That is all.

Busy Bee

My last post was Sept.22- I'm a bad blogger! But at least I'm a good grad student (at least trying to be...). In  a few weeks I'll have some free time until then here are a few inspirations. Enjoy and feel free to share.

Lovely Decor 

just looking at this made me happy

Fierceness

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Frans Lanting

Freedom

Photo courtesy of Listverse

Creativity

David Hockney Joiner

Love

Courtesy of Le Love

 and always, a little red lipstick goes a long way

How amazing is this bucket list?!

Courtesy of Matador Notebook 

Indian Train courtesy of Discover Asia

 

1. Set foot on each of the seven continents. Antarctica might seem like a tough one, but here’s how. Once you’ve reached all seven you can truly call yourself a world traveler.

 

2. Cross a country on a bicycle. A bicycle tour takes some planning, but it beats being separated from a country though a passenger-side window. 

 

3. Ride something bigger than a horse. Trekking through the jungle on the back of a two story tall elephant will surely be something you remember forever. 

 

4. Live like a local for a month. The experience of visiting native peoples will give you way more insight into another way of life than two years hopping from one backpacker ghetto to the next.

5. Visit a “real” blues bar in Chicago. What better way to leave music’s commercialism behind and find the soul of the blues?

6. Learn another language. This is definitely a weighty and time-consuming proposition, but there are plenty of resources out there to ease the process.

7. Go heli-skiing. The access to snow and terrain via heli is different (read: better) that anything else you’ll ever experience.

8. Travel India by train. With its extensive rail network, this mode of transport is the best way to see one of the world’s most colorful and diverse countries.
9. Climb one of the world’s Seven Summits. Climbing mountains is not for the faint-hearted, but everyone has had a dream of standing atop one.

10. Dive with a whale shark. Swimming with these gentle giants is among the most powerful wilderness experiences in the world.

Now and Then

Ipod Nano

Nano Baby

 

 

 

The question remains- what exactly is a nano???

Apparently, it's Greek for "dwarf." Makes sense!

My skin's love affair with Clarisonic

Clarisonic Mia

It started out casually. People kept praising the effects after only a week of use. She never was one to believe in love at first sight let alone love at first touch but this, this was something different. The speed was just right and it was never too rough.

Now if only I'd gotten my named engraved on it! ;) just in case...

Are any of you familiar with Clarisonic? Love it, hate it or neutral? I feel like I'm so late on this.

Looking for _________

Click here for online profile tips

I'm working on a story about quirky dating sites and once I started my research I was shocked at some of the sites I found:


Exhibit A- Daily Diaper
Apparently people have a fetish for wearing diapers (as in, they are turned on by this)

Exhibit B- Sugar Daddie
The name speaks for itself

I'm always a little taken aback when I find people in their twenties engaging in online dating mainly because I feel that it's not geared toward millenials necessarily. I was wrong. I believe the very fact that these niche interest sites exist is indicative of the popularity of online dating. The prevalence of technology as a way of socializing still baffles me (I was one of those reticent to get a Facebook for a few years!) and I can't help but wonder if the old-fashion ways are slowly but surely becoming obsolete. Imagine-how convenient it is to just eliminate undesirable mates like we unfriend people? or in 2030 will everyone have virtual dates with virtual flowers? I'm torn because I have heard success stories but I personally could never see myself joining the online dating scene.

How do you feel about online dating? Know any success stories? any truly dreadful stories?

We Will Never Forget

It isn't enough to talk about peace, one must believe in it; 

it isn't enough to believe in it, one must work at it. 

Eleanor Roosevelt 

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

 

 

Just as beautiful as a rose...

Dahlia courtesy of Flowers Gallery

Peonies courtesy of Blooms by the Box

When we had to tear down our trees in the front yard after they dried out (thanks to the water limits in LA), we were researching trees to plant in their place. We ended up deciding on magnolia trees but I'd delved into the researching about flowers because well, I wanted to add more pretty flowers to the yard! I've already planted peonies which have yet to bloom and I would LOVE to have some dahlias in the back yard.Now that summer is coming to an end I'll probably have to wait till next year but till then I can stalk up on seeds  ;)

Any gardening tips are greatly appreciated!

UPDATE: On the very same day I published this I noticed the lovely Joanna Goddard's post on house plants ;)

on a personal note...

 In the last two years I've lost more loved ones than I have my entire life. Each loss makes me want to change my ways and spend more time with family and friends but I guess old habits die hard and I seem to find myself "busy" more often than not. It's true what they say- you never know what you had till it's gone. I never realized how much I didn't say and didn't do till it was too late. But all I can do now and all I can ever do is hope that they knew how much I loved them. I realize that when I die, all I can take with me are my memories and the knowledge that in my life I was loved. I'd like to think they knew I loved them (it's a cheap and selfish consolation but it gives me solace). Coping with death is never easy no matter how many times you've experienced it. I choose to remember and make the effort every day never to forget because the memories begin to fade. I'm starting to realize just how powerful scents are (as weird as that may sound!). Each time I smell Japanese cherry blossom lotion from B & B works, I'm reminded of the last time I visited my grandma in Argentina. Every. Single.Time. I remember the taste of the ravioli my aunt made me because no one could cook like her and I remember her love for music and her making me promise to always sing. If I can keep these moments with me always, I'm content.

What are your coping mechanisms? Do you struggle with the same kind of guilt?

ps. sorry if this is a somber post...

Three things I miss from Argentina...

...besides my family and friends, of course!

1. Santa Maria Pizza in Rosario (notice the Coca Cola sign and then the Quilmes- a perfect mix of both cultures) 

Thick crust, lots of cheese, what more can you ask for? it melts in your mouth (too bad I don't have a picture! I didn't have patience to pull my camera out but check out their FB) 

2. The Night Life

LA may have a crazy night life but practically everthing closes by 2 a.m. In Rosario, at that time the night is still young. I loved the brisk evening walks.

3. The Architecture

Do I really need to explain?

photo 1 courtesy of Flickr
photo 2 courtesy of  The World in Photos
photo 3 courtesy of Travel Pod

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

One of my favorite poems ever. I posted the entire poem because snippets don't do it justice. I've attached this painting because I believe it complements Donne's lovely words.

The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis

AS virtuous men pass mildly away, 
    And whisper to their souls to go, 
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
    "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."                     

So let us melt, and make no noise,                                       5
    No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;
'Twere profanation of our joys 
    To tell the laity our love. 

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;
    Men reckon what it did, and meant ;                              10
But trepidation of the spheres, 
    Though greater far, is innocent. 

Dull sublunary lovers' love 
    —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit 
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove                                     15
    The thing which elemented it. 

But we by a love so much refined,
    That ourselves know not what it is, 
Inter-assurèd of the mind, 
    Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.                           20

Our two souls therefore, which are one, 
    Though I must go, endure not yet 
A breach, but an expansion, 
    Like gold to aery thinness beat. 

If they be two, they are two so                                          25
    As stiff twin compasses are two ; 
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show 
    To move, but doth, if th' other do. 

And though it in the centre sit, 
    Yet, when the other far doth roam,                                30
It leans, and hearkens after it, 
    And grows erect, as that comes home. 

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
    Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,                                    35
    And makes me end where I begun. 

Life Envy

You know when you have those days where you would really just be somewhere else? Well this whole week has felt that way. I think it's mainly due to the fact that I'll be starting school soon and my family visiting from Argentina left on Monday. We visited San Francisco (photos up soon!) and just spending time together was wonderful. Now I'm about to embark on my thesis prep so I can only imagine what that will be like.

Therefore, I got to imagining what life would be like in a faraway land, which lead me to Positano, Italy. The photo says it all- can you imagine waking up and looking out your window to find this?

"Dolce far niente"- thanks E. Gilbert!

Photo courtesy of TrekEarth. A great website for your wanderlust fantasies conveniently at your fingertips...

It's in her kiss...

I never knew lips could hold such artistic abilities! Artist Natalie Irish has created portraits of Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe just using her painted lips. She also created images including that of The Beatles using her thumbs!

I'm not the most artistically gifted person (as in, not at all) so I love to hear about such unique artists.

Here are a few of my favorites, click on the link for more.

lovely

the artist at work

thumb action

TGIF

This is how I felt during the week...

.... and this is how I will recuperate

Summer Style

H&M dress

Etsy Hair Pins

Etsy ring

The LA heat cooled today (finally!) and I wore one of my comfy summer dresses for casual Friday (we don't technically have a casual Friday at work but I'd like to think so). Tomorrow we're planning to take family visiting from Argentina to Rodeo Drive and though I can't afford anything, it flipped the switch so I started browsing online and found these gems. I didn't realize till now the floral inspirations ;)

Summer Reading

I'm half way through La Casa en Mango Street and then I must conquer the rest of this mountain. Sometimes I'm tempted to do like Harry in When Harry met Sally and skip to the end but then I always feel bad. I so wish I could freeze time and finish each one before the semester begins. What are some of your favorite summer reads?

Summer Soundtrack

A tiny sample of some of the songs on heavy rotation (that actually doesn't make sense anymore since we use ipods but I'm old-school). What are some of your favorite summer songs?

Fader- The Temper Trap
Rabbit Heart-Florence and the Machine
Bound to the floor-Local H
Ignition-R Kelly
Little Red  Corvette- Prince
Sweet Pea- Amos Lee
Beautiful Day-U2
Some time around Midnight-The Airborne Toxic Event 
Pumped up Kicks- Foster the People
Corazon Espinado-Santana with Mana
Shakira-La Tortura
Video- India.Arie
Golden-Jill Scott
Fantasy-Mariah Carey
Laura No Esta-Nek 

Art on the Streets

Art by Julian Beever

Pretty amazing especially for street art. Check out Julian Beever. 

I would love to find one of these. 

Modern day fairy tales

I prefer this shot to the actual movie poster

I opted not to use the infamous kiss shot

I just got through watching It Could Happen to You with Nicholas Cage and Bridget Fonda which left me with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it's saccharine sweet and feel-good and on the other, it seems too good to be true especially considering the title. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that every generation has those too-good-to-be-true films which brings me to-- The Notebook. I mean, he writes her everyday for a year AND builds her house AND harbors his intense love for her for 7 years while they are apart. From Love Story to Say Anything to Titanic and of course, Gone with the Wind- love stories seems to transcend reality and  you know what, that's ok.

What's your favorite love story? Any you particulary dislike?
I know everyone has mixed feelings about the aforementioned films but they have left an indelible mark...

Nothing quite like comfort food

It's nice when the cheese overloads the pasta

Yesterday I did A LOT of cleaning which, needless to say, can really build up an appetite. But after all that energy used up organizing I was hungry and impatient so I made mac and cheese. First I made the roux (using 40% vegetable spread which takes away some of the guilt) and flour. I then added warm milk which keeps it from getting lumpy. The final step- I added Monterrey Jack cheese; normally, I like to use an Italian blend but MJ was all I had and it still was delicious. I love the thick, goopy consistency and more so when I mixed in the rigatoni.
Now you might think that considering my state of near-starvation I practically ate it directly out of the pot, sorry to disappoint you. I then decided to bake it with bread crumbs on top and a little bit of creole seasoning. It was amazing and I loved the rigatoni because the cheese would collect inside as well :) Bon Appetit!

What are some of your favorite comfort foods? I'd love for you to share your recipes.

The wonders of Etsy

Isn't this beautiful? There's only one available

I wish I could knit or crochet or heck, mend a sock! So when I visit Etsy  I'm always a little envious of these amazing creations. If only this had been around when my grandma and mom were growing up! My grandma made all my clothes up until I was 5 and my mom made her own wedding dress with the help of her aunt. I still have the baby blanket my grandma gave to me... and it's always nice to know if my socks need mending at least my mama can fix it. :)

the evolution of a work-out

This is how I feel right now photo by E. Weston

1) excitedly anticipating the effects of the new work out craze (at the moment it's Zumba)
2) adrenaline pumping workout
3) sweaty post-workout, tired and simultaneously exuberant
4) early morning- whole body soreness and mentally berating myself for pushing myself and yet hoping that it will pay off
5) weeks of the same routine
6) a toned body that made it totally worth it

Ok, so maybe the last one is wishful thinking... I'm still on 4 with weeks ahead of me.

I still do the same warm-up routine I did while studying modern dance and I take my dogs for walks everyday and I lift 5 pound weights to tone my arms (they say you don't need to go higher than that).


What's your work-out routine?

A taste of... (insert country)

A Thai dish from Lum-Ka-Naad

I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to food. I love my comfort foods and the main cuisine I grew up with (Italian/Argentinean) so when I became ethnic restaurant examiner for examiner.com, I learned to break out of my comfort zone. I've tried Thai, Indian/Pakistani and Nigerian cuisine and they were all SPICY. I realized then I do not have a palette for spicy foods but  I can appreciate the bold flavors (in small bites, natch).
What are some of your favorite ethnic dishes? Any restaurant suggestions?

Check out my examiner page

Dancing in the moonlight

ABT- Swan lake photo by MIRA courtesy of ABT

I love to dance and I miss it now that I'm working and in grad school. I took a year and a half of modern dance and those warm-ups killed me but I wish I had that routine back. There are three other styles I want to learn: waltz, tango and salsa. I recently visited The Tango Room Dance Center and I witnessed how people give in to the dance and the music and it inspired me. My modern dance instructor always told us dance was more than a movement, it was a full-body experience and the rhythms of the music become your guide.Unlike exercise, dance is fun and doesn't feel like a workout which is part of the reason why I'm drawn to it. Any suggestions on the best dance styles to burn calories while having fun?
(the ballet photo is too beautiful not to post- But, at 25, I think I'm too old to start!)

Ode to summer in L.A.

Tim Burton's Romeo and Juliet courtesy of LACMA

L.A. may be known as a city with only one season but whether you feel that is true or not, I love that the one season is summer. Granted, some days are hotter than others but overall I love that I can come home from work and jump right into the pool. I love that I can garden and see my beautiful sunflowers bloom and I love that on such days I shut down my computer and blast my ipod.
I'm excited for summer adventures with friends that include Cinespia, the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA, the Getty and, of course, Point Dume.
What are your summer getaways?

Los Angelenos...

I was recently inspired by this LA Times article regarding the guidelines on how to be a "true angeleno." Since moving to the valley in 1991, I feel more like an Angeleno than an Argentinean (sad but true fact) and I've racked up a few of my own tips.

1- A true angeleno makes beach visits all year long (not just on warm summer days)
2- a light sweater is a necessity (a thick coat-rarely) but a true angeleno is spoiled by the sun so even on cool days there's always the flip-flop, shorts and tee-wearing crowd.
3- Gun shots in the middle of the night, green-haired teens with piercings in places one didn't know could be pierced, and the occasional homeless guy who needs some cash "for gas to transport his pregnant wife to the hospital" don't faze a true and wise angeleno
4- while we may not be able to travel the world, we are surrounded by cultural diversity-  whether it be ethnic cuisine (nigerian, thai, colombian etc), music, museums and festivals all contribute to further extending our knowledge of the world. However, the best source of cultural knowledge is usually your friends, neighbors and acquaintances who most likely come from all parts of the world.
5- Six degrees of separation has never rang truer. Though we may not all be connected to Kevin Bacon (but we may have seen him jogging in the hills or at Farmer's Market) we all know somebody who happens to be a friend of a friend of your best friend, cousin, sister etc.