Good afternoon starts with tunes.

Hello Internet World. Yes, I know its been ages and decades since I have actually wrote a blog post. Life, work, blahdeeyahdeeyah and whatnot. It happens.

While I have been busy or not busy or busy or not busy, I will always have time to squeeze in listening to music one way or another. Whether I'm creating, by myself at home chilling, or driving somewhere, music will always be there one way or another. Lately, my music taste bounces around just depending on my mood or my curiosity in listening to something completely different. So here I have a hand written list of songs that have been relevant in my life at the moment for whatever reason it has come into my ears, mind, and soul. The best way to describe my combined playlist would a mellow meets dream pop grunge sound. Sure, I could talk about all of the songs and why I chosen them, I will say the first song of choice is one that could relate to living in an area that is brainwashed with suburbia and thinks there is more to life than what their surrounded by. Some are oldies, while the rest is pretty random/contemporary. I definitely will make monthly playlists for mine and everyone else's pleasure. Enjoy!

Dull Boy \ The Growlers

Autumn Leaves \ Edith Piaf

Rows \ Reveries

My Type \ Saint Motel

Master Pretender \ First Aid Kit

Howl \ The Wanton Bishops

Lithium \ Nirvana

Summer Summer and Best Friend Time.

Wow, the year is really halfway gone and we're already into the summer months, unofficially. Ironically, freakish cool weather has occurred in the last few days, LIKE WHAT THE BLAZES, blazes is kinda what we need naturally speaking.  But of course that hasn't stopped my official start to summer. As a post undergrad, balance work life and artistic career life can be tough sometimes. When the going gets tough, well you know the rest. As a human being in general, I have to make some time to just live. Getting away from routine helps your soul and mind to realize that there's a whole world out there to discover. I won't get philosophical as I will make this simple and minuscule, sometimes in this crazy, everyone else you know in their 20s has their life together resulting in a practical job, marriage, and have babies type world (no hate rant or offense to you folks), but venturing out with your best friend of a spontaneous impulse (yet planned, sorta) is all you need in life.
Cheers to the BF4L's who've been there their wholes lives AND TO THE FREAKIN SUMMER MONTHS!
Peace, Love and lots of sunshine! (And that SPF too!)

All photos were taken by me. Photographed at Laumeier Sculpture Park.

Girl in a Materialistic World

I have officially found myself at a low point of my being. Technologically speaking that is. Let me just put it to you this way; I am now part of the "I will freak out if I don't have me phone on me/lost it because it basically has my life on it" club. Yep, I'm inhumane now.

                                                                                                             The devil. 

I was lucky enough to have found it when me and my mother asked around at a Sears department store, (thank you a milli big tall employee guy!) AND KEEP IN MIND THIS WAS AROUND CLOSING TIME. Also, I just got my Samsung Galaxy Edge not even two months too.

All of these emotions that was processing through body and mind was all over a small hand size communication device. It truly is saddening because it has now become like a second beating heart that we not only rely on but seems that we can't survive without it. The negative perks of modern society. Get me my Delorean and we can go live back in 2000, like right now?

I was silent going back home, contemplating to myself of how foolish I felt. It seemed to me that it was a combination of karma and the way I handle (stressful, bad) situations, and materialism perhaps. Or I'm just irresponsible and this happened for my own good lesson of life. Who, what knows? I do think how materialist items can bring the worst in people and I need to start taking limits on my phone usage unless it is absolutely necessary of importance. Time to be a Buddhist monk now!!!

On an ironic note, Sears and me have in recent months (& today, of course) have become acquaintances now. Their wardrobe has improved in taste and are significantly better in prices. JCP has def stepped down their style game, CYa wouldn't wanna be ya!

Much Love.

I don't know anymore, I just got new Keds.

Before I say anything, I dedicate this blog post which has been inspired by my very good friend Maria and her recent blog posting. (CHECK HER BLOG POST PRONTO)

Now I am about to get real. Deep. Here. I am only 23 and half years old. I graduated just 3 and half months ago with my bachelor's. I intern at an art gallery. I just found a job face painting at my city zoo. I look close and beyond to what I'm needing for myself and the more I get, nothing truly seems to satisfy me. 

As of my current status of situation, the pushes and pulls of last minute decisions or my supposed loved ones wants in my life has complicated my direction in life. At the same time, I may feel I'm experiencing a quarter life crisis that doesn't seem to leave any time soon. Questions seem to be going through my head like I'm switching channels on TV. Am I really an artist? How can I be so true to myself that my surroundings don't seem honest at all? Where will anything that I am doing lead to? Who am I anymore really? These don't even make a quarter of what I think and question about. Truth is that I want this issue resolved. I WANT ANSWERS. It it just that even when I legitimately ask a question that is logical, that question is never ever left with answer. It's like pancakes that never got syrup poured on them; it is just left dry and isolated. 

Here's another reality that I have recently faced with that my head can fathom  and admit to: I have absolutely no patience. They say patience is a virtue, blah blah blah, yeah yeah, me and millions know this saying thick and through. This is an activity that I and anybody who lacks this deed has to be part of a self practice which coincidentally will take *cough patience*. Trust me, you have no idea how hard this truth has been thrown at my face to know that they and my gut is correct about it. A weakness I want strong if want my questions to lead to my answers in the road if fate has it. 

The thing is I'm bombarded with a combination of my supposed close ones, environment and society, and my own boggled mind telling me what I should do with my life. You may wonder if this should be the part that I should have faith into what I want and let a higher power or something take it's natural course but truth is . . the true meaning of faith is and has slipped away from me as I don't seem to have any real wisdom to putting my all into it or even trusting it perhaps. Don't worry as I won't get into the subject of religion or anything like that, I just wish I had a better example of the idea of faith growing up is where I feel I lack in that department. 

All in all, my little perplexing conflicts are sucking the life out of me. I want to have goals that are to be MY GOALS. I want to have dreams that are not only MINE, but to not have someone else's dreams that are to be drawn for in my life. I want my close loved ones to love me for me unconditionally and with the mutual respect I like to give and given in return. I just want to be an honest me and a free spirit. 

What's really sad is that things I want aren't materialistic items that can't be bought. (Thanks dad for a trait I endure in and appreciate in you.)
Being surrounded by at least one of these that I mentioned would just be quite liberating to have.

As The Smiths would have put it, "Please please please, let me get what I want this time; Lord knows it will be the first time."

Here's to the ones struggling in life situations. To the post under-grads of 20 somethings in their quarter life crisis' figuring out what is this strange, awful, phenomenal place called reality is about. To those finding their own path in life. To those that just want a simple happiness. And that is just all. 

XOXO

                                                                                       Life at 23. It bites.At least if you're in my Keds. 

What color is my sweater?

For a split moment, I actually got caught up in the mainstream phenomena of "what color is the dress?" hype. I don't what I was thinking that evening of knowing if I'm crazy or the other person is just from their vision. 

Anywho, back to reality now.

For the record, the color of my sweater is WHITE. We're all clear on this, right? Right.

It's the end of February and the weather where I currently live is still under twenty five degrees Farenheit! Since spring has yet to arrive on my doorstep, sweater weather for now is still here to stay, wah waahh. This sweater is the dream sweater I believe every girl in the world should own in their wardrobe. As ladies, we like to trade in "beauty and pain" for "comfy and chic." We all have to step away from anything tight every now and perhaps almost always, and just slip on something oversize such as this. You know this sweater just says comfortable all over.

                                                                                                      Iconic of an example as it can get. 

If you're into vintage fashion and like looking at past fashion trends from back in the day, the white sweater has a 90s' nostalgia feel to it (90s child here) as well as the turtleneck that goes along with it. (Google, 90s turtlenecks. tehe) As I mentioned in my last blog post, it's simple, chic, and it's a classic. Whether you're out and about in freezing tempertures or getting cozy by the couch drinking tea and watching said favorite TV show, this is your go to must have sweater.

XOXO

Sweater: H&M (Thrifted)
Geometric Necklace: Forever 21

Well La-Dee-Dah. .

It's Wednesday and I really gotta stop using film references as my post name. Then again, I also think I may have found my favorite phrase to say too. (Annie Hall anyone?)

When I think about last Monday and now, the clock from Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory comes to mind. Maybe it's my lack of a consistent routine. Motivation, perhaps. As a post undergraduate, this is a struggle that I'm trying not to beat myself upon because the reality of post-grad life situation's take time for the most part; so basically, I'm trying to somewhat enjoy the fact I don't have a real life job (or part time for that matter) and just sulk in time for things such as creating art and other whatnot that I can do while I'm still young. *Praise the lord for my rents who do not totally nag of my situation, yet* They say patience is a virtue, right? 

Luckily for me, this dragging week and half-ish had been a productive and tid bit neat one. 

MONDAY

That afternoon consisted of an unplanned theme of plein air painting, spontaneous even. I originally was going to paint fresh flowers in a vase but my view of my own winter wonderland of a backyard caught my vision to capture that instead.

WEEKEND

The art gallery I intern at has an artist-in-residence program, which involves artists around the world to create a body of work and to state what their concepts that go into the work, within a certain time frame to create all. One of the artists in this program I had the pleasure of assisting with name Rebecca, (check her stuff >  >  > rebeccanoone.com) and although we didn't get to constantly work side by side, I got the time to know about her concepts in her work as well as see some of her work too since she is mainly a conceptual artist. Sadly, she left on Sunday to go back to Toronto; a couple of days before that she gave me a record of a band I never heard. Plus look how rad the design cover is. My love for vintage will always be of existence but unfortunately having a record player isn't. So naturally living in the current year of 2015, I checked out a couple of their songs on YT & instantly was hooked. Heck yes, for new music recommendations! If you like randomness of wordy lyrics and robot-like funk beats, take a gander at the tunes. And all I have to say is . .
Tom Tom Club, where have you been all of my life?!
And thank you OH SO MUCH for this, Rebecca!

*I got 3.27 in my pocket* . . OK OK, I won't go Macklemore on ya, but I did do some unexpected thrifting that was worth spending. For the longest time, I have always wanted a thick, simple white sweater. And now I happily own one. The language I believe a simple white sweater says I'm comfy and chic without looking a slob, non? Oui, très chic.

                                                                                                  Turtle, Turtle. Neck.

Labels.

So basically we all know buying a sweater with just pocket change is the way to end a weekend/week? Well of course it does. 

XOXO.

That Cupid Hit Me. . Well Not Really

Well. It's that sappy, candy business industry time of the year. I clearly don't need to explain what it is since it's obvious. But for once in my life, I'm indifferent about this so called holiday. But, I will contribute a pastel pink filter to my Outfit of the Day photo in the honor of it.

I'm sure all females can feel me on this one. When you go up to your closet to decide what to wear but you have no clue what your mind and body suits your mood. Here's my fashion philosophy of when comes to this scenario or indecisiveness: When all else fails, always wear black. 

I mean you can never go wrong with black, it's simple, it's sophisticated, and just shows a hint of mystery. 

Can't help it, girl can't help it.

Okay, so my wardrobe isn't fully black; just having a hint of teal gives a subtle boldness without looking too gloomy. 

I also treated myself after a day of my internship to some pastries for me and my family. Courtesy of Piccione. I also need to not photograph these via smart phones (taken by my sister Mona's Iphone 4).

And thanks to going to the bank this week, they played this oldie-ish song, with bad/good nostalgia outcome of it and it sadly couldn't be more appropriate the week of Valentines day. 

                I've actually never seen the video to this song and don't really plan on it. FYE, really.


XOXO

Shirt: H&M