Categories
Career Lifestyle

XO Remixed – New Layout, New Logo, New Mission

I’ve been a part of the blogosphere on and off for years (think back to Xanga if you’re old enough) but it was never more than an online journal. I dabbled for a bit in makeup and beauty blogging in college, but it quickly turned into more of a materialistic thing than a passion and fizzled out. Since I moved to Dallas, I tried finding my niche in travel and food blogging, but while I love the two, I couldn’t find the passion in it either.

The thing that’s always bugged me about social media is, a lot of it is smoke and mirrors.

And while I love the pretty travel destinations and I’m guilty of endlessly scrolling through perfectly curated Instagram feeds, there’s always been a part of me that craves real substance and authenticity. Where are all the pretty girls who care more about their careers than the number of likes on their post? Where do the awkward smart women go for advice? Who do the little girls have to look up besides celebrities?

I realized in the past few months,

 

the thing I’m most passionate about is encouraging and empowering other women.

 

via GIPHY

 

I love seeing other women do well and the reason I’m so passionate about this, is because I didn’t have a lot of it when I was growing up, especially not as a woman in tech. I was always in a female to male ratio of 1/60 (at least) in engineering school and I can’t ever recall hearing about a woman at the C-level in any IT company. Granted, the world has made a lot of strides in the right direction with the Sheryl Sandbergs (COO of Facebook) and the Ginni Romettis (CEO of IBM) of the world and I love hearing about programs like Girls Who Code.

 

But where are the women like me who haven’t reached the top of the ladder yet?

 

The average everyday working women. The women who grind day in and day out. The women who are told you’re not smart enough, you’re too ambitious, or even, you’re too pretty to be doing that. Who’s out there to tell other young women that they can do that, they’re so worthy, and that doing things ‘like a girl’ isn’t a bad thing at all.

 

I’ve been googling for the past few weeks for blogs from, quite honestly, someone like me – a quintessential female who loves getting dolled up on occasion but also gets geeked out over video games and wants to be more than just a pretty face and a nice ass. I haven’t found her, but this tells me, maybe I need to step up and be her. There’s a phrase that says, “if you can’t find the light, be the light.” and for some reason I feel this immense responsibility to be that.

 

I am by no means perfect, nor do I have all the answers. I’m especially not a man-hating feminist – I wouldn’t be where I am had it not been for my male superiors who believed in me.But I wanted to share my journey in the hopes of helping others along theirs and maybe even inspiring other women out there. What better way to do that than revealing the remixed XanOlivas.com – new layout, new logo, new mission.

XO is a complete work in progress, but I hope that you join me on this journey to bring together not just the fellow women in tech but all the ambitious women out there. Let’s do this.

 

via GIPHY
 

Categories
Life Lessons Lifestyle

Bumbai You Learn – Stories From My Dad

Photo Credit: Sons & Daughters Photography

My Dad is a Filipino-American who immigrated to Hawai’i in the ’70s, when many other Asians were immigrating to work on the pineapple fields and sugar cane plantations. My Dad is a simple man. He doesn’t care for fancy things or going out. His favorite pastime is sitting in the garage and “talking story” with his friends. If you visited my parents house in Honolulu today, there’s an old double door fridge in the garage full of beer — Heineken, Michelob, Corona, & Bud Light (his favorite). As soon as you arrive, he’ll offer you a beer. Kasla mayora, my mom says. (As if he’s running for mayor.) If you sit and talk with him a while, he’ll talk your ear off. He can speak perfect English, but when he’s talking story, he has a heavy Filipino/pidgin accent. He has so many random life stories. Stories I’ve heard so many times it used to make me roll my eyes, but now that I’m older, listening him retell them makes me smile.

Growing up, I’d get annoyed listening to him ramble on and on, going from one story to the next. You can tell when he’s excited about a story — his voice gets louder, his actions more animated. He’s always telling the same ones over and over again, I never understood why until I got older and lived through some of my own.

A lot of the things I learned about my Dad, I overheard while he was talking story with my Uncles or his friends. Some of his stories were about life in the Philippines. How difficult life was, how he survived. Others were about his immigration to Hawai’i. How he came here with nothing, how he had to work hard and how he faced difficulties as an immigrant. And of course there were the crazy drunk stories. “One day me and your Unko…” — those were my favorite.

But there were specific stories that he directed at me and my sister — the life lesson stories. He never framed them that way, but he would say, “Bumbai you learn.” ‘Bumbai,’ pronounced buhm-bye, is a pidgin word that translates to later on. ‘Bumbai you learn’ loosely translates to, ‘maybe later, you’ll understand.’ He told us about the mistakes he made, the things he wished he could’ve done. The opportunities that he never got to have because “it wasn’t in the cards.”

My parents, especially my Dad, always encouraged us to go after what we wanted. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot, but they managed to make things happen. When my sister and I wanted to take dance classes, we danced. When I wanted to play piano, I got lessons. When I wanted a computer, we got an old hand me down desktop. When I wanted to leave Hawai’i for college, he convinced my mom to let me go.

“You can do aaanything you like,” he’d say. “But whatever you do, do your best.”

I inherited a lot of things from my dad. His tan complexion and affinity for alcohol. His carefree attitude, his love of people, and his steadfast confidence that everything will work out. But had my dad not pushed me when I was scared and scolded me when I doubted myself, I would have never taken the risks that I have or made the moves that I did.

I can still hear my dad sighing in frustration every time my lack of self confidence held me back. I know now, it was because he always saw in me the things that would take years for me to see myself. I moved away from Hawai’i when I was 17 and years later when I was home visiting, he talked about what it was like raising me and my sister. In what may be one of the most raw moments we’ve had, he said, “You know, we never knew what we were doing, but we tried our best.”

Well Daddy, I just want you to know, you and Mom did good. We turned out okay and . Happy Father’s Day.

Categories
Life Lessons Lifestyle

A Letter to My New College Graduate Self

Dear 2012 Roxy,

 

It’s May 12, 2012. I know this day felt like it would never come. You spent the last year and a half pulling all-nighters, crying, and wondering if you’ll ever graduate or get a job. Well it’s 2017, 5 years later, and damnit, it was all worth it. Today is bittersweet – you finally did it, but you’re faced with a huge life decision. The best thing you could hear right now is this – just trust yourself.

 

2017 is amazing. You get the ‘dream job’ you wanted, the city apartment with the walk in closet, and you even the car you always wanted (you named her RiRi LOL). You’re one of the rare few who can say you love what you do and you get paid pretty damn well for it. But you’re about to walk into one of the worst seasons of your life. 2012 – 2013 ill be a series of ups and downs and I wish so much that somebody was there to give you some advice and tell you it’s gonna be okay.

 

ON EMOTIONS

Sometimes you can be emotionally inept. It’s only because you feel everything so deeply that it’s almost easier to ignore. When you hit a rough patch, your first instinct always says, black it out and run away. You’ll literally try to run away to another city for a weekend or drown your sorrows in alcohol. I just want you to know, it’s okay to be hurt. To feel hurt. But no matter how many out of town trips you take or bottles you drink, you will have to deal with it sooner or later. The sooner you confront it, the faster you can move on. But also know, it gets better. Feel all the emotions, but don’t let it rule you. Embrace who you are and don’t be ashamed. You’re a little weird and a complete child at heart – smile big and laugh loudly (I think people secretly love it).

 

ON SELF CONFIDENCE

You will have a bad case of Imposter Syndrome. You were always the awkward, smart girl in high school but when you get to college, you’ll realize, you’re just average and the awkwardness feels magnified. It’ll start in your engineering classes – you’re only one of a handful of girls and those engineering guys never make eye contact or speak to you in class. It’ll continue into your career when people say things like, “Oh you don’t look like an engineer..” or “You’re not technical enough.” You are beautiful and smart and you are more than enough. You’ve always worked hard to earn your place, don’t you dare apologize for it.

 

ON LIFE DECISIONS

You will have several life decisions in the next few years and whenever you have a big life decision to make, in true Roxy fashion, you will avoid and defer. But I want you to know that one thing is always true when it comes to these decisions:

Your gut instinct is always right.

Whenever you come to a fork in the road, one decision will be safe and comfortable. The other will be scary and give you that knot in your stomach that comes right before a big roller coaster drop. You will always hesitate and overthink, but your gut knows what you have to do –

 

Close your eyes, hold on for dear life and wait for the drop.

 

It’s worth it every time. Promise.

ON DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS

You lucked out in pretty much every other area in your life except this one. You have a huge heart and horrible taste in men, but I think your gut also knows they weren’t right. Boys will say a lot of things, but try to remember to

watch what they do and not what they say.

 

You wear your heart on  your sleeve and come off as intense (see point one on emotions), but when you do love, you love hard. You’ll have a thing for douchebags and guys who just aren’t ready, but don’t let the bad apples make you bitter. The right guy will show up and stick around. If he doesn’t do either, you know what to do.

 

 

Adulting sucks and life is hard, but always be thankful and enjoy the ride. You’ll come such a long way from nerdy Coke bottle glasses Roxy – from that little old house in Kalihi Valley all the way to Dallas, Texas to be exact. You will hear over and over again that you’re “too something” – too young, too inexperienced, too sensitive, too nice, or even too much. Don’t listen. Pray more, pull no punches, and don’t apologize for who you are. You won’t regret it.

 

Love,
2017 Roxy

 

P.S. Be fierce, but stay kind – the world needs less assholes.

 

Categories
Destination

Santorini: Thira Views & Oia Sunsets

We had a fancy Michelin dinner that Monday night and the morning after, the 6 of us headed to Athens International Airport (ATH) to catch the first flight out to Santorini! Santorini was definitely the highlight of the trip (besides the wedding and baptismal) and came with all the travel shenanigans and mishaps possible.

Santorini Airport

We flew RyanAir and refused to check a bag (check-in baggage cost [X] Euro!) but you know I stuffed my little roller bag as much as possible. The flight attendants called me out and told me if I couldn’t shrink it a few more inches, I’d have to check it. We rearranged some stuff and made it work, got on the tram that took us out to our little plane and – surprise! – they made us check our bags anyway. It probably had something to do with us literally being the last ones to board, but I’m glad we didn’t have to pay that check-in bag fee.

The bakery we grabbed breakfast from.

The weather was a little gloomy when we arrived but we got our rental cars, went out to grab breakfast and hung out until our Airb&b was ready.

Most people stay in the infamous town of Oia (pronounced ee-ya) but we booked the cutest Airb&b in Thira. While waiting for check-in time, we wandered around the nearby city. One of my friends is a beer enthusiast and we scoped out the local beers at every little shop and restaurant we went to. One of the ones we noticed were these “donkey beers” and throughout our time in Santorini, we kept running into it. So much that we made it a mission to try one – the beers were from a small local brewery called the Donkey Brewing Co. (but more on that later.)

We finally checked in and oh. my gosh. The view was absolutely amazing. The pictures don’t even do it justice! We could see the active volcano, the tip of Oia, and the other side of the island. Sunsets and sunrises were beautiful. I swear I could’ve sat on that patio forever.

One of the things to do in Santorini is watch the sunset from Oia but instead of squishing amongst the crowd, we had reservations for dinner at Kastro’s Restaurant. I’m glad we did because we had this gorgeous unobstructed view of the sunset.


Kastro’s after sunset.

Sunset view from Kastro’s.

The crowd on the hillside was so thick we lost people heading to the restaurant. It was a little odd seeing so many people waiting for the sun to set, maybe it’s no big deal for someone like me who’s from Hawai’i, but as soon as the sun went down, everyone started clapping. You’d think there was a show going on! It was beautiful, nonetheless, but still, a little bit weird.

Obligatory group pic.

The restaurant was a small patio restaurant – I didn’t plan it, but I definitely recommend getting reservations ahead of time going there. Dinner was delicious, I shared mussels and beef pasta with a friend. We went home for a bit after dinner to rest, then headed back to Oia to wander and hang out.

Beef Pasta (forgot a pic of the mussels!)

There’s a winding cliffside pathway from Thira to Fira that takes you through the marketplace, which was really nice. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have found the way on my own, but yay for having a local tour guide!

Hanging out in Fira.

The first day/night was great, mostly because I couldn’t get over the fact that we were in Santorini! But more adventures, specifically beach-ventures, are on the way.

Definitely lived the life in Santorini!

Categories
Food & Drink

Foodie Fridays: Hawai’i Edition

There’s a ton of reasons I love going home to Hawai’i and one of them is definitely the food. I’m a total fat kid at heart and there’s nothing like some ono grinds (delicious food)! Luckily I have awesome friends who are (literally) always down to eat and take me to all the hot spots back home. My mainland friends always ask me where I ate so I thought I’d chronicle my recent Hawaiian foodventures.

I flew back to Hawai’i with my parents from Phoenix and I was starving when we landed. Normally the flight from Phoenix to Honolulu is 5.5 – 6 hours but for some reason my flight on American Airlines was 7+ hours and they don’t even feed you! My first meal was a Soon’s Special from Soon’s Kal-Bi Drive In in Salt Lake. The special is a plate lunch with meat jhun, kal-bi, BBQ chicken, with a side of kimchi. I grew up eating their BBQ sandwiches and plate lunch after school and I love, love, love their meat jhun.

Soon’s Special from Soon’s Kal-Bi Drive In
848 Ala Lilikoi St
Honolulu, HI 96818

Another spot that I hit up regularly is Shokudo‘s Happy Hour. Shokudo is a Japanese restaurant in Ala Moana. You know you’re a fat kid when you go to a happy hour for the food and not the drinks! Their happy hour is everyday from 4- 6 PM and Sunday – Thursday, 10 PM – 12 AM. Some of my favorites are the spicy tuna nachos (ask for extra sauce on the side), dynamite fries, garlic clams, and of course the jr. honey toast. The honey toast is a brick toast with the middle chopped up into cubes topped with ice cream honey. The happy hour menu has a ‘junior’ size which is half the size of a full honey toast. You can even get other flavors, but I stick to the original.


Jr. Honey Toast from Shokudo
1585 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Another must have for me is the Kahuku shrimp plates! There’s three popular shrimp trucks on O’ahu: Giovanni’s, Kahuku Shrimp, and Romy’s. My personal favorite is the spicy shrimp plate from Kahuku Shrimp Truck, but for whatever reason, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is more popular. Sometimes the lines are ridiculously long! Giovanni’s has two locations, one in Kahuku and one in Haleiwa, whereas Kahuku Shrimp Truck is only in Kahuku. If you like spicy food, Kahuku Shrimp is definitely better, but if you like garlic butter sauce (or scampi sauce), Giovanni’s is good. This trip we couldn’t make it all the way to Kahuku so I had to settle for scampi shrimp from Giovanni’s in Haleiwa. I got the hot sauce on the side but it really just taste like tabasco.


Scampi Shrimp from Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
66-472 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712

Anytime we’re on that side of the island, I always ask if we can make a stop at Pa’ala Kai Bakery in Waialua to get Snow Puffies! Waialua is a far drive from town but the snow puffy is so worth it. A snow puffy is a flaky pastry filled with custard drizzled with chocolate and topped off with powdered sugar. Omg I’m drooling thinking about it. They’re best eaten fresh when the phyllo dough crunches when you take a bite!


Snow Puffies from Pa’ala Kai Bakery
66-945 Kaukonahua Rd
Waialua, HI 96791

I think every time I make a trip home my friends take me to a new restaurant to try. This time they introduced me to Marukame Udon, a Japanese noodle restaurant in Waikiki. The udon noodles are freshly made and the restaurant style is definitely Japanese. It’s not meant to be a sit down and hang out for a while restaurant, but a get your food, hurry up eat and get out kind of restaurant. The dining area is relatively small and the line seems to always be out the door and never ending but the wait isn’t long at all and the food is delicious. I got the curry udon with sides of fried chicken, tempura, and Hawaiian sausage. Hawaiian sausage is really Redondo’s hot dog, but only locals would know that. Definitely one of the best bowls of udon I’ve ever had.


Curry Udon, Fried Chicken, Tempura, & Hawaiian Sausage from Marukame Udon
2310 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

After Marukame, we walked next door to Matcha Cafe Maiko, a dessert place where you can get green tea ice cream or lattes. I got a matcha green tea latte topped with mixed froyo (vanilla and green tea). If you’re not a fan of green tea, I don’t recommend it, but I definitely recommend the mixed vanilla/green tea froyo over straight green tea. They’re a little bit expensive but you are in Waikiki and to be fair, a Starbucks latte probably cost just as much and you don’t get ice cream!


Green Tea Latte with Mixed Froyo from Matcha Cafe Maiko
2310 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

Another spot I absolutely MUST hit up when I go home is Boot’s & Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen in Kailua. MACADAMIA NUT PANCAKES FTW. Seriously. If you didn’t order pancakes when you ate there, I don’t know why you went. It made me sad sometimes because it’s such a popular tourist attraction that sometimes the tourist buses would bring loads of people and make the waits ridiculously long! But the pancakes are like little fluffy clouds topped with this light airy macadmia nut sauce. So good. I really wish I knew what they put in that sauce, though! We usually end up getting an order of pancakes to share and then our own plate of something. I always order the Portuguese Sausage Omelette and this time we got the Blueberry Macadmia Nut Panckes. DROOL. Oh, and FYI it’s cash only, but if you forget there’s an ATM inside.


Portuguese Sausage Omelette & Blueberry Panckes from Boots & Kimo
15 Hekili St
Kailua, HI 96734

Oh and the small corner restaurant is sports themed, I think the owner is a big Broncos fan, but there’s NFL and other sports paraphernalia all around the restaurant. Each table is one of the 32 NFL teams and when we were getting seated, we had a choice of which table. This was pre Super Bowl 51 and I am a huge Pats fan so I, of course, picked that table. Just had to plug that in. 😉

Another one of my traditions is going to Genki Sushi with my mom. It’s usually the first place I ask her to take me as soon as I land but we were tired from the trip and wanted something quicker. Genki Sushi is a chain sushi restaurant that has a conveyor belt to deliver your food. We went to the location in Ala Moana which has this fancy upgraded conveyor belt where you can order sushi off an iPad and a little boat gets sent straight to your table. I literally only eat two things from there – the spicy tuna and ebi fry.


Spicy Tuna & Ebi Fry from Genki Sushi
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

My favorite food of all time is fried chicken wings and in high school my favorite wings (besides my homemade ones) were from Stadium Giant Malts & BBQ. Growing up they used to be called ‘Bob’s BBQ’ and I still have their number in my phone as Bob’s. It’s a little hole in the wall restaurant near Aloha Stadium that’s cash only. I typically do a phone order, pick up the plate lunch, then eat at home. The same Asian lady that answered the phone when I was in high school still answers the phone today. I love that some things haven’t changed about my little rock.


Fried Chicken Wings Plate from Stadium BBQ
4510 Salt Lake Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96818

Bangus (milkfish) Sinigang from Thelma’s Restaurant

There’s not a lot of Filipino restaurants on the mainland so I love eating Filipino food whenever I can. I had a family lunch with my cousins, a few of her kids, and my mom and we ate at Thelma’s Restaurant in Waipahu. My mom order sinigang, a tamarind fish soup, which is really good but I LOVE the Thelma’s Special. It’s lechon kawali (fried pork belly) topped with chopped onions, tomatoes, and patis (fish sauce). I know. It sounds weird. But it’s so good. Filipino food is underrated and I think it’s mostly the presentation. It never looks really amazing, but tastes so freaking good. I hope one day one of my peoples can make it more presentable.


Thelma’s Special from Thelma’s Restaurant
94-366 Pupupani St
Waipahu, HI 96797

Some bonus treats, McDonald’s had a special while I was there – the Guava Pie! Basically the apple pie but with guava filling instead of apple it was so good, but it was only there for a limited time! I tried ordering it one more time before I left but they told me it was discontinued and they were bringing back the Taro Pie.

Also, another Hawai’i thing, at Starbucks you can order any drink with “Thai walls.” This basically means put condensed milk on the walls of your cup. I know it’s not exactly healthy, but I never said I went home to eat healthy!


Passion Tea Lemonade with Thai Walls from Starbucks

And there you have it, my recent Hawai’i foodventures! I wish I could eat everywhere when I go home, but I can’t fit everything in one trip. But as boo boo likes to say, “The best way to enjoy Hawai’i is to eat it!”

Categories
Adulting Money Matters Organization

How I Made $1700+ Selling My Old Stuff on Poshmark: The Average Jane’s Guide to Poshmark

 

I recently posted on Instagram that I got rid of a lot of stuff on Poshmark and got a ton of questions asking who/what/where/when/why so I thought I’d put together a mini FAQ for the Poshmark noosbs or just those who wanted to know how I did it. If you haven’t signed up, use code SHER0XXfor a $5 credit! (I swear I didn’t choose that code! 🙈)

If you think this is some get rich quick scheme, it’s not. I earned $1700+ over the course of a year and a half and most of the work was pretty passive. Like any other average girl, I have a lot of stuff I really don’t need or use but I have a hard time letting stuff go because I either a) think I’m going to use it later (NEWSFLASH: you won’t) or b) feel bad donating it because I spent so money on it. I’ve tried selling things to stores like Plato’s Closet but it always feels like such a waste of time. I still do that from time to time, but I found Poshmark to be a better alternative.

 

I actually joined Poshmark back in 2012 but wasn’t an active seller until late 2015 and didn’t even make my first purchase until 3 weeks ago in early 2017! I haven’t sold everything I’ve ever posted and sometimes I really just want to get rid of stuff for the closet space and to clear the clear so I’ll end up donating things I don’t feel like are going to sell. Like I mentioned before, I’ve made $1700+ over the course of a year and a half I made $800+ in the month of January because I’ve been selling my high end/limited edition makeup collection.

 

But let’s get down to the nitty gritty, the reason you came here – The Poshmark 411.

 


The Poshmark app’s home screen.

  • WHAT IS POSHMARK?

    Poshmark is an app used to buy and sell clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, etc. It originally started as an app for women but they eventually expanded to men’s and children’s stuff.

  • DOES IT COST ANYTHING?

    It’s FREE to download the app and join.  They do take a cut out of anything sold. It’s not confirmed anywhere, but it seems like the pricing is as follows:

    • 20% for any item sold over $15
    • Flat $2.95 for anything under $15

    • WHAT ABOUT SHIPPING?

      As a buyer, it costs a flat $5.95 for shipping and it’s free for items over $500. They even include authentication on items over $500 (think LV purses, Louboutins shoes). I personally hate paying for shipping and $5.95 is a little steep for smaller items, but the upside is, it’s 3 Day shipping so once the seller drops it off at the post office, it’s delivered within 2-3 days!


      • HOW TO POST ITEMS

        Click the “Sell” icon, add pictures, and fill out the required fields. The more fields you add, the more likely you’re item will come up in a search. Be honest about the item – Are there any defects? Is it true to size? How often has it been used? The worst thing you can do is lie or deceive a customer! Selling imitation or fake items are also against the rules. I feel like it’s a given in this day and age, but the pictures are everything. Take clear pictures and be honest about where defects are. If you look at my listings (@sher0xx) obviously, I am not a professional photographer and I did get kind of lazy posting so many items, but I tried to get them as focused as possible and in the best lighting.



The sell icon at the bottom menu on the home screen.

    • SHARING IS CARING

      Share your posts (and other seller’s posts!) as often as you can. Sharing a post bumps your listing to the top of the feed for your followers and the more people who see your listing, the more likely you’re able to sell. If someone share’s my post, I try to share one of there’s – it’s kind of a way to say thank you. You can also share your posts to parties, if there’s one going on.


The share button can be found at the bottom right of a listing

    • WTH IS A PARTY?

      A Posh Party is a designated time to share specific things. For example, there can be a “Best In Makeup” party at 2 PM. The party will go on for 2 hours and during that time window, you can share items that fit the description of allowed items. When you view the party info, it’ll tell you what categories are allowed. If you try to share something that doesn’t fit the description, an error message will pop-up. Parties are a good way to advertise because often times people will share items they like that they find in the party.


Poshmark Party homepage

    • LIKE POSTS TO FOLLOW LISTINGS

      I don’t know if liking a post has any effect on where the listing falls in search results, but I do know if you like a post, you get notifications about it. If the seller drops the price, you get a notification, and if you’re lucky, discounted or even free shipping! I ended up buying the coat in the picture because I got a notification that the seller dropped the price AND it got free shipping – I legit only paid $10 for it and got it within 2 days!

    • HOW TO BUY

      There are two options to purchasing items: Buy Now or Offer. A bonus option is bundling.

        1. Buy Now

          Self-explanatory. You buy it now! Buy Now takes you to a payment screen to verify your shipping and payment information. You can pay with either credit card, Venmo, or PayPal.

        2. Offer

          If you click the “Offer” link instead of “Buy Now” it takes you to an eBay-esque screen where you can bid on the item. Once you submit an offer, the offer is binding and if the seller accepts, you will automatically be charged. Offers are nice because you get to haggle with the seller a little, but as a seller you can get some lowballers, which are not fun at all. Here’s a handy little chart I found and agree on:

      Bundling

      Bundling is when you purchase multiple items from the same seller. I’ve sold bundles before but haven’t personally purchased one myself. Some shops will have automatic discounts if you bundle (for example mine is 15% 2+ items). Purchasing bundles also has the Buy Now or Offer options.

Trading

Often times, other ‘Poshers’ (Poshmark users) will comment on items they’re interested asking, “Trade?” Trading is not encouraged by Poshmark, but it seems like what people will do is pick which items they’re trading for, post a listing for really cheap (usually less than $5), and purchasing it will generate the shipping label. I guess ideally, you’re just paying for shipping. I personally have not done it and am not interested because my purpose is to get rid of items on the app. I have considered it, but never really saw anything that was, in my opinion, worth trading for.

    • SHIPPING ITEMS

      So you finally sold an item, what now? Ship it! I do a lot of online ordering so I have small boxes lying around that I’ll recycle and use for shipment. I sold a lot of my makeup collection and since those items are particularly fragile, I had to ship them in bubble wrapped envelopes.

       

       

      The size I used most was the 4×8 (#000), you can get them on amazon for $7.99 for 50 or search for a size that you need. I am conscious that buying shipping materials essentially takes a cut of the profit so I try to recycle boxes as much as I can. You do want to be considerate of your customer and not send them jacked up boxes either!


Click “Yay I shipped it!” to notify the buyer it was shipped
 
 

Tracking information from a seller’s point of view.

    • ACCEPTING ITEMS / RELEASING FUNDS

      Once you ship the items, a notification is sent to the seller and the item can be tracked either in the app or on USPS.com using the link that was emailed. As a seller, you have 7 days to ship the item, otherwise the transaction is cancelled. You do have the options to click the “Yay I shipped it!” button in sale, but if it isn’t scanned by USPS within 7 days, it’s not considered shipped. It takes about 2 – 3 days shipping for the items to arrive and once the tracking marks the item as ‘Delivered’ the buyer has 3 days to accept the package in the app and release the funds to the seller. If it’s not accepted in 3 days but marked as delivered, the funds are automatically delivered to the seller.


Pending acceptance from buyer.

  • GETTING PAID

    I’m definitely a fan of the payment structure in Poshmark. I’ve sold on eBay before and they only release funds once a month. Another thing about Poshmark vs. eBay is that Poshmark takes their cut up front, whereas eBay charges you separately. There’s good and bad in both of those, but since my sales aren’t usually very high priced, I personally like the fact that the app tells me up front what cut they’re taking and takes it out up front.

    In Poshmark, once the items have been accepted, the payment is redeemable right away. As far as I know, there’s no limit to how many times you can redeem funds in a month – I’ve done it after every sale was credited to my account and only recently just waited to pull it out.

    Your payment is redeemable in 2 ways:

    1. 1. Poshmark Credit

      Poshmark Credit is exactly what it sounds like, you can use the funds to purchase other items for sale in the app. As long as you have funds in your account, it’ll automatically take payment from there first before asking for a different payment method.

    2. 2. Direct Deposit

      You can have the funds transferred to your bank account using ACH. I have it sent to my checking account and once I put in a redemption, it’s in my bank account within 2 – 3 days.

To cash out – click ‘Redeemable’

 


Select method.
 


Enter the amount you want to redeem.

 

So there you have my extensive Poshmark guide for the average Jane! I feel like I pretty much covered all the basics, but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

Categories
Destination

Athens, Greece: The Acropolis & Stolen Statues


Almost anywhere you go, there’s a must-see tourist attraction and in Athens, it’s definitely the Acropolis. “Acropolis” in Greek translates to “highest point in the city” and while it’s not the only high point in Athens, it is the high point.

There are two ways you can get up to the Acropolis, the long way, which takes you through Ancient Greek civilization, or the short way, which takes you up a hill directly to the Parthenon and other main attractions. It was hot as hell that day so we opted for the short route. You do have to purchase tickets whichever route you choose, but be aware that the lines at the top can get super long. You can also purchase a guided tour, but we didn’t because we’re cheap and we were with a local.


Theatre of Dionysus
The theatre from a different angle

When you’re walking up to the Propylaea (the entrance), you can see the Theatre of Dionysus below. Be careful as you’re walking since the walkways are paved with marble and can be slippery! Luckily I wore my Sperry’s that day, but it was still a little slippery.


Propylaea
Most of the crew outside.
The Propylaea once you walk in.

We took some pictures in front of the Propylaea and then walked up through it. It’s pretty crazy that these buildings are thousands of years old and they’re completely made of marble!

The Parthenon
 

The Parthenon

Next in sight was the Parthenon – a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena (hence the city of Athens). They’re in the process of rebuilding the ruins so there were construction things all around.

The Erechtheion
Erechtheion

Caddy corner to the Parthenon is the Erechtheion, another temple. One of the corners of the Erechtheion has women statues, called caryatid, as pillars. The caryatid we saw are actually replicas; most of the originals are housed in the Acropolis Museum.

Fun fact: one of the statues was stolen by the British and housed in the British Museum in London. According to my Greek friend, Greece asked that it be returned but the Brits refused! I even googled it and apparently, it’s true!

The Acropolis Museum

After taking a lot of pictures, we finally headed out and ended up at the Athens museum to wander around and cool down.

The original caryatid.

We saw the actual caryatid and got educated on the history of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. It’s pretty  amazing the level of detail the Greeks put into the buildings – everything from the pillars to the sheer size of the marble statues. You really have to appreciate the work they put in with their lack of technology.

I remember being a kid wondering if I would ever get travel. I would never have guessed that a little island girl like me would make it halfway around the world to the Acropolis, let alone Greece! God has definitely been good to me.

 

Categories
Destination Life

Aloha 2016

2016. Oh, what a year. 2016 marked my first full year in Texas and the longest I’ve gone without going home to my beloved Hawai’i nei. It’s been one helluva a year but I’m so ready for 2017.

I’m definitely a social media addict (typical millennial) and I love these dumb top 9 photos from your past year. (You can get yours here.) Obviously, my top 9 is reflective of my favorite things – travel, family, food, & fitness.

The highlights of every year are always my travel adventures – or when people travel to see me! Traveling was to a minimum in the beginning of the year since I was still getting settled into Dallas, but the itch to wander never leaves me and after NM, it was all downhill (or uphill) from there. This year I:

  • Had my entire family visit me in Dallas (May 2016)
  • Went to a wedding in Albequerque, New Mexico (June 2016)
  • Celebrated my sister’s engagement in Phoenix, Arizona (August 2016)
  • Visited with my BFFs in Portland, Oregon (August 2016)
  • Had my first Eurotrip to Kythira, Athens, & Santorini, Greece (September 2016) 
  • Worked and played at Dreamforce in San Francisco, California (September 2016)
  • Rode a wine trolley in Monterey, California (October 2016)
  • Met my dad and sister in Las Vegas, Nevada (November 2016)
  • Spent Christmas with a friend’s family in Austin, Texas (December 2016) 

I love my little adventures and I’m so grateful that I even have the means to do so many YOLO weekend trips and some extended trips.

I’ve met so many new people and kept in touch with lifelong friends. I even let go of some toxic relationships.

I was disenchanted by society but my faith in humanity was restored. (Still getting over how strongly Christians defend Trump’s misogynistic statements.)

I found a new hobby that I’m actually pretty decent at and started the Pineapple Shack X.O.

I had highs and lows in my faith  and questioned what I believe, but overall strengthened my relationship with the Lord.

I gained new confidence in my career and got that “new city, fresh start” I’ve been longing for the past few years.

In 2015, I told myself I’d be out of Arizona in 2016. Little did I know, I’d take the leap and end up in Texas. Overall, moving to a new city where I didn’t really know anyone was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s scary and nerve wracking but a complete adventure and I don’t regret it all.

2016, you were so horrible and great at the same time. As I say every year, Cheers to 2017! May this year be so better than the last.

Categories
Coffee Destination Texas

Austin, Texas: Graffiti Walls & A Turbo

 
I may be a dark Asian girl, but don’t be fooled. I’m as basic as they come. I love Starbucks and Chipotle and if I really had a need for it, I’d own a pair of Ugg boots. I like what I like and I’m not ashamed of it. So, when I hit up a new town I’ve never been to, I love doing typical touristy things. Austin was no different. See: The “I Love You So Much” wall.

 
Don’t lie, you’ve seen it and you totes want to go there.

 

 

The ‘graffiti’ is on the side of Jo’s Coffee Shop on the corner of Congress and James Street in downtown Austin.

 

 

The coffee itself is actually pretty good – I got The Turbo, which tasted like the perfect blend of chocolate milk and espresso. Supposedly, it contains a lot of caffeine, but definitely not more than a Greek frappé.

 

 

Before going to see the infamous wall, we made a pit stop at the Graffiti Wall. Come armed with your own bottle of spray paint, but please don’t ruin someone else’s art work with your crappy handwriting. It’s rude and ugly.

 

This candle was my favorite. I LOVED how it had its own little wall and was completely untouched.

 

I really wanted to take a picture outside of the State Capitol, but we had to make it out before the worst of the Austin traffic. Even though I didn’t get to explore a lot of Austin, I think I’d definitely would come back to wander the city (and of course eat) a little more!

Categories
Destination

Athens: The Parliament, A Guard & A Gyro

The Greek Parliament

The second leg of our trip was a day in Athens – the capital and largest city in Greece. Here’s the quick run down:

  • Ferry from Diakoftis, Kythira to Piraeus
  • Rode the metro to Syntagma Square
  • Took pictures with a guard outside of the Greek Parliament
  • Ate legitimate Gyros at Bairaktaris Tavern
  • Saw the Acropolis
  • Wandered around the Athens museum
  • Ate a fancy Michelin star dinner

Our tickets – they thought we were all related!

After all the festivities in Kythira, we took an overnight ferry from the port in Diakoftis to Piraeus in Athens. It was all kind of sketchy, but again, I was grateful to be with some locals. Auntie & Uncle (my friend’s parents) drove a car so we loaded all the goods in it and booked 2 cabins for all 8 of us (+ baby). Funny thing is Uncle refused to sleep in the cabin because he used to be a ship captain and didn’t trust the ferry captain! 


Our cabin on the ferry.

Waiting for a cab in in Athens.

We arrived bright and early to Piraeus,  close to 7 AM, brought our stuff to Auntie & Uncle’s apartment and got ready to explore Athens! We took the metro for the experience and surprisingly, I found it cleaner than most American public transportation. We got off at Syntagma Square and stopped for a picture with one of the guards in front of The Greek Parliament.


Me and the girls with the typical mirror selfie.


The metro station under Syntagma Square

Syntagma Square

I had no idea that the Greeks had their own guards, kind of like the guards outside of Buckingham Palace. Apparently, people gather outside the Parliament on the hour to watch the changing of the guards. The guards wear these big wooden shoes and stand completely still – you can’t even make funny faces when taking pictures next to them because the security for the guards will scold you! These guards are super special, they’re called the Evzones and one of the many qualifications needed to even be considered is they have to be very tall. I’m 5’2″ on my best day – look how tiny I am next to him!


Little old me with the guard.

Of course, the next thing we did was EAT! We had lunch at Bairaktaris Tavern, a restaurant that’s been around since the late 1800s and was featured by Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel. (I didn’t know this ’til afterwards). The restaurant is kind of in the middle of a shopping district close to the flea market and they have tables outside on the cobblestone walkway. I ordered a lamb gyro with fries in it and a frappe; the frappe is pretty much the closest thing they have to an iced coffee but there’s foam in it. I don’t know where they get their coffee from but it’s really strong – and this is coming from a self-proclaimed caffeine addict.

Bairaktaris Tavern


I’m ALWAYS happy to have food.

After lunch, we wandered through the flea market/shopping area but not before running into this huge Orthodox church. My friend told me his parents got married in this church! Me and the girls did a little shopping, of course, but to be honest, I kind of dislike shopping because most of the things I like end up being expensive and I really don’t need anything. Funny thing, I looked around a little jewelry shop and asked for the price of a necklace in the display – it ended up being over 1000 euros! (O____O) I talked to the shop owner for a bit and he said, “I can tell you have expensive tastes.” Truth be told, sometimes I wish I didn’t! He also mistook me for a Leo (I’m a Pisces) which I thought was kind of funny because I don’t think I’m alpha at all!

Outside of the church.

After wandering around the market, we finally trekked up to the Acropolis, but I will save that, the museum and the Michelin dinner for another post!