiwan & Hong Kong, May 2013

Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快樂！Chinese new year is, like, THE holiday in Asia. When I lived in Taiwan, the new years celebrations would include 2 weeks straight of eating delicous food until your eyes popped out. And people were giving me 红包 (red envelope) with money inside $$ (but I couldn’t accept it because I was a church missionary at the time!). It’s a great holiday; older family like parents, Aunts & Uncles, would give us red envelopes (hundreds of dollars!), but once we were married they said ‘Sorry! No more!’ So last year I gave my little brother the first red envelope I’ve given out, and it made me feel old.

This week I’ve been learning a new language, and you should too! When someone starts to learn a brand new language at 21, you’d think it was too difficult an endeavor and almost unachievable. Well I started learning to speak, read and write Chinese when I was 21, and somehow I achieved a basic grasp of the language in a short 18 months. Granted, I had God on my side (literally–missionaries are promised the gift of tongues!) because I honestly could not have done that on my own. But this time around, I’m picking up a language at 26 (did I say I’m old already?)! I’ve been taking free online courses from Code Academy and I HIGHLY recommend them! I’ve been able to pick up the basics of HTML and CSS and have been tweaking my new website aaaaallllllll week long. My eyes hurt, but I’m pretty excited to show you on Monday!! (Thanks for all the help, Ivan!)

Eat lots of good food , try learning a new language, and 恭喜发财  ‘congratulations on obtaining riches’!

hugs, hanalei

Sweatshirt Makeover + How to Install a Zipper

 We all either have a sweat shirt like this (pictured left) or have seen them around Walmart / Target for $5-$10, am I right? Well for another $3 (zipper), plus a little sewing & cutting, you can give that sweatshirt a MAKEOVER.

I am going to call this a “California Sweatshirt” (can I patent that??) because let’s be honest–we Californians don’t need a sweatshirt even in the wintertime. But we looong to wear one, if only for a change in wardrobe. This one keeps you cool b/c of the sleeves AND the choice to unzip when it’s warm out.

Ok did I sell you on the cuteness of the sweater yet??? I love how just cutting off the sleeves gives it a boxy, square look. Not to mention helps it breathe & cools us Californians down a whole lot. The zipper installation was super easy & quick! I decided not to look up how to install a zipper, but instead just looked at a zipper on a dress I have, and attempted to mimic it. I want to learn how to read the construction of clothing and guess what guys…it worked! It may not be the conventional/standard way to install one, but it works perfectly for this sweater. I love the pop of gold it gives it. Ok I’m done obsessing over this sweater –er– tunic… keep reading for the full tutorial!

Is it Monday already? + an amazing house in NYC

I have been busy figuring out a new blog layout….hopefully you can see it all in a few days (eek!). I’m still just dabbling with the whole coding/html/css thing but even so, the new layout  will be leaps and bounds better than this template.

I LOVE creative people! People that do things differently–that think outside of not just the square, but the circle, the triangle, and the octagon. I would never in a million years have thought to do what these people did… have you seen this video? Did you love it or hate it? I had to watch it like five times. Whether you like it or not, you have to admit it was pretty darn creative. Hope this brightens your Monday!

 

hello weekend: “Should I workout today?”

Taken right before my mat pilates class, in which I totally get my but kicked ^^

 I always look forward to catching up on sleep during the weekends, but I also always book-up my weekends with things to do!  I guess I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

How many of us ask ourselves the question, ” Should I workout today??” Most of the time, I answer with something like “sure…but later” and a lot of times I don’t end up going…oops. For January I really wanted to get a workout 3-4 times a week because it makes my whole body/mind/spirit feel better. So how did I conquer that question with a resounding “YES!”? Well, I didn’t ask it in the first place. Here’s what has helped me, and maybe it can help some of you:

• Tell yourself the answer before asking the question. In fact, don’t ask yourself that question at all. Set a realistic short term goal like, workout 2 times a week (you can always add on from there). Stick to that goal like gum on a side walk. Then tell yourself, “I”m going to workout today because tomorrow I’m busy with _____.” Do that X amount of times during the week and you’ll not only meet your goal, but you’ll feel soooo good inside and out.
• Switch up your workout. My pre-gym days were filled with running, lots of running, and the occasional rock climbing. I hated my workouts because I got sick of just running all the time! Now that I have a gym membership, I go to about 2 or 3 classes a week, and run at least once a week. Now I never get bored with my workouts.
• Do it with someone. Austin and I love to do outdoorsy stuff together, and made a goal to workout 1-2 times a week together (yes I also count that as one of my workouts!). By “workout” we don’t always mean “go to the gym”. We switch it up with activities like playing tennis, going mountain biking, climbing…just about anything that gets us using our muscles.

My next problem: how will I get in a workout with babies and kids!? I have no idea. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

What do you guys do to get yourself moving?

hugs, hanalei

DIY: Fake a Headband

 Does anyone else get head aches when they wear headbands? I hardly ever wear them because they’re not worth the pain I get! If you have the same problem, just fake it like I do. I usually like to wear these when my hair is up in a bun, but they work great with your hair down–totally pain free! Thanks Mackenzie, for being my pretty model! Keep reading for the tutorial.