Month: April 2020

Life
11 Apr 2020

My Quarantine Routine

As we head into week 5, more and more of the conversations I’m having with friends seems to be about our routines. How do you separate your personal time from working from home? What can you do to distinguish a weekday from a weekend in times of COVID-19. Everyone’s answers will be different, but since week 2 of quarantine, I’ve been following the same routine and it works for me! I’ve always loved having a routine because it means that something remains constant in my life. In these uncertain times, it also is a distraction from what’s happening out there that I know can consume me.

8:00 AM – Alarm goes off. This is a generous wake up call compared to my 6:45 alarm on any normal day. I catch up on email and social apps for 30 minutes before I get up.

8:30AM – 9:00 AM – Shower, get dressed and get ready. Obviously this period of time is shortened because we’re not getting ready like we would for work. I’ll put on my comfy clothes for the day (typically leggings and a top) and for makeup, it’s much more toned down. Currently, I’m only using moisturizer, BB cream, eyeliner, and filling in my brows.

9:00AM – 9:45 AM – Make breakfast! On a normal work day, most of you know that my breakfast consists of a Starbucks latte, but it has been such a treat to start my day off with a quick bite. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but I’ve noticed that even eating something small can vastly improve my mood and energy heading into my first remote meeting. My favorites?

  • Cinnamon Toast Crunch
  • Banana or Berries
  • 2-egg scramble
  • Oatmeal
  • Eggo waffles with whipped cream
  • Instant Noodle Cup 🙂

9:45AM – 12PM – Work Time. I’m involved in meetings, working on projects, and generally being available for my team. Though I have a desk, I feel much more comfortable working from my couch with a blanket. In every article I’ve read, this hasn’t been advised, but it helps to feel more comfortable and productive.

Noon – 1PM– Lunch time – When I’m at the office, I don’t usually take the full hour, but at home, I’ll prepare something and use this time to break away from work. I might catch up on the internet, do an errand, or clean my house.

1PM – 6PM – Work Time. Similar to the morning, my focus is entirely on my work save for a small break. During my work period, I refrain from watching television and instead only listen to music. If I were at the office, that would be part of my routine as well so I didn’t want to turn on the television since that’s not normally what I would do.

Sometime between 1-3PM, I’ll take a quick TikTok break! This is when the lighting is best in my apartment for filming, but it’s also a way to split up my day. Learning the dance and getting it filmed takes about 30 minutes. I’ve really come to enjoy this part of my day because it means that I’m challenging myself daily and working on improving a skill even if it is just for fun. I haven’t even been tempted to learn how to buy TikTok likes or followers, I’m just purely doing this for the fun

6PM – 7PM – Work is done for the day and I’m starting to prepare dinner. For the first time since I’ve lived in this apartment, I have a fully stocked kitchen. With fresh groceries, I try to create a plan for the week what I’m going to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because this is not a time where I should be wasting any food. I want to make sure everything is put to good use! Since I still want to support local restaurants and give myself a break from cooking, I’ll order takeout from one of my favorite places 1-2 times a week. This is also a treat for myself!

7PM – 9PM – Yow Yow! time – If we didn’t have dedicated writing time, Yow Yow! wouldn’t be making any progress. This is my time to catch up on what’s going on in the news outside COVID-19. With some music in the background, we get to building content.

9PM – 10:30PM – I relax by watching one episode of a show or a movie! During this time, I shut down my laptop and unwind before bed. Lately, I’ve been thinking that I should try using something like CBD oil UK in order to help me relax even more before another day of work.

10:30 PM – You would think that during this time, I would try and stay up later because I can. I’ve come to enjoy how much sleep I’m getting during this period though. I start my bedtime routine and I’m on my phone for a bit before falling asleep and restarting the day all over again.

Workouts

Weekends are a bit different without the work portion so I spend more time on Yow Yow! content and learning harder dance routines for TikTok. Staying current and coming up with unique content is vital if I want to attract more followers and likes on TikTok. If not, I may need to contact growth companies like Enforce Social for their expert assistance in gaining followers. As learning new dance moves can physically benefit me, I choose to take the former route. Also, since I’m not able to go to CorePower, I’m trying to find ways to get exercise in a couple times a week. There are some great Instagram lives happening daily, however, if they don’t always align with my schedule I can go back and watch them in highlights. Here are my favorite accounts to follow for that:

  • [@rrayyme] – Her and her boyfriend host a workout class every morning at 9AM!
  • [@revolve] – They post a daily schedule every week with different types of workouts hosted by different people. Some require equipment and most do not!
  • [@joja] – They are currently hosting some classes, but they also post on their feed different types of exercises you can do to create your own custom workout. Pick and choose what works for you! I personally have a folder saved for fitness on Instagram where I favorite some of the exercises they post about.

Catch-ups

Since these happen sporadically through the days and weeks, I always have a virtual hangout or phone call with a family member or friend at least once a day. There’s just not a set time for it in my routine. I think it’s healthy to still incorporate social interaction, but also to check in with your loved ones as much as possible.

News

It can be so easy to go down this rabbit hole, but I try to avoid it. During this time, many friends have told me how they’re creating healthy boundaries for themselves so there’s no right or wrong way to do this. I only check Twitter once in the morning when I wake up and in the evening right before bed. I recognize these aren’t the best times, but it’s best for me to avoid it during the day and when I’m in work mode. The same goes for all news-related COVID-19 items.

Live Music

I catch Ben Gibbard on his [Facebook stream] every Thursday at 4PM PT. And on Saturdays, we catch Harley Viera-Newton and her husband Ross Schwartzman for their [DJ set] on Saturdays at 3PM PT

This routine keeps me busy, but sometimes being busy isn’t always the right move. Only you know what is best for you and that might be taking time for yourself, being unproductive for an hour, journaling, etc. I have those moments too even if it doesn’t look like it in this schedule. 🙂

Style
10 Apr 2020

Come Around to the Button Down

White Blouse – J. Crew / Jacket – Uniqlo / Pants and Heels – Oak + Fort

For years, I refused to consider button down blouses as part of my wardrobe. I would make every type of excuse for them just to not own one. “They’ll age me.” “I can’t pull one off.” “This doesn’t feel comfortable.” “I work in tech! This isn’t necessary.” On a recent trip home, I found this one hanging in my closet. My mother had spotted it at the store and thought I might like it. To appease her, I did try it on, but the blouse didn’t stand a chance. Before putting it on, I’d already made up my mind about it and used one of the above excuses. I was being a brat.

The day that I left to return to San Francisco, I had just zipped up my luggage. Waiting to leave, I saw it staring back at me from my closet. The guilt of not fully giving it a chance was sitting with me. So I unzipped my luggage one more time and made room for it at the top. Wearing it the next week, I did feel aged. It made me actually “look” my age. Though I tend to have a very youthful personality and face, I recognize that there are things in my closet that I need to retire and leave behind. For work, I paired this with a pair of my black jeggings in heels.

This outfit series though was my take on a weekend look. For a little flair, I paired it with these wide-legged pants and a fun and fuzzy jacket from Uniqlo. It has a bit of spunk, but the same weekend coziness I strive for.

Design
10 Apr 2020

A Colorful Kindergarten

In Tianshui, China young students get to arrive to this colorful dome for their Kindergarten class. Windows, railings and doorways are made of 483 polychromatic glass panels creating this wondrous display. While much of this space is in color, there’s a part of it that remains minimal. Architect [Keiichiro Sako] shared this about his work:

“Color shades can grow and shrink as colors overlap and become different colors, or move from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane and back again. I hope that spending childhood in this beautiful light will foster the creativity of the children.”

[Source]

Life
10 Apr 2020

Shake Shack’s DIY ShackBurger Kit

Food in times of COVID-19 are a challenge, but I’m loving everyone’s creative take on it. It wasn’t long after Shake Shack had opened their first location in San Francisco that we had gone into shelter-in-place. Now the news is that the rest of their Bay Area locations have been postponed and rightfully so. There are plenty of restaurants in SF serving up your favorite burgers, but if you need your Shake Shack fix, there’s definitely a way. In collaboration with goldbelly, Shake Shack will [send a kit] to you for $49 each and serving 8. Not a bad deal, eh?

Each packet comes with its own beef patties, potato rolls, slices of American cheese and of course, the coveted ShackSauce. Any other toppings that you may need like lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions will be excluded from the kit.

[Source]

Culture
09 Apr 2020

Here’s Why Tori Spelling Continues to Be Problematic

At the end of shelter-in-place, I plan on writing a post about what this entire experience has taught me. The biggest eye opener has been how people have reacted to the pandemic. I think there’s several ways that this can go, but some will put others before themselves while others will put themselves first before anyone else. This notion of not being able to recognize one’s entitlement is something that we all witness often.

In times like these, celebrities can’t work from home. To bridge this gap, Tori Spelling thought it would be a great idea to host virtual meet-and-greets with her fans. The caveat? At a cost of $95 per entry. Tori may not be working at the moment, but I would hardly put her in the category of struggling like many others who are at minimum wage, laid off, or out of work because of shelter-in-place. Naturally, this has caused some backlash and her husband Dean came to her defense.

All the studios, everything is shut down. She has no way to work like everybody else. She has no job to go to. So, why can she not work from home and do a live meet and greet with fans and give them some light and love and have some fun?”

Tori’s career is not like everyone else’s currently being impacted by COVID-19. By no means, will she struggle and the right thing to do here would actually be to give back. Many of you know we’ve been watching Ben Gibbard’s weekly streams and he expresses the same. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, he comments, “But I do think that people who are in situations like mine have a moral obligation to help out.” Without obviously stating, he recognizes how well off he is and that giving back is the move instead taking from others. Why this isn’t clear to everyone else in this position at the moment still doesn’t make sense to me. I can only hope that everyone else will get there at some point.

[Source]

Design
09 Apr 2020

Nendo Stairway House

Every once in awhile we’ll come across a home so beautifully architected that it stops us dead in our tracks. I know I’m not the only one who couldn’t take my eyes off of this because three other websites I peruse for news also covered this. Designed by the team at Nendo, this stairway home in Japan begins outdoors before inserting itself inside.

Instead of serving as more of a function within a home like we’re used to, it purely is a visual dream. In some cases, the staircase hides parts of the home that we may not always want to see. In the photo above, I love how they’ve used it as home and gallery for their plants. For more stunning photos of the home, visit the link below.

[Source]

Life
09 Apr 2020

SF Eats: Noon All Day

It’s a little bit strange to be writing about SF restaurants during this time of shelter-in-place, but an ideal time for me to catch up on posts. Describing to a friend from out of town how challenging it can be to find a brunch spot with a short wait time is something I’m not a stranger to. A few of those places are warranted and will exceed your expectations. The majority of those though might disappoint you. I’m easy to please! What I want to find is a casual place without a line and with a good brunch menu. It doesn’t need to be the spot that everyone’s talking about because long lines and wait times don’t always match the hype.

[Noon All Day] isn’t new to the scene, but hasn’t been around as long as the others. It was a breath of fresh air walking into the cafe and with plenty of open seating. I got my usual “breakfast sandwich,” but on a croissant which is what they normally have on the menu. There are plenty of ways to mess up something as simple as a breakfast sandwich, but this one did not disappoint. Visually, it was beautiful. Taste-wise, it was exceptional. 10/10 would return!

Culture
09 Apr 2020

“The Half of It” Trailer

I continue to be extremely impressed with Netflix’s decision to bring more Asian characters to life through film. “The Half of It” is a twist on your typical coming-of-age story. Using her writing abilities to help another classmate write a love letter, Ellie Chu discovers something about herself. When I think about Ellie’s character and what I’ve seen so far, there truly aren’t many characters like her portrayed in film. Sure, there will be some backlash or criticism. However, I think I belong in the camp that will find this portrayal to be incredibly refreshing.

Style
08 Apr 2020

Updated Classic

Denim Jacket – Gap / Black Pants – Uniqlo / Boots – Something Navy x Nordstrom

These OOTD photos were just taken earlier this year, but already these feel like a distant memory. Before purchasing this Gap denim jacket, the last time I can remember having one is middle school. After that time period, I thought my days of needing one of these were over. On a random afternoon though, Winny and I had popped into a Gap “just to browse” and I realized that I needed this staple back in my life. It’s my go-to for all those moments when you just don’t know what to wear. There’s actually a running joke I think about how black pants and a denim jacket is the uniform for every basic SF girl. They may not be wrong about that. I may also not be ashamed by that fact. I added the white boots for a “pop,” but we’re not sure if it’s actually working.