I have the BEST...

I have the BEST in-laws. That's all. 

Christmas in July

I got new toys for our upcoming Caribbean cruise! It was an investment that I thought about thoroughly. I could have rented from Lumoid or BorrowLenses, but with a tentatively planned trip to Australia and New Zealand (2015!), it made more sense to just purchase. Maybe I can rent it out to friends =)

GoPro HERO3+ Silver Edition

GoPro LCD Touch BacPac

Sandisk Extreme 32GB microSDHC

     - as recommended by GoPro; I may try to use it in my dSLR later.

GoPro Tripod Mount Kit

     - will be using this with my Joby GorillaPod

GoPole Bobber Floating Hand Grip

     - I tried the Wrist Housing in Bora Bora and hated it. I had to hold my arm at awkward angles. I finally just took it off my wrist and hand held it. But I was constantly paranoid that I was going to drop it and owe my friend a new GoPro. 

With my limited testing to date, I've found that when the Touch BacPac is on, the GoPro HERO3+ gets pretty damned hot. Like, shockingly hot. Hopefully, it won't be an issue since I don't plan on leaving it on all the time. I just need it enough to see what I'm shooting. (When I used my friend's original GoPro in Bora Bora, it was a complete shot in the dark as to what was being captured.)

Turtles, dolphins, and fish, I'm ready for you! It's a damned shame that we didn't get into the ziplining excursions. *sigh*

Disclosure: The Lumoid link is an invite from my personal account. Sign up and I will receive $5 toward a future rental. Borrow Lenses link gives me nada. But I have rented from them in the past and highly recommend them. GoPro, Best Buy, Joby, and GoPole link are not affiliated. They have no freaking idea who I am.

Home Improvement: Anthropologie Corrigan Chair, River Reeds

I have been obsessed with the Corrigan chair for months. Probably close to 8 months! I first became enamored with it I saw it on the Anthropologie website. Then I was smitten with it after I sat in it. Since then, like a stalker, I regularly stopped in ALL the Anthro stores in the area just so I could sit in it some more.

A couple of months back, I made up my mind to purchase the chair, but only after I received a bonus from work. Well wouldn't you know, the chair went on sale just before the bonus payout. SCORE, right? (wait, it gets better before it gets sad.) Then, the 20% off sale items Sale was announced. Double score, right? My dumbass decided to wait a few more days. I woke up on July 5th to find that it had been sold out online!!! (Yea, I do this to myself all the time.) Panic and sadness ensued. Followed by phone calls to one of the stores. 

A couple hours later, this happened.

Sale, plus 20% off, no shipping fee, and instant gratification. Not bad for a slightly used chair (the store got it new in November).

Yup, our temporary curtains are sheets of fabric held in place with binder clips. It's totally avant garde.

Ahhh, LOVE it! Now I just need curtains. After seeing the chair in our living room, DIY curtains full of texture have been added to the queue. Just imagine, white, floaty curtains that mimic my wedding dress. SWOON! 

My Closet: J.Crew Cleo Stripe Canvas Loafers with Bow

Happy 4th of July!

These loafers are totally festive, so I thought I'd share them with you today. Truth be told, I thought I hated loafers for the longest time. Now I can't get enough of them.

J.Crew Cleo Stripe Canvas Loafers with Bow

I have a weakness for bows.

Details:

• Cotton/acrylic/poly upper
• Leather lining and sole
• 9/16" heel
• Made in Italy
• Color - Sandy Reef 

My notes:

• True to size - purchased in 7. 
• I believe these are hand made? My left shoe is cut just slightly different (higher sides), but it's not enough to be uncomfortable (and deal with the hassle of swapping). If you can buy them in person, ask to try on multiple pairs. You may need to mix and match.
• These are super comfy. 

Other:

• Purchased from: J.Crew (online)
• Year: 2014
• Number of times worn: multiple

My Closet: L.K. Bennett Doris Bootie

I've been eyeing these booties ever since I saw them at the Nordstrom Women and Children's Half Yearly Sale. But they weren't available in my size ANYWHERE. I guess that's good for my bank account right? Fast forward to last week, I found them at Nordstrom Rack for 80% off!!!

L.K. Bennett Doris

(Nordstrom)

Details:

• Suede upper
• Leather lining
• Leather and rubber sole
• Patent leather with covered heel
• Side zip closure
• 3.5" heel
• 0.5" platform
• Made in Spain
• Color - Bordeaux

My notes:

• True to size - purchased in 7. (I'm also a 7 in the Shilo)
• Pointed toe does make for a narrower toe box. But I think it'll relax a tad when I break them in. Sizing up was not an option as my foot flopped in the 7.5.
• The color is more of a deep purple than wine.

Other:

• Purchased from: Nordstrom Rack
• Year: 2014
• Number of times worn: New without box (the soles were pristine)

Day 13: Paris

It's now May 2014. The last time I blogged about my sabbatical was A YEAR AGO! I realized that it has taken me FOREVER to finish the recaps because I hated my photo editing software. I've upgraded temporarily and things are so much better.

OK, on with the show. I want to finish telling you about Paris so that I can tell you about India, NYC, oh and Bora Bora all before I catch my next adventure. So here we go.

Day 3 in Paris was wet. It rained and rained and rained. I passed the hours with a little indoor picnic of wine, foie gras, bread, and yogurt. I surfed the web while some news channel discussed the latest in Syria (it was the only channel I could get in English) and contemplated exploring Les Catacombes. Being lazy and cold, I decided to stay indoors and wait out the rain.

via Instagram

Lucky for me, it did stop raining while it was still light out. I was able to get out and explore the neighborhood around me.

First stop, Pierre Hermé for some world renowned chocolate. I'm still haven't broken the seal on my itty bitty canister of hot chocolate I purchased.

.

Their pastry case was ridiculous!

Directly across the street from Pierre Hermé is the St. Sulpice Cathedral.

And to round out the day, a short walk through Le Jardin du Luxembourg as the sun set.

And end with this:

Previously:
Day 12: Paris
Day 11: Versailles
Day 10: Edinburgh/Paris
Day 9: Edinburgh
Day 8: London/Edinburgh
Day 7: London
Day 6: London
Day 5: London/Greenwich
Day 4: London
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Samsung TL225..

The Lima by Ona Bags

Last time I was home, I dug my Dad's old film camera out of it's hiding place. While we've moved a few times, it's been in the same drawer, in the same dresser, for at least the last 24 years. It's quite possible that it has been in there for longer. 

Instagram @_celiamhung

As a child, I remember playing with the camera, as in, popping the back open and exposing the roll of film that was in it. No one told me that was bad! Anyways, the camera is in great condition. How the battery didn't explode and leak after all these years is beyond me. I probably should replace the deteriorating light sealing foam, but I think it'll be fine for now. The plastic/rubber camera strap had to go, though. Between hand oils and material degradation, it was a sticky mess (ok, not really) that I'm too prissy to want to get on my hands and clothes. 

I decided to go with The Lima camera strap by Ona. Let's just go through the pictures first.

The packaging details make me weak in the knees. I'm such a sucker for details.

Beautiful leather and waxed canvas.

Shiny buckles, it's like bling for my camera.

The padded neck strap is stiff fresh out of the box, but it'll relax and mold to my neck nicely. I like that the strap is small and proportional to my frame and my camera. I was a little worried that it would be too long even at the shortest length, but it turns out to be perfect.The masculine look with the leather, waxed canvas, and brushed hardware all make me giddy. Not to mention, it looks pretty awesome with my camera.  

Now that I have a new battery, a handsome strap, and a roll of film, I'm ready to go out and shoot. Now if only the weather would cooperate. 

Yashica Electro 35 sources of info:

Yashica Electro 35 GSN Manual

Yashica Guy battery adapter

How to test a Yashica Electro camera 

**Ona bags has no idea who I am. I really just wanted to share their pretty packaging with you. And of course my photos. =D