Blogger Comeback Era…?

May 10, 2023May 22, 2023 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Am I in my blogger comeback era? Time will tell, but I spent this past weekend completely giving Le Fancy Geek a makeover. Goodbye to my old layout! I’ll miss you. It felt like it was time to update it though because it’s been the same for the past… what? 12 or 13 years? Wow I can’t believe how old this blog is! I think the new look is a lot more reflective of me, right down to the new pink and green color palette.

I wanted to get back into blogging last year, but Rory’s unexpected death really took a toll on me. I couldn’t even bring myself to do a Year in Review post at the very least. It didn’t help that I spent Christmas and New Years recovering from COVID either. I caught it from my dad despite being so careful and masking up wherever I go! Because of La Rona, my bestie Jen and I had to postpone our SoCal getaway that we were supposed to do the first week of January. We rescheduled for February and that’s where these pics are from!

Honey and Butter is known for making the cutest and tastiest macarons. The first time I went a few years ago I got a really cute Pikachu, but this time around none of the character ones had been made yet. I also remembered that they have beautiful paper flower backdrops for the perfect photo op, so I packed this burgundy velvet dress from Blackmilk Clothing with that in mind. When I went the first time, it was an unexpected visit and I was wearing a galaxy print dress and the way I clashed in the pics my friend Syl took of me haunt me til this day!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve really gotten into k-pop and take pics of my photocards sometimes. I bought a fan-made Jackson Wang photocard and a Kuromi photocard holder for Jen so she could clown with me on this trip. We also hit up Little Tokyo and bought plenty of gashapon toys at Bandai’s pop-up store, went to The Source for k-pop stuff, and also went to a BTS cupsleeve event that had a bunch of ARMY vendors. Overall, this trip was the ultimate pick-me-up after spending the holiday season the way that I did.

Currently, I’ve been in San Diego for the past month to help my sister take care of her 3-month old son, Lucien Marcello, while her and her husband work. I’m definitely still not a baby person, but I love that little dude so fucking much. He is the only human baby I’m willing to take care of.

Here’s hoping for more consistent blogging this year!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
dress: Blackmilk Clothing (n/a) | chelsea boots: Dr. Martens (buy here)
necklace: Private Paradise Co. (buy here)
bunny plushie: SPART (buy here)
photocard holders: Kuromi (buy here) | BT21 photocard (buy here)

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about

Descanso Gardens

March 23, 2022 Nina Penalosa1 Comment

When things don’t go as planned, it can be pretty disappointing. But other times it can be full of wonderful surprises.

While I was down in LA earlier this month, my friends had insisted that we go to the Huntington Library since we didn’t have time to go when I visited last October. But once we were en route we learned that it was closed on Tuesdays — take note in case you plan to go too! A few ideas were tossed around, and we ended up going to Descanso Gardens instead. I had never been, nor heard of it before, but I’m always down for a promenade amongst nature. 🌿

We spent time admiring the different types of camellias that bloom there, pointing at all the squirrels and ducks we happened upon, and watching turtles swim around and sunbathe. There was one baby that kept trying to climb on the back of another for what felt like forever, but we kept rooting for it until it successfully climbed aboard! We also spotted four that stayed in place for the longest time, so we said those were our turtlesonas.

I also had an amazing opportunity to partner with Dr. Martens, so of course I wore my Chelsea Boots to wander around for the day. At one point we walked up a steep incline, and my Docs helped me through it 😮‍💨 I’m usually a tennis shoes or ballet flat girl, but lately I’ve really been into pairing boots with dresses. I love the way my Docs compliment my gray maxi dress from Blackmilk Clothing with black birds and pops of yellow and pink flowers.

Afterwards we had brunch, and a few stores down we came across The Last Book Store’s Montrose location which is full of plants. We didn’t get to explore the store as much since we had to buy Liveplay tickets for one of the BTS concerts in Las Vegas (haha 😅), but had we gone to the Huntington we wouldn’t have seen all that we did.

This day was also really special as it was International Women’s Day and I got to spend it with some of my favorite ladies. If you read my previous blog post you know I’ve been going through a very hard time, so days like this are much needed.

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
dress: Blackmilk Clothing (n/a)
chelsea boots: Dr. Martens (buy here)
jacket: A New Day (n/a) / purse: Coach (buy similar here)
necklaces: Alex and Ani (buy here) & Karen Digital Shop (buy here)

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about

2019: My Year in Review

December 31, 2019 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Not only is today the last day of the year, but the decade! Oh, Time. Where have you gone? This decade has brought me love, heartbreak, disappointment, clarity, happiness, and friendships to last a lifetime. Though I often feel like I’m stuck in the same place and nothing’s changed, I have to give myself credit where credit is due. I’ve evolved. I can feel it. The hardships that have been thrown my way over the last 10 years have only made me stronger and changed me for the better.

And I became a dog mom, which is probably the highlight of this decade!

2019 wasn’t a hot-garbage-fire year like previous ones. In fact, I feel it might be my best one yet! It’s only fitting for me to welcome the new year and new decade going out on a high note 🙂

A goal of mine for 2019 was to travel often and experience new things. This year alone I’ve…

watched Sarah Kaye + Phil Kay in San Francisco
watched Waitress the musical in Sacramento
saw Ken Jeong live in Stockton
met Karen Ashley, the second yellow Power Ranger at StocktonCon
went to a Kook’s concert in Oakland (my bff’s fave band)
went to Disneyland for a Bodhi Brigade reunion
flew to Las Vegas for Janet Jackson’s residency
went to Disneyland again for Marvel Night
I went to New York in April and watched Hadestown and White Noise
I went to Philadelphia for a day and went to the Franklin Institute to see the Marvel exhibit and the Museum of the American Revolution and learned about “diaper butt”
went to G. Willow Wilson’s book signing in Oakland and got to tell her how much I love Ms. Marvel
got to model for one of my fave small geek shops, Jordandene!
went back to Disney for a third time to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
went to my 13th San Diego Comic-Con International (or 12th? I can’t remember if I missed 2 or 3 between 2004-2019)
planned a “Basic Autumn Bitch” trip for the third week of October to visit Boston + New York — I fell in love with Boston and went to Salem for a day, and I watched Betrayal (with Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Cox, and Zawe Ashton) on Broadway, and Little Shop of Horrors off Broadway with Jonathan Groff (where I got a terrible selfie)
finally saw the original Winnie the Pooh toys at the New York Public Library which has been on my bucket list for ages!
watched Hamilton for the second time in San Francisco
unexpectedly booked another trip to New York for the first week of October after being invited to be on a geek fashion panel at New York Comic-Con thanks to the Sartorial Geek
was a panelist for the first time ever at a convention!
became a staff writer for the Sartorial Geek
co-hosted 3 geek fashion challenges this year
saw Jo Koy live in Stockton
saw my one of my best friends get married to the love of her life
gained 2 furry nephews and a furry niece thanks to my other best friend
went to Feel the Force night at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco

I did all that in a year! HOW CRAZY.

The biggest setback I’ve faced this year was getting laid off from my first “big girl” job. I worked for a fashion app for a good 3 years in San Francisco. I started as an unpaid intern and worked my way up to contract worker, to full-time as their Customer Success Manager. On top of that, I was also a stylist (and still am) on their app and earned many rave reviews. Of course I was sad and angry when it happened. It was a blow in all kinds of ways, but also a blessing because now I can figure out what it is I truly want to do. What that is, I haven’t figured out yet. Haha! But in the meantime I’ve been able to go back to a part-time job I never thought I’d go back to. And you know what? I’m feeling okay about it. It’s changed and so have I.

Here’s to more adventures and new experiences to come in the next year/decade.

Cheers,
Nina

out & about

Way Down, Hadestown

July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Long time, no see! I can’t believe I haven’t updated Le Fancy Geek since February 😱

I’ve been up to A LOT since then. I’ve traveled to New York, Philadelphia (for a day), Las Vegas, and Disneyland twice — once for Marvel Night and then for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge! In New York, I got to watch Hadestown while it was still in previews back in April. It was by far one of my favorite theater experiences ever. And it’s gone on to win 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical! With the rest of the songs from the Original Broadway Cast album being released today, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a #FlashbackFriday post about my trip to the underground.

Purchasing my ticket to Hadestown is by far my most extravagant impulse purchase to date. I was a bit more detailed in my reasons for getting it in the first place in my first post of 2019, so I shall spare you from repeating myself. But I can tell you that Hadestown was entirely worth every penny! And I still can’t believe the random date I chose was the same day as my fellow Bodhi Brigade sisters, Alice and Cat, and new geek pal Sherry!

The women who played the Fates had the slickest and most haunting harmonies I’ve ever heard in my damn life, and Eva Noblezada was a force to be reckoned with as Eurydice. Reeve Carney’s portrayal of Orpheus was a sweet cinnamon roll that kind of makes you go “UGH” because he reminds you of every arty poetic guy you ever had a crush on (or is it just me?). Everyone involved was incredible! I’m at loss for more synonyms to say “amazing.” I guess all I can really say is if you’re a lover of mythology, poetry, and musicals, Hadestown is for you.

I’m going to try and find some time to write up about all the fun things I’ve been up to this year! From catching the train to Philadelphia at an ungodly hour for a day of museum hopping, to seeing Janet Jackson rock the stage in Las Vegas, to being a pilot on the Millennium Falcon — 2019 has been a whirlwind of AWESOME! What have y’all been up to? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers,
Nina

PPS: Catch the OBC’s performance of my favorite song from the 2019 Tony Awards!

#lampography

(photo of Reeve Carney courtesy of Alice Fanchiang)

geek style · out & about

Happy Haul-O-Ween

October 31, 2017August 30, 2018 Nina Penalosa1 Comment

Happy Halloween!!! Last month I got to go to Disneyland on the day that they officially kicked off all of their Halloween festivities, and this time around California Adventure got a spooky make-over too! Even though I’m not the biggest Cars fan, I absolutely loved the way they decorated Cars Land. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters had special Halloween tracks to accompany the rides, but my absolute favorite Halloween layover was Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout – Monsters After Dark. Every night at 6pm, they changed it so you go on a mission to save Baby Groot while monsters run amuck because of a security breach… or something along those lines.

Disney during the holidays is my absolute favorite time to go; it definitely brings a new level of magicalness to the parks!!

I usually dress in theme when I go to Disneyland too, but this time around I got lazy (hey, it happens!), so I opted to wear all black and my dinosaur fossil skirt. I joked with my sister and said if anyone asks, I’m obscurely Disneybounding as the dinosaurs from the diorama on the train ride after everything goes to sh!t. 😛

I hope you all have a happy, spoopy, and safe Halloween! I’m heading to the Curran Theatre in San Francisco after work to see John and Hank Green for the Turtles All the Way Down tour!! What are y’all up to? Let me know in the comments section 🙂

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
top: Old Navy | cardigan: thrifted | hair flower: made by me
belt: Xhileration| skirt: Hot Topic (n/a) | shoes: Vans
nail wraps: Espionage Cosmetics (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about · pup life

Tourists for the Day: A San Francisco Adventure

August 12, 2016 Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

A couple of weeks ago (on Harry Potter’s birthday to be exact 😛 ), my Auntie Nelly randomly suggested that we go to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco for the day. I’m not sure what prompted the idea, but I was totally down to be a tourist for the day! When my sister and I were little, Auntie Nelly would take us to San Francisco all the time. She’d drive to Pier 39 and we’d spend the day walking around, looking at the shops (my go-to’s were the sea shell shop for abalone rings and the chocolate store for chocolate licorice), going to Chinatown, and then ride the cable car to downtown San Francisco. Ah, memories.

Along with Rory, we also brought our respective besties in tow — it was kind of like a Hernandez-Ladies-Take-Their-Besties-Out day. We didn’t do anything extremely touristy like go to Alcatraz (a.k.a. The Rock), take a boat tour, or whatever else is there expect for maybe eat at Boudin. If you go to that area, please don’t eat there. The Boudin at the mall downtown is fine, but both of the ones located there are just ridiculous.

The last time I went to Pier 39 was about four years ago, but I don’t really recall much of it since I wasn’t there for that long. But bringing Rory this time around, I didn’t realize that people actually brought their pups with them there. Naturally, he had a good time tugging on his leash and yapping anytime another canine passed by or pigeon came too close. Haha! Some butcher (I think that’s what he was…?) put a big lobster in Rory’s face when we passed by a fish market, which would’ve been the perfect “Snapchat moment” as Shanice put it. Even though we had his stroller with us (hell yes, my dog has a stroller), we didn’t really get to bring him into any stores except for a couple of dog ones we came across; one of them being Yap USA which is basically like Nordstrom for dogs. I’ll write about them in a future post because we picked up some cool stuff for Rory there. 🙂

Anyhow, I took a lot of pictures, so I thought it’d be fun to share them with you all!

cardigan: We Love Fine (buy here) | dress: Hot Topic (buy here)
belt: from a random dress | purse: Kate Spade (N/A)
shoes: Deflex Comfort (buy here)

Shanice and I have been talking about going back because there are some things we’d like to visit, like the Madame Tussauds was museum (we found a Morgan Freeman wax statue at some random tourist info spot) and Ghirardelli Square. We were there for a hot minute and didn’t even get ice cream or chocolate! Granted, it was pretty nippy out, but still. 😛

geek style · out & about

The Hall of Faces: Game of Thrones Exhibit

August 1, 2016 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

A couple of years ago I got to go to the offsite exhibit that Game of Thrones (GoT) put together for SDCC and it was so cool! They had tons of costumes from the show, a virtual reality simulator that made it feel like you were going up the Wall, a photo op to make it look like you were taking a picture with Drogon, and also one where you get to sit on the Iron Throne. They even had tattoo artists on hand for the first fifty people in line to get a free and super legit GoT tattoo! And everyone also got free t-shirts. I ended up not going last year, but I marked it as one of the top things I wanted to do at SDCC this year. It was really… underwhelming.

My sister, her fiance, and I waited three hours in line to get into the exhibit and all they had were three costumes (Arya, the Waif, and Jaqen,) photo ops with Arya’s sword Needle, the Iron Throne, two display cases of merch being sold at HBO.com, some sort of crown that shows people Arya wants to kill through Melisandre’s flames, and the Hall of Faces from the Temple of Black and White where you could get your own mug added, along with a souvenir print of the picture you took.

If you take a look at my blog post from the first exhibit I went to, you can see that it was pretty damn exciting.

Before getting thoroughly disappointed, I was super pumped to go because I’ve been fangirling over GoT a lot lately. And my crush on Pedro Pascal (Prince Oberyn Martell) has randomly flourished by tenfold, so I packed this Oberyn inspired outfit specifically for when I went to the GoT exhibit. I got it last year from Gold Bubble Clothing, and knew I had to have it when I saw pictures of it in one of their sneak peek posts on Instagram.

Oberyn was such a cool character — he was passionate, charismatic, full of swagger, and sexy as f*ck. How could I not be attracted to him?! I remember when his character was first introduced I was like, “Ooooh, I like him… he’s totally gonna die.” 😦 #RIPMySweetBB

How does one pose on the Iron Throne? #DidntKnowHowToPose

dress: Gold Bubble Clothing (buy here)
cardigan: Mossimo | belt: Xhileration
hair flower: Shop VDM (buy similar here)
shoes: Delfex Comfort (buy similar here)
Oberyn necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique

I’ll be back with more belated posts about my adventures at SDCC! Stay tuned, my little ponies 🙂

geek style · out & about

Anakin, You’re Breakin’ My Heart

May 17, 2016 Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

At the beginning of the month I got to go to Dapper Day at Disneyland! I knew for sure that I wanted to throw together a fancy looking Star Wars Disneybound, so I decided to seek inspiration from Queen Amidala. She is by far the most dapper character from the Star Wars universe as far as I’m concerned. I mean, the lady has tons of ensembles to choose from! For my Dapper Day outfit I decided to go for her most iconic look: the red and gold outfit we first see her in in Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

When brainstorming outfit ideas, I looked up pictures of it online and paid close attention to certain details as noted below:

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for awhile, you know I’m a stickler for details.

To emulate her headdress, I purchased maroon flower clips to stand in for the maroon lace and garnet gem, and I got these really pretty gold flowers at the Dapper Day Expo the night before. Thank goodness too, because I originally had a bunch of small gold flowers that I was going to put on bobby pins. What a nightmare that would’ve been to frantically make the night before! #ProfessionalProcrastinator

For the fur trimming, I took off the detachable brown fur collar of an old blazer I have and used it as a stole. As you can see in the pictures below, I put a Queen Amidala brooch I made on it along with a heart shaped Vader pin since Anakin’s her boo. I also used my little Darth Vader purse by Loungefly 😀

Other little details include a vintage orange ring that matches the orange bulbs along the hem of Amidala’s dress, a Princess Leia bracelet, and gold chandelier earrings that replicate the ornate gold embroidered details on her dress (or robe?).

It was so much fun seeing so many people dressed all fancy at the park! Hopefully I’ll be able to go to the next Dapper Day event in November, but plans have been made to go next spring 🙂 My friends and I are going to do dapper Marvel Disneybounds. I’m still trying to figure out if I want to do a Loki, Captain America, or Agent Carter inspired outfit. I have a year to decide though, so I’ll let Future Nina deal with that.

Were you at Dapper Day? If so, how’d you dress up? And if you weren’t, what kind of outfit would you like to put together if you did go? Let’s talk aboot it in the comments section!

dress: Material Girl (buy here) | belt: Xhileration (n/a)
gold flower hair clips: ShopVDM (buy similar here)
shoes: Deflex Comfort (buy similar here)
maroon flower hair clips: Hot Topic (buy simlar here)
faux fur stole: H&M (n/a) | Amidala brooch: made by me

out & about

The Book of Mormon

March 22, 2016 Nina Penalosa1 Comment

Hello! ding-dong

Last Tuesday my mom and I FINALLY watched The Book of Mormon. This is a musical we’ve been wanting to watch for years, and we’d always say we should watch it when it comes to San Francisco or Sacramento… except it’d always and come and go before we had a chance to buy tickets. This time around it came to Sacramento again and my mom managed to snag the last two tickets of its run! In case you’re not familiar with The Book of Mormon, it was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the dudes who created South Park, and Robert Lopez, the man who is 50% responsible for “Let It Go.” Sooo, you can only imagine how extremely crass the humor of the show was. There were moments where my mouth was left agape because I was like, “What the f*ck am I watching??? Did they just say that?!” Just listen to “Hasa Diga Eebowai” (with headphones on). But I totally loved the show! I was only familiar with “I Believe” since I remembered seeing Andrew Rannell’s performance on the Tony’s about 5 years ago.

Its protagonist, Elder Price, is sent to Uganda for his 2 year mission. He’s absolutely gutted as he’d been a devout Mormon, and believed that his prayers of being sent to Orlando would be answered. On top of that, he’s been paired with Elder Cunningham, a dweeby guy with a penchant for fabricating the truth. Elder Price has a hard time adjusting to the harshness of his new surroundings as him and Elder Cunningham were mugged on arrival to the village by a warlord named General Butt-F*cking-Naked (I kid you not). Unable to reach the people with his faith, Elder Price has had enough and storms off saying he’s putting in a request for just him to transfer to Orlando, leaving Elder Cunningham behind. However, a girl named Nabulungi is entranced by the idea of the salvation Salt Lake City could possibly bring to her and her people, and seeks Elder Price. But, with him gone it’s up to Elder Cunningham, and his penchant for fabricating the truth ensues as he’s actually never read The Book of Mormon.

Okay, that’s all I’ll say about the plot. It’s incredibly hilarious though, but if you’re religious and quite sensitive and reserved, I would skip. And maybe stop reading because the pictures below might make you faint…

After the show was done, the actor that played Elder Price talked to the audience about Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS and what we as an audience could do to help support the cause. He also said if we didn’t donate, Jesus would think we’re a dick (inside joke from show). Actors from the show were out on the mezzanine with buckets for cash donations, and there were other goods you could get for a certain price. For $20 you could take a picture with Jesus and Satan! I mean, $20 seems like a lot for a picture, but the money was going to a good cause and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! The actor who played Satan was so nice when it was my turn. He said he liked my flower and that the snake from his costume was probably going to be in it. I actually felt his costume snag my hair. And look at what a gentleman Jesus was; he left enough room between us for God. 🙂

I’d definitely watch The Book of Mormon again should it ever return to a city near me! Have you seen it or any other musicals recently? Let’s talk about it in the comments section 😀

geek style · out & about

[Self-Rescuing] Birthday Princess

January 17, 2016 Nina Penalosa6 Comments

A long time ago (30 years exactly) in galaxy far, far away, I was born on the 12th of January.

OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS. I’M 30 NOW.

Like I mentioned in previous posts, I kicked off this brand new decade of life at the Happiest Place on Earth! I went from the 10th-12th, so I also got to celebrate my last day as a 20-something there too. When one celebrates their birthday, they should dress for the occasion — at least that’s what I believe. Since I knew I was heading to Disney, it only felt right to channel some princess vibes. Princess Leia was the obvious choice for my birthday outfit inspiration because Star Wars has taken over my life for the past few months. Duuuuh. How perfect is Her Universe‘s Leia inspired dress?! I also accessorized with a Han Solo necklace I made, a Chewbacca ring, a heart shaped pin with Darth Vader, and bracelets that say mine and Rory’s name in Aurebesh (which you can get made in Tomorrowland).

I got to meet Darth Vader when I went to Disneyland in November, but this time around I also got to meet Chewbacca too! And Boba Fett… who is a dick… so I shall not speak of him. We went to the Star Wars Launchbay where Darth and Chewie are the day before my birthday too, but I wanted to go back because I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take pictures with them in my Leia outfit! Meeting Darth Vader is scary as hell, you guys. When I went in he paced in front of me and sized me up, and then said that he sensed my allegiance to the Empire was very strong (because he saw my heart shaped Vader pin), but said to not let my judgement misguide me as he gestured towards the Han Solo necklace I was wearing. AH!! He’s so intimidating. As I was walking away the cast member said, “Congratulations, you have officially joined the Empire.” Weee! But then I got to go see Chewie and he gives hugs! He probably wouldn’t have hugged me if I wore my Vader pin, so I took it off. And the cast members on the Rebels side are much cheerier — they wished me a happy sun cycle while the Empire congratulated me on my anniversary of life and asked what my serial number was. Anyhow, wookiee hugs are fantastic because it’s like you’re hugging a really big dog on its hind legs. Chewie was also super stoked when I showed him my big ring with his face one it 😀 At first he gestured for me to stand on his right side, but I asked if I could stand on his left since that’s my good side (gotta know your good angles!), and the cast member told him that I want to show off my flower and then he looked at me and patted the flower on my head. HE’S SO CUTE OMG. ♥♥♥

I’ll be posting a few more things from my birthday trip to Disneyland, so stay tuned for more Vader awkwardness! 🙂

dress: Her Universe (buy here) | cardigan: Old Navy
shoes: Vans (buy here) | necklace: made by me (buy here)

(photos by my seester & Disneyland cast members)

Cheers,Nina

Cheers,Nina

Cheers,Nina

Cheers, Nina

:: OUTFIT DETAILS :: top: Old Navy | cardigan: thrifted | hair flower: made by me belt: Xhileration| skirt: Hot Topic (n/a) | shoes: Vans nail wraps: Espionage Cosmetics (buy similar here)

Cheers, Nina

Cheers,
Nina

Cheers,
Nina

Cheers,
Nina

Cheers,
Nina

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
top: Old Navy | cardigan: thrifted | hair flower: made by me
belt: Xhileration| skirt: Hot Topic (n/a) | shoes: Vans
nail wraps: Espionage Cosmetics (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina