Paint it Black

I'm attempting a nonchalant "oh what, me?" look while tugging on my shoe; instead, I make a disgruntled egghead. Seriously, since when was my head that oblong?

FUN FACT. I actually had another outfit planned for today, but when I fell out of bed, I didn't ... feel like that outfit anymore. Y'know what I mean? Please tell me you know what I mean. I mean, I'd like to think she would get what I sorta mean, because I was reminded of it earlier. Isn't "mean" a funny word when you say it over and over? Mean. Mean. Meeeean. Mean. Nonsensical, sleep-deprived ramblings aside, the main reason was that I wasn't feeling so hot (to put it kindly) when I woke up. So in consolation, I wrapped myself in black, with one white, pleated punctuation.

And of course, the obligatory music post. I couldn't very well quote a song without posting it, dear GOD man!

OK fine, that wasn't so fun of a fact. It was slightly bemusing at best. Uh, uhmmm-- FUN FACT. Did you know that Lincoln totally fought vampires? It's true.

Oh, crap. My face was cut off. Ouch. Let's try that again.

Just like the Lord of the Rings DVDs, this is the uncut version (ah haw haw).

Bomber- JouJou via TJMaxx : Skirt- Amused, thrift store : Leggings- TJMaxx : Tights- We Love Colors : Socks- magic? : Shoes- Old Navy

I meant to show how wondrously blue the sky was, but my cell phone really doesn't do it justice.

What's Lovely for March 3, 2010: Slice of sunshine right at my feet.

PS: What the whaaaat-- 45 followers??? Thank you all so so much, especially for the comments you generously leave here! As grateful as I am, it also got me thinking. Christina's recent post talked about the WHY behind blogging (you should really read it too, it's wonderful psychobabble). Why do we do it? Does it validate ourselves? Are we all just that vain, the kind that Carly Simon sang about? Anyway, this is easily becoming something resembling a full-on rant. Long story short, I really love what I have here. It's like a diary, only something I can share with everyone. The only thing missing is the symbolically embarrassing confession of who my crush is, complete with doodled hearts. Or am I the only one who did that in 5th grade?

What are your two cents? Or you can give a dime, that's cool too.

"Our longest journey together"

What's Lovely for March 2, 2010: Bright blue skies and figurative mockingbirds.

Dammit, why did this movie have to be on when I have a paper due. 'Cause... it's obviously the ... movie's fault. Or AMC's. Or... the... remote control responsible for turning the TV on? Right, that.

Mary Badham aka Scout being candidly adorable with the director, Robert Mulligan. Y'know, nothing's more adorable than strangulation. [Source]

To be honest, it's a little embarrassing to say that I tend to cry easily during genuinely touching scenes in certain movies. Cue the swelling music and the emotional speeches, it's like I'm casually cutting onions up in here. To Kill a Mockingbird isn't really different; I feel very cliche for saying this, but it's a classic for a reason, and I really do love this film. I won't harp on its moral, because it would be tedious and it wouldn't be enough. I just had a long talk (aren't those the best, if not the most taxing?) with dear Michelle about "the race issue," and it really has all these complex grays that blend into each other, instead of a stark black and white (excuse the terrible, terrible word punnery). At least we can all agree that Gregory Peck is cool. I mean, Roman Holiday? Just general coolness? Yeah, he got it.

The animation in this video is so sweet; the 'staches are pretty tight, too. Though it seems that the scientists are responsible for Earth being under fire. Science, WHAT DID YOU DO.

Speaking of Michelle, she stole something from my blog, so I thought it was only fitting to steal something back. Since it's much harder to demand for her firstborn child, I took this instead. Passion Pit is pretty rockin', according to my most-important-musical-opinion-ever (except not). Enjoy! :)

N'importe qui dit merci

What's Lovely for March 1, 2010: An interview?? With me?! Thank you so much to La Historiadora de Moda at Fashionable Academics for interviewing me about fashion in the academic world! Exclamation point.

You can see the whole interview-- where I try to be witty and end up sounding repetitively cheeky-- at this link here.

Here are some random lovely things to share with y'all:

[Photo source from here]

I stole this from Indigo's tumblr-- I don't know why I like this so much. I don't really eat pho. But I do love Franz Ferdinand, and I really like the story behind this picture.

The perfect song to sing along to after a long day.

[Cute kitteh source from here]
Me taking a nap at work and having my boss not only allow it, but keep quiet so that I can sleep easier, making her very very nice and me very very grateful for it.

(Does anyone else have any lovelies to share?)

OK, so, speaking of naps and tiredness, I'm going to go pass out now. I think it's about time to do so when it feels like your spine is collapsing into itself... (lovely imagery, right? right.)

When 48 hours aren't nearly enough

Have you ever had that feeling that a two-day weekend clearly isn't enough? I think I've had that feeling for the past... semester, year, eon. Which is probably why I haven't updated this blog in nearly two days-- damn you, deceptively short weekend. *shakes fist*

This was the outfit I wore to Hamlet and to the party-that-I-never-ended-up-going-to-but-apparently-it-was-bro-tastic. But really, I'm marveling in repugnance at how ... pointy my hip seems. It's not supposed to look like that, right??

Tunic- French Connection : Scarf- Urban Outfitters- Skirt- Forever 21 : Belt- Walmart : Tights- We Love Colors & magic? : Shoes- Old Navy : Plaid scarf- Mom's : Cardigan- TJMaxx

(as a recap) What's Lovely for February 27, 2010: Watching a live performance of Hamlet, followed by late night Arby's curly fries (fried food always seems like "a good idea at the time" get thee to a nunnery, grease)

jsdfdsiohdsighshgho food porn.

What's Lovely for February 28, 2010: Two words-- Korean doughnuts.

This combines two things I love: a catchy beat and art history. Oh, I heart this video so so much (except for that questionable moment at 2:00). Does anyone know which artwork are featured at 1:45 and 2:15? Those are the only ones I can't recognize.

Here's to a tolerably good week! (hopefully, ahh pessimistic optimism)

You make me feel like I am just a child

[Picture source from here]

I have to confess: I have yet to see 500 Days of Summer (what was that-- a collective gasp of the blogging community? it's like that one time when I confessed I never saw Forrest Gump or the Matrix or ... well apparently anything). However, I do have much love for Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (what was that-- my indie-o-meter is going off the charts?).

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted a man in a skinny tie to literally rob my bank.

I wouldn't be the first girl to schmooze about Zooey on a blog. She's the wide-blue-eyed gal who all the little indie girls want to be, and all little indie boys want to be with (or vice versa, I ain't discriminatin'). Though I've briefly mentioned this song before, I didn't say how I was always inspired by Zooey's outfit in this video. It made me want to wear full skirts and dance around a bank with a boyishly handsome man in a suit (oh God I can't help it-- I've succumbed to the charm of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's everything; he's the boy next door who'll rob your bank HOW CUTE AND VAGUELY DIRTY-SOUNDING IS THAT).

Ahem. So I couldn't really get the man in a suit part, but I did come up with two versions of one inspired outfit.

Fire & Ice! Which one do you prefer?
This might be the most scandalous you'll ever see me; look at those underskirts! The Amish would be horrified at my lechery.

The first version was more of a literal interpretation of Zooey's outfit. What I noticed was that her cardigan seems almost granny-like, but the 1/2 sleeves give it a modern girlish look. I was fortunate to find this light blue sweater in my house, but it's pretty full blown Granny. Like, I'mma-give-you-hard-candy-and-talk-about-cats-and-beets Granny. The headband was a nice touch, but headbands and I have a problematic relationship. This particular one was troublesome, not knowing that it should stay on my head instead of slipping off.

[First outfit]
Shirt- garage sale : Sweater- Mom's : Underskirts- Old Navy & Korea : Skirt- JCPenney? : Tights- We Love Colors : Leggings&Shoes- TJMaxx : Brooch- gift from Rome : Headband- Icing? : Belt- Walmart

So I switched up the cardigan and belt, into my version of Zooey's outfit (which is sort of a remix of this outfit). While she seems to have an attraction towards blues, I identify more with reds. I was aiming for similar silhouette and shape, if not color. This was definitely fun and interesting to wear, since it was more 50s rather than the 60s I always blab about. On the other hand, I wasn't about ready to go wear pearls in the kitchen while making my man a sammich (yes, sammich).

The only thing missing from my outfit was hair flippingly cute Joseph Gordon-Levitt. So I tried to improvise. Badly. I can't promise that I don't always make this face while dancing.

[Second outfit]
Same thing, only differences are // Cardigan- Gap : Belt- secondhand

What's Lovely for February 26, 2010: Taking photos when you realize that your dog has been staring at you for some time.

"wut."

Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo

Yes, it's the return of the "huge-ass books" and my "huge" ass.

Blue skies everywhere! Hallelujah!

No kidding, the weather was still pretty oh-let's-wear-the-skin-off-your-nose-please cold, but it felt deceptively warmer thanks to the sun popping out. Thanks to that regular human set of mind that's too easily affected by weather, I didn't feel so gloomy anymore.

Despite a busy news day, there wasn't much for me to do. So I actually sat down and got some other work done. And I took the occasional pictures that didn't end up looking awkwardly posed at all.

Look at me staring off into the distance, contemplating justice while gazing at the wide expansive blue. THOREAU YOU GOT NOTHING ON ME.

I'm actually wearing babies in these photos. These babies, that is. It's a bit of a cheat, since I mainly wore them to keep warm, but they were so unbelievably smooth-soft that I should stop gushing. The only problem was, for all my enthusiastic layering, the waistbands of my under-layers have been so tight that it felt like my stomach was being squeezed like toothpaste from a tube. Does anyone else have this problem, or have I somehow managed to wear tights incorrectly?

I like to call this "Crouching Tiger, Pregnant Crane."

Patterned blouse- TJMaxx : White blouse- magic? : Shirt- American Apparel : Peek of red tanktop- Juniper : Black leggings- secondhand? : Gray leggings- magic? : Tights- We Love Colors : Shoes- Gap

What's Lovely for February 25, 2010: Sitting at a table with all your work strewn out in front of you and sun streaming in through the window when you look up and look at the clouds slowly drifting away and you get lost in that one moment, realizing that you miss autumn.

(Warning: lots of blah-blah words)

Also, I've been watching the Olympics (has anyone else been following the events?). I'm really interested in the figure skating, especially the women's. Kim Yu-Na won gold-- again! First figure skating medal for Korea! I'd make a snarky joke about how typical it is for Korea to not only want to achieve a medal in an event for the first time, but a gold one at that... but I'm too damn proud.

I honestly enjoyed the other performances though-- Mao Asada, the silver medalist, has one of the most emotively elegant movements I've ever seen. But she looked none too happy up on that podium; thank God for Joannie Rochette, who you really can't help but support (who isn't? only douches and pigeons, I'm guessing).

Anywayyy, that was my amateur Olympic review. Or my Bob Costas impersonation. Either way works.

Day and Night

Excuse the gimp eye in the right picture. I was trying to do my best sugar glider impersonation.

What is this, wearing skirts two days in a row?? You have to understand, such an occurrence is a rarity for me (especially in a large campus during the wintertime where jeans are the go-to bottomwear). But I find that I'm just as warm, if not warmer, in three layers of tights than in jeans. So therein lies a whole new field of fashion possibilities to explore, away from the jungle of jeans (not to say that I'm not a fan).

Ever since I've started this blog, I like to think I've become somewhat of a regular at this set-the-timer-then-stumble-over-and-pose-rinse-repeat business. One thing that I've become obsessed with is at what time to take good photos, and where. Since I've yet to rope in a partner in crime, I'm mainly concerned with good lighting, since I don't have any professional photo equipment to my pseudo-poor name. I'm lucky that I had a few minutes to snap a couple of photos this morning, otherwise I would've been stuck with pictures like...

I seeeee you. Creepsterness aside, I tried out the double-wing eyeliner look after watching the latest Michelle Phan video. Did I ever mention that I love Michelle Phan? She has this impossibly, almost creepy perfect soothing voice and the best makeup videos-- like your friendly neighborhood makeup guru robot.

What the crap, my teal tights turned black. They emo'd out on me.

... this. See the difference? It doesn't help that my tired face looks sullen and about to murder you with my emo eyes. Y'know, if emoness could actually harm anyone.

Turtleneck- American Apparel : Dress as skirt- Modcloth : Teal skirt- Forever 21 : Black tights- We Love Colors : Teal tights- Target : Boots- TJMaxx

What's Lovely for February 24, 2010: I love We Love Colors, and I love getting them in the mail.

Can't wait to test these really durable, thick, soft babies out. Wait, that sounded wrong. Damn.