we are not what you think we are

i’ve spent the week listening to mika’s new album, the boy who knew too much. actually, both of his albums.  i manage to find something new in each song no matter how many times i listen, just like his crazy artwork.

maybe all the bright colours inspired my wardrobe choice for yesterday:

then i got cold and reached for a sweatshirt, not even intending to match as well as i did.

black tank, gap (red) | neon tank, new look | shorts, urban outfitters | tights, delias | sweatshirt, vendor in san francisco

listen to the music of the traffic in the city

today i spent some time walking around boston.  it was my favourite kind of weather – cold enough for tights and a jacket, but warm enough to not need a coat and mittens.  i love window shopping; it inspires me.  i was satisfied enough with my two purchases of the day:

i got a used kaiser chiefs album at newbury comics.  i’m back in the habit of getting a new album each week and today i discovered that at newbury comics they let you listen to any used cd before you buy it!

finally in my possession ~ the bronte lace top from free people (and of course, another lovely shopping bag!).  it’s been on my wishlist ever since it graced nearly every page of the catalog coupled with different layers.

i also took some pictures around boston of some pretty things i saw in windows:

a chanel no. 5 window display with suitcases at saks fifth avenue.

the window at item, a shop in the prudential.  i need a nice black leather jacket.  i also love the fading tights in the background.

the new ann taylor line is surprisingly very wearable for my taste!  classy chic.

a display at barnes & noble.  apparently it’s the 70th anniversary of the wizard of oz!  i had an oz obsession as a child, so this was nice to revisit.

anthropologie on boylston street ~ one of my favourite shops.  i not only love the clothing but also the styling of the interior; they always do something funky.  free people too.  i tried on a white peasant blouse and an amazing black vest.  i took a picture in the dressing room to remind myself to revisit them later when i have more money, but i’m not sure if it’s illegal to post a picture of something i didn’t buy (let alone to take it) or anything, so to be safe i’ll keep it on my computer only.

i also wore this pin today, which my grandmother gave me.  she said that her friend brought it back from peru.  so cute and colourful :)

contented to know only happiness

i’m trying to understand what i love about the lifestyle of jane austen, romantic, and victorian novels.  (besides the lovely dresses, i mean).  what i’ve come to realise is that the modern world has grown uncomfortably busy.  people don’t just walk down the street anymore – everyone is talking on cell phones or listening to ipods – and the music of silence is ignored more and more.  i too am guilty of falling into these habits, filling my schedule until it is overflowing.  my idea is to get in as much as possible and to not feel restricted, but i’m starting to reconsider – maybe getting the most out of life is not doing the most but taking time to pause and appreciate what you are doing.

a certain pattern and string of expectations have taken over the way people live their lives – go to school, go to college, get a job.  did shakespeare major in poetry?  did jane austen ever have creative writing assignments?  i say, if you want to be a writer, an artist, whatever – just do it.  it’s knowing what you want that’s the hard part.

what do you think?

anyway.  here are some photos from a couple of days ago.  i don’t know if i’ve ever thanked ian for allowing me to force him to take these pictures, but thank you, ian :)

hair bow, details | chandalier necklace, greeting card | shirt, juicy couture outlet | coat, delias | skirt, free people | tights, urban outfitters | boots, hootenanny’s

fair is the world now autumn’s wearing

i’m quite tired at the moment – i’ve reached the middle of the second week of school, in which i must battle fatigue on top of piling work.  what did i do with myself during the summer with all of those extra hours?

the weather is getting slightly cooler, but i think that it’s the perfect temperature.  cold enough to have to bring a jacket but not always wear it.

i felt quite scholarly in my mom’s old blazor.  i sort of want to wear it to school every day to feel all academically spiffy.

dress, forever 21 | socks, h&m | shoes, urban outfitters | headband, top shop | blazor (above), my mom’s old closet

and this is what i wore today.

everything looks better with a nice lace top underneath.  everything.  victorian is coming back.

i love this cameo ring from urban outfitters.

dress, ring, urban outfitters | heels, aerosoles | top, express | necklace, so good | belt, my mom’s old closet | blazor (above), kimchi & blue

in training for a heroine

yesterday i had the delightful honour of being a guest at a meeting for the jane austen society of north america (jasna) massachusetts region!  the theme was ‘the power of place in austen’s life and works.’  i find it ironic that both of the literary conferences that i have attended have focused on place (the other being ‘place and space in children’s literature’).  this was quite different though, as there are no fairylands in jane austen (at least not explicitly).

the conference was hosted in a lovely english tudor estate called the henderson house.  i was pleased to see that the interior is just as lovely as its exterior.  i want to live in a house like that.

at conferences like these (as in, the two conferences that i have attended :)), i enjoy the speakers of course, but possibly even more than that i love to absorb the reactions of the audience.  whether it is a collective chuckle in anticipation of a famous quotation or a longing sigh at the sight of a picturesque image, the people in the room are united by a common love of literature, and a love for austen.

i love this cosy little room and especially the book cases by the fire.  add books to any elegant room and although simplistic in style, the room is transformed into mystery and adventure.

there were paneled paintings on many of the walls.  i wish people still put so much effort into handmade wall decor.

this is the fountain outdoors by the front entrance.  you can see the hanging lamp and curved archways too.  everything is so intricate.

two staircases are better than one!

finally, the exterior of the house, with all of its charm.

the conference was also the perfect occasion to debut my new dress!

dress, charlotte russe | necklaces, aldo accessories | tights, hue | shoes, aerosoles

i was having a bit of difficulty with the self-timer, and i could only get my shoes in by cutting off the top of my head.

like this, too.

birthday surprises

yesterday morning i took the act, and when i got home my family surprised me with a mini birthday celebration!  my birthday was in july, but we were on holiday and didn’t celebrate properly.

my mom and sister made pink frosted cupcakes and put them on a lovely display.

they made a small cake with the leftover batter.

i got some belated birthday gifts, wrapped in pretty paper!

my mom got me the boxed set of the ‘sense and sensibility’ dvd (the wonderful emma thompson version with alan rickman as colonel brandon) and a copy of the book.

julia had picked out this pink hairband from a korean store in virginia.

and now for my outfit…

shirt, anthropologie | shoes, converse | jeans, old navy

i bought the jeans when i just moved to the area to enter school five years ago.  they still fit. they have naturally faded over the years; when i first bought them they were the same colour as they are at the bottom throughout.

the converse shoes are from when i was eleven years old.  i had to get them because for a play i was in, you’re a good man charlie brown (i was lucy).  at the time it was really hard to find converses.  we had to try many different stores.  shortly afterward they became really popular and now it’s impossible to go into a generic shoe store and not find them.

the shirt, however, is completely new!

any way you want to, any way you’ve got to

today was the second day of school.  i like all of my classes, but i feel a bit sick so it’s hard to balance work and relaxation to get better :(

this afternoon it was raining and i was in a kayak in the pool for outdoor adventure.  when i got home i changed back into my outfit anyway to take pictures.  the dress is made out of a skirt by ricky from cats & dogs.  it’s twirly!

dress, cats & dogs shop | trousers, top gap | vest, new look

i’m also getting tired of the white wall and door from my bathroom, so i’m working on sprucing that up a bit :) 

open up the dirty window

today was the first day of school!  i had a lovely day with triple english (shakespeare and double journalism) and lots of heavy books.  my english teacher let me keep the class penguin for the summer, and i am disappointed to say that i forgot to bring to school today.  on the ride home, i wondered where i had put him.  i find it ironic that he was sitting on top of my shakespeare books on my windowsill all the while.

his name is pericles, by the way, after the prince of tyre :)

today i wore my new dress from h&m.  i was slightly put down by the fact that two other girls were wearing the same one!  fortunately theirs were blue and mine pink, and i became especially pleased that my knee socks sparked a bit of originality.  anyway, great minds think alike, i suppose.

dress, knee socks, h&m | watch necklace, aldo accessories | hair bow, details

i look slightly annoyed in this picture, probably because my camera kept falling over when i was using the self-timer.  also, i’m carrying ‘the fountainhead’ because a. it’s the book i’m reading at the moment and i like it a lot, and b. because it has quite a pretty cover and the colours matched well together :)

the play’s the thing

hello!  i’ve been waiting to post for ages but our internet has been down for the past couple of days, so this morning i decided to bike to the library with my computer (heavier than i thought…) to use their wireless.  it seems that whenever i am incapable of posting i come up with more ideas of what to write than ever.

on friday my mom took me to lenox to see twelfth night and hamlet by shakespeare & co. as a late birthday gift :) both productions were amazing.  i want to return there to do some training.

this is the founders theatre, where i saw both plays.  it’s a lovely stage with bench seating.  the lobby has merchandise and a little cafe, and as you can see they welcome picnicking outdoors.  i have to return one day with a picnic lunchbox!

i’m wearing my new floral dress from h&m with a necklace and stockings from urban outfitters, and my brown heels that are from i-forget-where-exactly, some shoe place at the outlet mall.  also, a silver hairband from nordstroms.

this is the rose footprint where they do some outdoor theatre.  both of my plays were inside though.  good thing, as it was raining.  although what’s shakespeare without a rainy outdoor stage? (that’s my shout out to thee, shady).

we had dinner in between shows at a lovely cafe down the road.  they had tasty cupcakes, which we took to go.  i ate mine at intermission.  moose is in all these pictures.  he came with me.  hello, moose :)

these are the programs from the plays.  tina packer, aka goddess of shakespeare who started this company, played gertrude in hamlet, and it was magical to see her perform live.

in the above photo is also my new bedspread, from target.  i love it, even though it doesn’t really match the rest of my room.