New York, New York, What A Wonderful Town: It Can Revel You Up, It Can Level You Down

TRAVEL: New York, New York, What A Wonderful Town: It Can Revel You Up, It Can Level You Down

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Enamored, Exhausted, Conflicted.

MY.NY. I’ve called it that for the past 8 years, lived in it for the past 32. It’s home, it’s always been home, I’m pretty sure it’ll always be home. I’ve been in love with the whole state, but mostly my city, my whole life & when people speak of their excitement or their “dream” to visit NYC one day, I get it. I feel lucky that I’ve lived in the center of the chaos; I feel lucky that now I’m only tens of minutes away on the outskirts of the hubbub. However, recently, things have had a subtle shift. The geographical love of my life has begun to fray at the edges, blurring my vision from behind my rose-colored glasses, adding an anxious thrum to the usually enthralled pulse that runs through me at just the sight of the concrete jungle.

New York, NYC, MY.NY., The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps is..amazing. It’s awesome. It’s incredible. It’s a world of its own with the population of the city being so diverse, you might as well have a passport for the island. You can be proffered a taste of a little bit of everything, a little bit of something, but sometimes that can transform into a little bit of nothing. New York has an inherent electricity far different from the literal Times Square sense. Even the subways have an energy, even the sidewalks have a story. New York, the emotional oxymoron; a place with over 8 million people that struggle to find just one or two true connections. The palpable nature of the city can either be arousing or overwhelming, sometimes both. Opportunities call kindly to you from every neon sign, from every sky-scraping window, from every glittering marquis; but they also dangle temptingly in front of you like a carrot, making you walk blindly & aimlessly that one extra step after another in the hopes that you’ll be allowed to take a bite someday. Someday. Nightfall in NYC can be a startlingly different experience from one 12 hour gap to the next. One night you’re out at a restaurant, a jazz bar, a club, & life is good and jubilant and you’re a firecracker about the town without a burden to shoulder. The next, you’re home in your shoebox studio that’s costing you your pension eating Ramen noodles & watching Sex & The City’s glossy glammed up version of a very different reality, & wondering why you feel alone in a city full of promised promise.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still thoroughly obsessed with my town. I love the “melting pot,” the variety, the camaraderie (it does happen sometimes!). I live for feeling alive when I walk through Central Park in the summer or 5th Avenue in the winter, Union Square in the fall, The Met in the spring. The sparkling lights still set something ablaze in the pit of my stomach (that is not attributed to the spices from an NY slice), my colorful memories leap out at me from every psychic-resided corner. I roam my undergraduate hallways of Washington & Waverly, gazing at the billowing purple NYU flags that are now ubiquitous at every turn from FiDi to SoHo to The Village to Midtown, reminiscing about that first day that my address read “New York, NY 10003” & how I was ready to embrace the place like a long lost love that I never knew I had. The creativity, the individuality, the temperament that is solely New York still tugs at my heartstrings like a child determinedly pulling a mother into a candy store. But now & again, I wonder if “MY.NY.” will forever be in the throes of a lifelong identity crisis.

“I carry the place around the world in my heart but sometimes I try to shake it off in my dreams.”-F.Scott Fitzgerald

Today’s Interlude(s): “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra & “Empire State Of Mind” by Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

What is Art? Is art art? Are we art?: Lisa Turtle’s Dilemma & Its Relation To 5 Pointz & Self-Expression

Arts & Culture: What is Art? Is art art? Are we art?: Lisa Turtle’s Dilemma & Its Relation To 5 Pointz & Self-Expression

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Inspired, Sad, Artistic, Logical.

If you’re not a New Yorker or you’re not an artist, there is a chance you may not have heard of iconic 5 Pointz, an outdoor art exhibit space on a 20,000 square foot factory building in Long Island City. Aerosol artists from New York’s five boroughs & all over the world came to 5 Pointz to graffiti (in the non-negative sense of the word) all over the space, attracting the likes of boldfaced stars like Doug E. Fresh, Mos Def, & Joan Jett as well. 5 Pointz became a haven for those artists whose medium was aerosol spray cans, and let’s be honest, not quite the most respected of the lot. They would flock to the factory building to express, impress, inspire, collaborate, and experiment, all the while creating incredible colorful displays of, what I presume to be, their thoughts. Unfortunately, as of November 2013, 5 Pointz is no longer in existence. As the curator of the space petitioned to have 5 Pointz become a museum & save it from demolition, the owners of the building had the space whitewashed overnight with the security of police protection. Here comes the question. What was the point in the whitewashing? If the building was to be demolished anyway, why add insult to injury & just go and basically delete the years of expression and artistry and hard work that went into the pieces on those walls? Understandably, the owners of the building had/have the right to do whatever they want with the space, it’s theirs. What I don’t understand is this; for years, this space was a place for community and expression. For years, it thrived as a place for this specific type of artist to come & not be arrested for using aerosol to create. Why the sudden urge for condominiums (and in an already saturated Long Island City)? It is obviously illegal to “tag” up a public place & you can and will be arrested for graffiti’ing pretty much everywhere, which I agree with. Sorry, but I don’t want to see your big orange bubble letters on a public library wall. However, I can appreciate artistry with the best of them & do believe that those individuals who excel in this form of art should have a place where they are free from the fear of glowing blue & red lights and silver (definitely not a cute accessory) cuffs. The need for people to put their feelings into something solid and tangible is valid. The need for a businessperson to want to make more money is valid. I refuse to believe that some sort of agreement or middle ground couldn’t have been reached in this case.

All of that rhetoric aside, I’d like to ask a question of you. What is self-expression exactly? An outlet that allows an individual to feel free, to be themselves, to be unique, maybe to release stress or anger or sadness? That’s what it is to me, anyway, and I couldn’t survive without it. I don’t know what I’d do if someone suddenly erased all records of my dance performances or told me that I can no longer use a particular space to dance in that I had been connected to and performing in for years. In my opinion, self-expression is a necessity for society. To be able to not only make yourselves feel, but to inspire and to make others feel something, anything, with something you have created with the fruits of your labor is an irreplaceable, inherently good thing. To many, it may be intangible. To many, it may be too philosophical. But to many, it is innate and it is important.

Art to one person, whether it be performance or creative or visual, may be trash to another, but who is the decision maker as to what should be revered and what should be disregarded? My heart goes out to you, artists of 5 Pointz & all other such artists out there. The wonderful part about expressing yourself through your art is that you always have your tools within you. That’s something no one can steal from you & I suppose there is at least a little solace in that. I hope you find somewhere else accepting of your immense talents and understanding of your visions, because, Ansel Adams said it best:

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.”

More information about 5 Pointz here, and more articles about the demolition here.

(Header photo credit: http://www.inhabitant.com; Footer photo credit: @WNYC on Twitter)

Today’s Interlude: The Living End, “Prisoner of Society”

OSCAR SUNDAY! The 1 Day Of 365 Where Oscar Isn’t A Grouch

OSCAR SUNDAY! The 1 Day Of 365 Where Oscar Isn’t A Grouch

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Curious, Excited, Glitzy, Glamorous.

This post will have more semi-articulate text later tonight, but for now, & throughout the evening, enjoy the fabulous fashion, obstinate opinions, and wonderful winners here! (all photo credit to the photographers at Getty Images)

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Oscars red carpet & afterparties in 2009 when Slumdog Millionaire took home plenty of gold & in 2011 when 127 Hours was a nominee. Considering that I’ve been an avid & obsessive Oscar watcher since I was 7, many of my dreams came true that weekend & I pretty much owe my dad more than I already had at the point! My love for awards season, inclusive of fashion, talent, glitz, & glamour has never waned, & the post below makes that glaringly obvious. Don’t worry if you couldn’t sit through the 3.5 hour show, I did it for you. 😉

My Best Dressed: (as always, I wish there was more, or any Marchesa!)

Portia de Rossi in Naeem Khan

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Her figure definitely does this gown justice & the intricate patterns make the fact that it’s not an actual color worth it.

Viola Davis in Escada

(Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

The emerald Escada sets of Viola’s skin tone absolutely beautifully. Could do without those tan lines though!

Kristin Chenoweth in Cavalli

(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Every year, someone dresses like Oscar himself, but you can’t help but love Kristin Chenoweth in her gilded Cavalli!

Olivia Wilde in Valentino

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images) (Lester Cohen/WireImage)

Gorgeous mom-to-be in a classic B&W Valentino could not have done it any better.

Lupita Nyong’o in Prada

(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

NO WORDS for incredible Lupita Nyong’o in custom silver threaded powder blue Prada. “I picked the blue because it reminded me of Nairobi & I wanted some of home with me. I’m wearing a froggie ring as well, which is my family totem.” Looking like a spectacular & statuesque Cinderella in powder blue pleats & sparkling tiara-esque 18 karat yellow gold & diamond Fred Leighton headband.

Chrissy Teigen in Monique Lhuillier

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Forever hilarious Sports Illustrated cover girl/John Legend’s wife/prolific tweeter Chrissy Teigen combines fashion & functionality (like Clic By Siddhi!) in a strapless floral Monique Lhuillier gown with what I always call iPhone pockets, because let’s face it, that’s what they are!

Sally Hawkins in Valentino

(Steve Granitz/WireImage)

The Blue Jasmine actress looks like a modern Victorian in her bone & gold Valentino. I’m so glad she isn’t blonde; the brunette makes her face pop against the neutrals.

Jared Leto in Saint Laurent

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Love of my life Jordan Catalano struts on the red carpet in a black & white Saint Laurent tux with the perfect oxblood bow tie. I miss his man bun & his chiseled jaw though. Angela Chase forever.

Sarah Paulsson in Elie Saab

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Sarah looked less coven-like in this gorgeous piece by Elie Saab with simple & sleek hair and accessories. I always love long sleeves on gowns as they set you apart from the ubiquitous sleeveless/strapless numbers.

Amy Adams in Gucci

(Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

Many-time nominee Amy Adams decided to style herself, for herself tonight with a navy columnar Gucci gown & hit the nail on the head. The coral colored earrings with her redhead are perfect complements.

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior

(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

America’s sweetheart, 3 time nominee, 1 time winner, & Dior spokesmodel J.Law made her entrance by falling flat on her derriere on the red carpet, but handled it with humor & grace as usual. Even if her whole situation is like the Taylor Swift “surprise face,” I love it. The fire engine red was a surprisingly awesome color choice, not annoying me with the whole red on red carpet thing.

Emma Watson in Vera Wang

(Steven Granitz/WireImage)

My little Hermione never does any fashion wrong. Flawless hair, flawless makeup, and a metallic charcoal & black Vera Wang gown are no match for her acting skills, but do a good job keeping up!

Kevin Spacey in *pending*

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

I have a soft spot for midnight blue tuxes with black lapels (specific, but true) & Frank Underwood did good!

Julia Roberts in Givenchy

(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Lace Givenchy (& peplum done right!) in a color, in my opinion, that sets off that lighter hair & trademark smile incredibly!

Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen

(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Stunner Sandra in a liquidy navy McQueen looking every bit the Best Actress queen herself! And for once, non-straight hair & effortlessly rocking the waves.

Kate Hudson in Versace

(Steve Granitz/WireImage)

I’m not sure if Kate has ever looked so so so good. Her slinky white gown fit like a glove and couldn’t have flattered her anymore. The back draping was the icing on this non-wedding cake!

Lady Gaga in Atelier Versace

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

WOW. That’s all I can say for Lady Gaga on Oscar night. Incredible embroidered figure flattering Atelier Versace makes more of a statement than her usual over the top attire in the best way possible!

Kelly Osbourne in Badgley Mischka

(Coco Perez)

Kelly chose a beautiful Badgley Mischka gown with a beaded capelet-style overlay for one of her many Oscars gowns, and made sure to stay dry in that oh-so-torrential LA rain.

VANITY FAIR OSCARS AFTERPARTY:

Mindy Kaling in Salvador Perez

(Jon Kopaloff/Film Magic)

Well, if you know me, you know I think Mindy can do no wrong like, ever. Her fashion obsession (amongst other things) makes her my kindred spirit & her costume designer on The Mindy Project & the president of the Costume Designers Guild, Salvador Perez dresses her impeccably on the show & in real life. This dazzling strapless black peplum is no exception.

Taylor Swift in Julien MacDonald & Jaime King in Ulyana Sergeenko

(Just Jared)

Taylor has hardly gotten her event fashion wrong & last night was no exception. Forever a fan of sparkles that she is, I’m glad she chose black over the usual metallics. I’ve been a fan of Jaime King since her CK modeling days back when she was James, & I love the fact that her fashion forward days are still in existence. She always toes the line & she did it well last night in a maroon gown cutout gown with periwinkle detailing, perfectly showcasing that post-baby figure.

Selena Gomez in Emilio Pucci

(Just Jared)

Selena is one of my favorite fashionistas (as those who know me will attest to), & at 21, she is emerging as a fashion favorite for just about everyone. She remained true to form as she usually sticks to a golden hue for these types of events, but I love the sheer peekaboo legs and Old Hollywood waves.

Naomie Harris in Naeem Khan

(Getty Images)

I had the good fortune of being able to attend Naeem Khan’s 2014 runway show during New York Fashion Week & had an idea that this gown may be making an appearance somewhere this awards season. The stark red & black combo looked stunning on Naomie.

Zooey Deschanel in Oscar de la Renta

(Just Jared)

Zooey is known for her quirky or olden days fashion choices, & I have been ogling this ODLR floral gown since it hit the runway. It’s the perfect fit to Zooey’s personality.

Leslie Mann in Jenny Packham

(Just Jared)

Cheerful tones for a cheerful pair! Leslie Mann in her lemon yellow Jenny Packham brightened up the black/neutral/metallic red carpet in a much needed way!

Jennifer Lawrence in Tom Ford

(Just Jared)

No falling this time around, J.Law stunned in a short Tom Ford dress with sheer side & back paneling and metallic cut work.

Rashida Jones in Valentino

(Just Jared)

I know this one won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but this columnar patterned Valentino is one of my favorites! The simple hoops and dark bangs are the perfect accessories.

Amy Adams in Carolina Herrera

(Just Jared)

Amy is always one of the ones I look forward to, both film-wise & fashion-wise. She switched to another simple gown, this time a clean white one-shoulder Carolina Herrera, and obviously made everyone’s best dressed list, again.

Kristen Bell in *pending*

(Getty Images)

Still waiting on the designer for this one, but Kristen Bell looked gorgeous in a bright red low-cut Grecian style gown. I think motherhood added the glow more than the makeup did!

Reese Witherspoon in Boss

(Just Jared)

This is a look I’m not used to seeing on Reese, and I’m a fan of it! The split design skirt in black & metallic charcoal, and pop of turquoise in the earrings are a stark & stunning contrast to her blonde hair & blue eyes.

10:53PM Currently, Gravity is cleaning up, Lupita took it home, & Ellen is about to have the most retweeted picture in history also known as the greatest selfie in history! Also, this is a very very long Oscars, but my loyalty is real!

11:02PM: The In Memoriam segment was as gut wrenching as usual, but it’s wonderful to note that they muted the applause so it wasn’t a popularity contest for the departed. Bette Midler closed it out by singing her iconic “Wind Beneath My Wings” from Beaches & basically the whole world ugly cried like Oprah.

11:19PM: Best Original Song went to Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, making Robert the youngest EGOT winner ever! (Winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, & Tony Award)

11:41PM: Daniel Day-Lewis is the only thing that’s helping this long ass show situation right now.

11:50PM: Jennifer Lawrence was fighting with someone in the audience….while up on stage presenting an award. I’d love to know the background story on that a bit more. Following that, Matthew McConaughey is giving a church summer camp speech.

11:55PM: My mom started screaming at the TV after 40 minutes of silence. “YEAH, WILL! YOU GO! I LOVE HIM, HE’S SO FUNNY!” Thanks for the unexpected wake up call, Will Smith.

Sometimes, I wasn’t looking at the clock (a valiant effort), so here’s what else happened on some basic timeline. Pink sang the hell out of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” for The Wizard of Oz’s 75th anniversary & Judy Garland’s children in attendance (Liza Minnelli with her blue streaked hair to match her peculiar blue silken jumpsuit, Lorna Luft, & Joey Luft) understandably cried. Ellen quickly brought that back to laughter in her Glinda the Good Witch getup, and though there were some hits & misses throughout the telecast, Ellen kept it light and funny and PG, which is pretty much what I look for in a host (if I needed an overabundance sex jokes, I’d watch pretty much anything else on TV right now).

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Ellen ordered pizza for the starving celebrities & Brad Pitt was serving paper plates, Kerry Washington got a gluten-free version, and basically the celebs perked up a bit after being fed. Also, Ellen collected money for the pizza from the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Brad Pitt, & Lupita Nyong’o threw in her lip balm as well (Clarins, for those interested)! John Travolta seemed to have sneakily imbibed somewhere at the notoriously dry event because his introduction of Idina Menzel left the rest of us blankly blinking at the TV for a bit.

(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

WINNERS (UPDATED):

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

My love since his Jordan Catalano, My So-Called Life days & a man with a 4 year prime spot in my locker with those crystal eyes, Jared Leto took time off from acting for 6 years to pursue his passion for music. A successful music career (with his band 30 Seconds To Mars) later, he returned to acting to take home all top accolades of the season for his character Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, & his Oscars acceptance speech was a love letter to his mom and awareness for the current events in the world. I’m so happy for my future spouse! 😉

Best Costume Design: Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”

Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling: Adruitha Lee & Robin Mathews, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Animated Short: Laurent Witz & Alexandre Espigares, “Mr. Hublot”

Best Animated Feature Film: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, “Frozen”

Achievement in Visual Effects: Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould, “Gravity”

Best Live Action Short Film: Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson, “Helium”

Best Documentary Short Subject: Malcolm Clarke, Nicholas Reed, “The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life”

Best Documentary Feature: Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers, “20 Feet From Stardom”

Best Foreign Language Film: “The Great Beauty”, Italy

Achievement in Sound Mixing: Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro, “Gravity”

Achievement in Sound Editing: Glenn Freemantle, “Gravity”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”

This young woman is one of the classiest, well spoken people I have ever seen. She has come through awards season as a winner & with a sincere & true message in her speeches at each event & at every talk show stop she’s made throughout. Fashion superstar, & now Academy Award winner..after having just graduated the Yale School of Drama in MAY. Stunning & spectacular; “No matter where you are from, your dreams are valid.”

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, “Gravity”

Best Film Editing: Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger, “Gravity”

Achievement in Production Design: Catherine Martin (production design) & Beverley Dunn (set decoration), “The Great Gatsby”

Best Original Score: Steven Price, “Gravity”

Best Original Song: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, “Frozen”

Best Adapted Screenplay: John Ridley, “12 Years A Slave”

Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, “Her”

Achievement in Direction: Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Cate Blanchett was the lock for the award according to industry insiders, so this wasn’t quite a surprise. Though I love Sandra in everything & I really just want Amy Adams to win an Oscar AT SOME POINT, you can’t deny Cate’s talent. I’ll remain mum on the director choice though.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

No surprise here either as Matthew McConaughey’s turn in Dallas Buyers Club has already been winning awards all season, and though I joked that his acceptance speech was reminiscent of a church summer camp sermon, I can’t deny that he really did move me with some of his words. “God has shown me that it is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.”

Best Picture: “12 Years A Slave”

What a great end to a long evening! Truly thrilled for Steve McQueen & the entire cast and crew of 12 Years A Slave for a well deserved award. An important film for plenty of reasons, the talent clearly only being one of them.

Andddd GOOD NIGHT! 🙂

The iGeneration: Text Me, Tweet Me, If You Wanna (Maybe) Reach Me

Culture: The iGeneration: Text Me, Tweet Me, If You Wanna (Maybe) Reach Me

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Mobile, Multitasking, Connected, Disconnected.

This post isn’t about anything novel and it isn’t written as well as the thousands of other posts about it, but I like having an opinion on most things, so here you go. I’m one of those individuals that is lucky enough to have been part of two eras of technology; the one where I used a pencil to wind an audio &/or video cassette, blew on Nintendo games to make them work, had a Walkman, had to just wait it out if someone wasn’t someplace at some time, and had dial-up America Online (“10,000 FREE HOURS!”) with a parentally mandated 1 hour of internet a day and the current “iGeneration” era where you Snapchat a photo of yourself to put on Instagram to simultaneously share on Facebook & Twitter while making sure none of it ever gets on your LinkedIn page and never having to get off of your iPhone to do any of it.

I’m on my phone pretty much most of the day. I watch TV on it, I pay bills on it, I check statements on it, I take pictures on it, I converse with people on it, I use both personal & company social media on it; hell, it even has a name (Pablo, btw). Strangely enough, I rarely take calls on it though. I don’t even use my laptop for weeks at a time, because it doesn’t fit in my pocket. I sometimes literally feel an urge to tweet something just for the sake of not having done so in a few hours. But alright, let’s say for the sake of being devil’s advocate (and using it as a fabulous excuse), that social media is a networking tool & I need it for my fashion brand, and in order to bring awareness to my fashion brand, I also have to utilize my personal network (this is great, I just convinced myself in that one sentence that I should be on all of my social networks at all times, I need an intervention). What about all the rest of it? Texting other people while at dinner with a completely different group of people? Forgetting to eat the food on your plate because you’re busy rearranging it so it makes for a pretty Instagram or Foodspotting picture? Making a completely unnecessary ridiculous face into your “selfie” (I’ll go into my rage at that becoming Webster’s word of the year in another, possibly beer-induced post) camera for the sole reason of captioning it with “OMG SO AWK!” and Snapchatting someone with it? TEXTING AT THE MOVIES WITH YOUR BRIGHTNESS ON MAX!? I’m a little concerned for my two & a half year old nephew’s generation because this will be the norm to them. He has already known for over a year how to maneuver iPads and iPhones and iLaptops. He accidentally uses the regular TV as a touch screen sometimes! iPad was probably his 4th word after vacuum, mommy, and daddy. WHEN IS IT ALL TOO MUCH!?!?

In case you haven’t noticed by now, recently I’ve been experiencing world wide webxaustion. I think it partially hit when I went to the AT&T kiosk and the employee showed his colleagues with awe (& I’m pretty sure, a little disgust) that I’m the first person that he had ever met who actually made full use of the unlimited data plan with the fact that I use 12GB a month (the silver medal of the iPhone Olympics was awarded to my brother with a close but no cigar 10GB a month). Then it hit when I noticed my family & friends, including me, all on our phones at the same time while supposedly spending time with each other! I’m guilty of all of the annoying things I mentioned earlier (except I refused to ever succumb to Snapchat & I stopped the movie one, I swear), but lately I’m okay with not being attached to Pablo palm to case. Sometimes I purposely leave my phone in another room so that I’m not even tempted to see what my faves are tweeting about or who had the perfect tiny portion of the perfect tiny dessert at the perfect [tiny] overpriced restaurant (but also, a lot of my posts are of martinis at Applebee’s & I could just be slightly envious of those other people). And I’ve become more aggravated at others who are constantly on their phones when with me. I haven’t 100% succeeded yet, but I’ve begun to make a concerted effort to not be distracted when I’m with company or when I’m out with people for a meal or a get together. I’m slowly realizing that the quality of time being spent with my loved ones has been significantly less in quality & more just sitting near each other while talking to others via data plans, and I’m not okay with that. Last Sunday, I told my brother to get off of his phone (while he was playing whatever the newest “____ Bird” game out there is, I’m sure) because I wanted to “connect.” Besides the fact that he was a little creeped out, he still had to finish his game first. I MEAN, WTH! CONNECT WITH ME, MAN!

There are of course positives like being able to call my 90 year old grandma in Bombay on her cute little Nokia phone, stay in touch with my amazing family in India and friends in other countries all the time via What’s App (until Facebook ruins it), being able to Google anything on the go like doctors’ info, nearby restaurants & gas stations, the option to use pharmacy apps to refill prescriptions immediately, etcetera (I’m still on the fence about Siri, though), but I’d like to know how my brother’s day was at work, what my sister taught my nephew that day, what my little sister ate for lunch (trust me, that one is always interesting) via conversation; not pictures, not texts, not Facebook posts (also, someone please stage a Solitaire intervention for my mom and an Indian radio app intervention for my dad). By the way, I typed this post on my laptop & only looked at Pablo twice with no social media checks in between!!! Ah, progress is such sweet sorrow.

Anyway, I’m going to go tweet & Facebook this post now so..text me, tweet me, if you wanna (maybe) reach me!

P.S. You can follow me here & here. 😉

P.P.S. Most importantly, seriously, PLEASE DON’T TEXT/TWEET/POKE/SNAP/BLOG & DRIVE.

Today’s Interlude: The Kim Possible Theme Song

Photo credit: ashisaggarwal122.wordpress.com

Stack on Stacks on Stacks: Bibliophilia Is Cool

Arts: Stacks on Stacks on Stacks: Bibliophilia Is Cool

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Hungry, Curious, Adventurous, Cozy, Well-Read, Literary.

Once upon a time, I was lucky enough to travel to Cambodia, drive through a phantom tollbooth, do some detective work with a girl named Nancy, be in awe of a girl named Cam’s photographic memory, be a part of a club of babysitters and a sleepover club, hang out in abandoned boxcars, meet five people in heaven, travel 20,000 leagues under the sea, live in a castle for 7 years, learn about the southern USA during the slavery era, learn about magic with a gypsy woman named Brida, hang out with a sweet award-winning pig, interpret various maladies of numerous people, fall in love with a hundred men (whoa), and embrace many of life’s lessons from a brilliant alchemist. It’s been a wonderful 28 years of a life full of imagination and intelligence, new perspectives and introspection; and I never needed to physically leave the place I was in.

Since you’ve probably already figured out what I’m talking about, let me dive right in. When someone tells me, “I hate reading for fun!”, I genuinely have trouble understanding them. I pride myself on being quite adept at putting myself in other people’s shoes for a myriad of things, but this one thing? I DON’T GET IT! But then again, I hate football, eggplants, and reality show celebrities, & no one gets that either. For me, reading is an innate love carried over generations on both sides of my family (somehow skipping my mom & brother). My dad started me off early & the love affair took off right from the get-go. The ability to escape into other people’s characters, their minds, other realms, cultivate and nurture my own imagination and creativity is the greatest asset to an introvert like me. Externally, I’m an affable, sociable, strange person, but when I need hermit time, books are my favorite partners. They offer an intangible, inexplicable, but incomparable comfort that is akin to cuddling with your pet or having your mom take care of you when you’re sick; and thank God for that because my dog is moody and sometimes, so is my mom.

I’m a crazy quote-monger (if that’s not a thing, it is now); I like to see how similarly or how differently someone else can put my feelings to words, & when words fail me (it doesn’t happen often, but my words are not quite quotable, perhaps more bleep-able at times), someone else’s lines do just fine. I also truly wish I could meet some of my favorite authors, but only a handful are still alive (Paulo Coelho, Mitch Albom, Mindy Kaling, Jhumpa Lahiri, JK Rowling, BJ Novak, Cecelia Ahern, & Nick Hornby to name a few), & so I have to settle for imagining Dickinson/Hemingway/Milne’s lives, Rumi & Kahlil Gibran’s real theories on love, Shakespeare’s creative process, Thoreau’s experiences, Frost’s decision-making processes (wink wink), & especially so, Plath’s thoughts (I believe Sylvia & I are kindred souls, minus the level of heart-wrenching depression and the whole suicide situation, of course). Though all have done a remarkable job of recording the aforementioned in beauteous poetry, prose, and stories, you can bet that my ideal dead dinner party guests would most definitely include those people. Recently, I asked to join a friend’s book club because it was something I had been wanting to do for years and because apparently, I’m okay with inviting myself to things I see on Facebook statuses. To find like-minded bibliophiles, but with their own interpretations of a work and its characters is like free cone day at Baskin Robbins to me (comparing the happiness here, not necessarily the satisfaction of reading a book versus the satiation of inhaling a large chocolate chocolate-chip with whipped cream & rainbow sprinkles).

As long as I can remember (& I’m like Dumbo with the memory..& maybe also some of the self-doubt), one of my favorite dreams has been to own a house that has a large mahogany library full of slouchy armchairs, a crackling fireplace, a ginormous [hypoallergenic] rug, a bay window/nook with a view of the pool guy (jk jk), Marshmallow Man sized & consistency-d throw pillows, and thousands and thousands and millions of books. Old, new, classic, nouveau, fiction, non, biographies, autos, children’s, adults’, hardcover, paperback, leather-bound. I want a place to travel when I can’t, to breathe when I can’t, to flop on the floor and leave everything behind when I can’t, basically to just fly away when I can’t. My other favorite dream is that those newfangled battery-powered contraptions won’t render my smooth covered, musty fragranced, underlined, worn to the spine, dogeared, page filled, ink misprinted companions obsolete. Fine, admittedly I do own a Nook, but in my defense, it was after everyone else, it was a gift, and I fought a long & valiant battle against it. Plus, I can’t do the heavy-lifting required of me if I took all the books I wanted to with me everywhere I go.

Anyyyhoo, I’ll end this with some of my favorite titles, maybe some coincide with some of yours, maybe you have other suggestions, please let me know either way! And thanks to whoever coined my favorite term to elementary [school] & beyond; “Reading is FUN-damental.”

It’s a beautiful love affair and it shall last ’til happily ever after.

P.S.–>Bibliophobes, check out Audible!

The Alchemist, Brida, The Witch of Portobello, Veronika Decides To Die, Eleven Minutes, The Manual of the Warrior of Light, Aleph (all by Paulo Coelho), Tuesdays With Morrie, The 5 People You Meet In Heaven, The First Phone Call From Heaven, The Time Keeper, For One More Day, Have A Little Faith (every book Mitch Albom has written), The Interepreter of Maladies, The Lowlands (both Jhumpa Lahiri), A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby), Wicked (Gregory Maguire), The Time of My Life, There’s No Place Like Here, The Book of Tomorrow, The Gift, Thanks For The Memories, One Hundred Names (all by Cecelia Ahern), Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns (Mindy Kaling), One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories (BJ Novak), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (both by Sylvia Plath), And The Mountains Echoed (Khaled Hosseini), The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran), The Witch’s Daughter (Paula Brackston), the Harry Potter series (shut up, it’s not Twilight), The Casual Vacancy (both by JK Rowling), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky), Little Women (Louisa May Alcott), The Gift (Andi Buchanan), 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher), Sweet Valley Jr. High/High/University (Francine Pascal), Dream a Little Dream (Antoinette Stockenberg), Where The Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak), Oh! The Places You’ll Go!, The Lorax (both by Dr. Seuss), Where The Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein), Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl), The Gifts of Imperfection (Brené Brown), 2Bro2B (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.), The Mistress of Spices (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni), The Death of Vishnu (Manil Suri), The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson), Catcher In The Rye (J.D. Salinger), Number The Stars (Lois Lowry), Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret, Tiger Eyes, Blubber, Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great, Deenie (all by Judy Blume), Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton), To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee), and on and on and on and on..

Today’s Interlude: Beauty and the Beast, “Little Town (Belle)”

OOTD OD: Street Style Edition

FASHION: Outfit Of The Day Overdose: Street Style Edition

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Trendy, Unique, Weird, Quirky, Vogue-ish.

Even before I turned into a fledgling designer, fashion was my happy bubble. I cut and sewed dresses for my Barbies, made purses from scraps of my mom’s unused fabrics, found pages and pages of sketches in my biology binder, and even made my family watch my “Madame Four Seasons” fashion show set to a Barbie & The Sensations cassette tape when I was 8. As I’ve grown, my style has evolved & it’s become less about trying to wear all of the “it” trends back in school and more about incorporating the “it” trends into my personal wardrobe, and that too, only if they fit my personality. A current Fall 2014 trend calls for purple lip color; I couldn’t even pull that off if I was Barney the dinosaur & it blended in! Another popular trend is the crop top; now that, I can manage for the time being (but mostly while high-waisted bottoms are also still “in” because, let’s be real, no one has those high school abs anymore..except high schoolers and Alessandra Ambrosio).

Certain investments are worth it when it comes to staple wardrobe additions (a black leather jacket, the perfect white shirt, black suede boots, a denim jacket, those perfectly fitting, perfectly worn in jeans, the ideal pencil skirt, some sequins-use discretion there, please, and obviously the classic LBD) because they will either never go out of style or always come back at some point (check out the department stores right now & if you’re my generation, you’ll see a lot of what you probably remember wearing in high school; HELLO, PALAZZO PANTS!?). And by the way, repetition is not the fashion faux pas you think it is. Most of us are everyday folk and not Anna Wintour nor André Leon Talley nor Eva Chen are quite paying attention to what we’re strutting around in. A lot of true style innovation happens when you mix & match things you already own and see them in different ways with a variety of other pieces.

Below are some of my favorite street style looks where I’ve been able to combine pieces from high school (that I’ve hung on to like a pack-rat) with income-friendly additions from your everyday stores like Forever 21, Bakers, Guess, etc. Add one or two trends that you’re comfortable with, a high-end splurge here & there, and some vintage pieces or acquisitions from your travels, and you can still be non-Stepford Wife fashion forward while embracing your own unique flavor (mine is “champagne & cookie dough”). 😉

If there is any ensemble you want more details about, please comment below. Otherwise, I’ll be writing more fashion posts every Tuesday about designers, trends, faves and fauxs, and more, so please stick around! 🙂

*I’m terrible at formatting, so just picture yourself in your favorite street style look in that little gap in photos down there!!

Today’s Interlude: Madonna, “Vogue”

FACTs: Fashion, Arts, Culture, Travel..with a li’l side of life.

The rainbow unicorn was just to throw you off. Anyway, just a heads up! I’ve decided to actually use my “FACTs” tagline and post accordingly! Here is my planned blog scheduling as of now. I’m going to try my level best to stick to it, but, you know..life and such.

And I’m open to topic suggestions, so please share if you’d like to hear me babble about something specific.

Monday – Side of life: More like the posts you’ve been seeing so far.

Tuesday – Fashion: My take on designers, trends, Outfits of the Day/Night/Week/Life/Forever, etc.

Wednesday – Arts: It could be a review, it could be a suggestion, it could be sharing an event in any/all arts fields; performing, creative, etc. (STAY TUNED FOR OSCAR SUNDAY!)

Thursday – Culture: May have a focus on South Asian culture, but inclusive of any and all others.

Friday – Travel: The wanderlusting gypsy in me will tell a tale of where I’ve been or where I want to go.

Hope to have you along for this weird mental process. 🙂

You can also follow me @Sidlum & my company @ClicBySiddhi on Twitter and Sidlum & ClicBySiddhi on Instagram.

(Rainbow Unicorn credit: foxdj.deviantart.com)

Champagne & Cookie Dough..

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Pensive, Caffeinated, Excited.

I decided to try a new way of battling insomnia; and if you’re reading this, then thanks & welcome to my whirlwind! Champagne & cookie dough. Is there a better combination to be had? Well, maybe, but I don’t think so & this is my blog so I win.

I came up with this title while I was hungry, obviously, but I managed to put two meanings behind it so I validated myself. Champagne & cookie dough is a lifestyle. And champagne & cookie dough is a woman. Deep, I know.

People have oft come up to me and said they would like to travel to places I’ve been or live the way I live, mostly because they only know what I allow them to see on social media. Granted, I’ve been very lucky to do many things in my life, but let’s be clear; I try to live a champagne life on a cookie dough budget. And I’m pretty sure that’s how it is for most average people out there. Not that I aspire to be average, that’s actually my greatest fear in life. Nameless, faceless, dead. But you’re not my therapists so let me not digress. This blog is going to be a space where I’m honest about how I live, and how I think many of us live. I like the Louboutins & Birkins as much as the next person (except my brother, I think he thinks those are my friends’ last names or something), but at this point in time, all I can do is double tap the CL & Hermès Instagrams and then go to Aldo & Forever 21. For now, I’m okay with it because in the poetic words of Jessie J., “It’s not about the money, money, money..we don’t need your money, money, money” (we obviously do to survive, but let’s just roll with this for the moment).

The other aspect to champagne & cookie dough is the kind of girl (I still like using girl, “woman” makes me feel geriatric) that I think I am/want to be (chime in if you think otherwise), and the kind of girl that I think just gets it all. The class of champagne, the relatability of cookie dough. You’ll see more elaboration in the types of posts here, but that’s the general idea.

Hope you’re comin’ along for this weird ride.

Today’s Interlude: Ellie Goulding, “Burn”

champagne & cookiedough

Just sharing the FACTs: Fashion, Arts, Culture, Travel..with a li'l side of life.

culture

New York, New York, What A Wonderful Town: It Can Revel You Up, It Can Level You Down

What is Art? Is art art? Are we art?: Lisa Turtle’s Dilemma & Its Relation To 5 Pointz & Self-Expression

OSCAR SUNDAY! The 1 Day Of 365 Where Oscar Isn’t A Grouch

The iGeneration: Text Me, Tweet Me, If You Wanna (Maybe) Reach Me

Stack on Stacks on Stacks: Bibliophilia Is Cool

OOTD OD: Street Style Edition

FACTs: Fashion, Arts, Culture, Travel..with a li’l side of life.

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