One Easter Sunday

I found this really old pictures when I looked on facebook and asked the creepy all knowing search bar "Photos of me I would like." I was scrolling down all the photos, and these little gems came up and reminded me of a funny little story. 

Easter 2008 my friend came over to my house and we decided to escape instead of stay at my lame family get-together. We decided to stop by Walgreens and wander around the deserted downtown San Francisco and take pictures. I think I might try to do something like this again sometime soon. Jesus, 2008 feels like/ is a lifetime ago isn't it?

Miley for Harpers Bazaar

How about we don't pretend like these photos aren't beautiful and she doesn't look stunning. I think I might have become a Miley fan recently. When exactly did that happen?

That One Time in China

Found these pictures from 2007 looking through the mess of my Facebook albums. I had completely forgotten about these pictures, and it's funny seeing them all now. The group of us, awkward teenagers running around Beijing and Seoul  in bright red polos. That's one of the thing I actually love about social media. Yes, it's kind of creepy that all these kids from high school you barely knew get to stalk you, but in five or so years, you can stalk that strange person you were all those years ago.

Wow, I was so cool taking these disposable hipster photos back in 2007. Or maybe my parents just didn't trust me with a digital photo when traveling...

Look it's yours truly, looking a horribly disgusting freshman in high school. 

Five Miles in Geneva

 It is rarely nice here and I even more rarely do any form of exercise. So when the day before I left for Istanbul was beautiful outside, I just had to go for a walk. I walked from my dorm room in Champel up around the old city, around the lake, into a beautiful park and magically found myself in a loop that brought me right back to the Cité. The whole thing was five miles (I was user my iRunner app). It was so lovely to do some sort of physical activity and I got to see and enjoy more the of the city I have called home this past four months yet have seen very little of. 

Follow me on instagram! 

It's honestly the only photos I take ever.

I take it back, don't. There would be no reason to read my blog besides my witty comments & critiques.

It Was The Best And Worst Of Days

Just to warn you, this is essentially going to be a diary post with a little bit of travel blog thrown in. Sound good? The tale of the best and worst day I have yet to have in France actually starts Friday night. I popped open a bottle of vin blanc toute seule in my room while my host mom and her friends bellydanced in the living room in their bras. Dead serious, just in their bras.

Mont St Clair

After, I met up with some fellow Colgate kids at Rebuffy for the cheapest (aka cheap but also horrible) wine. During our 2 hour stay at Rebuffy I went from being nice and wine woozy to bawling. Then I started hiccuping. Then I paid 5E for a shitty club. Then I went home. Then I threw up. Then at 6 in the morning, my host mom wakes me up and tells me to follow her. She brings me to the door and I had forgotten to lock it in my drunken state. She locks the door dramatically for me and just walks away. UGH.

In the morning, I was supposed to go to Sète, a seaside town close to Montpellier. Still in shock and completely scared of my host mother, I tiptoed out of the apartment that morning and went to the train station. Not surprisingly, I was completely hungover and barely managed that shaky ride. Despite being near death, we started our day by hiking up a giant hill/mountain/cliff to the panoramic view of Sète. I swear I almost collapsed multiple times.

The croutons

The Soup

After our little urban hike, we found this seafood restaurant. We were starving so when they served us toasted bread with this amazing aioli sauce and cheese we devoured it. I didn't quite understand what it was, but my famished self was in no mood to question it. But when the waiter came with our fish soup we realized that it wasn't just toasted bread, it was the croutons for our soup! I still wonder how much the waiters laughed at us. They brought us another platter of croutons for the soup, and despite our embarrassment, the food was amazing.

For the rest of the day, we just walked around trying to find a beach. After a couple hours of wandering, we took the train back home. Walking back to my apartment, I was dreading returning home. When I came in, my host mother said was "wasn't feeling well" so me and Grace would be eating dinner alone (Lies). Feeling incredibly guilty, I almost didn't go out because I thought she would get even more angry with me. But my roommate said that I was being stupid, and she was going to be mad at me if I went out or not.

Faith and I were the only people who wanted to go out last night. I was slightly apprehensive just because practically every night this past week I've only gone out with two other people and it's been...well kind of lame. But it was so much fun. We went back to Rebuffy for cheap wine again and these boys next to us asked if they could sit with us to practice their english. They weren't like 'oh my god gorgeous' but they were pretty cute hipsters. Of course, since this always happens when I talk to boys while drinking, we brought up some politics. This time it was in the form of American Gun Control. Let me state this for the record, I DID NOT BRING IT UP. I was talking about dog poop in France and how gross it is and he was like well in America you can all have guns so that's worse....yes, totally relevant argument.

Do you see how windy it was?

After splitting ways with them, we headed to Faith's host sisters' friend's party. Since we've been in Montpellier, I haven't spent any time with French people and I literally felt like I didn't even see any French students my age--just high schoolers and old people. So it was so nice to chat with French college students. It was something I'd been hoping to do for awhile. After staying there, and smoking like my third cigarette in two days (what is happening to me?!), we ended out night at the Fizz. It was fun but not amazing. It was mainly fun obnoxiously yelling and jumping around with Faith while everyone else was far more calm. But in the end, what is more fun than being that obnoxious American abroad?

The Sète Crew

Summary for the Best and Worst Day

-1 Angry host mom (she's still definitely pissed)

-1 Horrible Hangover

-1/+1 Hiking up that goddamn hill BUT excercise

+1 Yummy seafood

-1 Angry host mom

+1 Soirée

+1 Being asked like 4x if I was French

+1 Sleeping in a comfy bed chez Faith

+1 Egg McMuffin that I ate for breakfast

-1 I'm scared to leave my room

The Sète Habor

I Suck at Photography

Outfit--Sundress: Aritzia, Cashmere Socks: Madewell, Boots: LF, Necklace: JCrew,  Military Jacket: Thrifted from Wasteland

Hey sorry y'all for not posting for like ages and ages. Actually, let's be honest I have no readers, so right now I'm apologizing to my imaginary readers, which are just a bloggers version of imaginary friends. Although I have been trying to keep wearing innovative and fun outfits, despite reentering college life where comfort is valued so highly, I have not found a good photographer to record these amazing outfits (ok so they really haven't been That great). Why? you may ask, have I failed to find a proper replacement for my nine year old niece? Well, besides the fact that my niece is going to be a famous photographer, it's actually pretty awkward to ask people to take a picture of my outfit as I pose even more retardedly (don't yell at me for the political incorrectness of that word). 

And ultimately it's my awkward posing that's the real culprit of my lack of posts. I actually asked my friend the other day to take a picture of me and I ended up looking so horrible that they were just unusable. So right now, I am presenting you with some very very old pictures. Now, I was originally planning on lying to you and pretending like these are actually new, but I could just see someone calling me out on how my hair crew like 3 inches in a week (HA like anyone could care enough about my blog to notice that). 

But on to my life. One of my classes this semester is Photography I. I've never taken a photo class before--I'm more of a painting and drawing type of girl--but it's been a dream since 8th grade. Unfortunately, it looks like I should have kept it as a dream rather than a reality, because I SUCK at it. Let's walk you through my failures of developing my first roll of film. First, after taking some random 10 shots before class in the biting cold, I open the back and realize that I forgot to rewind the film (in case you didn't know you can't expose film to light so by doing that I ruined my last couple photos), then I couldn't open the canister with the bottle opener, then while trying to put the film on the spool I crinkled the edges until I ruined the film and my professor just took it from me and did it herself. After I thought the whole nightmare was over, it turned out that most of the photos didn't come out because I didn't read the light reader correctly!! From where I stand right now, it looks like I'm not made out to be a photographer and I fear that Photo I will be my worst grade in college. I know it sounds bad, but honestly I'd rather withdraw than have an art class bring down my GPA. 

So now you can see where the title of my post came from. I fail at photography because A) I can't manage to keep up the photo element of this blog so basically the blog fails and B) because I fail at my photography class. But I vow to improve in both these elements of photography right now. In fact, I will go to my room and practice my posing RIGHT NOW (jokesss), but I actually will go in and practice the whole spool thing tomorrow. I really don't want to fail Photography. WISH ME LUCK!

OMG I look ridiculous

My I'm ashamed look for using ridiculously old photos

The Big 1-8 on Lucky 13.

Hey you guys!

Guess what happened today? I turned 18. WHAT!??! Ridiculous. Omg! Amazing! Right? K, not really. It was a tuesday, which just made the entire thing anti-climactic. Last year, I think it was on a Monday, which you might think is worst, but I was on break, in NICE last year. Yes, Nice France. God that was so much better than this. It was so much fun! IT WAS VACATION! Instead, I've just gotten home from an anti-climactic dinner to be greeted by a huge pile of homework. GAH! Okokok, I'll get over it. I'll manage. Breathe....OH AND I GOT A NEW BEAUTIFUL CAMERA FOR MY BIRTHDAY! YEY! I'll share it with you later.

On a completely different note....thank you so much for all your support! I really appreciate all of your comments and visits etc. My amount of comments, visits, and even followers have increased gradually but I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to have 50 followers by my graduation. Just to have a goal. SOOOO 50 followers by June 5! So, if you like my blog just hit that button on the top of the screen that says "Follow" and tell your friends or whatever. THANKS THANKS THANKS!

I found this fashion shoot on Fashionising.com

Polina Barbasova: Elle Norway March 2010

I love the balloons everywhere! I wish I could really have that many balloons. Hehe.

the Art of Fashion

hey, so some of you have complained that I started the new year off a little weak. I am in accordance, but my bro is in LA and he took the camera cord with him, so I can't upload any of my pictures (I still have my xmas tree pics to post!) But when he comes back, there will be a wave of catching up posts! ALORS T'INQUIÈTE!

I personally had a lovely new years' eve. I threw an impromtu party (b/c no one was really having a party) at my condo downtown (st regis heard of it?) It was a lot of fun, quite an intoxicating evening as one of my friends put it. Party pics do not exist b/c one of my friends literally stole my camera and hid it, freaked out about parents and colleges seeing it. Pity. My outfit was cute.

Soo...I decided to remind us of the art of fashion. Now a days fashion editorials, spreads in magazines look quite artistic. Believe it or not, it wasn't always so. William Klein changed the style of fashion photography. Think before Klein it looked like Forever 21, after it looked like ART (as it should). Look up this influential artist and you will be amazed. CHECK IT.

Woman in Chicken Hat (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), New York, 1948-49

Hat + 5 Roses, Paris (Vogue), 1956

Smoke and Veil, Paris (Vogue), 1958

 

Vestido de Dior en Vogue al principio de los años 1950 

WOW tons of smoking pictures. I'm thinking of picking up the habit...Bad Idea?? Probably....

Fashion by Capucci, American Vogue, April, 1960

Epic #1

French Vogue, April 1961

Epic #2

Broadway and 103rd Street, New York 1954-55 (Became a symbol of gun control)

He also made videos....CHECK IT.

There's more parts, but thats just two parties. CHECK OUT THE REST!

So by now I'm sure you guys are incredibly impressed by Mr. Klein. He really changed the world of fashion, without him, your magazines, well wouldn't be nearly as important. We have to remember that fashion is more than just a simply outfit. It's an art form. It reminds me of that lovely speech that was in the Devil's Wears Prada (i'll post that some other time)...Sooo I invite you to dare a bit with your style this year. Don't think of it as just an outfit in the morning, but a statement, an piece of art. WELCOME TO 2010.

ALSO. Small Note to Some Haters that have arisen. If you don't like the blog, DON'T READ IT. Thanks to all you guys who are reading my blog for real!