spring break photo diary

Playing: Hurricane-MisterWives
Reading: Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Amazing book!)

Instead of heading back home over spring break, I took a trip along the East Coast with a group of friends, stopping off at Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I was sick for most of Washington D.C. and Baltimore. However, I really enjoyed Philadelphia. It wasn't my first time there as I've been there twice before, but I had just forgotten how beautiful Philadelphia can be. On the second day we were there, we visited the Philadelphia Art Museum and walked along the Schuylkill River Trail and wow, it was beyond stunning. The classical style of the Fairmount Water Works and museum buildings contrasted with the modern skyline is just a beautiful sight to see. Baltimore has a more subtle sense of beauty and wonderment than Philly has. Its landmarks and tourist spots aren't as well known and obvious in terms of importance to American history, but it was rare jewels like the American Visionary Art Museum that made me enjoy my time there. The AVAM felt like a collection of relics from my childhood, represented by glittering objects and animated folk art.

Picture: 1-DC War Memorial, 2-Fort McHenry, 3-AVAM, 4-Fairmount Water Works, 5-Honeygrow, 6-Meeting Kazuo Ishiguro at the Free Library, 7-Philadelphia City Hall

High School Recap

Playing: Aviation High-Semi Precious Weapons
Reading: The Iraqi Friends We Abandoned by Kirk W. Johnson

Left to Right: Cliff, Joshua, me and Alex

So much has happened and so quickly too. Thought I'd catch you guys up on the last month of high school. I went to prom and chose to go short (again) with my dress because a) I fell in love with this Dolce and Gabbana dress over six months ago and b) long dresses aren't a standard in SoCal. I went with my friend, Alex, with a big group of people. Up above, you see what I title "Admiration" in which three of my best male friends simultaneously propose to me.

Left to Right: Clare, Linh, me and Simi

For the last week of school, the student government group hosted a bunch of senior only activities. Since it was my last week, I felt kind of nostalgic and decided to be more involved at school and showed up to our own color festival. Some person tossed a handful of blue powder at me, so I went around like an abnormally large smurf for most of the festival.

The day before graduation I hosted a bonfire with my friend, Simi. We spent the majority of our time playing an easier version of volleyball, roasting corn, and burying friends before the tide washed them away. We even tried the whole silhouette photo thing, which didn't work out as well as I had hoped for because you can still see what colors we're all wearing. However, I think the 90s girl group pose more than makes up for it. 

Left to Right: Tina, Clare, Simi, Linh and me

Lastly, I graduated two days ago. Graduation wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. For the most part, I found it rather long and stretched out. The speeches were cliche and/or juvenile and no one knew when to toss the cap, so my whole row tossed it before graduation was over, causing us to hit several students in the head. Afterwards, we ran off to grad night, which is basically an after party held at school until five in the morning. That was pretty fun. I'm off to Japan this weekend, so  I don't know if I'll have access to a computer. I may update on this blog, but I'm not entirely sure yet. If you want to see how my Japan trip is going down though, follow me on Instagram @this_is_audrey. I'll be updating a lot there.

time to say goodbye

Playing: Somewhere Only We Know-Keane
Reading: The Honor Code by Kwame Anthony Appiah

It's hard to believe it's been three weeks, since I visited Berkeley. I really love it up there. It feels both more urban and more rural there in a way than where I live. A complete paradox, but the gardens are less tame and the trees grow higher yet there is absolutely nowhere to park your car, which is the case in most cities. Another perk about Berkeley is its cute stores and markets, which are mixed with Berkeley's more famous laid back, anti-authoritarian spirit. (For example, my brother lived a block away from an indoor Swedish ski resort style food court that was next to three medical marijuana stores in a row.)

The reason why I visited Berkeley was to attend my brother's graduation from UC Berkeley. Yeah, that's how smart my brother is-he survived all four years at the sixth best university in the world, according to Times Higher Education. It's weird to think that I won't be heading up in that general area for a long time, since my brother won't be there.

I have several friends that turned down UC Berkeley for UCLA and I really wonder why. I know that UCLA is in a nice neighborhood and that it's known for good looking people, but you can't beat Berkeley's atmosphere. Some of their dorms look like English boarding schools and the town itself is so great.

Talking about how great the city is, Berkeley honestly has the best food. Not only do they have your standard American food, they have revamped versions of almost every country's cuisine. Joshu-ya serves up some amazing Asian fusion dishes such as this pork belly soba, which is fatty, spicy, and refreshing all at the same time. Not to mention, there's also a creative noodle bar, the best Italian joint ever (at the best price ever), a Brazilian hut that focuses on amazing sandwiches, and a Pacific Cookie Company, which sells the craziest, most delicious cookies called Cherry Bombs. If nothing else, on your next San Francisco trip, you should stop by Berkeley for all the food.

New York Photo Diary: Part 2

Playing: Hard to Explain-The Strokes
Reading: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Other than spending inordinate amounts of time shopping and eating, I did manage to fit in a trip to MoMa and the Guggenheim. MoMA is definitely worth visiting, while the Guggenheim can be rather dull other than its fun spiral design. Pictured above are 30 Rock (where Holden Caulfield went ice skating with Sally Hayes), a church near Washington Square Park, a raspberry cronut from Mille Feuille, and some shots taken at MoMA.
In case you were wondering why I was in New York, I was out there visiting NYU, which I will be attending in the fall. That means that I will be moving to the city that Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Simon Doonan, Anna Wintour, etc. call home, which is pretty exciting. If you could give me tips on how to survive winter time, it would be much appreciated. What clothes do I wear? Is it possible to look cute in a puffy coat? Am I going to survive? Will I get stabbed on a subway? The world may never know, but maybe you can help.

it's conceptual

Playing: Fake You Out-Twenty One Pilots
Reading: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

After waking up painfully early to get in line for the Jason Wu for Target collaboration, I decided that I would not go through all that work again for another designer unless they were one of my favorites. Fortunately, I lucked out with the Peter Pilotto For Target collection. A lot of the people that hoard clothes to sell on eBay end up returning the garments if they aren't sold quickly enough, so I was able to find a large chunk of the collection in the sales section. I liked how graphic each of the pieces were and how the mesh sleeves on the cardigan made it feel more sporty.

I also splurged recently on this pair of Dior boots with a misplaced heel, when I was on the hunt for prom shoes. They were on insane markdown at Nordstrom Rack and I figured this was probably my only chance to get such a wonky pair of designer heels for a decent price. Since they're black boots, I feel like these heels are discreet enough to be worn often. However, between these boots and the tops up above, I feel like my wardrobe just became a tad more bold and conceptual (read as harder to wear) than before.

Talking about prom, I realized recently that I never shared photos of my prom from last June. Here's a photo of Lauren and me doing the classic-John-Paul-staring-into-the-distance-while-saluting-some-unknown pose with the John Paul. Lauren was John Paul's and my mommy in journalism last year and since we were a family, we decided to take a bunch of Kardashian family-esque photos to prove that we were more deserving of a reality show than the Kardashians. This is one of the few photos that came out truer to our identity as a family than the Kardashians. Also, that Diane von Furstenberg dress is still one of my favorites. Invite me to a formal event, so that I can wear it again.

crystal clear

Playing: Trouble-Coldplay
Reading: The Stranger by Albert Camus

A week or two ago, I celebrated Tina's and Hannah's birthdays at Crystal Cove. It's a really cute area and I used to spend a lot of time down there as a kid. There are two places to eat down there along with a bunch of summer homes from the 1960s and tide pools, which are always fun to explore. Afterwards, we went to Lemonade at Fashion Island for drinks and went shopping. Just by our wallets, purses, and drinks, I think you can tell a lot about our personal style. Hope you're all doing well!

Black On Black With Sparkles

Playing: Perfect Situation-Weezer
Reading: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I know I always tell you this, but I'm updating my wardrobe again. I wear the same t-shirts too often, so I'm thinking of quitting them cold turkey by tossing them in the giveaway bag and never seeing them again, but then my dressing might go off the rocker and I might go insane. Spring break gave me the opportunity to go shopping and buy a few basics I've been wanting. At Urban Outfitters, I finally got a black collared shirt and some  flowy black shorts. My goal for this summer is to not wear denim shorts with a t-shirt everyday, so I'm working on getting nicer shorts and I'll figure out the t-shirt problem later.

Since I tend to wear too much black, I decided all things sparkly will help bring some life to my outfits. The glitter obsession has gotten a bit out of hand truthfully and my nails are ridiculously sparkly almost all the time now. Even though I'm disappointed with myself for giving in with the polishes, I'm really happy with the statement necklace. I was rather hesitant, when buying it, since the price tag was a bit expensive for me at $36, but the cashier register rang it up for only $5 and I was extremely pleased.

To add onto the all things sparkly obsession, my mum and I have been head over heels in love with Givenchy jewelry recently. The "Vanguard" Faux Pearl and Chain Necklace has a great mix of crystals, chains, and pearls, while the "Studio" Triple Drop Crystal Earrings and the Crystal Station Long Necklace are beyond sparkly. My mum and I love how Givenchy jewelry always looks more expensive than it really is and how a lot of the time people confuse the crystals for diamonds. If I really did have a chain of diamonds that long, I would not wear it so casually.

The last big splurge of spring break was a pair of suede Reed Krakoff boots, which I found for a great price. I've been looking for edgy, everyday boots and these work well with pants, shorts, and skirts, so I'm very happy with them. They look like the Alexander Wang boots I was hoping to get, but they're much more comfortable than the Wang boots. Sorry about not posting any of my outfits. I should probably get back to that soon that way I have more to share with you.

PS I'm thinking of going to college in England. My parents are wondering what an English degree would mean in the states. They don't want me to waste several years studying in England only to come back to the states and realize my degree is worthless. The schools I'm especially interested in are University of London, Cambridge, and Oxford. (London School of Economics is a slight possibility too, if I don't go into writing.) I've heard that my actual grades mean nothing, since they'll be looking at my SAT, ACT, and AP scores and that extracurricular activities aren't necessary. I've also been told that college is only three years there and that I don't have finals, rather I'll take two tests to prove that I know my stuff. If you know anything about the registration process, how the system works, the reputations of these schools, and/or schools good for journalism (preferably fashion journalism), let me know.

Spring Break Update

Playing: Can You Feel It Tonight-One Night Only
Reading: Two Soldiers by William Faulkner

Left to Right: Kavya, John Paul, Sabrina, and Me

Right before holiday, a group of friends and I participated in our school's talent show. We did a dance, where the six of us dressed up as our favorite people from the 1980s and it was borderline school inappropriate. I've started to realize that I do a lot of things that are funny outside of school, but really inappropriate for school. We had John Paul (as Rick Astley) RickRoll the audience by popping out at the end of our performance and killing Sophie (as Lena) and then we had Josh (as Freddie Mercury) start stripping. Kavya (as Mick Jagger) and I (as David Bowie) did the gay scene from "Dancing in the Streets" in which they put their faces up to one another, so that left Sabrina (as a cat from the Cure's song, "Lovecats") as the only decent one in the group.

On the last day of school, Sarah and Sophie hosted a gangster picnic and craft day combo, where we all sat around and drew together, while having lunch. It was supposed to be gangster/wizard themed but the closest thing we got to grills was braces and the closest thing we got to wizards was a beard. It was still a really nice way to start spring break, though.

I left the picnic early to go to someone's birthday party, but they switched the location on me right when I showed up at the beach they told me to go to, so I was really upset and ended up going to Tea Station to eat away my anger. But seriously, I drove an hour there and back and wasted a quarter of a tank of gas to go to this specific beach only to be told they wanted me to drive to another location they weren't even sure of yet. I also paid $15 for five minutes worth of parking. I left a picnic early for them and skipped on another party for them.

The next day I went to Old Town Orange on a hunt for vintage jewelry, which proved to be more expensive than I willing to pay, so I hung out in my favorite Starbucks ever. This Starbucks used to be an old bank and it's beautiful inside, definitely a great place to hang out and I wish my friends would come here to study with me instead. By the way, have you tried their new layered macchiatos? They're so good!

On the same day, I decided it was time I ate healthier, so I went to Gelson's for their salad bar. Notice the lack of lettuce? It was all in my juice and it shocked me to take a sip only to realize that this didn't taste like apples, cucumbers, and lemon at all. Just because I like sharing tales of my travels with you, try pouring some balsamic vinegar on strawberries. I had that in Florence and it's such a good combination, even in pasta salads.

Just yesterday, I visited East Village in Long Beach, which is being praised as the next artist hang out and truthfully, I wasn't impressed. It's probably because I went on Easter, so nothing was open. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to go back and eat there on a day, when more action is taking place. It's steps from the beach has a few cute cafes I would like to try, so I'll definitely go back soon. Sorry for not commenting on your blogs lately. I haven't been on blogger for awhile, since I've been busy with school and being sociable lately. I'll get back to commenting as soon as possible!

I Couldn't Come Up With a Clever Title

Playing: Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On a Bad Bet-Fall Out Boy
Reading: Those Who Nailed It for Fall 2013 by Cathy Horyn

Over the weekend, I got the chance to try Taco Asylum, which was featured in Orange Coast. I must say it's one of the best places I've tried in a long time. Typically, I avoid Mexican food at all costs, but after looking at their menu, I was convinced that I should try it. For starters, I shared a Taco Plate with the Pork Belly, Wild Mushroom, and Surf n' Turf tacos, which also came with lentils and quinoa. Out of the taco trio, I would skip the Surf n' Turf taco because the arugula overpowered the lobster and pancetta by a long shot. The Pork Belly and Short Rib tacos were so good. I loved how the pork belly was braised in coconut milk and how the Short Rib taco was topped with pickled red onions. Everyday Taco Asylum makes several drinks freshly, so on the day I went, I got a Pineapple Orange Acqua Fresca, which comes with free refills.

The Nachos were so amazing. Topped with salsa verde, guacomole, scallions, pickled red onions, jack cheese, oaxaca cheese, cayenne creme fraiche, these nachos were unlike any other nachos I've ever had. First of all, these weren't your typical tortilla chips; these nachos were made of crisply fried potato chips. Second of all, these nachos were lacking the fake cheese spread that's always grossed me out in the past. Since I usually don't like Mexican food, I think I should toss in that many of the flavors weren't specifically Mexican. For instance, the Pork Belly taco's flavors were more along the line of Thai food.

After lunch, I also stopped by SEED People's Market to do some quick shopping. I've been looking around for more earrings and this pair is so long and perfect. I love how simple it is yet how it does make a statement. The only issue I have with them is that I have to keep untangling them from my hair, so I'm thinking of wearing them with a messy bun soon to keep my hair away from the earrings.

Left to Right: Austin (aka Cheese), Vivian, me, Alley, and Shabaan

However, I had to cut my shopping trip short to work on an APUSH video in which my group discusses why the Social Security Act is detrimental to the health of the USA. In my video, I played the parts of a Looper, Professor Audrey Gordan Levitt, one of Shabaan's wives, and my APUSH teacher. Our video is really random and it includes guest appearances from Stephen Colbert, Alfred Landon, FDR, Katy Perry, and the authors of my APUSH textbook. It's really weird and there's singing, dancing, drinking, and a murder. Hopefully, I don't get suspended from school for this video, but Vivian edited out most of the bad parts. We showed it to the class today and everyone asked us why half our characters were wasted and why Shabaan was running around shirtless. He wasn't shirtless by the way; he had a tank top on.

Congrats to Mei of Ice Pandora for winning the first prize of my giveaway and to Terri Leane for winning the second prize! I'll be sending both of you an email, asking for you addresses, soon and you've got a week to reply before I give the prize to someone else. Thank you to everyone that entered!

Fashion+The Killers

Playing: Be My Escape-Relient K
Reading: Style.com/print SS 2013

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates and posts; like I said before, nothing of real interest is going on in my life. My friend, PJ, started a fashion club at my school, so I joined. We pretty much just sit around and discuss runway shows, models, and clothes, but we also do some artsy stuff like drawing and painting. It's pretty fun and the teacher's room that the club is held in has all these old fashion magazines, so we get to rip out our favorite pictures. I loved the W spread with Lindsey Wixson and the haute couture spread with Karlie Kloss, so I had to rip out those photos.

Jessy was also at the meeting and I hadn't seen her in while, so it was nice to catch up with her too. She brought a little gift for me from the Marc by Marc Jacobs store. The ring is just my style-simple and slightly edgy-and the pen is also really cute. I brought in a Marc Jacobs bag to carry my yarn in to school one day and the next day I was carrying this bag around plus some Marc Jacobs ads, so the boys in English class asked me who Marc was. When I told them he was a designer, they exclaimed, "OH, that explains why he has bags and the ads revolve around clothes!" Oh mon dieu, boys!

You guys have all met my puffer fish, Jacques, already. Well, I like to spoil him and play with him, so lately I've been holding my new iPhone up to the tank, so that Jacques can watch music videos. He'll actually watch some of them, but so far I think he likes "Mr. Brightside" the best. It's the only music video, where he'll watch the whole thing.

By the way, the music video for "Miss Atomic Bomb" came out today and it's almost like a sequel to "Mr. Brightside." All of the cast from "Mr. Brightside" is present and the video just makes me so happy. The cartoon part was a bit cheesy, but I still liked the video and thought the concept was interesting. The best part is Miss Atomic Bomb and Mr. Brightside are reunited and it makes me go aww and get all mushy and love sick every time I hit the replay button on YouTube. Sorry for the complete and utter lack of technical terms in this post and the overuse of stereotypical teenage girl phrases, but seriously, the music video makes me get all love sick.

Who's your favorite music video couple or music video romance? I really love Mr. Brightside and Miss Atomic Bomb in case you couldn't tell.

"How Do You Spell Gabbana?"

Playing: Time to Pretend-MGMT
Reading: 100 Years of Fashion Illustration by Cally Blackman

I'm not going to lie; I've been feeling rather happy lately, which is odd for me, since I'm rarely happy when school is in session. I feel great for a multitude of reasons such as writing three stories for the school newspaper, doing multiple drawings for the school newspaper, making time to read art books, meeting some new people, finding someone that has near identical music taste to me, and getting a little gift from my mum. Lately, my mum has been finding it difficult to use her bigger bags, so she's been giving me full ownership over them, not just borrowing rights.

My mum just gave me her 20th anniversary Dolce and Gabbana purse that I never knew she even owned. She figured she hadn't used it in years, so why not give it to me. Plus, she knows how much I adore lace and Dolce and Gabbana, so this purse is literally the perfect combo. Not to mention, the little coin purse attached to the side is just so adorable.

The purse is lined with cheetah print silk and is in amazing condition. My mum doesn't take very good care of all her designer goods, so it really shocked me, when I saw how little damage was done to the bag. It's just such a gorgeous bag and I'm looking forward to using it around town. Plus, it's about time I expanded outside of just using my Burberry purses and cross body bags. I must seem so materialistic, but let me pretend I'm Madonna for a few seconds.

Over the weekend, I wore this outfit to do some errands and go grocery shopping, so I know I'm vastly overdressed, but it made me happy to wear around my top hat and look tall in heels. I'm wearing a San Diego Hat Company top hat, a Vince Camuto blazer, an American Vintage dress, a FullTilt bandeau, Merona tights, Chloe heels, a Coach purse, and Alexander McQueen sunglasses. I know I look super bitchy in this photo, but trust me, I am capable of being friendly and smiling.

But when I do end up smiling, I look derpy as proven by this photo. My legs look rather short in this photo, which is odd because my legs are actually quite a bit longer than my torso. I'm wearing a Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, a Marc Jacobs necklace, an Ann Taylor LOFT shirt, Mango jeans, and Alexander Wang shoes. These shoes kill my feet and cut up my ankles, but I still wear them because they're lovely. My English teacher told the class that if she could marry a pair of shoes, these would be the pair for her. The boys in my English class think I'm a shoe hoarder now. For that reason, I think I'll have a hard time getting married. That's why I need a boy that likes dressing well (and likes the same music as me and will sit with me and watch Food Network, Comedy Central, and History Channel). Is that really too much to ask for? Yes, yes it is.