Whoa. Lol.
I got a package from my mom yesterday and they are forever amusing. I had been expecting it but it came super fast in preparation with the upcoming Lunar/ Asian New Year.
I'm volunteering to bring in various cultural objects for the kids to see in person in various classrooms throughout that week. My mom sent me two traditional dresses, one in a Vietnamese style and one in a more Chinese style. For kicks, I tried on both. Or attempted to, rather. I had quite a few of those "Wow. Well, I used to fit into this in high school..." moments. >_< Often, these dresses are tailored made to our bodies, but sometimes the seamstresses overseas don't believe our proportions and take creative license, lol. They often did not understand how my Vietnamese-American hips were that size and especially compared to my mother's measurements. :P It has been a scream through the years.
Of course, I hadn't exactly planned to wear them to show anyone, but I wanted to see if I could should the whim struck me. One of the dresses is definitely a show-piece. Lol. I still think it'll be interesting for the kids to see and possibly feel (they are various silks after all) on top of the lanterns I hope to bring.
There was also a card with photos of my family from the past year all dressed up to show our family friends who haven't seen my folks in years. Well, my mom because she hasn't had the chance to travel much at all.
My mom also thought it would be fun to add to my collection of lucky red envelopes. They have often gotten prettier and fancier through the years.Traditionally, kids get these envelopes as good luck and well wishes for the new year. The kick is that the gift is money! :D Oh yes, this holiday rocks, lol. During a dragon or lion dance, special demonstrators-dancers-martial artists-performers are underneath an intricate costume as the legs of this mythical creature being escorted through the celebration. The envelopes and other gifts are offered to the beast to receive its blessings for the upcoming year. Here are some pictures! (Yay!)
I don't know what any of them say because I'm a different kind of Asian. :D
This holiday has become really tough for me since moving out, I guess because it's a unique event within my family and I couldn't find it elsewhere. I often get very homesick and I've found that it helps to try to create my own (really lame) home-made celebration and share it with anyone around me who's willing to humor me. It's often been my best friend and I throughout our college years ordering some Chinese food, trying to add some of our own, decorating the apartment with anything my mom sends us-what we can find in the stores-and what we can print off of the internet (ha!), and dressing up to sit at a little table in the dorm/ apartment and gorge ourselves.
This year will be my biggest attempt yet and my poor mother was incredulous when I told her what it would intake as I begged for any advice and information she could offer me over the phone. She's an amazing cook and dinner hostess. Not to mention efficient as all get out. People think I'm effective... I'm a complete dingbat compared to my mother! Maybe it's a good thing that they have no idea, LOL. Nearly a dozen people to cook for and it has to be fresh. You better believe there's going to be a post about it afterwards.
She also included a box of latex gloves because I had mentioned I was doing a lot of spring cleaning and she's well aware of how much a mess I can make. It's funny because I've been using up a lot of the pairs from the last box she randomly sent me too. It's scary how well she knows me/ life.
Another thing I asked for (and often do) was glittery nail polish. My mom can find great deals on high-quality name that I love. I made the mistake of grabbing three bottles myself at a beauty supply store and I gawked at the price. Never again. She could have gotten all three for less than the price I paid for one. Ugh. Anyways, this was the result of me doing an inventory of my little collection and trying out a few pastels and chalky neutrals over the holidays with disappointing results. It seemed to wash out with my skin tone and was a bit too neutral for the effort I was putting into the process. Here is what she got me!
OPI's "Crown Me Already!" (with huge silver glitter swimming in tiny silver glitter) &
"It's My Year" (a red-tinted purple with bi-color shimmer that can look gold or red, depending on the lighting).
Essie's "Jamaica Me Crazy" (shimmery metallic rosy magenta color),
"Carnival" (clear with silver rainbow glitter), and
"Smooth Sailing" (shimmery periwinkle).
I'm trying to improve my picture-taking, organization, more uploading, and editing skills. What do you think? The first two are the same bottles but I'm experimenting with lighting. I am loving them and can't wait to add them to my inventory!
^_^ That was fun to write about and share after a day of working on homework and tax-related junk. Giving my brain a break and going "Oooh, pretty!" Lol, my poor SO humored me when I wanted to show off my little haul and at the end he remarked that I really needed a girlfriend. It's tragically true but I'm also working on that too this year.
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