Quickie update and coat shopping!

Hello everyone,

I've been neglecting my blog for a while now, but honestly nothing much has happened in my life. After graduating university (yay!) I've been looking for a job (or maybe two? three?) for the past few months. It sucks when you don't drive, it really limits a lot of options. But that's okay, maybe my parents will let me drive without their supervision! Haha, I guess that's also my fault for not being more enthusiastic about getting my license!

So my two main priorties these days are:
1. Getting a job
2. Getting my (full) driver's license

Both of which is taking a lot more time and effort than I imagined.

Anyways, onto the fun parts, Halloween just passed and Christmas is coming up!
Yay! I love Christmas! The food, the presents, the songs, happy cheerful people who can't wait to get a few days off work, being with family and friends. Oh, I almost forgot about the snow and people being close to each other to keep warm.

I've been sick the past few weeks and I'm pretty sure it's because I don't have a proper jacket! I'm not sure how I survived the past few years in university, but I am getting sick all the time in Toronto.

I'm not too particular about my jacket, I'd just like a warm, double-breasted, black (or dark navy) peacoat, that is made of wool or some sort blend with (preferably) cashmere. So far, the only one that fits my list is the Aritzia Howell Coat.I'm not quite sure if it's the "perfect" one yet.

I've looked through many different stores, in almost all the malls nearby, but I haven't found anything else.
I tried on a Ralph Lauren jacket (from The Bay) and it looked a bit funny on me.

The Bay was having a sale, so I went to a few malls and Yorkdale had the biggest selection. I tried on a size 2, the sides were really loose on me but the sleeves were too short.

















I looked at a few coats from Zara, and Club Monaco, but the cutting was weird on me. Having seen the J.Crew catalog, I went to check out the "Majesty peacoat" but I didn't like the feeling of the exterior fabric. It was $348, even with the 25% off I wasn't convinced. I ended up on the J.Crew Factory website, so I found a similar peacoat for $220, and I knew I had to check it out in store.  The exterior on this jacket was a lot softer and smoother.

I wasn't too happy with the floppy buttons though. It is a bit plain which I don't mind, but being that it's J.Crew Factory, I might wait for their promotions and order it online.

Since I still haven't found a proper jacket yet, I ended up at Forever21 and bought a jacket to play around with. It's cuter in person, haha, but I'm not too sure how warm it is. It was pretty inexpensive, but surprisingly contains 47% wool. (Whereas the J.Crew Factory contained 60% wool.)

My sister recently bought the Aritzia Howell Coat, in black, which is 70% wool with 10% cashmere.
I don't have a picture of me wearing it (yet), haha, but I'll definitely be stealing ... I mean borrowing it. Haha, what are sisters for? I never would've expected coat shopping to be so hard!

Until next adventure,
- aggie

FOOD: INADA Japanese Restaurant (Midland/Finch)

Hey everyone!

For a lunch date, me and my boyfriend decided to check out INADA Japanese Restaurant.
I am by all means not a food critic, because I am super duper picky and not adventurous when eat or trying new foods. This will just be me talking about the experience I had, and what my boyfriend thought.

I thought the decor and the plates were really pretty. Very minimalist. The food was very well presented and the servers were very nice.

Topbox, Zara, Holt Renfrew, and a bit of shopping.

Hello !

I received my first Topbox about a week ago, but I didn't want to post it until I had a chance to check out the nail polish. I finally got around to it, and I really love the colour!

Victoria Day weekend in Ottawa! (lots of pictures)

Hello !

Over the weekend, my parents decided to take my sisters and I to Ottawa to check out the Tulip Festival.
It's been a long time since we've traveled together as a family, so I agreed to go with them.
We were there for two days - one night; our first stop was Parliament Hill.

FOOD: Yamaoto Japanese Cuisine (The *New* Watami)

Hello !

The other day my boyfriend and I decided we would go to Market Village (beside Pacific Mall) to have lunch. We walked by Watami Sushi & Grill (the Japanese restaurant) that we frequent and it turned out that they had closed that location and moved to a different location.

We were in a rush so we didn't check it out, but I did take a picture of the sign. I wish they had been more clear on the note - they were actually a few stores down in the plaza! (Silly me, I thought by a few steps was like across the street or down the street... not down a few stores...)






















The new restaurant is called Yamaoto Japanese Cuisine. A few days ago I had the chance to check out the restaurant. Upon walking into the restaurant, we were faced with a very weird smell and (for lack of a better word) "aura" of oil and greasiness. It used to be a grill house, so I assume that the oils had seeped into the walls and carpet. Once we got over that, it wasn't that bad.

I took a picture of their lunch menu, it seems that they raised their prices by a bit (the lunches used to start at $5.99.)

The interior is quite pretty, but I'm not sure if they kept the same decor as Mongolian Grill, since I've never been. They had these "balls" that changed colour, and pretty sakura wallpaper at the back of the restaurant.






















It was pretty dark inside, so my pictures came out a big blurry. Here's a few pictures of the dinnerware, it's a bit bland and plastic looking, but I guess it gets the job done.

Lastly, a super blurry picture of the bento box I got. I got my usual (from Watami) which is the Omega-3 or Salmon special I believe. It was alright, nothing too great. Both my boyfriend and I felt that even though there was the same amount of food, the portions seemed to be smaller. (Perhaps they should use smaller bento boxes?)

















I would probably wait awhile before I visit again though, in the duration that we were having lunch - we witnessed three tables get the wrong orders (one table had told their server that they had already received that dish, but she server insisted and just kept putting down the plate, until the table finally accepted it after the third time she tried to put it on their table.)

The restaurant itself is also quite nice, the walkway to the washrooms and the washrooms itself was pretty -- the plumbing on the other hand, was supremely outdated and in need of a major upgrade.

All-in-all, I would probably go again if I'm out of ideas for lunch. On a brighter note, they now serve all you can eat! It's $13.99 (I believe) for Mon-Fri lunches, which is a pretty good deal if you've got a big stomach, since lunches range from $8-10 anyway.

- Aggie

Lisa's cosmetics warehouse sale!

Hello!

Sometime last week my friend invited me to check out Lisa's Cosmetic's warehouse sale with her. 

We went around 2pm (so that the employees in the neighbouring buildings would be finished their lunch breaks and there wouldn't be too many people) but to our surprise the main parking lot was full! We had to park in a parking lot two buildings away!

The odd thing was, that there was no line to get into the warehouse (which is always a good thing.) 

I spent quite a bit of money, but my excuse is that I absolutely love the Burberry Body fragrance and it was $55!! The retail price is (said to be) $95! Its the Eau De Toilette in 85ml. There were a lot of Gucci and a few Prada fragrances, but I wasn't able to get close to the tables and smell them all. I'll have to go to Sephora or The Bay and check them out prior to visiting the sale next time! 

I bought a few random things, like a swiffer duster, some sunscreens, but my second favourite purchase is the H2O Waterwhite Brightening set. I felt that since I was finished with school (hopefully) I finally have time to treat my face better and give it the love it deserves. 

The H2O Waterwhite Brightening Milk Cleanser is $15, the Waterwhite Brightening Tonic is $10, and the Waterwhite Advanced brightening essence is $19. The set is completed by the moisturizer which I couldn't find there, so I'm just using my Vichy moisturizers. 

The Lisa's Cosmetics (http://www.lisascosmetics.com/) warehouse sale is going to continue for one more weekend! It's the last chance to buy some gifts for Mother's day! There were lots of nail polish and nail tools, a table of Stila cosmetics, sunglasses (some were $25, and more expensive ones included Raybans), men's underclothes, and lots and lots of perfumes and colognes. 

The remaining dates are: Friday May 10 (10am - 8pm) , Saturday May 11 (9am - 6pm) , Sunday May 12 (10am - 6pm) and Monday May 13 (10am - 8pm). 

The address is: 1380 Rodick Rd  Unionville, ON L3R 4G5 (on the corner of Rodick Rd. and Apple Creek Blvd.) 

Oh! A few last thoughts, we had gone when there weren't too many people, but there were some individuals who didn't care and just walked in front or even pushed, so be careful. The line to the washrooms was the longest line I stood in, and the cashiers were basically waiting for people to approach them ( I guess many people looking, but not too many were buying.) There is a rule that children under the age of 12 aren't allowed in, and I guess that's also a good thing because some people are vicious when they see good deals and the children might get lost or pushed.

Happy shopping!

- Aggie