Nails: Sunrise Sunset

I am still working with limited number of polishes (three colors to be exact). I came up with this simple gradient nails. The colors remind me of the color of the sky during dusk or dawn; I can't decide which.

Essie All in One Base Coat
OPI - Pink-ing of You
Essie - Illacism
Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

Base coat, then OPI Pink-ing of You all over. Wait for it to dry (if you have the patience). Generously apply Essie Illacism to a beauty sponge and dab onto the nails, starting at the free edge. Finish with top coat.

|| [ 雪子 ] ||

Nails: pink and coral

Not sure if it is coral or orange... or a little bit of both. Love the color none the less.

Not too crazy, just alternating pink and coral orange.

Essie - All in One Base Coat
China Glaze - Peachy Keen
OPI - Pink-ing of You
Seche Vite - Dry Fast Top Coat

I am currently away from home and have limited number of polishes, so I came up with the simple nail-do. Since I have so little colors to work with, I was thinking the same color combo with gradient effect next time... not sure what else to do.

My nails keep peeling and breaking recently and I have to keep them short. Short isn't bad, but it really limits the things I can do with them. I wonder if I am lacking some essential nutrient/vitamin or something. Hmm..

|| [ 雪子 ] ||

i am on pinterest!

Thanks to my friend Sarah, I am now on pinterest!

I went a bit crazy pinning after I got it. But I will probably slow down a bit after my rush fades... haha.

Follow me if you like to stalk me, I don't mind.


|| [ 雪子 ] ||

P.S. Haul posts coming up...

Book Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: ★★★★★

 

This book took me a while to read, not because it's not good, but because I've been too distracted by Diablo 3 lately. Dragging a book over a extended period of time might be okay with certain books, but not so much this one because the story is so interwove and time frames are of utter importance. Time loops and laps back on itself as the story unfolds. I couldn't remember what year something had happened in the book and had to constantly go back to check. Good thing in the end everything came together, a very good read.

The story starts by introducing a circus, opening at dusk and closing at dawn, arriving in town. No character or time frame introduced. Then it goes back to a time before the circus, the start of a competition of magic and endurance that will be the beginning of a big rolling snow ball. The circus is the stage for the competition between a girl, Celia Bowen and a boy, Marco Alisdair, set up by their instructors, to see who the better magician is. There are little rules for the playing field, little do the competitors know that only one victor can be left standing by the end of the game. The competition goes on for years, involving more and more people. The competitors themselves becomes more entwined with each other than they or their instructors had planned. But the competition is bound by magic; it must go on until there is a victor.

I loved the style of the writing as much as I loved the story. It is whimsical and descriptive, never rushed. It fits the story perfectly and I wouldn't want it to be told any other way. Because there are so many people involved, each character is like a piece of the puzzle, making you wonder how they will fit in the grand scheme of things. The timeline jumps from year to year. One chapter might take you back a year, then the next will take you forward a decade. This is why reading this while extremely distracted by Diablo 3 confused me a bit. I would read a chapter, put down the book for almost a week before picking it back up again, and be completely confused because I don't remember what happened before or when it had happened. Towards the end of the book I would go back to the chapter before to compare the year the events took place (each chapter starts with a title and a date) since it started to go back and forth between 2 years quite frequently. It is not really a bad thing. The blurred timeline created almost a dreamlike effect, which I believe is exactly what the author was going for.

I loved the ending. I loved the way the Celia resolved the competition; I love the role the twins and Bailey played in the future of the circus; I pitied Hector even though he brought that fate upon himself; I especially loved it when all the pieces of the puzzle rested in their rightful places. The book is like a dream, charming and magical, just like the circus itself.

|| [ 雪子 ] ||

That tetanus shot

I had to get a TB skin test and tetanus vaccine today for upcoming work. I am pretty darn sure I have had tetanus shot before, but it wasn't on my vaccine history so I had to get another one. Well, not a big deal, they can just give it to me right there at no charge to me. Easy breezy. Right? Not so much.

The nurse told me I might feel muscle pain at injection site and have flu like symptoms. I am not particularly afraid of shots and have never had bad reactions to vaccines, so I wasn't scared or anything like that. It was over fairly quickly and painlessly.

As soon as the vaccine was done I started to feel a little lightheaded. I thought maybe I was just tired and need something to eat since I haven't had lunch yet. So I head out and started walking to the elevators. I started to feel more and more lightheaded within that 1 minute walk to the elevator and by the time I was in the elevator full of people, my vision started to blackout and I couldn't stand up straight. I managed to say "I don't feel well" before crouching over, then completely face down laying on the floor. At this point, I couldn't focus my eyes or keep my balance. I felt nauseated and just overall sick. I remember distinctly as soon as I went down, the elevator went completely silent, which made me very nervous because I couldn't see anything. For a second I thought these people were going to leave me laying there. Then, a man asked me if I was lightheaded or something else. A women asked me if I have eaten anything, which I said no. I hope I didn't make them think I'm anorexic or something. I told them I just had a tetanus shot and I now I don't feel well. They took me back to the clinic and explained the situation to the nurses there.

The nurse lay me down on a bed, gave me some water, and just let me rest there for a bit. I have no clue what happened to me, but whatever it was went away as fast as it came. Within minutes I was fine again, felt a little weak but fine. The nurse told me to go get something to eat, which I did, and that was it.

Even though it turned out to be nothing serious, I was really scared at the moment. I didn't know what was happening or why I was feeling so sick. Almost passing out in public really is an... interesting experience.

|| [ 雪子 ] ||