you know what they said? well, some of it was true!

I felt like watching a mediocre comedy last night, so for the first time ever I rented a movie from iTunes.  I chose ‘Love and Other Disasters’ because I like Brittany Murphy, fashion, and London.

A bit of advice: Don’t take reviews too seriously.  There was one five-star review that called it a ‘sleeper hit’ and one one-star review that said it was dry and annoying because of Brittany Murphy’s fake British accent (which, as it turns out, is supposed to be fake, as we learn about halfway through the film).

My thoughts?  It was enjoyable and worth renting, but I’m not planning on seeing it again any time soon.  Some bits were boring, some were mildly funny, some were quite clever, and some were hilarious.  It was kind of a film-within-a-film, as you can tell from the opening credits, which appear to be directions from the screenplay in typewriter format.  For me it was worth it because of the London setting and the ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’-inspired fashion alone.  A decent movie, nothing extraordinary, but it suited what I was looking for at the time.

to dwell on dreams

In response to a recent post by parapluie, yes.  During the crunch week of finals and school finishing up, there are countless things I wish I had time to do.  Such as:

• reading the whole Shakespearean ‘Henriad:’ Richard II, Henry IV, Parts I-II and Henry V
• enjoying the lovely weather by spending a day in Boston
• baking delicious cupcakes with meticulous care
• watching the Ian McKellen DVDs I checked out
• blogging more
• gaining a basic understanding of philosophy
• becoming an expert in evensong
• collage-ing
• writing snail mail to friends
• listening to the ever-expanding playlist of new music
• practicing piano for fun

I did, however, finally start Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox.  It’s addicting, which is actually great.

Slight side note: Don’t read the back covers of books, or the mini descriptions on the author’s website.  They actually ruin it a bit. :(

Although, this Gnommish Two-Way Translator is pretty sweet.

trip no further, pretty sweeting

the title doesn’t have anything to do with this post, just that it’s from a lovely song that i’ve become obsessed with today (because i love classical music and shakespeare and quilter.  yes, i can drop loads of hints on this one, assuming that you don’t know it, or that if you do, you would know it without the hints.  see title riddles.).

here are some pictures of my ap english language outfit (if any good comes out of aps, it’s the labeling of my outfits.), from about a week – oh wow, actually, it was just wednesday.  it seems forever ago though.

shoes, Nordstrom | paisley black tights, UO | navy skirt, gap (red) | pink shirt, abercrombie & fitch outlet | plaid shirt, lf | belt, 3rd grade dress code… | pocket watch necklace, aldo accessories | pink hairband, Dajuli Sparkles

also, thanks for commenting on my evil theory post!  i was happy to read everyone’s insights :)

and as you may have noticed, we’re back to the olde theme with the cookie header.  it was just cosier and i’m willing to sacrifice the larger pictures for it.

i’ve been tagged…

by pearls in your hair!  thank you :)

What is your current obsession?

yes, the Bard.  and also this book:

SO useful.

What is your weirdest obsession?

‘your love for professor snape’ – my sister, expert judge on my weirdness

(and I probably agree with her choice)

What are you wearing today?

dress, Nordstrom | tights, Hue | clock necklace, gift from shady from UO | headband, TopShop | cardigan, Next

What’s for dinner?

mm wouldn’t that be fabulous?

What’s the last thing you bought?

from ricky (cats & dogs)

What are you listening to right now?

it’s stuck in my head.  i love that song

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
baileys & cream :)

What do you think about the person who tagged you?

i love her blog!  she is adorable!  i was quite pleasantly surprised to be tagged :)

(i hope you don’t mind that i’ve used your header here to complete my answering-with-pictures theme…tis lovely!)

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

it would be this lovely house from hyde park!  (<3)

What’s your must have piece for summer?

my floppy hat.  my aversion to contacts and awful vision make it difficult to wear sunglasses unfortunately, so sun hats are definitely a must. (wow, i’m wearing the same dress today)

If you could go anywhere in the world for next hour, where would you go?

hmmm…just an hour though?

Which language do you want to learn?

Lots.  I’d like to learn Spanish, though, I don’t know any Spanish. (I googled ‘spanish’ and this came up; thought it was pretty)

What’s your favorite quotation?
Ah, too many.  Depends on the mood.  Check out the title riddles for more :)

Who do you want to meet right now?

I’d like a nice chat with Jane Austen.

What is your favorite color?

scarlet

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?

My New Look waistcoat

What is your dream job?

ah, to work in some vaguely round building (if you could call it work)

What’s your favourite magazine?

teen vogue.  this is the first issue i ever got, because i bought every magazine with a harry potter actor/actress on the cover this one time.  so i blame my interest in fashion on harry potter.  i blame a lot of things on harry potter.  yay :)

Favorite designer?

betsey johnson

What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

ugg boots.  (i made the picture really small).

Do you admire anyone’s style?

jamie campbell bower, actually.

Describe your personal style?

fluffy + edgy = fledgy

(that’s me singing)

What are you going to do after this?

sleep.

What are your favourite movies?

sweeney sweeney sweeeeeney

ni ni niiiii

cookies!

mwahaha the most adorable thing ever.

to name a few.

What’s your favourite fruit?

stwaberries

What are your favourite books?

obviously.  (all of them).

gatsby :)

le petit prince

elsewhere.

too many others to list.

What inspires you?

everything.

The rules : 1. Respond and rework; answer the question on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add more one question of your own. 2. Tag eight other people.

I’m tagging the following people:

• two neptunes
• glitterpills
• le parapluie deteste la pluie
• cats & dogs
• with love, mccall
• district of chic
• jolijoy
• daily fashion boost

i am determined to prove a villain

Why do we love to hate certain characters?  Why are we attracted to characters that are so obviously terribly flawed?

I was thinking about this today and came up with a variety of reasons.

• Pity – We understand that they are flawed, but they don’t see their wrongs, so we feel badly for them.  (Example: King Lear, Gatsby)
• Entertainment – Because we wouldn’t actually be that evil and manipulative in real life even though it looks like fun.  (Iago, Richard III, Mrs Coulter)
• Association – We can relate to their problems and understand their situations.  (Severus Snape, Daisy Buchanon, Mrs Coulter, Narcissa Malfoy)
• Anger – Because they evoke emotion that makes us want to rip our brains out.  (Dolores Umbridge, Madame Morrible)
• Frustration – This is also known as ‘Horror Movie Syndrome’ when you constantly find yourself yelling into the page ‘Don’t do it!’ and then they do it anyways. (Macbeth)

I’m sure there are more.  That was fun.  Thoughts?

thin love ain’t love at all

As I am supposed to be cramming for my last two APs, preparing for my upcoming finals, and writing my major portfolio essay, I am instead updating my blog.  Which is okay, I feel, as I haven’t updated in a while.

It feels like summer outside, which is not fun.  The summerness is mocking my struggling non-summer mentality required for my work.  It’s not fair (and I think you’re really mean/I think you’re really mean….a mini title riddle).

I finished ‘Letters to a Young Poet.’  I underlined a lot of passages, but it’s really worth reading the whole thing (it’s not even that long).  I am now reading a collection of short stories called ‘Late Victorian Gothic Tales.’  I read the first one, ‘Dionea’ by Vernon Lee.  I have to say.  It’s really weird.  I also have my disagreements with the epistolary format; not my thing.  Vernon Lee herself is kinda weird looking too (yeah, herself, it’s a pen name for Violet Paget).  I think it’s her expression though:

I also have some outfit posts, from several days ago.

Tori helped me finagle these even though it was raining :) I got to use my favourite umbrella though!

umbrella, Top Shop | shirt, Primark | trousers, Gap | high tops, Converse | blazer, Korean wholesale market

Speaking of Tori, this is the dress she stole.

dress, Urban Outfitters | DIY blazer, altered from a thrift shop for my Snape Halloween costume | purple tights, Hue | leg warmers, Primark | hobbit boots, Urban Outfitters | necklace, Aldo Accessories

And finally, my AP Lit oufit (slash self-timer success at last!):

blazer, Korean wholesale market (yeah I wear it a lot) | my new favourite Great Gatsby tee (that NO ONE noticed), Urban Outfitters | striped shirt, J. Crew | skirt, I don’t know, it was a hand-me-down from my younger (but not littler) sister | purpleish tights, Urban Outfitters | yellow boots, Dr Marten | Shakespeare buttons, the Globe Theatre, Oxford Creation Shakespeare Company, and that bookstore in New Haven

You know what I really feel like right now for some reason?

This picture also makes me smile :)

Edit: Yes, a new theme.  The old one kept cutting off my pictures.  It took forever to finally get a picture to fit in the custom header.  Oh well!

Q&A / Blogroll

If you would like me to link to your blog, please comment here and I’ll put you on straight away :)

Right now I have my favourite blogs listed, but I’m willing to add some new ones too.

Also, if you have any questions for me about my blog or whatever, you can ask them here.  cheers :D

ne te quaesiveris extra

I am busy studying for APs and such, but in the midst of this craziness, I am enjoying a new book.  Shady gave it to me for Christmas (and today is her birthday.  Yay!).

Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke.  Sadly this is the largest image I can find.  I have been reading a couple of letters every day and I have so many underlined quotations, which I will eventually type up and share.  (by the way, the title riddle is actually not from this book.  ooh tricky…)

Since I do not have the book with me right now (it’s upstairs), I’ll leave you with some quotations from other authors on writing and reading.

Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey:

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.

Neil Gaiman, introduction to Smoke and Mirrors:

Stories are, in one way or another, mirrors.  We use them to explain to ourselves how the world works or how it doesn’t work.  Like mirrors, stories prepare us for the day to come.  They distract us from the things in the darkness.

Stephen King, On Writing:

Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life.

Let me know if there are some other quotations that you admire; I have a ton more as well.

Style diary for yesterday:

necklace, Delias | white shirt, LF | purple shirt, Anthropologie | skirt, Urban Outfitters | belt, Gap | tights, Hue | boots, Top Shop

over three hundred words for love

Yesterday I took some pictures of my two puppies, Logan and Albert.  Logan is the family dog; she is a cocachon (cocker + bichon).  I got Albert in London at Harrods (I referred to him in a previous post).

Logan is weird.  She is very clever, neurotic, and talented.  I think she is a model because she is skinny and tall (she has strangely long legs).  She also sings and plays soccer.  But actually.

Logan thinks that she is a person.  She sits on the couch.  But she is always makes sure that someone is in her vision (usually my mom, whom she follows everywhere).

She is very protective of her toys.  I don’t know what this toy is supposed to be…a monster hedgehog?  Her favourites are her elephants, Yeah-Yeah and Yes-Yes.  I don’t have pictures of them today though…

Here is Logan hiding out in the dining room.  She always looks straight at the camera.  Hm.

This is my favourite puppy, Albert.  He is wearing a lovely black hat that used to belong to my Thanksgiving turkey stuffed animal before it fell off.  So Albert’s borrowing it.

Here is a style diary update.  I’ll be wearing lotsa blazers this week to submit to to the weardrobe contest :)

hat, Accesorize |  tee, Harry Potter Alliance| skirt, Urban Outfitters | cardigan, Macy’s | wellies, Hootenanny | skirt, Forever 21

The socks and belt are from my 3rd grade school dress code.  And the necklace is made from the zipper on my 3rd grade Harry Potter lunchbox.  I feel little.

i thought the world was sugar cake

Today I took the SATs.  When I take standardized tests that are 5 hours long, I usually  crave cake afterwards (I usually crave cake anyway, but especially so in this circumstance).  So I took my bike Jane out to market and we got some cake.

I like cake.

Also, I experimented with my self-timer and action shots on my camera.  Fun!

Here’s the boring version:

And here’s the exciting version!

shoes, Converse (Red) | trousers, Delias | scarf belt, New Look | black cami, black tee, bird necklace (gift from shady), Urban Outfitters | hair bow, Head Games

I also got an account at weardrobe.com and am now addicted…fashion is fun.  It is art and expression and individuality, all things I love :)