Black & blue: 2 in 1

I love wearing black but wearing black doesn't have to be boring. 

I'm not girly girly, you think yea right, but I really am a tomboy on the inside as I was as a teenager. I love lady like details in clothes though, such as lace and ruffles. I love lace. It's a little weird but I think it can be classic, lady like, proper AND sexy. I fell in love with this skirt when I saw in online at Forever 21. This look is lady like, work appropriate but with a little sass- a modern and fashionable way to wear lace. 

I actually wore this on a Friday to work; and went for drinks and dinner after as is. ^_^. This is how you can transition from day to evening to night.  

Cardigan- Old Navy (from Mommy)
Inner Blouse- (Rainbow, US$5)
Skirt- Forever 21 (US$9.99, sale)
Shoes- Nine West (Marshall's, US$25)

Xoxo
Ronz

Green & Navy Blue stripes

For those of us that live in Jamaica, green and navy blue are Calabar High School colours. My boss gives me a hard time when I wear this sweater because he is a Kingston College (KC)alumni; and purple & white are their colours. There is such intense rivalry between Calabar, KC and JC (Jamaica College) at track & field and other events. 

I am a  KC fan myself as my father went to KC. Anyhow I was a boy, I would have gone to KC. A lot of people think the way KC old boys are, is cult like. 

When my dad died, I made sure to pay homage to his high school. I requested persons to wear purple and white to the funeral; there was a purple and white casket, he wore his KC tie and wrist band - purple and white everywhere. Sigh, miss my dad. His name was Ronald, hence my name Ronalda. I wasn't named after the Brazilian footballer as sooooo many people say. 

Sweater- Gap (sale, US$13)
Skirt- old
Shoes- Guess (old)

Xoxo
Ronz

~ * In the Kitchen with Ronnie * ~: Spring Rolls

I am taking a Chinese cooking class to learn how to make Chinese food at home. It is my favourite. I don't have it very often as I don't eat out a lot and it's not exactly the healthiest but everything in moderation right? 

Jamaican Chinese food is different from other Chinese food so I wanted to learn how we do it here. I've tried recipes online before and they didn't turn out the way I'm used to. I'm also trying to be healthier so I wanted to learn to make my favourite foods healthier. 

This recipe is one I saw demonstrated in class and tried at home this weekend. They were delicious!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 25 egg/spring roll skins
• 1 lb cabbage
• 1 carrot
• 6 oz chicken (boneless)
• 4 oz bean sprouts or bamboo shoots
• Seasoning for chicken: 1 tsp MSG (optional, can use meat seasoning as well), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp cornstarch)
• Seasoning for vegetables: 1 tsp MSG (optional, can use meat seasoning as well), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp sugar)
• 6 tbsp olive oil (or whichever oil you have) (3 for stir frying and the other to brush on rolls)
• 2 tbsp flour

METHOD:

1. Wash chicken properly by rinsing, and cut into thin long strips. Secondly mix it in a bowl with the following seasonings: MSG (optional, can use meat seasoning as well), salt, white pepper, sesame oil and cornstarch).
2. Shred cabbage and carrot. Mix with the bamboo shoots or bean sprouts.
3. Heat wok or frying pan, add oil and stir fry chicken for about 2 minutes. Then add the vegetables, season with salt, MSG/meat seasoning, sugar and white pepper; and stir fry for 2 minutes then remove from fire.
4. In a small bowl mix 2 tbsp of flour and flour, add a little water to form a paste. This will be used to seal the skins.
5. Spread a single piece of spring roll skin on table. Put 1 tbsp of vegetable and chicken mixture on the skin closet to you, fold it like an envelope. Roll and seal the end with the paste.
6. Spray non stick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil a lined baking tray. Put on rolls on the baking tray. Brush the tops with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 185 C until golden brown. OR Deep fry the roll until golden brown.
7. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or sauce of your choosing.

I chose to bake the rolls as its healthier than deep frying. They tasted great and were crispy also. ^_^

Xoxo

Ronz

L&L- Lavender & Leopard

This is an ensemble from my "out of commission" days aka when I couldn't wear heels. 

I was feeling a bit low key when I selected the clothes but wanted to jazz up the outfit with my accessories. Leopard wasn't the first thing that came to my mind but with a limited selection of flats, I thought why not leopard. I am wearing a black pants and I tied in the yellowy colour with the belt and earrings. Voila!

Shirt- Old Navy (sale, S$14)
Pants- H&M (flea market, US$4)
Shoes- Bandolino (Marshalls, US$30)

 Xoxo
Ronz

Tribal Maxi Dress

I love this dress. I saw it on the sale rack at Charlotte Russe and had to have it. I did hesitate a bit as it's a maxi dress. I am short (5" 3.75', yes the .75 counts ;)), have wide hips & a dress especially with a print like this can make me look wider and shorten me even more. Thank God for heels as they help in creating an illusion of elongating me which helps to make me look slimmer. Who doesn't want that? ^_^

I don't like to show too much cleavage so I wore a tube top seeing that the dress had a low neckline. Improvise!

I was going out for frozen yogurt with my friends to celebrate one of them getting a new job. I had such a good time. My ankle was still recovering so I wore my ankle brace- that's the black thing peeping out. 

Dress- Charlotte Russe (US$15, sale)
Shoes- 6pm.com (US$20.70)

Xoxo
Ronz

~ * Natural Beauty * ~ Turmeric Acne Treatment Face Mask

Turmeric powder is a spice that has been used for centuries in a variety of dishes in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Indian cuisines. But it is also wonderful for your skin as well!

It will brighten your skin immensely and leave your skin looking radiant and glowing. It will refresh your skin as well. Just make sure to not leave the house for a few hours after using this mask. It may temporarily stain your skin for a few hours but will fade!

INGREDIENTS

1 Tablespoon Turmeric Powder

½ Cup Organic Plain Yogurt (Not reduced-fat or non-fat)

Prep:

Combine the yogurt and turmeric powder in a mixing bowl and blend well together. Apply to clean face and neck and leave on for 20 minutes. Once time is up, rinse off with warm water and a gentle cleanser. Pat dry gently and apply an oil-free moisturizer or a small drop of extra virgin olive oil to face and neck for instant hydration that won’t make you break out or clog your pores.

Xoxo

Ronz

New York Taxi ;)

I love houndstooth as it's black and white. I also don't like to do the normal, that is, matching black and white with red. I chose this yellow jacket to go with my skirt. I look like a New York checkered taxi. LOL. 

Jacket- Burlington (US$20)
Skirt- Burlington (US$20)
Shoes- Nine West (gift)

Xoxo
Ronz

Not gonna stop me....

I wasn't going to let a strained ligament and twisted ankle stop me from looking fashionable. Nope, not at all. Life isn't perfect but you can make perfect moments & make the best out of situations- make lemonade out of lemons. 

I started this outfit by selecting the shoes and the rest came together. I wanted another colour for my necklace to give it a pop and to tie in the yellowy kind of colour from the shoes. Voila!

Jacket- Forever 21 (US$17, sale)
Top- US$5
Pants - TJ Maxx (US$25)
Shoes- Merona at Target (gift)

Xoxo
Ronz

Style Trend: Midi Rings

I've ALWAYS loved rings. It's one of my favourite accessories. I'm a little OCD in the way I accessorize sometimes. I have to have on earrings, 2 bracelets on my right wrist, a watch on my left wrist, 2 rings on my right hand (middle & ring fingers) and 1 ring on my left hand (on my middle finger). Yea, a little OCD right? I have quite a collection of rings and I love buying them.

When I saw more and more persons wearing rings at the joints of their fingers, I was intrigued. Midi rings, as their names suggest, are rings worn in the middle of your finger -more specifically at the middle of the joints. Some rings are extended, I really like the ones that are connected with a chain. Celebrities, especially Rihanna, have been rocking the trend as well. 

Xoxo

Ronz

Tribal & animal

I don't know if it's all the Jersey shows I've watched (Jerseylicious, Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of New Jersey, etc) why I've been loving animal print more and more, but I do. 

Tribal print is also been trending for the last year or so. So "let our powers combine" they said. LOL. Those who used to watch the cartoon Captain Planet should get the reference. ^_^. 

I've mentioned in other posts that I sometimes wear sleeveless tops to work to extend my work wardrobe. I can't wear sleeveless to work so I wore a cardigan with it. 

I'm so pleased now as I can wear heels. I went to another doctor, a specialist, and he told me that wearing flats (for the 2 months) was actually not good for the shape of my foot and that I was to wear 1-2 inch heels. It was a miracle as I had been in flats for 2 months, had pain & discomfort and I didn't need to be. But now I know at least :).  I still have to be a little careful but I'm back in my heels. Yay!

Cardigan- Old Navy (US$13, sale)
Top- Charlotte Russe (US$10, sale)
Pants- H&M (US$5, flea market)
Shoes- Old Navy (Mommy's)

Xoxo
Ronz

This is my 100th post!!!!!

Weeeeeeeeee!!!!! I can't believe it. This is my 100th blog post. ^_^

I feel like those TV shows that have a party and make a big deal out of 100 episodes. It really is a milestone though.

 I don't blog every day and there were some times where days, weeks and I think even a month would go by and I didn't blog. I felt defeated like there was no point sometimes. I had people make fun of me for having a blog and generally not be supportive. I don't care what people day anymore. This makes ME happy and that's all that counts.

I have committed to 3 posts a week now. I would love to be a professional blogger. OMG! to do this, what I love full time, would be a dream come true. I'm going to look into some freelance work more aggressively. 

I love selecting my outfits for work and then choosing my accessories. To take a picture and share it with the world is icing on the cake for me. Most of my posts are my work outfits as I usually just go to work and go home. I don't go out as much as I used to but I make the best of it and have fun with my outfits for work. I try to add a little fab to the usual drab that is characteristic of the corporate world especially working in a very conservative financial industry. 

I'm not keeping calm.... I'm celebrating!!!!!!! 

 What I've learned....... to never give up on my dreams. This is one step to me being true to my authentic self. After my 'turning 30 crisis' last in 2013 I discovered a lot about myself and expressing myself artistically makes me truly happy. I love fashion, visual arts, music, culinary arts, interior decorating, jewellery making, dance, crafts.... I could go on and on. Even if no one reads me blog, I'm happy doing it. :)

Who am I kidding? I want people to read my blog. LOL. Subscribe today!

Xoxo

Ronz

Style Trend: Ankle Strap shoes

This isn't a brand new trend and is like many other trends, it's really is an old style but revamped and made new. I started liking this trend again when I noticed that one of the bloggers I follow, Karla's Closet, wore a lot of ankle strap and pointy toe pumps. I bought 3 ankle strap shoes because of this. 

It was in doing this post that I realized that I had a lot of this style shoes. LOL. Here's a few in my collection, including the 3 I bought. 

The more of your feet you show, the sexier the look with this style. 

Celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian have also made the shoe style more popular. 

Even flats have ankle straps for added flair.

Here are few ankle strap shoe styles:

Xoxo

Ronz