Thursday, October 10, 2013

September Favourites! ♥

I have been super busy lately, so I apologize for the lack of posts. During September, I found a lot of good music and iPhone apps that I would like to share with you all.

Music:

1) True - by Avicci (his new album is sick! My favourite songs are "Dear Boy" and "Lay Me Down")

2) Animals - Martin Garrix

3) Kings and Queens (Throw It Up) - SoMo

4) Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys (a huge fan of them!)


Apps (Free):

1) Weave

A aesthetically pleasing "to-do" list that helps you organize all the things that need to be done.  Really easy to use, and can be synced to other devices.

2) Lift

I'm trying to make myself a better, renewed person, even. The first step is to kick out all the bad habits in my life, and Lift makes it super easy by listing out good habits. Simply click on each habit once you have managed to keep it everyday, and it will keep track of it for you.


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Autumn Wishlist

A few things that I have been really wanting for the autumn time:


1. Military Boots

I'm not that particular on the brand, however I do prefer a tan/brown colour pair of boots because it looks more relaxed and laid-back.




2. American Apparel Nail Varnishes

Never tried the nail varnishes from American Apparel, but I think it's time to get some new colours for autumn.





3. Fujifilm Instax Mini 50S

I love cameras... but not the super professional kind (hahaha). I have a few film cameras, but I really want this camera, or really any that is part of the Instax Mini series.




4. Redbubble

I really love this site! They've got great, original stickers/prints at a relatively cheap price. I've been looking for some unique stickers for my laptop.







Friday, September 20, 2013

What's in My School Bag?

So I decided to start a new series, called the "What's in my _______?". Basically, I'll be showing everyone the type of bag (style, brand, etc.) that I use, and all the essential items that I keep in it. In order not to bore everyone to death, I will try to make my post (and photos) as minimalistic as possible, while still making it informative and interesting.

The backpack that I am currently using is actually really new, and it was a gift from a friend. Apparently, he bought his backpack online (at Revolve Clothing I think? I'm not too sure about the details) and there was a buy one get one "super cheap" sale. So THANKS to my awesome friend for getting this bag for me, because I love it.



This is the Settlement Backpack in Navy/Red from Herschel Supply and Co. It's a great, vintage looking bag with an eye-catching colour contrast that adds a pop of colour to your outfit. The interior is also lined with padding, suitable for protecting your laptop. I'd also like to add that blue and red are my favourite colours (along with purple).




Before I begin, I'd just like to say that I never realised the number of red coloured items in my school bag. I'll go through everything systematically from left to right, starting from the top row.

Top Row:

1) Sigg Water Bottle - light weight and sturdy (but very prone to dents)

2) Guerrero Notebooks - not the best quality in terms of paper, but I do like how it fits into a two hole binder.

3) Letts Academic Year Planner (in Black) - high quality planner/diary that is suitable for school and academics

4) Red Spiral Notebook - really love this brand (a Japanese brand called Maruman), and the size is suitable for jotting down thoughts and reflections

5) Red folder - nothing special, but the colour is certainly bold and striking

6) Composition book - humorous cover, from Typo by Cotton On

7) Pencil case - clear pencil case to see the contents; most of the stationary are from Muji

8) Wallet/Clutch - from Cotton On; faux snake skin, price was VERY reasonable and it's multi-functional 

9) iPhone 4 + Nixon Earphones (The Wire 3-Button Mic) - nothing that special, but I put my phone and earphones in a black and white patterned pouch from Goods of Desire.


Well, these are all the essential things that are in my school bag! Hopefully this post was interesting to read, and I'll gladly do more of these posts in the near future. :)



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Tumblr blog!

Hey everyone!

A lot of people were surprised when they realized that I didn't have a Tumblr account. I admit - I used to have 2 blogs and one of them was devoted to One Direction. I only ever logged on twice, and I reblogged 12 photos at most.

So... one day, out of complete boredom, I decided to give Tumblr another go. I'm not sure as to why I made such a sudden and random decision, but I really think that it'll be able to take my mind off of stress and also provide me with some inspiring quotes and photos as well.

If you're interested in checking out my blog, here it is:

http://blissforall.tumblr.com


I'm still trying to get everything worked out haha, so please bear with me :))

If you have a Tumblr blog, please leave the links down below as I would LOVE to check them out!


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August Favorites ♥


Since August is almost over, it's time to do my August favorites! The things below have stuck with me (in a good, clingy way haha) throughout the whole summer, so I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys.

Random -



1) Sunglasses from Cotton On
3) Strawberry and Hibiscus Anti-Bacterial Soap
4) Teen Vogue Magazine (August Edition)

Music -

1) Safe and Sound by Capital Cities

2) Strange Girl by The Zolas

3) Junk of the Heart (Happy) by The Kooks

4) Roar by Katy Perry


Hope you guys had an amazing summer! x








Monday, August 26, 2013

Queen of MESS!

I'll admit... I'm an extremely messy and unorganized person. Most of the time, I can past by fine, but there are times when I lose something important and it frustrates me. One of my goals for this school year is to become more efficient and neat. I thought this was going fine, until one day I saw the gigantic pile of insubstantial goods in my room and literally said "OH MY GOODNESS..."(for the record, my mom won't even come into my room haha). So, I spent my Sunday afternoon doing a bit of "spring"-cleaning in summer. Now, even though I'm an amateur in the "arts of organization", I'm going to give some tips on how to use space more effectively, which is something I have to deal with. Here's a photo of the chaotic state of a corner in my room:

Before - 


As you can see, I have so much stuff in my room (sad thing is, this is only a tiny fraction of my room). 

Tips for Organizing your Room:

1) Levels

Since there is limited room in my space, I like to add various levels to shelves so I can maximize the space I have to put various things here and there. It also makes it easier to group and categorize everything. 

2) Reusable containers

I don't normally buy any containers or storage items, because I mostly reuse old containers. For example, my jewelry box is in fact a Jules Destrooper tin biscuit box - but for the record it stores things really well! Since my family drinks a lot of tea, most of the boxes and containers I have are old tea tin boxes. I mostly use them to sort my stationary, and also a few beauty items here and there. If you want some inexpensive storage containers, I definitely recommend Ikea (the Glis boxes are my favourite, even though they're meant for kids.)

3) Weekly cleanups

My room tends to get quite messy in a week or so after I properly clean it - I blame myself for being such a lover of junk and buying the most random pieces. Therefore, I propose a weekly cleanup for those of you who get quite overwhelmed when things are out of order or if you happen to lose anything. I do find some interesting items from my cleanups though, I must say. 


After - 






And voila! Looking pretty neat - now let's see how long this is going to last before my room looks like the "before" photo again (haha oops). Please comment if you have any tips for organizing your room! x

Saturday, August 3, 2013

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5 Things To Do When the Internet is Down

Recently, the internet at my home has been EXTREMELY dodgy (cringe-worthy even). Then the realization hit me - there's absolutely nothing to do without the interwebs. I entered a stage of panic and began searching for interesting things to do to spend my pastime (which was unbelievably hard, trust me). So I came up with a list of 5 things that you can do for your own entertainment when the internet is down.

1. Watch old/silly/goofy videos that you filmed of yourself when you were a child, or the moments spent with your friends.

Looking back at all these memories, I can't believe how much I have changed over the past years. It's incredible. Gives you the chance to see how much you've grown and matured. In addition, the random videos that I filmed with my friends gave me a good laugh - but I'll die with embarrassment if they get leaked somehow haha.

2. Read. 

Notice how I didn't say "read the dictionary or something intellectual etc". We live in a world that is so visually oriented that people don't usually have the time or desire to sit down and read the 26 letters of the alphabet that are grouped together to form millions and millions of words. Read something that inspires you, whether it's a good fashion magazine or a guide to advanced Calculus. Your brain will thank you for that.

3. Chat with a telemarketer.

Instead of hanging up, why not have a good chat with a telemarketer? I'm sure they'll appreciate it, and you can basically tell them all of your emotional troubles without having to worry about trust or confidentiality - it'll just be a one-time thing.

4. Sing your heart out.

Open iTunes and pick your favourite song - then sing along (yes it's that simple). Since you don't have stable internet, might as well tell the whole neighbourhood that you're "Radioactive" (Imagine Dragons) or seeing "Blurred Lines" (Robin Thicke). In fact, they should thank you for the free mini concert. Ain't nobody fresher than my clique, clique, clique..

5. DIY projects are the best!

I like all things nifty and cute, and DIY projects give you the satisfaction of creating something completely original. Let your creativity soar! For example, I am quite obsessed with cactuses (or is it cacti...?), so I plan on making and decorating a cactus garden. We'll see how that goes.


Monday, July 22, 2013

Photos from the Diana Mini

The Lomography Diana Mini camera was given to me as a Christmas gift a few winters ago, and honestly I have to admit - its a very complex camera despite the "cute" appearance of it.




I decided to take the challenge and create my own HANDMADE book for my Personal Project (if you dont know what that is, it's basically a year long project that's done in Grade 10). I took on an artistic approach and attempted to portray Hong Kong through a series of photos that were taken from my camera. Here are some of the photos included in the book:


Stone dragon at the Tin Hau Temple

Mid-Levels escalators

Traditional "Har-Gow" (shrimp dumplings)

Central

Park N' Shop

These are some of the more successful and interesting photos out of the 3 rolls of film that I used. It definitely takes practice and patience when working with this camera. If you have any questions regarding the camera or anything else, and would like some tips from a user (note that I'm not a professional or anything haha), be sure to ask and I'll be glad to help!


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

First Post on the Interwebs!!

Hello everyone - I'm Frances, a 16 year old girl from Hong Kong. I felt that it would be a timely decision to start "a blissful haze" over the summer - considering that I have always wanted to start a blog, but never really had the time to actually sit down and spend time planning and writing. As I am relatively new to this (not to mention a tech noob), it'll probably take a while to get started. I promise that I'll do my best to update this blog, despite the arduous journey that is still yet to come (aka. last 2 years of high school).

"a blissful haze" is a blog dedicated to being the outlet of my random emotions. It will primarily be revolved around photography, fashion, food... but there are no promises. Hopefully, I'll be able to show everyone the bits and pieces of my life and also the endless interests that I have.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you join me in this journey!

xx - frances.