Wednesday, December 29, 2010

guess what one mine is?



yup the right.
i have never had a toothache in my life but lucky me my entire left side of my mouth is MURDER right now, two vicodin did nada, im literally going crazy right now and have been for the past 3 days. luckily i have a dentist apt tomorrow but i am not looking forward to the 12 hours between now and then

:'( sucky mc suck suck!!!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays!

some of my favorite holiday images from various sources

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

winter winds (and rains)


how about this weather, huh? Southern California (like the rest of the us er world) has been making up for lost rain these past few days... not so great for the productiveness but oh well its my vacation, i've been spending my time making bean bag warmer things as little christmas presents for friends and fam, too bad my moms sewing machine is on the fritz...

Sunday, December 19, 2010

sex, drums & rock&roll

~from tonight's SNL :) "I Just Had Sex" -The Lonely Island


~a must watch: one of my favorite scenes from chuck. The Little Drummer Boy clip

~rock&rollin along ive been in a 30 seconds to mars mood lately...i love this video, it makes me wish i enjoyed bike riding

tim walker. jizz.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

new obsession

you know how whenever you have something you have to do but dont want to you always find something else to occupy you time? well i have found that when finals come around i find a new show to become obsessed with, without fail. this quarter my new obsession is chuck. I love it, its hilarious and completely unrealistic and totally adorable. It also has a great soundtrack, though considering its created by Josh Schwartz (the oc) i shouldn't be surprised.
oh and by the way i'm totally loving zachery levi.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

the chrismukkah mixukkah

some of my all time favorite non-traditional holiday tunes:

Fleet Foxes - Winter White Hymnal - Whenever I hear this song I picture Fleet Foxes doing some badass caroling to this song, wouldn't that be amazing? They can show up on my doorstep any day.

Sufjan Stevens - That Was the Worst Christmas Ever - which was actually the first song i ever heard of Sufjan Stevens, i think it was a single of the week on itunes in 05 or something along those lines. its been a holiday (and basically any time of the year) staple ever since.

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song - if i remember correctly this was on one of the oc's christmas episodes, too bad this is basically the only video of this on youtube, its skips a bit in the beginning

All of The Killer's Christmas songs but esp the original, Don't Shoot Me Santa - the killers never cease to amaze me, but the fact that there isn't one this year makes me mucho sad.
(notable mentions: A Great Big Sled, iHappy Birthday Guadalupe!, Joseph, Better You Than Me)
Tori Amos - Star of Wonder - i'm usually not the biggest fan of holiday albums, and I definitely think Midwinter Graces is my least favorite Tori Amos album but ever her "worse" album is pretty damn good, as is this song.

Zee Avi - No Christmas For Me - so sweet

Jimmy Eat World - Last Christmas - I really like their take on this one. they only have live and remixes on you tube sooo...

cruzin for a boozin








Pina Colada, Sake, Champagne, Daiquiri, Vodka, Tequila, Margarita under a microscope and magnified by 1000.
Genius.
See the whole series here!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

those will be the best memories

Its been months since I got back from my trip but I totally slacked on the whole actually posting about it.



I was thinking today and one of my favorite memories of the trip was sitting in the back lawn of the gardens of the Musee de Rodin in the last hours of my time in paris. My sister and I chose to spend the 1 euro to get into the gardens rather than see the entire museum and I highly recommend it. The gardens are beautiful, and The Thinker is there so you get to see Auguste Rodin's most well known masterpiece all the while. At the very back of the gardens there is a lounge area with grass, a sandbox and wood lawn chairs. the chaining leaves of early fall and the fact that i could see the Hotel des Invalides behind the hedge and the Rodin to my right, the 20 minutes my sister and I spent simply relaxing is one of my "paris" images that comes to mind when I think back. It was then when I truely absorbed what I had done, and I have to say, that was really one of my happiest moments.

Leave It All - Orenda Fink
(so when I looked on youtube for this song, a saw this video which is actually a clip from the German film, Die Fremde that features the song, needless to say: fan)

counting black sheep

whilst i'm not sleeping...



(photos via some random blog ages ago)

Discoveries of the day...
one. embryonic journey by jefferson airplane came on when i was listening to my itunes earlier and only 6 years after the finale first aired i realized it was also the final song on "friends"...
two. the naan i thought was my roommate's that was in the fridge for way too long... was... actually mine.
three. the blog DESIGNLOVEFESTis amazing! me: "hi inspiration, long time no see"
four. the stuff i learned in the dinosaurs class i just finished will really never...ever be used in real life. unlessss i go on jeopardy and dino-knowledge is a category i dominate. gotta love g.e.'s.
five. insomnia is seriously a problem. seriously.
six. during my global final i had black sheep by metric stuff in my head the entire time.
seven. i just saw a teeny tiny mouse..! which was partially cute and partially making me want to wake my dog up to pounce on it.

Monday, November 29, 2010

a different kind of Chappell show

the quarter is winding down but that doesnt mean the learning has stopped. Today my Global Studies class seemed extremely unsuspecting, last week before finals, day after 4 day break, guest lecturer, its all been done before, right? not this way it hasn't.

Captain Paul Chappell is a former US army serviceman who in lack of a better word, floored me today. His lecture was on "World Peace" very cliche right? not the way he presents it. He talked about whether or not world peace is possible in this world of ours and how wars are basically never a positive factor in the search for it. He talked about killing and violence is not a natural and that the government and military desensitize and dehumanize people to get them to partake. Wars use moral, psychological and mechanical distancing as a way for soldiers to be able to take things easier. He says wars are brought about by fear and the only thing that is bigger than the flight response to attack is the natural reaction of a person to protect and risk their lives for their loved ones. This part of his speech brought out the biggest reaction from me, i started silently crying. It made me think about how i would do just about anything to protect the people i love from pain and trouble and how helpless i am in my current situation. my mom has breast cancer, and i hate how helpless i am. shes sick and is going to go through tons for pain and as much as i want to use my fight response on her, its not like most other things. I can't give her my kidney and make it better or tell off a bully thats bugging her, i just have to be there for her. more than ever, more than i thought i ever could. Perspective is hard when you feel do helpless, but in many ways I believe Captain Chappell helped me gain it without even trying.
Chappell went on further and talked about peaceful leaders like MLKJ and Ghandi and how powerful they became through non-violence. He even showed perspective on dictators who are so obviously paranoid and the only thing they think will successfully assert their power is through power. Chappell self described himself as an anti-war, pro-military individual, and I don't think I've ever met someone who I believed more. He is literally the most rational and relatible speakers I have ever had the privilege of listening to. For someone of just 30 years of age i believe he could change the world in the most literal and useful sense of the phrase. Considering I heard him speak less than an hour ago I have yet to read his books, The End of War: How Waging Peace can save Humanity, Our Planet and Our Future and Will War Ever End?: A Soldier’s Vision of Peace for the 21st Century but im confident that by suggesting it, i and you will not be disappointed.

Friday, November 19, 2010

this is not the end (only the first part of it)


Tonight I donned a tea cozy (or a pillowcase), a number of socks and hats, and stapled on some floppy ears and for the first time in my life showed up to a mid night showing as one of "those" fans. Yes i went to the Harry Potter 7 pt 1 premiere dressed as Dobby the house-elf and i could not have had a better time. I sat in line for 3 hours with 10 similarly dressed friends and in my mind paid tribute to a book series that essentially defines my childhood.

I really feel that the end of this series is going to be a revalation to millions of people around my age that our childhoods are over. For 12 years every summer its been a new book or movie, its going to be beyond weird when there will be no more to come. Its really in a sense like its the death of a beloved friend and all we will have when its done is the memories it gave us. I know this sounds ridiculously sappy and might seem like an over-reaction to 7 books and 8 movies but I really think it is not. Harry Potter will always be a symbol for my transition from childhood to adult, and how the inner child will always be there. :)

Futhermore, the movie was incredible. really as close to perfect in my opinion as they could get and I was expecting a lot. I haven't been too impressed with the other movies but this one was just amazing. I cried at every part I did in the book and felt everything was almost exactly how i pictured. I am so glad. I only wish part 2 was released at the same time.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

the new is yet to come

so i the last few days i've been watching some of the new trailers for upcoming movies and i thought id share a few i'm looking forward too...

The Adjustment Bureau - Starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt

- I saw the trailer for this for the first time right around the time i saw Inception and my initial thought was...hmm similar super ominous foundation... is that going to ruin it? With its release date being pushed from this fall to spring I think that is wise, let people forget a little about Inception so it wont be compared to it so much. That being said I think this looks awesome! The cast is great and I love how very romance-y and action-y it is. I'm optimistic! My Prediction: I will be compared to Inception which will help and hurt it, for the lovers of Inceptions mind twists I think this one will come a bit short but for those who found Inception too confusing I think this one will be right up their alley...plus this one seems to have more romance which is a-ok with me. oh and ps matt damon, why the fedora? just no.

No Strings Attached - Starring Natelie Portman, Ashton Kutcher

- While I admit it looks a tad hokey and probably less funny than one would hope, i love natalie portman and ashton kutcher is adorable as well so I will definitely beseeing this, not nessessarily in theatres but sometime for certain. The fact that this movie, which also looks cute is coming out with veeeeery similar premises, kind of takes away from their omph. My prediction: I actually am thinking Friends with Benefits will be overall cuter and have more substance but i really hope Im wrong and No Strings Attached shows Natalie Portmans to have awesome comedic timing and pressence....

All Good Things - Starring Ryan Gosling, Kristen Dunst, Frank Langella

- With this one I say: "Finally" I have been seeing the "in-production" of this film of wikipedia for a couple years now and finally after being pushed back again and again it has a semi-solid release date. This movie looks great!!! Ryan Gosling is really showing time and again what a good actor he is and I think this film will be no exception. I love the time period, the mystery the romance, the everything. My Prediction: I'm thinking it will be more heavily favored by critics than actual viewers probably because of how it ends but it looks like it will definitely be worth the ticket price. ...On another note I CANNOT WAIT FOR Blue Valentine TO COME OUT!!!

Restless - Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper

- This explains her haircut! Funeral crashing boy meets sickly girl, seems like a recipe for success there and it should be, add Gus Van Sant(!) and you've got yourself and award winner. I'm not usually a fan of ghosts and people seeing things but I think its going to work. plus: if the soundtracks anything like the trailer its going to be great. The dialogue seems smart but honest and real, which in my opinion is pretty hard to do these days(case in point: Juno). My Prediction: A laugh, cry, aw, no! mix that is subject to inevitable good reviews.

The Tempest - Starring: Helen Mirren, Chris Cooper, Russell Brand, Albert Molina, Djimon Hounsou

- I know a lot of Shakespeare fans are up in arms regarding this adaptation but i must admit i am so excited. I think its just the right amount of crazy for Shakespeare. If I'm judging the trailer as a trailer I think its very well done, music is perfect (Sigur Ros end song= perfection) and it leaves you saying wait, what? but wanting more. I love the role of Prospero being played by androgynous Helen Mirren and the fact that Julie Taymor (circa Accross the Universe, Frida, Titus) is directing means it is going to be a visual masterpiece. My Prediction: I will be floored by the end of the movie.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

phoenix, we've got a problem (or lots of em)


i need to rant. plain and simple.


dear sleep,
i know being on medicine that effects sleep patterns means i was asking for this but could you maybe come back to me sometime soon. it would be one thing if i could concentrate on my massive amount of homework and studying i have to do at 4 am but because im so sleep deprived, i cannot. im fine going back to my usual ~5 hours of sleep but really, you're killing me.

dear global class test maker/professor,
i actually read everything and studied a ton but excuse me if all of the articles that we were assigned to read are all on the same topics with slightly different stats and minor differences in opinion. I don't think a good test of one's knowledge is asking questions on the opinion's of economists . Also don't have questions on stats when the stats are literally in 6 different sources all with slightly different numbers and time periods. i know this sounds like im complaining about things i should have known but really i studied and i actually do know quite a lot regarding the class but questions on insignificant hypothetical tidbits is not what i want to spend my quality time in college studying. question us on concepts not which of these 20 articles did this random quote come from.

dear shakespeare,
what were you thinking with merchant of venice? seriously, nothing happened in richard ll and the characters werent very likeable either but i came to respect it, merchant is just ugh, it really kind of disgusts me. the fact that its supposed to be a comedy is really what puts me over the edge, funny is one of the last things i would call it, racist and demeening sure; funny, no. I really can't decide weather this shakespeare class is making me like you more or less. but this book is making your approval rating go down.

dear online french homework lab,
when you claim to go along with the book and your answers do not reflect how it is taught in the book, this frustrates me. i like the language and am actually getting it which is amazing bc i did not get spanish but keep this up and you're going to confuse me out of a good grade.

dear big huge metaphoric sticks in your bike spokes that make you go flying,
...there are really no words for what you are doing to me. i know things are going to get a lot worse before they get better and all i can hope for is that they do get better.

now im done.

this is my study song, usually on repeat for ages...

Sunday, October 24, 2010

strokes of genius.



things i love: guacamole, swings, trampoline's and LIBRARIES. particularly the ones that have good magazines and allow you to check out music. yesterday i took some time to go to state street not to shop(though i did...crossroads, thank you for coming to santa barbara!) but to enjoy the library. while my schools library is good, its really a strictly studious place and i was not feeling it. i caught up on some instyle, spin, v, and vanity fair and checked out 10 cds the strokes first impressions of earth(and i know this song is not from that album). when i met up with a few friends later and we compared days, they definitely looked at me like the last thing they would do on a saturday is hang out solo in a library, i on the other hand was quite content. whatever happened(no pun intended) to spending quality relaxing time away from home. if i want to "relax" i generally lounge around the house all day doing nothing, i might not have done much yesterday but i did find out more information about arcade fire and rachel mcadams and found out elizabeth banks often spends her saturdays naked. you go ahead and do that elizabeth, but i think i'll stick to my preference.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

mum's the word



and i'm choosing to be as happy as i can. i understand that happiness isn't solely a conscious choice, but it is where it starts.



Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

sophmore slump... or comeback of the year



ok i'll try to a little...
in case it wasn't completely obvious i am in a huge blogging slump. i just haven't been inspired or something as of late. i guess you could say that im in a bit of a slump in general. while school has been good (busy busy busy, but good), i've been a bit of a homebody lately :/ been making excuses to myself as well as others and some serioursly sucky news over the weekend has not helped my current attitude, nope not one bit.

on the not "lets be super depressing" side, i am glad i'm back at school, though staying in london another lifetime would have been just fine as well. i like my classes... oh god that's still super depressing, talking about school? classes? oh no this has got to change. back soon.

nothing like a great song...
Band of Horses - the Funeral

Friday, September 3, 2010

the wandering luster





so big apologies for the lack of communication but the lst month has been busy with premature college packing and travel plans.

I am currently in the glorious city of London for the very first time visiting my sister who lives here and is finishing up her masters. I arrivied yesterday evening and did little besides lug my huge suitcase full of American stuff for my sister and have drinks with a few of my sisters friends. The flight was fine, I slept maybe an hour which was a lot for me on a plane. I got the emergency exit seat, which I'm sure people with long legs apprieciate but really it was lost on me. I was on Virgin Atlantic so I got my very own tv media player and because I had seen 90% of the light-hearted movies and didnt want to see a drama I chose Prince of Persia...yeahhh... anyways Today was quite different.


after going to the post office to get some quid and euros ( and only feeling like a blundering foreigner once be not understanding their fancy bank-like post offices) I was off to Trafulgar Square to spend some quality time at the National Gallery followed by the National Portrait Gallery. Let me just say that my one Art History class really paid off, i knew going in so much more than the average joe that i have now officially fully apprieciated my professor, I swear i most have seen 100+ of the pieces we learned about which definitely excited me!
so after my feet-pain staking 7 hours there i headed down to the Thames for a little looksy at Big Ben, Parliament, London Eye and the Aquarium, where I met up with my sister and the boy she tutors.

The biggest problem so far has been my camera! Firstly my "old"(one year is not old!) canon "lens errored" on me earlier this summer and I desided to get a new one, a nikon s3000. Secondly: 10 minutes into departing for the airport i discover I forgot my battery charger, one U-ie later back on course until, i go to take a piccy on the plane and dead battery (grumble grumble) and realize that i took the ac adapter but not the actual plugin for the camera to charge but miriacles happen and my sister randomly had the right cord. So today I'm taking pictures, i get to my 16th picture and realize that my camera wont register that my sd card is in so i have 15 pictures at a time... hopefully this too shall pass.

Weekend trip to Dover and Canterbury this weekend!

Friday, August 6, 2010

going... going... going...

The days are crazy, In the past five days I have...

1. Went to a going away party for my friend/saw tons of people i haven't seen since graduation...weird feeling...
2. booked a trip to london next month to visit my sister for 17 days!!! cannot tell you how excited i am! that includes
1. 3 day trip to Paris
2. 2 day trip to Dover with stop in Canterbury
3. 1 day trip to Oxford, among other things
2. Applied for a Passport, which of course had to be expedited due to the fact the trip is only three weeks away
3. gotten an MRI for my knee and the results...normal which should be good but to me it just means that 4 years of hurting isn't going to be stopped any time soon...
4. Went to Huntington Beach with some friends, had a very good time though my face is the color of a tomato
5. Began frantically packing for school/ parents move that will take place when I am not here!

Things are very fast paced considering i have approximately 15 days to get everything for school, pack my room both for school and for move and for london and get my living situation for next year situated...oh boy.

For a good laugh watch this!

this week i've been in a 40 kind of mood...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

major issues


so as a sophomore in college i am really making it my goal for the year to figure out my degree situation for college. here's what i know for sure...
1. I am planning on double majoring.
2. I am not going to stay a film and media studies major (i realized it was way too one area specific especially considering it isn't a production degree at UCSB).
3. I definitely will be two out of the three: art, art history, global studies.
4. being an art major is really really intimidating to me.
5. If I don't choose art history as a major I will make it a minor.
6. I also want to double minor :/
7. That being said I am probably biting off a little (or lot) more than I can chew.
8. I am seven classes away from being done with all of my general requirements (not bad considering the number of classes I took last year that ultimately counted as nothing but units.
9. I really want to minor in music as well...
10. number 7 is seeming more and more true...
11. On one hand im excited for the real world and hands on learning...
12. ...on the other I want to stay in school indefinitely(no papers please!) because their are so darn many cool classes.
13. I definitely need to take some classes to figure this out.

i'll stop there...lucky number thirteen? or unlucky? i prefer the former.

as Damian Rice would say:
cheers darling.

i. can't. wait!!!!! preparing myself to be waaaay travel jealous

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Top Ten Magazines I want:

10. Vanity Fair - I love Vanity Fair for its look back at the past. I also love that they have the Young Hollywood Edition and other versions of the many faced cover every year. They've also had these really awesome reenactments of famous movie scenes which are just delightful. Other features that are me friendly include the "My Stuff" column that celebs simply list some of their favorites from favorite sheets to favorite artists to favorite jeans its all covered. All of their Fanfair section is a-okay with me.

9.FOAM - Foam is a recent discovery for me, its full name Fashion Ocean Art Music basically the perfect same for this 6 issue yearly california based magazine. They have quirky cover people most of which i just adore(ie Natasha Khan, Jessica Stroup, Emma Roberts) they get the people who might not be A=listers in hollywood but are to me. This indie paradise in one word F.O.A.M. sums up four of my loves quite effortlessly.

8. Interview - Interview Magazine is freaking awesome. Want to read interviews on celebrities written by celebrities? yeah Interview's got 'em. Their picture editorials are so intense, ooo i love it! And every one of their covers are so "Interview" they are hard to be confused with anything else.

7. V Magazine - V Magazine is one that i have only ever been able to look at online but what i see on the website has definitely drawn me in. The photography is just delicious and i like that their cover stories don't ask all the same questions other magazines broach. The covers in themselves are pure works of art, get the whole magazine and its a freaking masterpiece.

6. Paste - My first experience with Paper Magazine was in my doctor's waiting room this last year and i really like that it looks like a music inspired version of time, same shape same size, but definitely not that same material. I like that Paper reviews ev-er-y-thing. I love that the cover artists are never top 20 artists because really who is buying a music magazine when they listen to simply top 20 or 100 or whatever artists. Also the fact that you can subscribe to their magazine only online for cheaper is really cool, though i would definitely want the magazine in print.

5. Paper - Paper magazine is like paper in the music/ film area but it also has fashion and art and all that other jazz in this 8-issue per year mag thats also offered digitaly, save that paper Paper Magazine, save it! and yes it is published on a non-glossy paper, thicker than computer paper-esc way if you were wondering

4. Spin - I've wanted Spin for years and years but i've never got it, its yet another music based magazine, but this one is really a music and music only magazine(yeah you can really see my interests through this post). It's a little more mainstream of a magazine in my opinion (compared to others like paper and paste) and its great at keeping my up to date on new artist news(Brandon Flower's new video for "Crossfire"! thanks for letting me know spin!)

3. InStyle - Every month there is a "Her 10 Best Ever" section that takes a celebrity woman and I also love that Rachel Bilson has an advice column because lets face it, Rachel Bilson is someone everyone would want fashion advise from. When it comes to actual style this magazine is not really mine but i love it for the celebrity part of it.

2. Rolling Stone - I got Rolling Stone from 2/09-2/10 for the crazy fluke price of $5, I have no idea how either but all I know is my weekly mail from Stone basically kept me sane during the majority of my first year in college. I had never subscribed to a weekly magazine before Stone and let me tell you, I basically want all magazines to be weekly now. I know Rolling Stone isn't supposed to be as good as it once was but as I was never read it then it is just fine with me. I like that on top of all the art related stuff it also has world news for people like me who dont actually watch it. the "for us/against us" portion every week is great

1. Nylon - This is another resubscription of mine which ran out this month so i'll be buying it again shortly. I love the fashion in this magazone and the reviews and the factory girl portion and all the play on words that are the titles of each piece. the reviews are also great. and the photography is awesome.

so yeah not going to lie, these were definitely not in order but i would love all of these magazines

Notable Mentions:
Lula - Lula is one that I would love to have however, its way too much for a bi-yearly publication. their photo editorials are just awesome and the retro inspired fashion thats always featured really makes you want to live in a different era

Vogue - I really do like Vogue, but there is way to much advertisements in it, i swear if you counted how many pages of its massive monthly publicication was actually done by the magazine i bet it'd be less than a hundred pages