Super Bloom at Carrizo Plain | A Guest Post by Ocep

I still can't believe that we pulled it off. I am currently at the peak of my busy season as a tax accountant. When our friends shared their trips to see the Super Bloom at Carizzo Plains, my husband instantly asked me to go. Looking at the pictures, I didn't even think twice to say, "Let's go!"
It was an impromptu getaway, a very short one I might add. 

I leave it to Ocep to share you the deets of the trip since he was the one who planned everything, but let me just tell you that 4-hour drive was totally worth it. We literally just had less than 24 hours to enjoy the flowers and everything before we had to go back but it was worth it. Continue on reading and watch our trip here!



Hello everyone, this is Ocep, Amadea's (awesome) husband. Since it's only a two days one night trip, the planning was really simple! I booked a room in Taft, CA. I just picked a hotel that has good reviews and value, we spent $85 for a single night at Holland Inn and Suites. It's a good place to stay, it offers free parking and free wifi. The owner was nice, too. He actually gave us a copy of Carrizo Plain map when we checked out the next morning.

Carrizo Plain has two entrances, north and south. From Taft, you can opt for either on as they are roughly the same distance from the town. We went for south entrance since we had to drive north anyway to go home. It took us about half hour to get to the south entrance. I didn't really think it through and just drove north on Soda Lake Road towards visitor center and stopped here and there (see map here).

The flowers surely didn't disappoint! About 10 minute-drive from the entrance, we were welcomed by a hill full of yellow monolopia flowers. People parked their cars at the side of the road and so we did. The hills were literally blanketed by these yellow flowers, they looked ridiculous! We spent almost a good hour there before moving on.

We drove another half  hour until we noticed a huge patch of purple flowers in the distance on the right side of the road. So we continued driving until we bumped into a side road leading towards the patch. We turned right and drove for another 10 minutes or so until we arrived at a parking spot. We parked our car there and walked further inland following people. It was around 1.5 mile walk but it was worth it. We arrived at a field full of purple lupine flowers! I was really excited since it was the first time for me to see a single place covered by whole lot of purple flowers! We spent maybe 1.5 hours there to take pictures and enjoy the moment.

Go early in the morning! Since it's spring, the sun already rises by 6 or 7 am. That way,  there will be less crowds and the picture will be much nicer since the sun is not too harsh early on. So I would suggest for you to arrive in the plain by 8AM at the latest.

From there, we walked back to the parking spot and got back to the main road. We drove until we got to an area where on your left and right side it was miles and miles of yellow monolopia flowers. The flowers were so dense that you kind had to make your way if you want to walk deeper into it. Lucky for us, there were already tracks left behind by previous visitors. We took pictures, enjoyed our time and actually had our lunch with a view!

Casual to Work | Stripes,Jogger, White Sneakers and Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM

FOREVER 21 TEE (similar), LOUIS VUITTON NEVERFULL MM, 

THIS IS APRIL jogger (similar), NEVADA sneakers (similar on sale, similar)

Roughly 3 more weeks until tax season is over. I have to say that things have been going pretty smoothly for me despite some bumps in the administrative department at work. People keep implying how awful it must have been for me to work long hours and to work on Saturdays, but honestly I feel fine. I am surprised myself that I feel fine to come in on Saturdays. It's a weird feeling for me, but I really do feel that.


Every accounting firm is different, but we wear business casual and we have casual Fridays where we get to wear jeans to work. During tax season, at least for the last 8 weeks, we can wear more casual outfits to work. We can wear jeans everyday. It may sound lame, but for me it's awesome. I love lounge wear obviously, I always put comfort first - but not too comfortable otherwise I would have worn pyjamas to work =P. I love stripes, and I think I get that from my parents who literally wear stripes on most days.

Life is Too Short | My Very First Louis Vuitton Neverfull Bag

LOUIS VUITTON Neverfull MM, OLD NAVY Everyday coat, and mid-rise rockstar jeans (similar) 

Tax season is starting to get to me, which is not bad considering it has been 6 weeks in. I've been working on weekends, so the little time I have on weekend becomes even more precious. Just about a week before my working Saturday started, we visited this nursery in search for lavender plants. We've been having some "cat problem" and by problem I mean the neighbors' cats literally just pooped everywhere on our front yard and backyard. We heard that lavender plants are supposed to help repel animals. Long story short, it didn't work but we get a nice looking lavender in front of our window now. It was a beautiful nursery with a lot of different plants.








If you follow me on my channel, you know that not too long ago I just got my very first Louis Vuitton bag. I had been wanting the iconic Neverfull bag for years. I finally pulled the trigger and bought it. I had been eyeing the bag since I was still in college, and I can finally afford it with my own money! I took the new bag out on our little shopping trip and to the nursery.

Visit to Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

  Topshop jacket (old), Old Navy Rockstar jeans, Nike sneakers, Old Navy crossbody bag

Two weeks before my working Saturdays start, my husband took me to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We've heard that it's the largest aquarium, and it's also the inspiration of the Marine Life Institute in Finding Dori! I am always fascinated everytime I go to aquariums. We have visited different aquariums in different cities, and nature always amazes me.

Monterey is about 1.5 hour drive from where we live, so it wasn't that bad. We even planned ahead and brought our own lunch because we just wanted to spend the whole day in the aquarium, since the entrance ticket is a bit pricey - $49.95 for one adult.

The view from inside the aquarium is just amazing. They have this giant floor-to-ceiling ocean exhibit, just like the one you see on Finding Dori. You can see a lot of different fish and non-fish animals inside, and it's just mesmerizing. I am kicking myself for not bringing my good camera, but really. I could just stand and watch the fish swim for hours, which technically what exactly we did for that Saturday. We watched the sardines swim in sync and it's just so mesmerizing.

Outfit of the Day | Old Navy Mid Rise Rockstar Jeans

The weather has been unpredictable lately. It changes from a rainy day to a sunny day within seconds. I am not complaining, though. It's nice to finally feel real rain in California. In this look, I'm pairing old favorites with new favorites. I love the look of the mock turtleneck sweater that I got from Loft a while ago. I paired it with my new favorite, Old Navy high-waisted rockstar jeans. I got it when I was back home in Jakarta. I knew ON made a lot of jeans, but they never really felt right on me until now. I just had different perspective when I tried these on. I love the color and the slight distressed look. It fits like a glove, and the quality is really nice, too!

Since it's too cold for me to be out and about without a jacket, I topped it with a lightweight jacket, also from Loft. It's an A-line trench. I like the fit, but the sleeves are a tad too short for me - which is always the case for me when it comes to petite sizing.

My Happy Planner | Free Printable Planner Stickers

My new obsession starts at the beginning of the year when I was browsing at Michaels and found what's called the Happy Planner for 60% off. It does lift up to its name, it makes me happy just to plan out my days using stickers and colorful accessories. It does take a long time, and you need to like it to be able to enjoy it. Otherwise, it's just an added chore with cute stickers ;P

In my video, I show you how I decorate and use my Happy Planner. I am so grateful with the internet to be able to find a free printable stickers, so I don't have to keep buying new ones when I'm bored. I do need to cut them out and stick them manually, but it's how I de-stress at the end of the day =)

My Korean Skincare Routine | Innisfree Review

Korean beauty has been popular in the US lately, and I just finally got on board with it. Korean actresses and actors' skin always look healthy and dewy on the advertisement I see. My sister first introduced me to the brand Innisfree. I was visiting her in Singapore several months ago, and she told me that she stopped breaking out ever since she started using skincare products from the brand. I's Korean brand, and it's very popular in Singapore.

We've visited quite a few different store locations when I was there, and none of them were lacking customers. Innisfree has a variety of different skincare lines for different skin needs. I consulted with one of the girls at the store, and I opted from the green tea balancing skin line. I have combination skin, and this line should help balance that.

I have been consistently using all of the products from the line for several months now, and I do feel that I break out much less frequently, and I like how my skin looks without makeup now.



My routine after I wash my face starts with the green tea seed serum. The balancing skin line does not have its own designated serum, so use this instead before all other skin care products. A serum helps hydrate and prep your skin to better absorb the moisture and benefits from all the skincare products you use. I  use this mostly at night because I feel it works best to treat my skin overnight, and when I wake up in the morning, my skin already feels smooth.

I then apply Green tea balancing skin, which is a toner that feels refreshing onto the skin. I use this day and night before my moisturizer. For moisturizer, I use Green tea balancing lotion, which has a light consistency, perfect for daytime or warmer days. The last step is the Green tea balancing cream, which, in my opinion,  is thicker consistency version of the lotion. I don't use this on daytime because I feel it can get quite heavy. I opt to use this at night.