Hey y'all!! I have a big announcement for you guys: I am temporarily moving this blog!! Sara may still post here, but for the next six months (from June to December), I will post in this blog instead as a motivation to document my study abroad experiences in France! So get excited, visit, subscribe, look at my pictures of macarons and cute French things!
Yesterday, I saw a photo on Humans of New York's Facebook page of this couple lying on a meadow - I think in Central Park - reading to each other. Just then I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to read to one's significant other? This outrageously romantic gesture is so rarely done nowadays. So I proposed to my boyfriend that we should read some poems to each other this weekend. After the proposal, I thought what would be better than a poem that I personally wrote about him, about us. So, voila. A poem of love.
Love is…
Love is your
scent on the pillow long after you left the bed
Love is your
fingers playing with my hair
Love is my heart
beating when you kiss me or cry
Love is the
spooning after the fight
Love is the
stars and the salted sand on my eyelashes after the third piña colada
Love is when I
slip my fingers through yours in the cool air and they just fit
Love is the
silky touch, the murmurs and dimples as we dream
Love is the
warmth of freshly stripped clothes scattering the floor
Love is a look,
a song, a senseless comment in the middle of somberness
Love is the
charge in the air that tastes like clean flesh, which makes me drunk
*It's already Monday where I am! So Music Monday!*
Sorry sorry sorry for not posting for so long! Spring break happened, and then the new quarter, and a new novel I've been working on... However, deep down I know these are no excuses, so here I am, back and ready to give you guys some new music to nurture your starved ears...
"Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under." - Goodreads
I read this novel over the course of one weekend, at first one or two chapters at the time, and then just desperately gulping it all down. For me, this novel definitely picks up speed and strength as the story progresses, and then you truly see and feel and believe the love between Eleanor and Park, and how hard life is pulling them apart.
This story is about love, but at the same time about so much more. It's about life in the 80s, about adolescence, school, sibling rivalry, domestic violence, prejudices, and poverty. Written alternately from Eleanor and Park's points of view, this romantic, tender, but also very raw and true-to-life story slowly sucks you in, grabs you, pulls you under, until you just can't stop reading and can't stop feeling and can't stop yearning for more.
One thing about this book that touched me the most is its language. Simply beautiful, borderline poetic (I know that's technically not right but just bear with me please). Sentences like "There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises," and "'I don't like you,' he said. 'I need you,'" and "Park's face, asleep, was a brand-new kind of beautiful. Sunshine-trapped-in-amber skin." The descriptions are so evocative that you can't help but picture each character in your head and feel them come to life.
Another thing that I really loved (and also made me tear up) is the ending. I won't spoil it for y'all, but let's just say it's pretty indicative of how life gets into the way of first loves. The ending will definitely remind you of your own very first romance, and all the bittersweet things you felt, all the awkward and shy moments shared, all the distant memories refreshed.
This last film of Miyazaki is based on a real figure, Jirohorikoshi, the Japanese aeronautical engineer who designed the Mitsubishi Zero, Japan's predominant fighter plane during WWII. It was used in many air assaults in China, and also the Pearl Harbor attack.
Despite the film's sensitive subject politically and historically speaking, Miyazaki expresses through the film an overwhelming sense of beauty and pride.
Instead of telling the story of Japan's attempts at plane construction through a historicizing narrative, Miyazaki made the magical choice of adopting a very personal point of view from Jiro the engineer. From Jiro's narrative, Miyazaki tells not only the stories of a plane, but of a young boy's desire to fly, to follow his dream, and to make his country a better and stronger one. The Japanese society at the time of the story was a turbulent one, one filled with social malcontent, natural disasters, and political and economic unrest. Mayazaki unreservedly shows this dark side of his society's past, which gained my sympathy. On the other hand, he also shows the breathtaking beauty and simplicity of life during that epoch: the picturesque countryside with its green grasslands, ripening fields, and traditional Japanese architecture, accompanied by the evocative music composed by Joe Hisaishi, every minute of the beauty is exuberant with a national pride and patriotism that is natural, modest, yet very much heartfelt.
The film is also extremely touching in that it tells a tragically beautiful love story that is tangled with the nation's destiny. The love in the story is depicted with such simplicity yet is extremely convincing, in that it is also expressed with a kind of utmost sincerity that makes us wonder if we can still find love like this in today's society. Just like the love element is a personal aspect of the story, so is Jiro's own dreams of designing beautiful airplanes. In the film, he explains that he never meant for them to go to war, and he is at a loss when he realizes that none of his beautiful designs came back after taking off.
This film is a must-see, it will move you in a way that you have long forgotten existed. Your heart will simply go out to the characters. For this reason, I was very sad to learn that the movie is censored in China because of its sensitive subject, however this film is not about politics. It is maybe somewhat about war in that it shows war's inhumanity and ugliness, and it is above all else about a brave quest for dreams and a yearning for beauty.
I love them. I'm literally in love. I'll be posting an entire photoblog as soon as I get back from my speech meet. It's so cool.
Right now I'm wearing Wilkie. They're not at all what I thought I'd like...but they're just glorious. I've been wearing them around campus and have gotten a ton of compliments.
They were actually number four on my list when I was trying my sample five on, but the more I wore these around the most I fell in love with them. The fact that I can wear them around for an extended period of time and really test drive them makes Warby Parker worth a try.
This is the best way to buy glasses in my opinion.
Hello dear blog-goers! It's me! Sara. I'm alive! Yeah. It's been forevs since I've been on here and I'm so sorry about that :(
But now I'm back with a vengeance and style! This weeks Fashion Friday? GLASSES!!!
I'm super excited to do this post as I absolutely love glasses. They can totally transform your persona. My new favorite look? Earth tones. We're stepping back a few decades, back into thicker and rounder frames. On my fashion radar right now is Warby Parker's Limited Edition Palm Canyon Collection. They're gorgeous. I want them.
There are three basic styles: Winston, Preston, and Duckworth (my personal choice). Each can be made with your prescription lenses or with polarized lenses. Or with both! It's a glasses wearer's paradise in there.
These frames are coming just in time for spring break. And who doesn't want to look their best when heading off to the beach (or in my case Wisconsin...)?
"But I don't want to look like everyone else at the beach," you say? Well you won't. These glasses are one of a kind, with no two pair looking alike:
"An artful pair of frames elevates any look instantly. Duckworth’s slender, rounded shape and signature plaques make it the perfect finishing touch. This one-of-a-kind pair features hand-mixed insets of tortoise acetate at each end piece."
I couldn't have said it better myself. These glasses are classy. I've been looking for a new pair for over a year now. I want to replace my boring metal frames because I feel like Harry Potter when I wear them. I do believe I might be in love!
If you really want to go all out retro there is another style featured in the Palm Canyon Collection: Wheeler.
These are adorable and, might I mention, selling out fast. So if I were you I'd get on over to Warby Parker and check them out. Then get some classy glasses on your face so people check you out.
Look at these people. Tell me, you don't want to look that good?
But I'm not done yet. Not only are Warby Parker making some gorgeous glasses, but they're doing something really exciting. They have a home try-on program. Five pairs. Five days. 100% free. This means that you get to try before you buy, which is something extremely important when buying glasses. While they can change your persona, they can also totally not work on your face.
With this program you can wear these frames around for a few days. See what people think. Ask your mom, your grandma, your boyfriend, the guy at the coffee shop, your cat. Whoever. Wear a different pair every day! See which one gets the most (positive) attention. It's perfect.
So with that in mind, Vanessa and I have decided to try a home program. We'll be wearing them around, getting opinions and modeling for you guys from the Spring Collection.
I'm in love with Burke :)
So look forward to the next few weeks and we'll be keeping you guys updated on our glasses wearing progress :)
In honor of Valentine's Day being this Friday, this week's Music Monday is dedicated to mixes that celebrate love.
'For those who are in love, who never stopped for love, who never gave up for love, who always hoped for love, who did their best for love, who stood strong for love, who made somebody happy for love, who sacrificed for love, who love to be loved.'
Today I am going to finish the whole list of 10 movies to see with your significant other or some friends! You can find the first two segments of the list here and here.
This is hands down the best French movie I have ever seen, and let me just say I have seen dozens of French movies. Lighthearted yet full of life lessons, Amélie will not disappoint for a Valentine's Day movie date.
Pretty classic rom-com that tells the story of eight different couples. I don't know why, but I love seeing how many different stories evolve and intermingle. Oh, and did I mention Hugh Grant is in it?
Need I say more? Classic, classic tale that will make you cry and warm your heart. Watch this and see how one radio call changes two people's lives forever.
What is better than a musical in a movie? This is more for hanging out with your friends, but if you got a boyfriend/girlfriend who loves to sing and dance, this can work for couples too! I always dance to the Dancing Queen scene anyway (shamefully walks away).
I hope you all have a wonderful, sweet, and cozy Valentine's Day!
Picking up where we left off last week (Part I), I am here today to introduce three more of my favorite movies that I think are wonderful for Valentine's Day. Today's movies share one thing in common - they are all animation movies! Some may say animation movies are specifically for children, but I guarantee you that is totally not the case if you have seen these three!
I'm sure everyone has already more or less heard of the hype about this movie. At first I was like, Disney movie, princesses and all? Come on, people, go see something more original. BUT! After I finally went to see the movie with my boyfriend two weeks ago, it blew my mind! It is hugely hilarious, beautiful, and the songs are so catchy everyone in my dorm is playing them on repeat!
If you ask me what is the funniest animation movie, I would definitely tell you Despicable Me without hesitating. But after seeing this sequel to the first movie, I realized I was wrong - Despicable Me 2 is even FUNNIER! As if that's even possible! I mean, who doesn't like to see a former-villain falling in love with a villain-busting crazy woman, not to mention the three cutest girls in the world, and a bunch of yellow minions dance around and speak gibberish English?
Let me tell you something: you can never go wrong with Pixar and Disney. Up is a movie with a perfect combination of naiveté, humor, beautiful animation, and.... unexpected romance!
Hey y'all!! With this cold weather going on where I am, I cannot wait to have some warm-themed holiday, such as Valentine's Day. Today I'm here to share with you guys a few Valentine's day favorites of mine or movies that are coming soon in theaters. Watch them with your significant other, or just some friends!
Of course, this is a must. I like the multiple story lines and how they cater to all kinds of audiences. Plus, can the fact that Jessica Alba and I share the same birthday be a reason why I like this movie?
Definitely not your classic rom-com. But a hilarious, heartwarming one still! Prepare yourself for some of the funniest couple-y scenes in the history of movies.
Winter quarter at my college is known for bitter weather and icy winds. Before I left home for school, I checked the weather, and man, we are in for record low temperatures!
As my flight landed, all I could see out the windows was thick, thick, thick fog. I still marvel at how the pilot managed to land so well. As soon as I came out of the airport - somehow thinking that I'd be okay in only a layer of fleece - I thought my face was going to fall off (like, actually). When I took a breath, it felt like my lungs were going to implode on themselves...! That's exactly how cold it felt. Within five minutes I couldn't even sniffle - all the liquids in my nose have solidified.... yes, turned into ice.
When I got to campus, there was a horrendous amount of snow. And it was in the forms of snow mountains like this one below:
Good thing is, people are still finding ways to enjoy this bitter weather:
And it was really pretty when I woke up this morning:
Even though when I went outside, the windchill made the already low temperature feel like this:
And for this reason, school is canceled. So of course everyone is like this:
Conclusion: even though it's officially a snowpocalypse in Chicagoland now, no school is still a pretty sweet life.
To everyone currently in Chicagoland: Stay warm and be safe!
xx
Vanessa :]
