Blue Sky and Hard Rock

Summertime

2009-06-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggers! I realize it's been months since my last blog. Unfortunately, sometimes work and life itself get in the way of leisure. Anyways, it's summertime in LA and I'm loving it - for the first time in my life, as I have always hated summers. Just wanted to show off my new fave article of clothing - Breton tops - and wish you guys a great summer. xoxo, Michelle

My Stint as a Wedding Photographer

2009-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

The weather's been crazy here in LA lately! Much like in London, as reported earlier this morning by my cousin Klimie. That sorta ruins your mood to put on a good outfit coz more likely, you'd just rather be comfortable in your gym pants and tank tops.

But my life hasn't been all that dull. There was my short stint as a wedding photographer for my friend Lia's grandparent's renewal of vows two weeks ago. Check out the photos.

More Oovoo Pics... Lmao!

2009-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Present Addictions

2009-04-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for months. You'd think that since I'm finished with school and am home most of the time reviewing for the board exam I'd have more blog posts. But since discovering Twitter, Facebook, and most recently, Oovoo; I have had done nothin but.

Add me on Twitter Add me on Facebook Add me on Oovoo Add me on Flickr

What the heck was Spin thinking calling The Airborne Toxic Event "a blend of Brit rock sensibility and SoCal energy"?

2009-03-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

"A blend of Brit rock sensibility and Southern California energy, the Airborne Toxic Event is what would happen if Morrissey and Franz Ferdinand shared a summer home." - Spin.com

In my opinion, the "Spin Staff" who wrote this didn't stay long enough to actually hear the rest of the songs in The Airborne Toxic Effect's first full length album. Admittedly, Does This Mean You're Movin' On? and Gasoline are catchy and on occasion, may make you want to get up and dance - or sway, more like. But truthfully, there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about this band - if you can call them that. Their sound is familiar, reminding me of some forgotten 90s band, and their music is dull and numbing. Their songs, most of which literally sound the same, do not evoke any kind of emotion and bear no trace of "Brit rock sensibility" or "Southern California energy" at all. How dare them insult the likes of Franz Ferdinand and the Beach Boys?! Hopefully, they don't stay on stage in the Coachella Festival long enough to actually bore people to death. This is music for pansies.

Here and back again...

2009-03-16T13:34:00.002-07:00

My classes were over three weeks ago, thank God. But I've been so horribly busy studying for the major, major, major! exam and reviewing for the NCLEX that I haven't had time to actually do some posts. On the brighter side, I did catch up on the latest movie and album releases as I cannot, for the life of me, learn anything without the tv or my iPod on. Consider them my "visual and audio aids". I need noise to study, silence distracts me. Although, Ralph Fiennes' big "rich old man" belly in The Duchess has proved to be a distraction also...

Well actually, beyond the level of annoyance, more like.

Here are some other photos from our Getty Museum trip...

The Getty Museum trip was more of photo shoot rather than a school field trip but we did see a Van Gogh...

2009-02-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Mad About Plaid

2009-01-31T15:40:00.000-08:00

It's harder to accept someone's kindness and unwavering selflessness...

2009-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing." I found this line when I first read his novel, The Sun Also Rises, years back. I remembered it last night.

Today, there's little tears left. But last night, this huge amount of regret and sadness was overcoming me as I laid on my bed and I had to talk to somebody who knew my grandfather well, who was with him in the last few years of his life.

I called my aunt and asked her if she thought he had been sad because I haven't kept in touch. She said no, that he understood. She said that he was very proud of me, that he was very glad that I'm doing something important for me now.

Inwardly, I was unable to accept those words, wishing for something other than his understanding. It sounds selfish I know but all I thought of was that it wasn't fair for him to understand, that it wasn't fair for him to just accept that his grandchildren had moved on with their lives without him and to just be happy for them.

Coping with the death of a loved one isn't something I'm good at...

2009-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 26, 2009
10:00 pm

My grandfather died of a heart attack early this morning…

… and it seems as if I cannot find the right words to express whatever it is I’m feeling right now….

I can do a Scarlett O’Hara impersonation and say, “I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.” but I feel like I would be doing the kindest man I have ever known a great dishonor.

I look around the apartment and I feel emptiness. Nothing in it had any memory of my grandfather. Everything – from the number of books I have that lay cluttered everywhere to the photo frames that house recent pictures - feels inconsequential and unreal because he had never touched nor seen any of them. Even I have no memory of him in this place. There is nothing here but well, nothingness.

I had cried an ocean when my mother told me what had happened. I called my dad and cried. I talked to my aunt and cried. I told my best friend and cried. And now, there is nothing left but numbness…

… and remorse.

My summers as a little girl were filled with memories of him. Every day, he sat on an old wooden bench in front of his general store, watching and observing passers-by and making conversations with people he has practically known all his adult life. At times, I also sat there with him and listened to such conversations or watched the goings-on with him while fanning myself senseless to battle the scorching heat. He often made lunch especially for me, always asking me what I wanted to eat. He always ate alone, before everybody else does, so I used to watch him eat his noodle soup or his rice congee with chopsticks, amazed by his speed and the slurping sounds he made as he ate. And every night, I played store with him and my grandmother. I found stuff around their house, put them up on display on my makeshift store with my grandma’s help and sold everything to him one by one. In return, he paid me imaginary currency.

I don’t feel remorse because I didn’t love him enough. On the contrary, I loved him a great deal. Did I mention that he was the kindest man I have ever known? One could not help but love him. He was tranquility and contentment in the flesh. He was happy with living a simple, quiet life in a small town with the people he loved most. From the years I’ve known him, he was always content, never wanting. If anything, the only wanting he was ever did was for his children and grandchildren to be safe, happy, and living good lives. My dad, I have noticed, is like him in that perspective.

There are times when I wish I had inherited that quality from him. Unfortunately and to my parents’ despair, it seems that the only thing I have inherited from him is his penchant for cigarettes. In a way, I am his total opposite as while he was always satisfied with his life, I am always desperately wanting.

Earlier tonight, friends asked me the same question several times, “Were you and your grandfather close?” Several times, I paused and inwardly asked myself “Were we?” before I answered. I always answered: “Yes, we were.” But I think the more fitting response should had been, ”We used to be then private school happened, I grew up to be the self-serving, insensitive brat I am now, and I stopped being his granddaughter.” And that is where the remorse is coming from.

There is regret because despite of all the chances I have had, I cannot remember a time when I actually told or shown him that I loved him, never once. There is regret because the last time I saw him years back, I spent like five minutes talking to him, not understanding the words he was uttering because of his Chinese accent; and because in those years following, I didn’t even bother to write him a letter telling him that I loved and missed him.

And now, I won’t be able to…

I thought about him two days ago. I distinctly remember walking down the hallway, suddenly thinking that when I finish school and finally get a job, I’ll save up enough money to go back home for a holiday and spoil him rotten with gifts like he did to me when I was little. I like to think now that maybe that was his way of saying goodbye.

There’s a deep sense of nostalgia now. I wonder if in those recent years, he thought of me and felt sad because I haven’t called him up to say hello. I wonder if I had hurt his feelings because I kept him out of my life, however unintentional. I wonder if he had felt alone and lonely and maybe even unwanted.

I hope he never felt that way. I hope that maybe the only reason why I haven’t kept in touch with him was because I was procrastinating, because I figured that if we don’t get a chance to catch up and say our hellos and goodbyes, he would actually stay with us longer. It’s like if I still have all these things that need doing, I would have more time to actually do them. I truly hope that that’s it because the alternative – that I just didn’t care for anything but myself – isn’t something he deserved.

I think about the afterlife. Is there such thing? I’m skeptic but I'm hopeful, if that makes any sense. We would never see or speak to each other again in this lifetime, my grandfather and I, but I hope that we will see each other in the next life and I will get another chance to talk to him again.

Seeing Red and Seeing Spots

2009-01-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Spending my time off not reading school stuff but equally important, catching up on movies I have missed

2009-01-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Wanted (James McAvoy's blue eyes are dreamy! Loved him in Wimbledon, loved him in Narnia, loved him in Atonement!)
Pineapple Express (fuckin' hilarious)
City By The Sea (James Franco 'nuf reason for ya?)
Man On Wire (very interesting)
Mamma Mia (love the soundtrack and Greece)
Sisterhood of Traveling Pants 2 (again, love Greece)
Little Miss Sunshine (adorable)
Tropic Thunder (practically made me wet my pants!!)

Up next....

LOTR movies (a refresher course)
The Reader
The Constant Gardener (never did get to finish this movie)
Schindler's List (my parents refused to let me watch it when it came out and I never got around to doing it now that I can)
Life As A House (i dunno why....)
Jellyfish (heard great reviews)
Slumdog Millionaire (Golden Globe Best Motion Picture... well, duh)

Revolutionary Road forces us to realize...

2009-01-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Heartbreaking and intense, Leo and Kate's latest movie Revolutionary Road, forces us to realize that following an unexceptional life of conformity can be deathly dull and extremely dissatisfying.

It is definitely one of the best movies of 2008 and definitely one of my favorites!!!

New Chucks Make Me Happy

2009-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

I gotta get these babies dirty...

Golden Globes Didn't Disappoint Me This Year

2009-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Soooo, soooo happy that Kate Winslet finally won her long overdue Golden Globe. She actually came home last night with two for Best Supporting and Best Leading Actress (for The Reader and Revolutionary Road). She definitely, definitely deserved them, being one of the best actresses of our time.

And Heath Ledger, too, for winning Best Supporting actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight (excellent movie, if I may say so)!

A Little Music and Several Cups of Coffee

2009-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Photos by blueskyandhardrock

Chucks

2009-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Cardigan from H&M, plaid dress from Renei, gray tights from H&M, blue satin bow bobby pins from Forever21
I got my pink Chuck Taylors from three years ago in San Francisco
Photos by Lia

Pretty In Pink

2009-01-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

I Am And Will Always Be A Hopeless Romantic

2009-01-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

A happy year of the ox to everybody! Hope your holidays were as nice and lovely as mine was... well, with the exception of last night's festivities when I was reluctantly absent as I was medicated (I had a cold) and thus was in deep slumber.

I wake up this morning feeling loads better, thank God, and I discover a friend, whom I haven't seen for months, lying on our couch and watching tv. She has come back to LA from the Bay Area following what can only be described as a catastrophic marriage to a psychotic middle-aged gambler. Turns out she has finally left his penniless ass for good. Not a bad time for making a brand new start.

A couple of cups of coffee (it was too early for the alcoholic goodies I have leftover from my birthday), several stogs, and all horrendous details of the said marriage later; she insists that she is, in fact, done with men and with love forever and is going to direct all her energy to her career. I could not, for the life of me, offer words of aggreement and support to her lunatic decision.

See, I have done quite a lot of reading lately. I have just consumed more literature (in the loosest sense of the word) in a month than I had in the ten months prior. This, I admit, includes Alexa Chung's Girl About Town column in The Independent. It has become a guilty pleasure of mine not because I am enjoying her boring and what-seems-to-be-endless pointless ramblings, which she's trying to pass off as better than crappy writing, but because I am rejoycing in the fact that London's 'It-Girl', the girl who has captured the heart of Alex Turner, could possibly be nothing more than a pretentious, self-absorbed girl with mediocre intelligence. I mean, if the girl was writing a personal blog it would probably have been fine but she is supposed to be a columnist for The Independent, for sobbing out loud.

Anyways, having just finished reading three chic-lits in two consecutive days (a direct result of finding out that the holidays still get a bit lonely when you are single and dateless even if you are surrounded by friends and family), I have finally admitted to myself that I am and will always be a hopeless romantic despite all the disappointments the fates have thrown at me in the love department.

I think it was Harriet Evans and her delightful novel, A Hopeless Romantic, that finally convinced me that I wasn't such a pragmatist after all. It is very unnerving how an author, who lived hundreds of miles away and whom I have never met, could create a character that is a more or less a perfect embodiment of me. I mean, look, she is no Jane Austen but she has restored my faith in finding the right man for me and finally falling in love the way the heroines do in the novels.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a fool to think that I’d meet a handsome marquis or an irresistible vampire who seems to have developed a soul and live happily ever after. I am reasonable enough to know that that stuff only happens in novels (or maybe to a selected, blessed few). I am, after all, just a regular girl. But I do hope of something extraordinary to happen to me in the future and of meeting “The One” for me (images of walks in the beach, coffee shop conversations about books and music, romantic backpacking in Europe and the Caribbean, and quiet times at home, watching tv come to mind) and have my own version of ever after.

Klimie's Gift

2008-12-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my dear sweet cousin, Klimie, who I apparently forgot to put on my Christmas list and who apparently noticed the absence of her name. I'd like to give her what she wants most right now - that would be Edward from Twilight - but they haven't discovered that kind of magic that brings book characters to life and make them fall in love with you yet and she has tons of clothes already (she shops on her lunch breaks!) so I really don't know what to get her. Maybe if she takes a week off work and flies to LA from London to visit me, her favorite cousin, then she can pick out the gift herself. Hint hint!

Neutral Colors

2008-12-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Renei of Gray Veins, who is of course my "personal shopper and stylist", got me this cute gray mini skirt and the black shirt. I'm usually a color person but recently I've been wearing lots of neutral colors. I've grown fond grays which is weird coz I never really used to own anything gray.

Thoughts of Looming Late Twenties

2008-12-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

So there I am, donning my favorite gray cardi and my new plaid shirt which my bestfriend gave me, and as usual, my mind is brimming with thoughts about things that could never be. Soon enough, my mom rudely pulls me out of my happy land and asks me if I wanted a party for my coming birthday. I stop, not knowing what to say.

The truth is that it completely slipped out of my mind that I'm having my birthday in a few days. I haven't even really thought about how I wanted to spend it. I guess it is true that as you get older, you are less inclined to get excited about the day you officially get a year older.

I never really thought I would become one of those women who worry about their age. My previous stance was to never worry about the prospect of getting old. Yet here I am, grappling with the fact that I am about to be 26, career-less still and with tons of unfinished lists in my hands - booklist, music list, travel list, list of languages I want to learn, list of things I want to do.

At this rate, I'm beginning to think I'm completely incapable of making something of myself. It's like I'm waiting to be some place wonderful so I can finally start my life when the fact is that my life had already started and I had horribly put up a wall against it. As a rule of life, it's a trap that many people fall into. Though, again, I never thought I'd be one of them.

I am a bit rattled. I think it is high time for me to stop dreaming of sweeping oceans and start sailing them instead.

Folk-lores

2008-12-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to folk music right now and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and longing for some small town tranquility and romanticism. Nobody loves big cities more than I do but they can get a little exhausting to live in at times. How I'd give anything just to see the red and gold of New England right now. I miss autumn in New England. It calms me down. It's like folk music. If there's one thing I love about USA, it is its good ol' contemporary folk rock music. Ooh I can listen to Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith and Josh Ritter all day. There's something about their music that relaxes me and makes me want to stop and smell the scent of the earth (although, admittedly, that sounds weird).

If you'd like to listen to some great music, check out the soundtrack from House, M.D. (the tv show with Hugh Laurie as House). It features some really cool stuff.

Gilt Groupe Sample Sales

2008-12-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Marc By Marc Jacobs Sample Sale is tomorrow, December 18 at 12pm EST.

Renei's A Genius

2008-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

My bestest bestfriend Renei bought me this plaid dress. She is a genius! I am in love! This dress is soooo me. I especially love the big ribbon on its side. I think this is the first time I've worn these t-strap pumps I got from 2 years ago.

Note: Please do not pay attention to my mom's messy closet.

Guitar Hero!!!

2008-12-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

We finally got our Guitar Hero World Tour last Sunday! So happy! I figured since my wonderful friend Ken, who promised to teach me how to play the drums, is not about to make good of his promise anytime soon; I'll just practice with Guitar Hero. It's not the real deal but it'll do for now until I can afford such lessons.

9 More Days To Go...

2008-12-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

On my way to Best Buy with mom and Joey to get Guitar Hero World Tour

It's the holidays. I can actually see and feel it now - from the houses adorned with Christmas lights and decors and the cold weather we are having here in LA (Finally! Overdue much?) to the excited chatter of kids talking about what they think they're getting from Santa come Christmas morning and the amount of cash the adults are practically throwing out to shops for gifts. 9 more days to go... and I haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet!

Here's the stuff I still need to buy:

Toys for Joey
iPod Touch for Renei
a cute something for Lia (Put it this way... I'll know when I see it!)
another cute something for Sara
Christmas cards

Hmm... not bad. I can get those in one day.

Going Vintage

2008-12-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

Friday was my mom's company's Christmas party and I was having a case of nostalgia so I decided to put together something vintage-looking.

I got this pretty 70s skirt from Francesca a.k.a ThirteenEightyFive, who sells wonderful stuff on Etsy.com. Sooo crazy about it!

Flower headband from Icing By Claire's, mint green vintage-looking top borrowed from Lia,
cotton tights from Forever 21, baby dolls from ebay.com (i think)

Flower headband from Icing By Claire's, pink cardigan from Pink Ice,
belt stolen from my mom's closet, bag from H&M, cotton tights from Forever 21,
baby dolls from ebay.com (i think)

Martinis and Tequilas All Around

2008-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last week had been full of final exams to pass and school projects to submit; very, very hectic. On top of that, I had two early Christmas parties I need to attend. And while I'm not one to pass on free drinks (which, of course, I didn't), I think my brain is quite dehydrated from all the liquor and cigarettes I had consumed. I know for sure that I had been for the past six days, mental even. So you really cannot blame me for going to Thursday's party channeling Madonna during her Like A Virgin days. But whatever. I still liked my outfit.

Flower headband from Icing By Claire's, Monday necklace from my cousin Kala, beads from the Philippines, black party dress from H&M,
knee high tights from Target, black pumps (not pictured) from Charlotte Russe

I seem to have formed some sort of attachment to this paper plate. Wierd.

Going Out to Shop

2008-12-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Blue top from Old Navy 2 years ago; Monday charm necklace from my cousin Kala in London;
beads for the Philippines; skirt from a shop in Charleston, SC; tights from H&M; t-strap pumps from Ebay.

Short, Random Thoughts on Twilight and Rob Pattinson

2008-12-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Twilight movie does get better the second time around.... It's less uncomfortable the second time you watch it, I think. I guess the first time I saw it, I kept wanting to give Robert Pattinson some acting classes. Not that his lack of acting ability changes how adorable, charming and endearing he is. Let's face it. The man cannot transform himself into the Edward we all know, love and worship for the life of him but he does have the power to make us smile when he smiles, laugh when he laughs and melt whenever he does that hair combing thing with his hand. My, my, my. I think we are all doomed to waste away longing for this man.

Bringing Back the Classics

2008-12-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

This week has not been very productive for me. I've been lazier than usual since I came back from San Francisco, actually.

I have been watching a few classical movies lately on TCM On Demand, which we may consider a part of my unending self-education:

Wuthering Heights (1970, Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall)
Roberta (1935, Irene Dunne and Fred Astaire)
The Bishop's Wife (1947, Cary Grant)

Dreaming of Wuthering Heights

2008-12-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

Wuthering Heights, First Edition. Title Page. Photo from Wikipedia.org.

Though I didn’t really completely understood Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights the first time I read it, its first few pages which I can only describe as ghastly and the passionate yet turbulent relationship between Catherine and Healthcliff, which is much like the raging winds of Northern England, had ignited my fascination for the dark, the dreary, and the heavy drama enough to have me reading the book over and over again for years. It had since become one of my favorite books.

Moors of Northern England. Photos from wikipedia.org.

Since reading this and Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, I would - from time to time - find my thoughts wandering off to the moors of Yorkshire where I would roam alone for hours, with only my thoughts to keep me company. As Mr. Lockwood would put it, "In all of England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society." It's funny how a place like this could be so miserable, cold, and harsh to most people yet so appealing to me. Not that I'm a loner or even a misanthropist. I just value peace and serenity. Living in big cities for most of your life does that to you, I guess.

I just recently saw the 1970 film adaptation of the book, with Timothy Dalton playing Healthcliff (yum!!) and Anna Calder-Marshall as Catherine. I was disappointed that it excluded the story of their children, which I think is a very important part of the story. It was a fairly good movie, however, and it brought me back to my fantasies of running wild in the moors, not having to worry about time and people and well, life...

My New Forever 21 Tights

2008-11-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

My Holiday Dress

2008-11-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

I was at H&M Topanga yesterday and to my delight, the cute Chinese girl behind the counter clued me in on the fact that some of their Holiday Collection pieces are already available at the store. Most of the pieces aren't as fabulous as I expected them to be but I did like some, more precisely the blue party dress that I have been fixated on for weeks. And of course, typical me, I can't stop thinking about it since I've seen and held it in my hands. So I expect another visit to the store soon...

Shop Tales of San Francisco

2008-11-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

When I was young, my mom used to wake us up at around 5am on Christmas Day so we can begin the traditional opening of gifts waiting under our fake Christmas tree (we were living in the tropics then thus the absence of real fir trees).

It's different now. Now, my family normally does not celebrate holidays. It's not like we do not believe in them anymore. We still do. It's just that my parents stopped caring about, well, tradition. They'd rather spend their money on stuff that they need and want rather than on Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, a party for the New Year, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Instead, we started our own tradition. During the holidays, more often than not and if our schedules permit, we travel.

This Thanksgiving we spent up north in San Francisco. Traveling with family isn't always as much fun as when you're with friends but it was okay. We were all in dire need of a vacation, anyways. And we still had our traditional turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffings, mashed potatoes, pies, and wine.

Outfit: Gray Cardigan from H&M, Purple Plaid Skirt from Macy's, Black Tights from Hue, Black Bag from H&M, Bootie Pumps from Charlotte Russe

More important than Thanksgiving Day, however, is the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) when shops open as early as 12 midnight to offer us, the shop-crazed consumers, doorbuster (figuratively and literally) deals and dirt-cheap prices on the dresses or the pairs of shoes or the mp3 players we have laid in bed for hours longing for.

Fortunately, we were staying at the Hilton San Francisco on O'Farrell and Mason in downtown Frisco. Aside from the friendly and helpful staff and the fairly nice rooms, this hotel is about location, location, location!

Hilton San Francisco. Photo from hilton.com.

We were practically in the middle of Frisco's shopping district, what with H&M, Macy's, UO, Forever21, and Victoria's Secret a block or two away and Westfield San Francisco and the San Francisco Shopping Center on Market Street, just 15 minutes away on foot. Definitely a hotel to stay in when you're in the area.

Photo 1 Outfit: Plaid Shirt Dres from a vintage shop, Leggings from Hue, Pumps from Charlotte Russe
Photo 2 Outfit: Casual Black Dress from Billabong, Gray Cardi from H&M, Black Wool Coat from Victoria's Secret

Unfortunately for me, I was so tired from walking around San Francisco in heels the day before (I forgot to bring a more comfortable pair of shoes) and I had a bit of wine that night that I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed when H&M opened their doors at 12 midnight. Not surprisingly, the store was still full of people by the time I got there at around 7am. There wasn't much left that I liked but I did get this fabulous lace party dress for 20% less.

Pretty, Pretty Skirts

2008-11-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

Mini skirts worn high-waisted are what this fall season is all about. I'm pleased that LA has finally caught up with that fabulosity. Well, maybe there's a bit of cringing there also because EVERYBODY is wearing them. But nevermind that.

I was doing a little online browsing, like always, and found myself drooling at these pretties on topshop.com.

Weekenditis

2008-11-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

And More... I'm Feeling Rather Philosophical..

2008-11-19T11:35:00.001-08:00

happiness is a state of mind... it's not about what you have or who you're with or where you're at... it's about looking at things in a positive and unique perspective...

More Random Thoughts....

2008-11-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

most of the time, we are kinder to other people than to ourselves...

we spend our time trying to please people because we want to be accepted and we want to be loved, even under false pretenses... so we give them everything they want and we sacrifice what we want... more often than not, we say "yes" - even if we mean "no" and we end up detesting ourselves - because we want to be liked...

also, we beat ourselves up... how often do we hear ourselves saying stuff like "she always looks good in pictures and i always look ugly." or "i'm so stupid." or "i wish i could be as talented as her." it's no wonder a lot of people feel unhappy and it's no wonder a lot of people think they're not good enough for anything...

Top Dresses

2008-11-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

all i want for Christmas are these three Topshop dresses...

If Forever 21 was my closet,

2008-11-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'd wear it like Daisy Lowe...

Forever 21: LOVE Tee ($13.80), Lace Up Satin Trim Skirt ($22.80),

Ellie Elastic Sling Pump ($24.80), Sweater Tights ($8.80),

Triple Heart Necklace ($6.80), Jeweled Chrysanthemum Ring ($4.80)

If Urban Outfitters was my closet,

2008-11-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'd wear it like Alexa Chung...

Urban Outfitters: Silence & Noise Motorcycle Jacket ($128),
Ecote Slub Printed Tunic ($54),
We Who See Peeptoe Foldover Bootie ($49.99),
Destination Charm Necklace ($24), Opaque Tights ($12)

Kings of Leon on Another Manic Monday

2008-11-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

...listening to Kings of Leon's Be Somebody, Manhattan and Cold Desert.

Dreams of Socks

2008-11-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I never really cared much for earrings, they bother me when I'm on the phone. Necklaces and bracelets are ok and I'd wear them if I remember to but they get in my way sometimes.

If I were asked what my favorite accessories are, I would say socks and tights. They are absolutely fabulous AND they're functional. Sock Dreams, an online-based store that features the best selection of socks and tights in the US, is my favorite socks shop. Not only do they sell hard-t0-find designs and good quality products, they're very affordable too.

Fierce Winds and Wildfires

2008-11-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Stepping outside of a friend's house where we were having a house party for a quick stog, J was quick to notice a small lighted area on a hill a short distance away. From afar, it looked like a patch of light cast by the setting sun hiding behind the hills. But it was several minutes after 10pm.

We soon realized it was a fire burning in the Sylmar area here good ol' LA. Little did we know at that time that this fire would be "the most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century" (AFP, 2008). With the Santa Ana winds blowing fiercely, we watched as the Sayre/Sylmar Fire triple its size within an hour.

Photos from the Associated Press (AP)

The Sayre Fire, which reportedly already destroyed 500 mobile homes, is second in the series of wildfires to wreck havoc in SoCal since Thursday. The first one was the Tea Fire in Montecito in Santa Barbara County. It started on Thursday and has already destroyed more than 100 homes. A third fire broke out today in Corona and Yorba Linda in Orange County and has destroyed at least 10 homes. (Check out the SoCal Fire Locations on the map.)

Considering the extent of the damage these three fires are causing to several thousands of acres of land and the huge number of people who lost their homes and possessions, it doesn't seem right for me to complain about the thick ash that has descended upon us living in the west of the Valley. But as I walked out of my apartment at 8:30 in the morning today (still hungover from the night before), thick ash and smoke hit me full blast in the face and I could hardly breathe. It's 7:45 pm now and the air is as cloudy as ever.

Downtown LA Skyline, Photo from the Associated Press

It's F***ing Hot and I'm Wearing Tights

2008-11-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

Go By EJ's Secret Path

2008-11-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Since winning the 2008 Fashion Fringe Event, Go By A Secret Path by Eun Jeong Hong has captured the attention of fashionistas everywhere. And deservingly so, EJ's designs are artistic, intricate, and elegant; and yet they manage portray simplicity. Her Grecian-themed white collection for Spring/Summer 09 is full of flowy, cascading lace, woven ropes and toga-style pieces.

There's a sense of quiet elegance to this collection. It sure is a fresh break from all the crazy trends we have now, not that I have anything to complain about.

Makes you wanna go out and buy something white and Grecian though, doesn't it?

Yellow Means Happiness

2008-11-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Jimmy

2008-11-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

At $995.00 a pair, these babies are a "need-to-have" for your spring wardrobe. Splurging on a really great pair of shoes once in a while won't hurt, will it? Well, maybe a little... Still, rumor has it that our spring fling will not with some tanned Greek gods of men basking under the warm sun. It will be with COLOURS.

Jimmy Choo Rainbow snake sandal

Marc by Marc Jacobs S/S 09 Collection

2008-11-13T10:26:00.001-08:00

I love colors. I can never feel complete until I wear something bright or colorful. It just adds personality to the whole outfit, I think. And I'm all for a splash of colors. I totally admire women who can mix and match bright colors and wear them all at once. It takes a certain combination of creativity, courage, and confidence to make that work.

I am neither creative nor courageous enough, however.

Fortunately, there's Marc by Marc Jacobs. Edgy, retro and uber cool, Marc Jacobs has done right by this collection, always mixing together bright and neutral colors and making them accessible to the less bold middle-class such as I.

His Spring/Summer 09 Collection doesn't fail to impress.

But one doesn't really change spots overnight, does one? Despite the perfection of his colorful pieces, I think I am absolutely in love with these, er, shall I say, sober ones.

Can you say B-U-R-N-O-U-T?

2008-11-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sick of school. I need a break. I need New York! I only have four months left but I'm just bored with all the repetition. I am on the verge of dropping everything, packing my bags and flying off to see Ms. Liberty.

A Lavender Veteran

2008-11-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

It's Veteran's Day and we all know what that means - the Macy's Veteran's Day Sale! Unfortunately, since right now, I am in that situation where I don't have the convenience to shop, I'm at home trying my hand at sewing, watching the NCIS marathon on USA and stuffing my face with hot cheetos.

It's painful, I know. My only comfort is that my unemployment won't last very long. Four months and counting...

So I found this lavender dress buried in a pile of my old clothes. I bought it two years ago in downtown Charleston when I was living there but I've never worn it since it was too long.

I remembered being so in love this color back in high school. I was all about lavender: lavender bag, lavender pens, lavender dresses, contact lenses with the hint of lavender shade... It's very soothing, I think, like calamine and it's very easy on the eyes. I couldn't remember when it stopped being my favorite color but I've never stopped liking it.

Anyways, the dress had a uniquely intricate and bohemian design, therefore a potential. It was still really long for my taste, however, so i cut it short and wore it with black tights from HUE (really great quality tights and leggings), a pair of black mary janes, and a charm necklace also from a couple of years ago.

Saturday Night Live

2008-11-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

Dailywear

2008-11-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Random Thoughts....

2008-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

so, i’m sitting in front of my computer waiting for my bestfriend’s email and listening to franz ferdinand and razorlight when i thought to myself…

it’s human nature to be scared of doing the things we really wanna do because there’s the possiblity of failure. it’s natural to just fall back to mediocrity because it’s comfortable and it’s safe. but if we are so much capable of greater things, how could we stand back and watch other people realize our own dreams? how can we be completely happy with ourselves if we settle for what’s comfortable when we know we want more, when we know we deserve more?

people who shoot for the stars may never reach the stars but they’d still be high up there, looking down on those sitting on their laurels.

Hello hello...

2008-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow internet surfers and bloggers! Blue Sky and Hard Rock is about anything under the sun - music, fashion, books, photography, movies, television, and travel... anything that draws my interest and stimulates my mind.

A great way to meet people and gain some new friends is through an interesting and friendly conversation so feel free to comment if you like. Happy reading...