Song of the day, along with my mini-rant. Of course it's a song that I've heard many, many times before, but I'm tired right now, tired of bs, tired in general, annoyed and sick of my own stupidity and naivety among a lot of other things, so I kind of need a pick-me-up. I need a moment to breathe, before I have to go back to tackling any more problems and issues in my life and before I have to go back to crossing things off on my to-do list even though it's summer. I'm just so, so tired of messing everything I touch, up, and I'm so tired of feeling like a screwup, and I'm so incredibly tired of life moving so fast. I feel like I'm falling behind, or that life's a whirlwind ride that I can't get off of even though everyone else is controlling their speeds really well and basically succeeding. I'm so afraid of not succeeding, but I still put all my hope and faith into the idea that I'll eventually succeed. I just don't know how to make that eventual success happen, and sometimes I feel like any and all of my efforts towards making that eventual success happen are all in vain because my shitty luck will overpower my efforts. I feel unperfect, messed up, broken, cracked, and not in a good, unique, individual way, but rather in a way that my cracks won't allow me to succeed or be a whole person at all, let alone an individual. Perfect in every way is bad and unnecessary, but perfect in some waysis necessary. But, I still try to stay positive, because allowing myself to be sucked into a whirlpool of self-pity and self-misery is exactly how I ended up making so many bad choices in life, and living in the darkness is no fun. I want to be able to thrive in the light, even though I may not be ready for it yet. I'm trying to beat my fears, and conquer my past though, so I can one day live without the self-pity. It's hard, and the first step is just staying positive.... and not messing up so much and making mistakes that are so preventable. So that's why I chose this song; it kinda gets me pumped, or at least feeling better about myself. Usually such overt, obvious lyrics don't make me feel better but Sel Go's voice is just so awesomely powerful that it really gets deep into me and cheers me right up. So yeah, here's to hoping I feel better after 3 minutes and 21 seconds, and you guys get some positive reinforcement too. Plus, the video's pretty awesome as well.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
One of those rainier days.
Hey twizzlers! (That was weird... I don't even actually like twizzlers... oh well. Randomness is the spice of life. Case in point; "Some days, I try to be normal. Then it gets boring, so I go back to being me!") Okay, so today I'm kind of going to go on a brief rant (I definitely want to stay positive in this blog, but I also want to get some things out of my system.) So yeah I'll talk about how I think I run my mouth WAY too much and how my word filter kind of stops working from time to time, leading me to say things I definitely do not mean/should not have evereverEVER mentioned or said. So I could definitely have handled a couple of situations I was thrown into today a whole lot better. So I wanna just mention, by example, just how important thinking before you speak really is. Oh, and I hope the photos of Raina were insipring! I might post up a couple fashion photos at the end of this post, just two or three of my absolute favorites. After which I will stop clogging my blog with photos, and encourage you all to just go check her website out. But after this little mini-rant, I'll throw you guys a song of the day, and also throw out a cute little 'item of the day' ... I saw a shirt at Forever 21 that I really loved. I didn't end up buying it (gotta love not having a summer job.) but it's cute. I know a lot of bloggers/readers already have it, but I just saw it today since I haven't been shopping in forever. Either way, here you go:
Cute, right? Good message too; I definitely want to wear the idea that I see beauty in everything. That's kind of what this blog is about - finding the beauty in each and every little thing, because everything really is beautiful in its own way. You just have to look hard/deep enough to find the beauty in some things because they've been covered up with so much dirt, poison and unnecessary garbage (there's no beauty in illogical hate in its purest form). I didn't end up buying the raglan shirt (I actually saw it in white in the store, and liked that better, but I couldn't find the shirt on the F21 website, and there were no pictures of it in white online! --got this one off of Google Images) But that's okay. If I'm meant to have the shirt, it'll eventually find its way back to me. I'll be back in a short while with a daily song and a little brief rant about how not thinking before I speak gets me into SO much trouble sometimes.
xxx
Cute, right? Good message too; I definitely want to wear the idea that I see beauty in everything. That's kind of what this blog is about - finding the beauty in each and every little thing, because everything really is beautiful in its own way. You just have to look hard/deep enough to find the beauty in some things because they've been covered up with so much dirt, poison and unnecessary garbage (there's no beauty in illogical hate in its purest form). I didn't end up buying the raglan shirt (I actually saw it in white in the store, and liked that better, but I couldn't find the shirt on the F21 website, and there were no pictures of it in white online! --got this one off of Google Images) But that's okay. If I'm meant to have the shirt, it'll eventually find its way back to me. I'll be back in a short while with a daily song and a little brief rant about how not thinking before I speak gets me into SO much trouble sometimes.
xxx
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
More on Raina
Maybe I blog too much. Is there even such a thing as blogging too much? Whatever. It's my blog, so blog away I shall. Forgive me for going crazy with the photos, but I love herrr, and like I said: It is MY blog. Hehe :-)
Note the old-hollywood glam and the black&white goin' on! Alongside the bright, random pops of color, not only do these photos really showcase Raina's personality, but also the kind of fashion and style I personality gravitate towards-- super-modern with a twist of old-hollywood classic, simplistic but flairy glam. The hair-poufs in these photos are freakin' awesome! <3
Category up: Beauty! As promised, of course, here is the link for you guys to check out the rest of the photos that I didn't chooes to upload here.
Note the old-hollywood glam and the black&white goin' on! Alongside the bright, random pops of color, not only do these photos really showcase Raina's personality, but also the kind of fashion and style I personality gravitate towards-- super-modern with a twist of old-hollywood classic, simplistic but flairy glam. The hair-poufs in these photos are freakin' awesome! <3
Category up: Beauty! As promised, of course, here is the link for you guys to check out the rest of the photos that I didn't chooes to upload here.
The Rainmonsterrrr
Hi guys. So today I want to talk about the Rainmonster... a.k.a Raina Hein, one of my absolute favorite aspiring, inspiring, successful, awesome, beautiful blog-worthy models! Raina was one of the contestants on cycle 14 of America's Next Top Model, and, as luck would have it, she was actually the runner-up to Krista White, who's actually an amazing, edgy, beautiful model in her own right. But what stood out about Raina for more, that sets her apart from so, so many other models out there, is her attitude. Raina always had a positive, spunky, go get 'em, sunshine-y kind of attitude on the show, and her bright and cheery attitude shows through in her blog on her website: RAINAAAA!
Okay, so, in this particular post, I'm not really going to talk much about Raina. I'm going to share photos of her! Pictures are worth a thousand words, and you'll probably learn more about Raina (if you don't already know/love her) by looking at some of her photos than I could tell you. You might learn not just about who she really is but also who she loves to portray in her photoshoots! I'm just sayin' that I absolutely love her fun, sunny personality and I'm so trying to be more like herrr. I have my dark moments, but this girl never seems to have a dark day. Even during moments when she's down, depressed, or annoyed, she takes it as a teachable/learning moment and keeps her chin up high and knows that things will get better for sure, and that is just so amazing. But I digress.
In THIS post, I will post photos! Photos from Raina's website, which, she owns, of course; they're all the property of her blog/website/portfolio; don't use 'em etc yadda blah. You know the deal on stealing photos already, kiddos. But I just want to share some of my favorite snaps, both for her ANTM portfolio, and for some of her other ads/shoots. And let me just say that i would totally FLIP if I ever got to meet Raina (I think it's ironic how Raina's so sunny and yet her name actually has the word 'rain' in it. Maybe that's why she's so happy? :D) BUT. Without any more of my rambling, here's some amazing amazing amazing photos of this kickass superstar.ALSO, closing comment: I'm thinking about starting a 'person of the day' post too, kind of like I do with 'song of the day' or 'shoe of the day'.... just someone that inspires me and a quick explanation of why/how they inspire me, in fashion, life, music, thought or however. Real people, celebrities, models, designers, strangers, friends, family... anyone and everyone has the potential to be a 'person of the day', I guess. To clarify, they wouldn't be role models or anything; just... people who have a little piece of somehting that I admire. Give me your thoughts if you like, but I'll probably end up doing it anyway :D I like the idea; I think it's got interesting potential to be honest. It might help me personally keep track of who I want to be as well. PHOTOTIME! In my NEXT post :P This one's already too long and photos will make it far, far too long. My next post will be photos-only, promise. I have a tendency to ramble, and I know some people find it annoying. However, rambling makes me who I am, so I'm going to accept it as something unique, and run with it (: Stay tuned! I'll re-link Raina's website in my next post too, just in case. I'll re-link the photos page, actually, and then you guys can navigate around the rest of the site too. Love & pieces.
Okay, so, in this particular post, I'm not really going to talk much about Raina. I'm going to share photos of her! Pictures are worth a thousand words, and you'll probably learn more about Raina (if you don't already know/love her) by looking at some of her photos than I could tell you. You might learn not just about who she really is but also who she loves to portray in her photoshoots! I'm just sayin' that I absolutely love her fun, sunny personality and I'm so trying to be more like herrr. I have my dark moments, but this girl never seems to have a dark day. Even during moments when she's down, depressed, or annoyed, she takes it as a teachable/learning moment and keeps her chin up high and knows that things will get better for sure, and that is just so amazing. But I digress.
In THIS post, I will post photos! Photos from Raina's website, which, she owns, of course; they're all the property of her blog/website/portfolio; don't use 'em etc yadda blah. You know the deal on stealing photos already, kiddos. But I just want to share some of my favorite snaps, both for her ANTM portfolio, and for some of her other ads/shoots. And let me just say that i would totally FLIP if I ever got to meet Raina (I think it's ironic how Raina's so sunny and yet her name actually has the word 'rain' in it. Maybe that's why she's so happy? :D) BUT. Without any more of my rambling, here's some amazing amazing amazing photos of this kickass superstar.ALSO, closing comment: I'm thinking about starting a 'person of the day' post too, kind of like I do with 'song of the day' or 'shoe of the day'.... just someone that inspires me and a quick explanation of why/how they inspire me, in fashion, life, music, thought or however. Real people, celebrities, models, designers, strangers, friends, family... anyone and everyone has the potential to be a 'person of the day', I guess. To clarify, they wouldn't be role models or anything; just... people who have a little piece of somehting that I admire. Give me your thoughts if you like, but I'll probably end up doing it anyway :D I like the idea; I think it's got interesting potential to be honest. It might help me personally keep track of who I want to be as well. PHOTOTIME! In my NEXT post :P This one's already too long and photos will make it far, far too long. My next post will be photos-only, promise. I have a tendency to ramble, and I know some people find it annoying. However, rambling makes me who I am, so I'm going to accept it as something unique, and run with it (: Stay tuned! I'll re-link Raina's website in my next post too, just in case. I'll re-link the photos page, actually, and then you guys can navigate around the rest of the site too. Love & pieces.
I love you all the same, as I've always loved you, and always will.
Okayyy, alright, so maybe I need to stop posting so much in a row :/ I have to go clean and work out after this anyway so there'll be a break between blogposts. After this one I'll talk about Shay Mitchell & Somali Mam briefly and save the feathers for another day (like tomorow!)
This post is a little unexpected, to be honest, but I mentioned in an earlier post that Jen Aniston can pull of an Audrey Hepburn-like, old-shcool classy, really, really well. Hell, Jenn pulls off 40+ ridiculously well. It's so cool. So, Jen's Audrey pose:
Gorgeous, right? It's a great, clean ad. It was an awesome photoshoot. And with an updo and her face framed by a few loose pieces of blonde hair, along with maybe a statement necklace (even though that would actually detract from the clean simplicity of the ad), Jen could completely pull off Audrey. I tore that out of Vogue for my wall, actually. the black-and-white actually gives the photograph a true timeless, vintage-yet-modern quality. Jen herself also has that old hollywood-yet-modern quality. She's chic, graceful, timeless, dresses smiply but beautiful, and is a true style star. I always look to her for inspiration when I want to simplify my look a little and cut down on the jewelry and flashy, bold risks and statements and go back to the basics of timeless, classic staples.
So that's my impromptu post of the day =P I'll return later. Au revior !
This post is a little unexpected, to be honest, but I mentioned in an earlier post that Jen Aniston can pull of an Audrey Hepburn-like, old-shcool classy, really, really well. Hell, Jenn pulls off 40+ ridiculously well. It's so cool. So, Jen's Audrey pose:
Gorgeous, right? It's a great, clean ad. It was an awesome photoshoot. And with an updo and her face framed by a few loose pieces of blonde hair, along with maybe a statement necklace (even though that would actually detract from the clean simplicity of the ad), Jen could completely pull off Audrey. I tore that out of Vogue for my wall, actually. the black-and-white actually gives the photograph a true timeless, vintage-yet-modern quality. Jen herself also has that old hollywood-yet-modern quality. She's chic, graceful, timeless, dresses smiply but beautiful, and is a true style star. I always look to her for inspiration when I want to simplify my look a little and cut down on the jewelry and flashy, bold risks and statements and go back to the basics of timeless, classic staples.
So that's my impromptu post of the day =P I'll return later. Au revior !
"If all your love was wasted, then who the hell was I?"
Hi loves. Starting with a Skinny Love lyric is lovely -and fitting. I actually want to keep this short and to the point, and not just because I have tons of cleaning to do! My room's gotten really messy; I need to put clothes away and clean up dishes and put some new magazine rip-outs up on the wall :)
But for now, I wanted to actually take some time to talk about Julia Glass's beauty article in the June edition of Vogue. Glass talks about "reveling in the fashion pages" of Life, of dreaming of "being steeped in a life of beauty, of being a beauty", for that was what every girl of the time wanted to be - a model. Glass wanted to be on both sides of the fence; the model and the designer. She certainly had the height for it up until the eighth grade. But life had other plans, and as she grew, Glass remained stunted in growth when compared to other modelesque beauties in her class, and the boys failed to notice her. The boys failed to choose her, when every model nestled between the pages of a magazine whispered with their eyes: "Choose me. Of course you choose me". Models were always noticed and always attracted attention, but as Glass rationalized, how could she ever model if she couldn't even noticed by the boys in her class? She wasn't good enough to model, or to dress like a beauty since she wasn't a natural beauty. Thus Glass focused on being smart, not sexy, and chose to continue being creative. She turned to writing as a means of creativity and of showing off her creativity and beauty, through words and not through looks. She turned to unflattering looks of "turtlenecks and trousers in hopsack - a fabric akin to burlap", and eventually married a man who "chose her for smart, not sexy". Glass had forgotten what it felt like to dress purely to please oneself, and to feel beautiful. She had deemed herself unworthy of wearing beautiful clothes, because she had deemed herself "unbeautiful". She saw no point to dressing beautifully if she wasn't going to model the clothes for anyone else. Glass had allowed her self-critic to win over her will. As she perceived that fashion had turned its back on her, she turned her back on fashion and remained that way for many years... until she chanced a Norman Parkinson retrospective in New York City, 1988. At that show, she was struck by one particular photo; the photo of a beautiful, heronlike model "nearly engulfed in lavender tulle"; a dress that looked "very much like on [Glass's] mother worse when [Glass] was very small". The model was half-smiling into the crook of her arm, while leaning against a sofa, and it was that half-smile that most drew Julia Glass's attention; "the smile that seemed to say not 'Choose me', but rather 'I choose myself'".
Above, in fact, is the photograph in question.
Glass purchased a poster of this woman, this model, the legendary Jean Patchett, and in that moment, reflected whether she had lost sight of herself, and whether her "youthful defiance of fashion had been but a veiled apology for never having transformed her prettiness into beauty"; a beauty that others acknowledged, noticed, appreciated, praised, wondered at, and awed at.
Her marriage came to end, soon after, and Glass ended up meeting a man who "desired her as she had never been desired before". These feelings of being noticed, acknowledged, more than appreciated, wondered at, praised, and even awed at by another translated into Glass dressing to please no one other than herself. "What makes me happy is dressing, at long last, according to the dictates of my soul." Glass revisited vivid greens, purples, vibrant reds, crazy prints -all shades and ideas she had loved as a painter. "She chose garments more because she shared their spirit than because they flattered her." She chose garments that made her happy, and because of that, she shone, and never looked more beautiful. Glass confesses that at long last, "being noticed is rarely her objective. She confines her acting to her novels." At the same time, Glass does not deny that it is a pleasure to be noticed. Wearing a dress with splashes of color one night, and a radiant self-confidence to match, an onlooker remarked; "That dress looks like happiness." Glass had never agreed more.
Dress for yourself, your soul and your happiness, and no one else, and everyone will notice how beautiful you look. Happiness and contentedness is the best look on anyone. Dress with the hope that others will notice how beautiful you look and your beauty will be unnatural, formulaic, and pretty, but not truly beautiful. Beauty comes from the soul and not the clothes, while pretty extends only from the clothes. If you feel beautiful, you are beautiful, and will be called beautiful. If your clothes are pretty, you will be called pretty, but YOU will never be beautiful.
And that, my beautifuls, is where my rant ends. I think it's a great piece of self-discovery, and something to think on. I definitely try to dress for myself, but I still struggle with this too, and get drawn in by consumerist, hierarchical societal expectations.
But for now, I wanted to actually take some time to talk about Julia Glass's beauty article in the June edition of Vogue. Glass talks about "reveling in the fashion pages" of Life, of dreaming of "being steeped in a life of beauty, of being a beauty", for that was what every girl of the time wanted to be - a model. Glass wanted to be on both sides of the fence; the model and the designer. She certainly had the height for it up until the eighth grade. But life had other plans, and as she grew, Glass remained stunted in growth when compared to other modelesque beauties in her class, and the boys failed to notice her. The boys failed to choose her, when every model nestled between the pages of a magazine whispered with their eyes: "Choose me. Of course you choose me". Models were always noticed and always attracted attention, but as Glass rationalized, how could she ever model if she couldn't even noticed by the boys in her class? She wasn't good enough to model, or to dress like a beauty since she wasn't a natural beauty. Thus Glass focused on being smart, not sexy, and chose to continue being creative. She turned to writing as a means of creativity and of showing off her creativity and beauty, through words and not through looks. She turned to unflattering looks of "turtlenecks and trousers in hopsack - a fabric akin to burlap", and eventually married a man who "chose her for smart, not sexy". Glass had forgotten what it felt like to dress purely to please oneself, and to feel beautiful. She had deemed herself unworthy of wearing beautiful clothes, because she had deemed herself "unbeautiful". She saw no point to dressing beautifully if she wasn't going to model the clothes for anyone else. Glass had allowed her self-critic to win over her will. As she perceived that fashion had turned its back on her, she turned her back on fashion and remained that way for many years... until she chanced a Norman Parkinson retrospective in New York City, 1988. At that show, she was struck by one particular photo; the photo of a beautiful, heronlike model "nearly engulfed in lavender tulle"; a dress that looked "very much like on [Glass's] mother worse when [Glass] was very small". The model was half-smiling into the crook of her arm, while leaning against a sofa, and it was that half-smile that most drew Julia Glass's attention; "the smile that seemed to say not 'Choose me', but rather 'I choose myself'".
Above, in fact, is the photograph in question.
Glass purchased a poster of this woman, this model, the legendary Jean Patchett, and in that moment, reflected whether she had lost sight of herself, and whether her "youthful defiance of fashion had been but a veiled apology for never having transformed her prettiness into beauty"; a beauty that others acknowledged, noticed, appreciated, praised, wondered at, and awed at.
Her marriage came to end, soon after, and Glass ended up meeting a man who "desired her as she had never been desired before". These feelings of being noticed, acknowledged, more than appreciated, wondered at, praised, and even awed at by another translated into Glass dressing to please no one other than herself. "What makes me happy is dressing, at long last, according to the dictates of my soul." Glass revisited vivid greens, purples, vibrant reds, crazy prints -all shades and ideas she had loved as a painter. "She chose garments more because she shared their spirit than because they flattered her." She chose garments that made her happy, and because of that, she shone, and never looked more beautiful. Glass confesses that at long last, "being noticed is rarely her objective. She confines her acting to her novels." At the same time, Glass does not deny that it is a pleasure to be noticed. Wearing a dress with splashes of color one night, and a radiant self-confidence to match, an onlooker remarked; "That dress looks like happiness." Glass had never agreed more.
Dress for yourself, your soul and your happiness, and no one else, and everyone will notice how beautiful you look. Happiness and contentedness is the best look on anyone. Dress with the hope that others will notice how beautiful you look and your beauty will be unnatural, formulaic, and pretty, but not truly beautiful. Beauty comes from the soul and not the clothes, while pretty extends only from the clothes. If you feel beautiful, you are beautiful, and will be called beautiful. If your clothes are pretty, you will be called pretty, but YOU will never be beautiful.
And that, my beautifuls, is where my rant ends. I think it's a great piece of self-discovery, and something to think on. I definitely try to dress for myself, but I still struggle with this too, and get drawn in by consumerist, hierarchical societal expectations.
I told you to be patient, and I told you to be kind...
Actually, here's that clip of the funeral scene in tVD The Sun Also Rises. The scene makes me tear up; the letter and the graves and the song is all just so touching. It's heartbreaking to think of how many people she's lost in such a short time, and that every day we don't appreciate our loved ones is one day that we come closer to eventually losing them too. Family's important; they're there when no one else is. Friends are the family you choose for yourself, but there's no substitute for the family that will never even consider walking away from you as an option. Friends are the family that, no matter how close they are, can still let go. Keep that in mind, show some love, and enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)