Demise by a Floral Tank

My pledge to not buy any clothes and accessories has been broken.  "What happened!?!?" you may ask. Well, a giftcard was burning a hole in my wallet and I gave in. As some of you may now, my best friend and birthday buddy Angela gave me an Anthropologie giftcard this year. For a good three months, I kept it tucked away in a drawer at home safe from any spur of the moment temptation. However, these past couple of weeks have been pretty difficult for me and I made the conscious decision to "house" the giftcard in my wallet until further notice. Well, today, I walked into Anthropologie and ended up really liking a floral tank, so what did I do? Simple, I spent the giftcard and broke my pledge.

Even though I wasn't able to keep to my 1 year shop my closet challenge, I don't own anything similar and I know that with the impending hot weather, this floral tank will get a lot of use.  Somehow, justifying my purchase to myself has calmed my qualm.

Aside from that, I've truly been rotating pieces in my closet and scooping out *nearly* forgotten about jackets and sweaters and wearing them more often these past 6 months. Since December 28, 2010 until now, I feel like I put up a valiant effort and that I deserved this tank. But, when I told my boyfriend that I bought something, his simple reply of "[you lasted] 6 months...pretty good", which I know he meant nothing remotely hurtful by, for some reason, stung. 

Even with such a joyful print, I felt pretty crummy.

Update: Where am I Now?

A couple of people have been asking me how my resolutions/positivity pledges are going so far. They're curious to see if I've fallen off the pescetarian horse or if I've given in to some fanciful floral skirt just as spring comes knocking.  Well, here's an update:

I am going strong in the shopping department!

And...

I'm still on the pescetarian horse, but just barely dangling with my bootstraps stuck in the stirrups and my tiny but mighty hands clutching the reins for dear life. Why? Well I was doing fairly well for about 3 weeks and then a piece of steak (of all things, it had to be a piece of steak!) staked its way through my pledge. My mom had marinated  too much and fearing that it would go bad, she ordered ("asked" in reality but you say tomato, I say tomato) me to eat it.  With a dab of honey mustard, I hate to say it but it was rather delicious.  By the fifth bite however, I was regretting my choice.
I haven't slipped up since, but that doesn't excuse this major slip-up.  Thus, I say I am dangling off the horse just barely holding on because my bootstraps are stuck in the stirrups and I stubbornly refuse to let them budge.

Guidelines

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr!

Like so many, I am at a crossroads in life right now. I have ambitions and doubts about the future, hopes and worries about feeling fulfilled, desires for what my career, my life, myself will/should be this year, in 5 years, in 10 years, and so on. I have to figure out how to get there...hopefully in a happiness-maximizing way.
I took a psychology class called the Science of Happiness last year and learned that certain people feel draft to-do lists and feel satisfaction at accomplishing each task and being about to finish the entire list. I suspect that these people like planning and have a structure. I used to be a chronic "list person" but that hasn't always served me well. So I'm going to try something different and publish guidelines I'd like to adopt because thus far they've work for me. By blogging about them, I feel like I'll be held more accountable for incorporating them into my life.
If you see me, hear from me, happen to find out I'm not following these guidelines, I give you full permission to reprehend me (especially since none of them are difficult, I have no excuses!).

To try:

-personal wellness (more on this later but I attribute this to Angela who brought up how important it is)

-new resolutions that'll reform bad habits and challenge me each month

Must do:
-drink more water
-exercise at least 4 days a week including at least 1 class/week and 30 min swim/week
-get more sunshine
-go for a walk a least once a week
-practice instruments and incorporate art into my life again
-finish a book once a month
-work on Chinese
-let go of anxiety, relax more
-wake up and sleep earlier, regularly
-pray

If I were tempted...

"How's my shopping fast going?"

I'm not tempted...
To prove my point, one of my best friends alerted me to a good sale the other day but I wasn't tempted. Curious enough to get the details but not tempted.


I still browse some of my favorite stores for outfit inspiration every once in a while and want to share a beautiful skirt from Anthropologie. Even if I weren't following through with my new year's resolution, I still wouldn't consider actually buying it for two-and-a-half reasons: 1.)It's expensive; 2.) Online, my size is out of stock; lastly, 2.5) I refuse to look for it in stores because that'll just lead to trying it on and probably falling in love with it.
Besides, I have a comparable bubble skirt and a similar top.

Jacquard Missive Skirt

So here it is, what I'm tempted by...but not really because it's meant to be one of those unattainable pieces admired on someone else who can afford it and who isn't "shop-fasting."


Browsing online tonight has left me with question, a corollary to my resolution, and I want to ask my readers what would they think would be appropriate.
Gifts?
The holiday gift giving season has just passed but if I were to receive clothes or shoes from somebody as a gift, would that constitute breaking my resolution?
Tell me what you think! I'd love to hear some advice :)

Trial Run: Vegetarianism, Veganism, Pescetarianism, all the -isms

I'm done with it.

I'm doing it for the animals, for the environment, and for my health.

I spent part of the day at the library reading Peta literature on farm animal cruelty and abuse.
I feel the information is enlightening even for those who thought they know what is happening.
Animals, such chickens, cattle, and pigs, raised for food are enduring beyond terrible conditions. Reading the literature and watching video footage about industry standards has turned my skin inside out.
I don't want to detail all the meat industry's abusive practices here because I could never do as good a job as the organizations and the individuals that expose the ugliness every waking moment of their lives.
I will say, however, that every life is precious and grinding millions of fully conscious, newly hatched male chicks into machinery that kills them, chopping off neuron-filled chicken beaks, castration, and injecting growth hormones into animals to make them grow at such a rapid rate that their limbs can no longer support them is revolting and enough to make me want to leave meat off my plate.
In my teenage years, I was vegetarian for about a year. A lifelong animal lover, I wanted to do what I felt was humane and just. However, I wasn't equipped with the right sources about diet and meat substitutes that could compensate for my needed nutrients and under my doctor's recommendation, I relapsed into becoming a meat eater. Now I feel like I have access to the right resources that can help me with this new lifestyle.
So...

I'm going to try again: A Trial Run 30 Day Pescetarian Diet that I have ambitions to eventually morph into a permanent Vegan diet

Although I do believe in many people choosing to adopt different eating habits, I want people to make those changes voluntarily. I don't believe in radically forcing people to stop eating chicken or stop wearing leather. These are personal liberties. I'm not going to try to go out of my way to "convert" anybody.
I think individual expressionism is one of the most important things contribute to our identities. To lose that because someone poured paint on your fur coat is not going to inspire you to stop wearing fur or to ditch your suede loafers; it's only going to inflame your heart with repulsion for their cause.  In summary, from my perspective, it's a personal choice to become vegan, vegetarian, or any -arian.
For me:

I'm done with it.

I'm doing it for the animals, for the environment, and for my health.


For more information, check out the link below:

'Meet Your Meat': "People for the ethical treatment of animals"

Challenge Commence or Good Game

Challenge

I've decided to challenge myself next year. Some of you may already know what I've decided to face head on, but for those of you who don't -- I am going to not buy any clothing, accessories, or shoes for a whole year.

Why It's a Challenge

I am a Little Girl with a Big Closet. 

It's not like I really follow the latest trends or have an excessive void that I fill with acquiring more clothes. It's more because I don't throw things out, ever. I call it Grandma Syndrome and let me tell you, its symptoms are strong. I have some sweater tights from Paris that I got when I was 12. They are in perfect condition and the scary thing is is that they still fit.  Speaking of Parisian tights, a lot of my apparel was bought on vacation either out of necessity (read underestimated how cold some locale would be) or out of vanity (read 'Oh my! Look at how it shines').

Bird Shirt

In short, I like clothes. I especially fancy unique articles like my (in)famous embroidered bird sweater or hand-crafted red headbands purchased at flea markets. They are one-of-a-kind and in some magical way, people recognize their rarity and quirkiness. In a good way.

So why am I Subjecting Myself to This?

Well, I feel it will test my strength and character. I honestly can't remember the last time I restricted myself like this. It's not like I live an epicurean life full of every whimsy indulgence currently. But this, honestly will be good for me in terms of seeing how I resistant I can be to capricious desires. It will force me to "shop my closet" and wear articles that I typically overlook. Additionally, it's my hope that I will eventually wear some items until they are so irreparably ratty that I will be forced to sleep in them only throw them out.

Last Supper

I bought a beautiful blouse today and I feel satisfied knowing that they will be my last acquisition for one year. Buying something today marks the last day of shopping for a year officially.

Pledge

Until December 28, 2011 -- I will attempt to not buy any clothes, accessories, shoes or anything that even remotely resembles the aforementioned items.

Challenge Commence