Jessica Naomi

My Newest Blog!

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:36:52 -0700

This blog is mostly random posts about me and my daily life… but I’ve teamed up with sister chan (my other half!) and started a fashion/beauty centric blog at NaomiEllen. Its currently in its most nascent stage - we haven’t even committed fully on the blog name yet. But for a sneak peek, check it out! We’ve loved teaming up and creating the blog together so far :)

Decor Inspiration

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:18:53 -0700

The design for the new house was largely put together by our designer, but we definitely had input on the direction of the look and feel. Here are some inspiration photos my boyfriend and I have been referring to throughout the remodeling process. Im really excited to see the outcome!

Wood beams:

Traditional white kitchen with blue/grey island and marble countertops

Dramatic black/white guest or kids bathroom

Reclaimed wood

Marble fireplace

Black trimmed french doors

Starting the Remodel!

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:08:47 -0700

An exciting announcement - my boyfriend and I are remodeling a house together and I’ll be taking you through the process! So far, we’ve been consulting with a talented designer and have figured out how the house should flow/which walls to knock down. Demolition has begun and I was surprised by how quickly they were able to tear the house apart.

{Some sneak peaks of our design! Lots of light, french doors, marble, wood beams and black trim}

{Here are the common rooms after the demolition}

{Hanging out in the huge dumpster}

Wardrobe Essential: The Summer Dress

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:52:06 -0700

There are many reasons why I love summer dresses. They are colorful, easy to throw on (no brain power needed to match top and bottom!), and they are great for dressing up or down. Here are some ways I like to style my summer dress:

With sandals and a crossbody bag for a casual look

With a boots and a crop jacket for colder weather or work

With heels and a blazer or cinched belt to carry the look into night time

Hope this gives you some inspiration!

A Weekend in Carmel

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:19:50 -0700

Carmel, CA is the perfect place to go for a day trip or weekend to relax. Boasting cute, charming cottages and a soft white beach, its really easy to forget the stress of everyday life. Two weekends ago, my boyfriend and I hosted some friends in Carmel. Some of my favorite things to do in Carmel are:

Eat! One of my favorites is Demetra Cafe (pic below)

Check out art galleries. This pic is of the entryway to the Thomas Kincaid gallery

17 Mile Drive (old pic with my sister - taken at one of the rest stops)

Golf at Spanish Bay or Pebble Beach (thats what the guys did), or find an awesome spa to relax (what the ladies did! Our pick was Kush Day Spa)

Last but not least, stroll on along Carmel beach

Wardrobe Essential: Leather Jackets

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:18:20 -0700

One of my favorite pieces of clothing in my closet: the leather jacket. I own at least 5: shearling, black biker, brown biker, mini, bomber. They are warm, versatile, and capable of adding the right edge/punch to any outfit. Some ways I like to style my leather jacket:

Skinny jeans: Foul proof, pretty much my go-to uniform

Edge-i-fying a pretty dress

With shorts for a casual look

Last but not least, one of my favorite looks in the winter was a leather jacket paired with a maxi or long skirt (inspired by my sister)

Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:10:27 -0700

Sometimes I am lucky and I get to travel for work. Two weeks ago, I was sent on business to Sao Paulo, a new destination for me!

I went with a co-worker and we were both quickly taken by the city and its friendly, warm people. Most of the trip was for work, but here are some non-work highlights:

Brazilian barbecue

Walking around Jardins and Rua Oscar Freire neighborhood

Outdoor dining

Birthplace of the Havaiana sandal

Foster The People concert, treated by the Brazilian team

Spectacular view of the city from the office

New Apt in the Mission

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:32:28 -0700

I moved! While I loved my place in Nob Hill, I didn’t fancy the neighborhood too much. NY made me a walking girl, and I wanted to find an apt where I could easily walk to the market, coffee shops, stores, restaurants, nightlife. I found it at my new place in the Mission district of San Francisco. Its right at the heart of everything, and I am thrilled! New place means a clean space to go crazy with decorating ideas :) I LOVE design and home decor so this is going to be a fun project. Im also right in the middle of helping my boyfriend redesign and restructure his house - his place is going to be stunning with the design concept being clean, woodsy, natural, refined and organic. Because of this though, I want to go completely opposite with my temporary Mission apartment and let out the inner crazy girly style in me. Here are some inspiration photos:

Love the glass table with the strong geometric rug

Perfect seagreen vintage mirror. I’ve been looking for a replica for weeks!

Polka dots add a bit of whimsy, and the b/w eiffel tower photo adds a nice touch

Pops of color

Rug really brightens up a room

Fun decorative accent pillows

A look into why I loved my year at Google NYC - what an amazing...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:11:47 -0800

A look into why I loved my year at Google NYC - what an amazing office!

11 Movies to Fuel Your Wanderlust

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:09:43 -0800

11 Movies to Fuel Your Wanderlust:

jetpac-app:

1. Amélie is a story about a girl named Amélie whose childhood was suppressed by her Father’s mistaken concerns of a heart defect. With these concerns Amélie gets hardly any real life contact with other people. This leads Amélie to resort to her own fantastical world and dreams of love…

Bay Area Hiking

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:29:13 -0800

A new hobby of mine since moving back to San Francisco has been hiking. Its a fun alternative to working out with amazing views to boot. I never realized it, but there are actually hundred of wonderful hikes around the Bay. Two of my favorite sites to find new hikes are bahiker and weekend sherpa. Check them out, you will discover all these hidden trails right in your own backyard! Here are some recent hikes I’ve been on:

Rodeo Beach

I love hikes with views and this one does not disappoint. Its located a few miles over the Golden Gate Bridge. The trail is right next to a very active beach, when I went it was filled with surfers and folks with dogs. Hike was approximately 4 miles with a bit of an incline (which i like!). Stunning views at every corner. Also fun because I packed a little picnic that I ate on the beach after the hike was over. Another plus: I saw Jake Gyllenhaal hiking this trail when I was there!

Lands End

This hike is super fun and good for beginners. It can get crowded on the weekends, and theres a good reason why. The hike starts off at the Cliff House (near the Richmond), you pass Sutro Baths, and then barely into the first 10 minutes of the trail you see gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The trail is mostly flat, but the second half has stairs and dirt paths. Approximately 2 miles (but I heard you can also hike all the way to the GG bridge and over it)

San Bruno Mountain State Park

This hike is 3.5 miles and ascends up a mountain. Who knew San Bruno had trails like this? Once I reached the top, I was rewarded with a brand new view of San Francisco that I had never seen before.

Other favorites:

Some hikes I want to check out in the near future:

Hong Kong and Indonesia 2012

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:48:43 -0800

I was able to go on a incredible trip to Hong Kong and Indonesia a few weeks ago. My boyfriend was invited to speak at an entrepreneur conference and I was excited to be part of the ride. Here are some highlights of the unforgettable trip!

We kicked off our trip with a short 2 day stop in Hong Kong. Im always energized being in the bustling city. Most of our two days was spent eating and shopping. Notable things on the trip were:

Roasted Goose at Yung Kee. Delectable roast goose with sweet sauce and preserved egg on the side.

Dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Little morsels of goodness.

Dim Sum at Jasmine Garden. Tucked away on the third floor of Langham Place Mall is a superb dim sum restaurant where im pretty sure I had one of the best congees of my life

Ladies Market and Goldfish Market. Street markets filled with knick knacks.

Drinks at the Intercontinental Hotel. The perfect view of Victoria Harbor.

Our second stop of the trip was Jakarta, Indonesia. There, we visited Binus University, where Brent spoke to university students about entrepreneurship. It was fun meeting with the students and seeing what student life looks like in Jakarta. After the university trip, Brent participated in a conference panal for a group of 300+ ppl who were either in startup companies or investors. I discovered that Indonesia is the top user of Foursquare, did you know that?

Our last stop was relaxing in Bali. My favorite moments of Bali:

Staying at the Ayana Resort, one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever seen. This resort sits on limestone above the Indian Ocean, and its the perfect sanctuary

Rock Bar. Ayana Resort boasts a bar on the side of a cliff, which is probably the coolest bar i’ve ever been to. The DJ sits in the cliffs and the bar stretches right out to the ocean

Surfing in Kuta Beach. I was successful in riding the waves and I am SO proud of myself, considering how terrified I was prior to getting in the water. Im even smiling as I surf, clearly loving every second

Driving around the Rice Paddies in Ubud

Visiting a monkey forest Uluwatu

Seafood feast in Jimbaran (pictured are the best clams of my LIFE)

Eating famous Balinese duck

Experiencing villa life (where we had $15 for 90 min massages!!). We rented a villa for the remainder of the trip and im so glad we did. It was like living in our own little island, with a personal cabana and everything!

Trying a durian for the very first time! I have to say, I was a fan!

Shopping in Seminyak. I bought some amazing scarves from a boutique called Biasa

It was my first time in Indonesia and I can safely say it wont be my last. What a beautiful country with amazingly friendly people. Its left such a lasting memory for me and Im so happy I had the chance to go!

Word.

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:12:12 -0800

Word.

2012 New Years Resolution

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:35:26 -0800

I realize this post is a bit late, but I cant believe its already 2012. This year I spent New Years Eve at a cool bar in San Francisco called Smugglers Cove. Its basically a hip pirates bar with incredible drinks (case in point: the “Batida” which is a rum based drink with condensed milk). It’s also rated one of the best bars in San Francisco.

My resolution this year is to be a better sister, daughter, friend and girlfriend. Heres to a good 2012!

hi i like your hair tutorial, but i'm newbie when it comes to curling my hair.. i do it everyday and i can't do the same like yours. can i have a request ? can you do a video tutorial like your tutorial? is it ok ? thank you very much in advance... love abby.. :) more blessings!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:19:00 -0800

Hi Abby! Nice to meet you :) First thing I will tell you is that all you need is practice when it comes to styling hair. Curling my hair is easy now, but it took me a few tries before really mastering it. I will definitely try and film a video tutorial, but Im having a crazy week at work so that probably won’t up for a while. In the meantime, I found this video that is almost exactly how I curl my hair on a normal day. We even use the same hair curler. I hope this helps you! The girl in the video doesn’t use hair protectant, but I would recommend it, especially if your hair is prone to heat damage.

jessica, i absolutely love your style! where do you usually shop and what kind of styles do you usually look for?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:10:02 -0800

Hi Anonymous! Thank you for the kind words! Right now, my favorite stores are:

J Crew for their layering pieces, amazing color range, and chunky jewelry
Zara for their trendy tops, dresses and jackets
Vintage stores for special pieces like unique bags, dresses, sweaters
Levis for their jeans (their skinnies are very nice)
BCBG for cocktail dresses, they make the BEST fitting dresses
Theory for formal work clothing. My favorite blazer is from Theory

To be honest, my FAVORITE shopping is done overseas. I will usually wait until im traveling to buy things. I love looking for unique clothes, and my international finds are usually the best. Some of my most treasured pieces are dresses from Japan and London, scarves from Bali, and jeans from Buenos Aires.

In terms of what styles I look for, I really believe that dressing for your body type is more important than finding the lastest trends. I am on the shorter side so I lean towards above the knee dresses with short fitted jackets on top. I also like anything cinched at the waist and flowy. Although I think chunky sweaters are so fashionable and chic, they just look like garbage bags on me. Rachel Bilson, pictured above, and I share the same height and similar style (shorter dresses & jackets, fitted blazers, flowy movement). Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Hong Kong Travel Tips & Recommendations

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:21:28 -0800

Hong Kong Travel Tips & Recommendations :

Im heading to Hong Kong (and Indonesia!) in 3 weeks. This is an excellent post from my friend Teresa on places to go in HK. Im definitely following this and thought I would share as well!

teresawu:

(via stphn, who has recent HK photos 2304982x more spectacular than mine)

When I posted last week asking for Hong Kong recommendations, I received several emails, tweets, Tumblr replies, and G+ comments from current residents and locals. I thought I’d share the wisdom of my awesome…

Hacking Holiday Cookies

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:11:15 -0800

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to bake. @brenthurley and I decided to attempt Ina Garten’s (Barefoot Contessa) shortbread cookie recipe. While we were successful in getting all the ingredients, we forgot a few major items - the tools needed to actually make the cookies. Heres our way of creating delicious shortbread cookies without any traditional cooking tools:

Ingredients you need:

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
We were suppose to use an electric mixer to mix the butter and 1 cup of sugar until combined. Sadly, this had to be done half by hand and then half by microwave. Add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture.
Shape dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 mins.
Then, we were suppose to roll the dough 1/2-inch thick. Uhh, we didnt have a rolling pin. After some quick thinking, enter: cold beer can wrapped in clear plastic wrap.
Next, we had to cut the dough with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Blasted. We didn’t have any cookie cutters either. Enter: wine glasses. Turned out to be an amazingly effective way to cut cookies:
Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Cool to room temperature
Melt chocolate in microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Drizzle on cookie.

Here is our final product! Proof that you can make cookies without traditional cooking tools… :)

Kauai Recommendations and Tips

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:04:52 -0800

I recently took a much needed vacation to Kauai. It was my first time there, and I have to say it exceeded my expectations. Perfectly manageable to explore the entire island in 4 days while still feeling relaxed and not rushed. The island is less touristy than Oahu and Maui, and it has a very lush, Jurassic Park feel.

Food recommendations:

Jojos Shave Ice: basically a delicious ice cream snow cone.Shave Ice is not to be missed if you go to Hawaii
Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant/Market: there is a fish market in the back of the restaurant - I bought a couple of sushi handrolls and poke and went to eat it as a picnic on the beach. A great way to have lunch :)
Kalaheo Cafe and Coffee Co: really nice breakfast, a perfect stop on your way to Waimea canyon. Highly recommend the banana pancakes
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort: the breakfast buffet is great (location is really pretty, you are sitting by a coi pond and overlooking the beach) but quite expensive
Lapperts Hawaii: amazing coffee and ice cream
Beach House Restaurant: this one is a must, particularly for its location! Go around 5, get some cocktails, and grab a seat by the window. You can also sit at the bar if you dont want to have dinner there. Spectacular way to see the sunset!
Marks Place: for hawaiian lunch plates… I like “Marks plate” (chicken tonsaksu, beef stew, macaroni salad and rice). Total hole in the wall place - seating only outside on picnic benches and you eat with stray chickens :)
Hamura Saimin: ramen place that won a James Beard award. Honestly, Im a Japanese ramen pork broth kinda girl, so this wasn’t the best for me, but I did like it. They have beef skewers that are tasty and a lilikoi pie thats light, airy and delicious.

Activity Recommendations:

Beaches: honestly, they were all pretty but my faves were Poipu, Tunnels, and Ke’e
Hike: since I stayed at the Grand Hyatt in South Shore, I started a hike from Shipwrecks beach and just kept going along the water. The views were breathtaking and I was also able to witness crazy local kids jump off of shipwrecks cliff (pic below). Ive heard the Kalalau trail is also very nice
Waimea Canyon: Waimea Canyon is considered a “geological wonder”. No trip to Kauai is complete without seeing it
Na Pali boat tour: I didn’t do this, but I heard a tour to see the Na Pali coast is spectacular. There is also an option to hike Na Pali, but you need to be well prepared for it, as you need to camp there overnight
Snorkeling: amazing sea turtles and fish can be found at Poipu beach
Drive along North Shore: rent a convertible and drive and explore the North Shore! You will run into random caves and adventures :)

Photos

Everywhere you look, you will see gorgeous landscape in Kauai

Riding top down

@brenthurley eating at Marks Place with the wild chickens

@ Marks Place, enjoying my lunchplate

@ the Beach House restaurant, taking in a sunset

Grand Hyatt Hotel pool grounds

Crazy local kids jumping off 40+ foot Shipwrecks Cliff

Waimea Canyon

Enjoying a sunset on Shipwrecks Cliff

Theater Review: Sleep No More

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:23:00 -0800

(picture is of my sister, we are hanging out getting some ramen after the show!)

If you are either living in or visiting New York, you MUST check out the “Sleep No More” show. Looks like its running until February 2012 so im encouraging you to go before it leaves town!

Calling it a “show” is definitely an understatement. The whole thing is set in the jazz age, you “check in” to an abandoned hotel and are immediately part of the act. Everyone gets a mask and cannot take it off. There are 6 floors, with all rooms decorated differently and you are exploring and discovering things at your own pace. Actors walk around doing interpreted scenes from Macbeth (read: lots of killing). Basically, its a cross between Macbeth and a haunted house - and its an amazing experience. Go with a friend, but be mindful that you might be separated. Be warned: this is not for the faint of heart. There are some omg-what-the-heck-i-need-to-get-outta-here rooms like the dimly lit abandoned hospital, the dark cemetery with a baby carriage… I wont give the whole thing away ;)

Heres an excerpt from NYMag:

Sleep allows its “guests” great freedom. Presented with a bone-white Venetian beak mask (the kind favored by plague doctors in the Renaissance), you’re invited to gawk, shame-free, at whatever you see, to rifle through drawers, files, Rolodexes, and even coffins. You and your fellow voyeurs, enskulled in your morbid headgear, quickly become part of the creepy scenery. More to the point, you’re a ghost. (N.B.: This doesn’t exempt you from actor contact — in fact, you’re practically guaranteed to be interfered with at some point in the approximately three hours it takes to survey the space and absorb the long arc of the story.)

Fending for yourself in the fictional “McKittrick Hotel” (a pointed Vertigo reference that dizzy or claustrophobic types should take to heart before booking), you’re given the run of six misty, intricately detailed floors, with more than 100 rooms full of (and this is a partial list) clues, red herrings, hair samples, teeth scattered like gaming dice, magic spells, animal bones in carefully labeled bins, a mass of old-fashioned desk fans that turn on and off at random, rotary-dial phones that have actual dial tones, grisly private eye photos of corpses, bloodstains that appear and disappear, patchy ad hoc taxidermy posed for maximal menace, and a ballroom stalked by moving trees. And all the while, you’re carried on perfectly modulated aural swells of Bernard Herrmann pastiche, courtesy of sound designer Stephen Dobbie.

I’ve felt theater overwhelm me before, but until last Tuesday, I’ve never felt it pass through me. At the end of my story, a witch-queen in a red dress found me rifling through her study, held out her hand, and whisked me down to the ballroom, just in time for the climactic execution. It was a lovely evening in hell, one I’ll be recovering from for some time

Intrigued yet? I highly recommend it. Buy tickets here.