Have a Great Weekend!

Both By Karl lagerfeld, Fendi Fall 2009

I wanted to blog fairly badly in the last two days but have been too busy to do so. Sometimes, stories lose their appeals after as little as a day. What I consider to be amusing yesterday seems rather normal today.

Some days when I'm really tired, I wonder about my place in life. Other times I take it as it is. Right now, life, is working up the courage to smile and speak confidently to strangers; it is waking up everyday at 7 in the morning; it is what is said on that tiny little business card of mine; and it is that daily caffeine injection topping countless skipped meals.

At the end of the day, one person's hell is surely another person's heaven ;)

The Weird World that We Live In

We always say that we live in a gray world because most matters in life are not black and white. But sometimes, you must have a clear stand because gray is just intolerable.

• It is wrong to call a murderer/terrorist an activist.

• It is wrong to mix politics with art, for the sole purpose of buzz generation.

• It is wrong to honor/worship a devil, for instigating such ethnic violence is an unforgivable crime
  

I hate to bring politics into this blog, but I'm left with no choice. Anyone who's still interested in seeing the film, go ahead. Believe it or not, we, as citizens of a controversial country, are not brain washed by the government as many would suggest. All I can ask, is for you to see it with an open mind. As of for me, I believe in the numbers. The death toll and its nature is where the truth lies.

Life Of A Host

She cleaned, she shopped, and she prepared. Now she's sitting in front of the computer blogging while sipping a bordeaux, patiently waiting for the arrival of her guests. For some reasons, she thought of Mrs. Dalloway for a second. Oh, fresh flowers, that's why ;) Only, this will be a good night, good company, good wine, and good conversation.....

Thank God It's weekend

I had multiple "devil wears Prada" moments before I even had breakfast this morning. First stop, about 1 minute after giving me an excel task, my boss gently reminded me that "I don't mean to rush you, but this really shouldn't take more than 5 minutes". Just as I'm scrambling all over the place and thinking that I'm such a idiot for not possessing lightning speed, he demanded an article from wsj in which we do not have a subscription for. Of course, this is my problem, not his....

So, a big thanks to my good friend B, who picked up the phone so early in the morning to save me from having a heart attack. You are too kind.

The rest of the day was not as intense as the morning but busy still. My to-do list for Monday was running long before I finally left work at 6pm. I interviewed two girls in the afternoon, both nervous, unprepared, and spoke broken English. We end up deciding to hire the second girl, for her Columbia MBA status, for her ability to do analysis on excel, and for not giving me a two-page resume. As I write the acceptance email, I secretly wish she'd do better on the job than during the interview. After all, I have a little soft spot for my own people ;)

Off to a quick drink, have a wonderful weekend!

The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion

Remember back in April when I really really wanted to go see this exhibition? Well, I went today. It was good, not great, but still enjoyable, that is if you like fashion, or is aware that Kate Moss is not a movie actress ;)

See more photos from the exhibition at Coutorture.com

And I leave you with this quote from nytimes, " What would have transformed this show from being not just entertaining and interesting, but profound? By turning attention almost entirely on the models, it denies the reality of a model’s image as a collaborative construction, with editor, photographer and designer working together to mold a new “face.” But showing how the cocktail of beauty is concocted might have shed too much light on the ephemeral magic of the model and muse."

A quick stop

I'm tired and semi sick from the weather, so this will be brief.
A few bla bla bla of the day:

• My boss officially knows who I am, and now give tasks directly to moi ;)
• Any attempt to redesign sneakers is plausible, but once in a while, someone comes up with a style that truly out-shine everyone else
  
  
  Bensimon's Ballerina Sneakers
  

  
• Elie Saab's fall 2009 collection is 90% ugly
• Forget Vogue Italia or USA, this photo from Vogue China is rocking!
  
  
  Vogue China, photo by Terry Tsiolis
  
• This photo seriously looks like Hermione gone wild, boy do I still live in the post harry potter era lol
  
  
  Mulberry Fall 2009
  
  

Oh Harry...

In the company of chicken finger, curly fries, and a large diet coke, I finally saw the sixth Harry Potter movie. Opps, did I forget to mention my friends? Let's hope Lil won't read this entry and think that chicken finger is her nickname or something ;)

I had my shares of disappointments with the Harry Potter films. Simply put, they are so bad in comparison to the books. No matter it's the lack of plot, the omission of important details and scenes, or the fact that the actor who plays Dumbordore never seems to get it right, I remember coming out of the theater after every movie, unsatisfied, angered, and secretly wishing the next one could be better.

That is, until now. Rather than watching badly selected badly executed "highlights" from the book, this film was good. Yes, the romance was cheesy and the absent of the final fight scene left many die heart fans protesting, but the film is still the best Harry Potter film to date. I laughed at the silliness of hormonal teenagers (when Ron drank the love potion?), gasped during the scene where Katie Bell got cursed by the necklace, and, almost cried when Dumbordore died. ( It seems that this actor finally understood the essence of Dumbordore....sadly its so late in the series)

Even more, I find myself reminiscing of the old days when I sleep with Harry Potter books on my chest. Back then, even when I had a bad day, I knew by night time, I can escape to the world of harry. It was fascinating, but more so, it was comforting.

I confess that I'm such a Harry Potter nerd I read the first six books at least 10 times each. The seventh book, I only read once. The truth is, the entire seventh book was such a disappointment that I gave it away the day after I read it. But now, half way through the film, I started counting all of the horcruxes, and by the end I was trying really hard to remember who R.A.B was. I even, as strange as it sounds, start to anticipate the final two films. Maybe its because that my Harry Potter days are far behind me that I want some kind of ending to that chapter of my life. Maybe, the success of the sixth film actually give me hope that the finale won't be so bad.

We never want to say goodbye, but sometimes, while you are resisting the moment, that part of life is slowly becoming your past.......

The Last Bit of My Favorite Fall Couture

Every once a while I become very critical of myself. During this time period, I'd think that everything about me is a little off. Like right now, let's start the "coulda, shoulda" list.

I could be a little nicer/a little less bitchy
I should talk a little less, in general

I could clean my apartment a bit more often
I should read less blog, and more books

I could try to actually watch my weight and what I eat
I should keep my commitment to the gym

I could spend less time socializing
I should spend more time on work

I know I'm insane, well just let me be ;)

Ok, now the last bit of fall couture:

Givenchy Couture

Valentino Couture

Window Shopping, the Favorite Passtime of the Poor

Signs that I'm getting increasingly broke and cheap these days:

• My electricity bill was $8.00 last month
• I'm handling piles and piles of paperwork myself because lawyer fee is too expensive
• I'm going on the famous lemonade diet just so I can stop eating, food is expensive, people!
• My good friends are buying me nice presents ( they can't stand me starving, or drinking wine out of a coffee mug apparently ;))
• Did I mention the weird guy who give me 2 penny on the subway platform the other day?

You get the point.

It's been a while since I online shopped, but this doesn't stop sites from sending me promotional emails. Normally, they are evil like the cupcake store with the delicious display, or the tasti D lite that keeps on giving me dollar off coupons. But today, I found some really amazing stuff. Simply put, they are so beautiful I can't 1) afford them, 2) get mad because I can't afford them.

Anzevino & Florence Wedding Dress

A Lauren Moshi Painting

I absolutely adore this "petit chapeau" hat by the amazing Tarina TaratinoGreat job Revolve! I might actually shop there again once my personal recession is over....

Living on the edge, literally

One dinning table and 4 chairs later, my studio apartment looks a little bit more complete. The only problem is the two chairs meant for the sitting area. They somehow manage to look really odd, like that new kid at school who refuse to fit in!

Here's something that's even more odd: Two Brazilian artists in Rio are living on the side of a wall. And by that I mean they sleep, eat, and work, all on the side of a building. The two has been doing this since the end of May as part of an art exhibition.

Now, I've always laughed at people who are big on exploring the "intention and meaning" rather than the presentation of art. But in the case of performance art, I'm even too lazy to make an argument for that. Let's not get into the whole debate again, it's getting old. The matter is simple: you call it art, I call it crap ;)

Couture Continues

I finally went shopping for the rest of my furniture: dining table, chairs, and other little things. At last, a house party soon?

It's been a busy week. As weird as it sounds, I love my work already. Sadly, judging by the length of my to-do list, the comings weeks if not months, are not going to be as fun as this one.

Well, in the mean time, I'll enjoy the rest of my weekend, look at some pretty amazing fall collections, and possibly pick up on Infinite Jest?

Christian Lacroix Fall 2009

Dior Fall 2009

Couture Season

Most fashion houses already have their fall couture line out. My absolute favorites this year are Chanel, Christian Lacroix, and Valentino. There are so many amazing pieces from each collection I will have to make another post to cover everything! Base on what I like this year, I think my personal style is gradually becoming a mix of clean cut silhouette meets super feminine details. Now, only if I can afford any of these ;)

Chanel Coutour Fall 2009

Armani Prive Fall 2009