Please excuse me for my purge of links.

The green smoothies are quite well. I've also discovered something called exercise, which is the art of mooching off of my free gym membership. Beyond these summer events, I have also begin diligently following (more like stalking) particular websites in this complex online community the 21st century has dished out to us. I always find it fun to explore new dot coms; in pure nerd fashion, I feel as if I enter new lifestyles and worlds. Therefore, I arranged a list of my favourite sites which you can peruse through, if you'd like.

Personal Style & Fashion:

I find the idea of clothing deeply interesting. I am a firm believer in the idea of apparel as portable art and the mood a specific garments conveys in the veins of its thread. To scoff and compare fashion to frivolity is quite a draconian concept, in my opinion. And who cares if the crowd rolls their eyes, anyway? For the wearer with style, fashion is magical. 

The Daybook

Sydney is modern woman who believes in modest dressing. In other words, she is the master of not showing too much skin and looking like a true lady. Every time I am tempted to wear something that makes me look like an off-duty stripper, I think of the magic in conservatism- which can make me look mysterious minus the weirdness (which I am well-stocked in, already).

 In addition to impeccable style, her blog is totally chuckle-worthy-and she lives in the Washington, DC metro area! Which could mean that I can turn on my actual stalker status, or just look through the places she talks about and feel comfortable in knowing that those places are actually attainable. She recently hosted a Madewell event which I would have totally gone to had I not been in Italy. Oh, the sacrifices we must make...

Stylelikeu

You know those dreary days you have on sunny days when you just want to wear a sundress but cannot find the right accessories/sunhat/shoes to twist it into your own(#firstworldproblems)? Well this website, which is run in a Magazine-esque format is the incredible miracle berry. The editors of Stylelikeu host interview sessions with the fashionable peoples in the universe in their Recent Closets segment. Better yet, they categorize individual fashion philosophies in the easy, breezy sidebar, so you can pick and choose whether or not you are vintage or modern on any given day.

Furthermore, the writing style is rich without being academic (term paper summer -no, thank you). My favorite interviews (besides the ones I've mentioned previously) are Gaby Basora & Zoe Potkin and Jane Belfry. For more of an analysis into fashion and the way we feel, I highly recommend Second Skins, and Styelikeu's insights on femininity and androgyny.

The Man Repeller

This sounds totally unladylike, but holy glitter fuck do I love Leandra and her style. The name Leandra rhythms with Diandra which, in my mind, conveys an image of a Park Av. antique of a lady with clusters of pearls and matching pastel Chanel suits. But Leandra is totally young, and totally modern. Her clothes are glorious- but most gloriously is her styling and her IDon'tGive persona about fashion only about matching and attracting the opposite sex. Hence, the Man Repeller.

But surprisingly and rather recently, Man Repeller got hitched! And my God, her wedding dress is so Carrie Bradshaw-esque, I've already confronted my mother so she would have the precise idea of my own white dress.

Design/ Decor: 

I'm no aspiring graphic designer, but I know a good design when I see one.  I am also turning into a bit of a font snob. Having long since abandoned Comic Sans, I cringe at my instant messaging days in 7th grade (10 pt. Arial, 'nuff said). And in the spirit of my off-campus living next university year, I have been glued to home arrangements and am currently channeling Northern European white-washed walls housing colorful trinkets and blown glass vases. 

Design Love Fest 

Bri describes her blog as the place "where types and images totally make out", which is totally kinda erotic and totally, definitely true. Based in sunny Los Angeles, Bri specializes in incorporating fistfuls of colour and life-of-the-party prints. It is practically home to every combination of youth, glamour, and freedom. From her blog, I take away the inspiration to be a kid again, which is awfully difficult sometimes, and shop in quirky stores such as Tattly. I will be putting my second of this tattoo into good use on campus next year. 

Anthropologie Home
My dream- which I have had since I was basically born- is to live in the country and be a domestic goddess with a rustic garden patch with a rusted chicken coop. I seriously contemplated switching my major to biology the other day so I could maybe possibly be a botanist and finally learn how to water plants correctly.

I don't peruse the house & home section of Anthropologie nearly as much as I should- I just prefer to drool over kitchen towels and throw pillows in real life. Besides Crate&Barrel, the stores of Anthropologie could be my second home. I am not sure who designs the layouts of each store, but I literally need to hug them for their ingeniousness for they have mastered the marketing and branding of their products and manages to daily lure in poor college students (me) into their disgustingly lovely lair.

Pinterest
Okay. No detailed explanation required. If you are of the female gender, Pinterest (or as my mother thinks of as "Pin-interest") is practically impregnated into your design addiction. It's kinda like a coke addiction, but worse, because my For the Home 'tash keeps piling up daily, free of charge.

This is the one and only time I will mention this partially because I believe in marriage equality not only in the normative sense but also in the figurative, two-working-spouses sense, but future husband beware- be prepared to become acquainted with handing over the credit card.

"Intellectually Stimulating" Content

I coined this phrase in spring semester with the intention of describing information or subject matter that organically initiates intellectual conversation. This sector of my ever-expanding mental file includes fun issues such as the difference between sex and gender, feminism in modern America, religion and global custom practices, and what I should eat for dinner.

TED
If you haven't heard of this website, you are missing a major portion of your diet. I am shocked that even some college professors aren't aware- get on it, econ prof. A general summary: TED, or Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a nonprofit organization that hosts two conferences annually dedicated to people and innovation. To become an attendee of one of these conferences is like getting the only gold star on your English paper in a sea of a thousand, which, to put it lightly, is quite impossible for me right now (in addition to the hefty $6000 entrance fee). Luckily for us, TED records these amazing speakers who speak about a range of inspiring issues and uploads them FOR FREE on the web.

TED videos can be inspiring, tear-jerking, funny, educational, a basic smaggering of information that make me ever hopeful about the brilliancy of our world. My favorite speeches include Amy Tan's speech on creativity, Jennifer 8. Lee's hunt for General Tso, A.J. Jacobs's year of living Biblically, and Susan Lim's Transplant cells, not organs. Every time I think I know enough, TED tells me more.

Rookie Mag

Rookie Mag is an online magazine started by Tavi Gevinson of Style Rookie who, by my definition, is the coolest, most awesome 15/16-year-old best friend I wish I had in high school. Seriously, this girl is mad talented. To add to this slew of linkage fanfare, I will also lift a quote by her from a recent Rookie article:

"If I look at anyone long enough, I will fall in love with them. I only want friends and   romantic partners who are the same way, because people are beautiful and that’s why life is interesting. Even though I believe in evolution, I think there’s something holy about the fact that what it’s resulted in is human consciousness and the ability to make and appreciate art and appreciate each other, so I feel like we should all be doing that more, and that means appreciating parts of each other that are weird and hairy and smelly."

Doesn't that just make you want to jump off a bridge because its beauty resonates so profoundly, its vibrations cannot help but help you commit suicide. Just kidding. But honestly, I am so glad there is at least one high school girl that gets it- meaning the meaning of life beyond schoolyards, bad hair days and chiffon prom dresses.

Rookie is a collaboration of girls from the blogosphere and beyond that focuses on developing and strengthening your inner girl- which I totally believe exists in guys as well. It is feminist-based, which has a scary facade, but simply means equality of the sexes, and covers everything from personal style to playlists. To keep with the high school spirit, each new post is reveal each weekday in time intervals: 3 pm (after-school afternoon special), 7 pm (dinner time), and 11 pm (sweet dreams). I love their dedication to their viewers, their dissection of  girl hate (which I think is the best article I have read in a long time, and which I have been a victim to too many times), and their eclectic mix of articles focused on empowering the modern girl . 

Rookie Mag has also helped me discover the incredible style of Arabelle and the incredible writing of Jenny Zhang. Needless to say, I am super bummed about Rookie Roadtrip not coming to Washington...

This American Life 

So, my relationship with my radio is sort of schizophrenic. Lately, I either listen to what my parents listen to (which is the classical music station, and which my favorite segment, Saturday's livestream of opera at the Met, I seem to always always miss) or the country radio station- because I've embraced the whole living-relatively-close-to-the-South thing, okay? Gosh, I love Eric Church.

Thus, I don't dedicate enough time listening to National Public Radio on the radio. I have always loved Ira Glass (and have been always slightly jealous of his voice- as smooth as blown glass bubbles) and I now love listening to This American Life on my laptop- Jubilee! It all started as an innocent homework assignment from my General Psychology Professor and turned into a love fest. When was the last time you thought of psychopaths? Of the United States' war with Panama? Of the meaning of money? As happy as I am to be trapped in a croissant factory, I am more happy lounging on my bed at the darkest of night and listening. It is the most relaxing and interesting amalgamation.

 Entertaining:
I am not the most amazing party host, partially because I am not old enough to drink and what's a party without liquor? I desperately wish to be one of those 1950s housewives who wear Lilly Pulitzer-esque dresses with a slender, cool glass of pink lemonade in hand, effortlessly distributing cocktail napkins around the living room crowd. You can see I have a vivid imagination.

My Suitcase Heart

Janis, a Canadian blogger posts deliriously delicious pictures of her everyday life, which makes me think her life revolves around parties in the best sense of the word. She makes everything look so easy, breezy. Gorgeous picnics are deduced to watermelon-in-hand snapshots of people just basically having a good time. Party for twenty? No big deal; lemme just whip out a candlelight feast from the back of my pocket. Basically all of her posts include food and nature- a girl near and dear to my heart.

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS, but is only just an excerpt to the collection of blogs/mags/websites I very much like. This makes me sound like I have no life, which I don't (for the most part). Happy Following!

The Summer of the Green Smoothie & Other Shindigs

 (via Joy the Baker)- because all green smoothies practically look the same.

A couple of weeks ago, I remembered that I had a blender. For the past decade or so (boy, don't I sound old now?), it had been conveniently tucked away in storage, masked under a cardboard box and getting acquainted with dust bunnies.

But ever since its being discovered, I developed the most miraculous recipe with it. It is simply a green smoothie, and it is so so delicious. Yes, it may smell like freshly mowed grass at first, and it may be an acquired taste, but it is seriously healthy and a seriously lazy solution for gals like me who dislike eating a plateful of raw spinach without dressing, think most store-bought dressing as fattening and unnecessary, and lack the patience to whip up the Barefoot Contessa's vinaigrette (however amazing it may be) every day.

The recipe only calls for three actual ingredients (unless us first-worlders count ice an actual ingredient). I pile on handfuls of triple-washed spinach (again, I am too lazy to wash my own spinach), two handfuls of frozen blueberries (which, in itself, is a great substitute for popsicles), and gradually pour in 1/2 cup of organic soymilk (again again, not sure if organic even matters when it comes to the matter with soymilk) into a medium-sized blender. To achieve a generally smooth consistency, I pulse the mixture and then whirl.

You may choose to add ice cubes to the blender, but because my blender is from, like, 1986, it doesn't process ice so well; so I generally use already crushed ice. It is a rather thick mixture at first, but once the ice begins to melt, it is the perfect smoothie consistency. The soymilk's creamy and nutty mixture overrides the majority of the spinach's earthy essence and the smoothie tastes like blueberry pulp with sprigs of summer.

To be even more adventurous (and smashingly healthy), I halve the spinach portion and substitute with fresh kale- the most glorious super-food on the planet- which enhances the woodsy essence by a few decibels. These recipes make me want to become a rawtarian which I cannot possibly do because I love roasted sweet potatoes too much.

Another amazing snack that I've discovered this summer is Boulder Canyon's Rice & Bean Natural Salt Artisan Snack Chips whose name is bigger than the calories in a serving. I've never been a fan of fried potato chips, and these are the perfect alternative. Wegman's carries two variations- Chipotle Cheese and Sea Salt (I'm partial to the former). 


I don't eat out as frequently as I used to. Instead, I've been boiling, steaming, roasting, et al. at home; it's been fantastic. I've also become addicted to Pinterest, which is a great starter to a productive summer (I kid).

Reflection on Italy: Part 3

I guess when you spend a great deal of time in Italy, it loses its mystique. It's like when you stop yourself amidst the sightseeing and eating, and think, wait this is it. All of the glamour that surrounds the country stops being so mysterious and grandmothers with loose skins donning floral dresses, carrying plastic brown shopping bags in which onion spurts dangle from starts becoming a common sight.

But it's not sad, I don't think, because that's what traveling does; it peels back with its sharp, incisive metal tweezers another translucent layer of skin. Yet it also reveals a pink, undiscovered mass of questions directed at ourselves. I suppose travel changes you because it limits your supposed life and opens the world that could have been. Every time I see a new culture, I question the essence of my foundation. What if I was born here or there...just how different would I be?

My mother started the holiday with a memo pad, scribbled in jumpy cursive all the churches we must visit, not because we were religious, but because that's where Bernini and Caravaggio lived. The sculptures and paintings in real-life have this magical quality that the Baroque artists captured so exquisitely. The drama of the scene whispered down the quiet nave, and resonated inside the audience.

But I think another layer of Italy spoke more directly. It was after we had visited the town of Siena and were driving to this old farmhouse we were staying for the night. It was sunset on a cloudless May day, and passing the rolling hills of Tuscany with the window down and the wind in my hair, seeing the patches of green and yellow and the richly dense sky pencils, I felt this great calm blanket settle in. It was this moment of enlightenment when I started crying for this dimensional platform surpassed any marble or canvas I'd ever seen. The pastures radiated and the world was majestic. To be born here, I realized, is to be the same nature as the earth, and to die in this land is to be reawakened again.

I felt the same great sense when I was climbing Mt. Vesuvius. In that densely matte gray fog lies a white emptiness and an absolute silence. I heard my heart beat, and the breathe of my every exhale. Heaven and Hell were figurative for I was encapsulated in this great unknown. It wasn't so much frightening as it was an immensely meditative experience for when you cut the cord, you realize that the music mustn't always play. When you watch the world pass, alone, you receive the messages of the earth and of yourself.