A Night on the Farm + World of Books

So I meant to post this yesterday...but I kind of fell asleep...so here it is. :) Yesterday, my family and I went to our friend's farm for his annual wiener roast. It was wonderful. I know people are like, "Oh my gosh! Indiana farms...farmers...hicks..." etc., etc. But that's because they've never seen the beauty of acres and acres of corn in front of them, especially during the harvest season. It's something I will never forget and it's something that I hope to go back and see often. The thing is, as an Asian teenage girl living in the suburbs of Indiana, I don't get that much experience with different people. So I count myself lucky when I meet new people. It's such a beautiful thing to become part of someone else's lives and to share experiences with them. Good food and good people = an awesome time. I met a new friend from New Jersey and some REALLY COOL farmers. I love farmers. Hahahah they're so awesome. Also, our family friend had just finished harvesting soy beans when we arrived and he gave us a bucket of them today for FREE. :) Epic. I love soy milk by the way. Anyways, moral of the story: visit a farm anytime you can and enjoy it. Imagine. The crisp autumn air, the smell of roasting hot dogs, the breeze rustling the yet to be harvested corn, and the most beautiful sky in all the world. Yeah.
Also, on Saturday, I took a couple of pictures before we left. It was inspired by some of my favorite books in my ever-growing 200+ library. Books' tendencies to create new worlds for people is an awesome phenomenon. I've been getting lost in books since forever. Sadly, due to poopy life, I've been neglecting my beautiful books. At least I can capture a few of them here.

 The books in these pictures are The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Things to Do by Andrea J. Buchanan &Miriam Poskowitz and Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. The drawing/writing on the paper was done by me. Also, I wrote a verse from the Bible, Jeremiah 17:8 which says, "They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

These next three photos have a book that I got from Ruche (shopruche.com), which is this lovely shop with all things whimsy and vintage. It's quite delightful. This book is a macron baking cook book. It's called i <3 i="" macarons=""> by Hisako Ogita. Mmmm macaron making sure is hard, but with enough practice, one can succeed...and I am yet to do that. ;)

 The macaron trinket box is from my sister. She gave it to me for my birthday about 2 years ago. It's super cute and I put a few valuable charms and such inside of it. The little postcard was also sent from Ruche from the last purchase. It seriously is a wonderful site. I <3 it.="" nbsp="" p="">

 The drawings again were done by me. Whenever I draw, I have this obsession with the form of hands. It's just the curves and lines that each hand has...the uniqueness of them. I guess you could get into a really deep discussion about it..but we don't really have time for that. ;)

These last three of course are my tribute to my most favorite books of all time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. I like to say that I get a lot of my whimsy whims from these stories. 

 I got this timepiece from my cousin. She picked it up for me during a trip to the market in Taiwan. It is quite the whimsy accessory. And I felt the blue rose ring fit well with Alice's blue dress theme.

If you are actually reading this, I hope you take some of these whimsy thoughts with you throughout your day. 

Ciao, 

<3 jen.="" nbsp="" p="">

Dreamy Night Time Drink

Tuesday night rehearsals are definitely hard on the bowel movements, as I don't arrive home until approximately 9:30 PM. I am also usually scarfing down my dinner to make sure I'm in my seat in time for rehearsal. As a section leader, it's always good to set a good example. ;) Today, our section actually had an extra sectional, which actually improved us. I feel a sense of accomplishment for actually getting something done in our section. Anyways. Tomorrow, I have a chemistry test that I MUST ace. I have a borderline grade, and I just need an A on this test to be solid in it. But how am I to do that with cold feet and an upset tummy? I wouldn't be able to. So I am now here snuggled in the softest blanket drinking my dreamy night time drink, listening to Priscilla Ahn.
Recipe for Dreamy Drink:
-1 cup (almond or regular) milk
-2-3 drops vanilla extract
-pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin spice
-1 tsp. of honey or sweetener
Directions:
-Heat milk on high for 2-3 minutes until bubbling or foamy.
-mix in vanilla and honey
-sprinkle cinnamon on top.
-ENJOY! and feel COZY.
I hope all of ya'll have some time to try this cozy drink. Also, I recommend listening to Priscilla Ahn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKfDwChOoHI and put on some rain in the background: http://www.rainymood.com to get the optimal cozy feel.

Cozy Tea Time

As most of ya'll know, here in Indy, fall is arriving...though it is taking its sweet sweet time. ;). But no rush right? For me, autumn is a time that teaches me how to let go of something fragile and beautiful. It only lasts for a short while, but I always want it to stay like that forever. When I was younger, I used to think that I could go somewhere that would be forever fall...like Rivendell, frozen in a beautiful, picturesque scene. But I can't...so every year, it becomes a time, that, despite all of the homework piled upon me, I try to savor. The best way to do this is capture it. Recently, I've been trying to figure out how to do photography indoors. I do rely on the lighting outside a lot though. So since today was pretty cloudy, it provided for a soft light that could filter in through the windows.
These are my favorite shots. To see the rest, you can visit my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/101468455@N07/

 Fall reminds me of tea and sweaters...and all things cozy. <3 p="">

 My favorite mysteries of all time come from Sherlock Holmes. This is a vintage edition my aunt got for me and it's one of my favorites! When I was younger and I read the Hound of the Baskervilles, I would always freak out at night. But now, 7 years later, I enjoy i t much more without having a nightmare every time. 

 The tea set that you see in the pictures was actually given to me from my sister for Christmas last year. It's so cute and lovely. 

I hope all of you have a cozy and warm fall this year too! Remember, don't get too frustrated with work or school. If you do, you won't be able to enjoy this beautiful time of the year. Take a break and drink some tea. <3 p="">

Ciao for now, 

Jen. 

In Her Lackadaisical World...

Yayyy!!! It's once again, time for photography Sunday! :) For some reason, I always have the best time photographing on Sundays. But today...my camera was being poopy...I mean it is almost 10 years old. But my Canon EOS 20D has been faithful...until today. But thankfully, my father had kept an extra, working, and fully charged battery in the case, so my camera was no longer reading "Error 99." Those fateful words. I literally would set up the area (and trust me that takes a while when your basement if filled with toys from 15 years ago) and set up the camera on the tripod...and the camera would stop working. I would move everything back and take the camera off the tripod and it would be as if nothing had happened. It's like this camera has a mind of its own. But I'm thinking that the camera was just being moody. heheh. So here are the shots from today:

So today, I was doing a lot of experiments with lighting, so I had to adjust some things with a photo editor for these first 6 photos. The rest, I finally found a better lighting so just left them as they were. Also, I was messing with the focus thingy on my camera so a couple of them are blurred...but that's...how do you people call it..."artsy"? 

Wheee! Yay. That's all. Continue on with your weeks now. Thanks! :) 

Ciao for now, <3 jen.="" p="">

Perception.

Lately, I've been exploring this idea of perception and biases and their effects on daily life. As many of the fashion-savvy know, we are in the midst of New York Fashion Week/ basically fashion month. Looking through the many looks for each fashion show, I am stunned at each outfit. Some stuck out more than others of course. The thing is, all of these outfits are so avant-garde that at first glance, they may seem unappealing and looking as if a 7 year-old threw the random articles of clothing together. But from my own personal perspective, after observing each outfit, there is just something so entrancing about each outfit. Whether that be because of all the glamour that goes with the production, or because I can actually see the art. I just love watching these shows. It shows just how creative people can get and to what extent they can stretch their imaginations. Here are some of my favorite looks from the runway TODAY. :)

Zac Posen: This year's Spring 2014 RTW collection was full of lady-like dresses, chiffon, silk, and ruffles. The inspiration was from impressionist Sarah Bernhardt.

I especially love this first look posted here. While there is that lady-like whimsical nature, that is given by the soft fabric of the top, the skirt was more structured and added a perfect juxtapose. 

Theyskens' Theory: This Spring 2014 RTW collection is full of experimental layering. Slip dresses make their appearance often. The layering is said to be a result of inspiration from women's love of layering.

I feel like each of these looks were the best representatives of the layering looks presented by Theysken. MMmmmm...I love me some layering.

Because its late, I won't be posting on my other favorite shows...but some of them include 3.1 Phillip Lim, Custo Barcelona, Trina Turk, Thakoon, and Creatures of Comfort.

I hope you all enjoy NYFW! :)

Ciao,

<3 jen.="" p="">

More Explorations.

Okay, so even though it's junior year and I'm supposed to be studying harder, in truth, I've been delving more into my creative side. It's just that, I have more freedom now in what I like to do. My parents are able to see what it is that I enjoy and what it is that I'm truly good at. Though drawing is one of the things I like to do, I would rather focus on photography. It's just that it's easier for me to express emotions in that way. The style of photography that I like to do is super raw and au natural. I don't use special lights, I just use sunlight. So here are some of my favorite shots from today. I hope you like them.

So, if you follow my other blog: myeclectichic.blogspot.com, you can see that the photography is of the same outfit. But the thing is, when shooting my outfits, I will take a few that show off the outfit and then another few that are more artistic in nature. The feelings that I want to evoke in these pictures are those of nostalgia. You know that feeling that you get after waking up from an awesome dream? That sad, empty, but sweet feeling of loss...
Ciao for now,
<3 jen.="" p="">

Late Nights and Insomnia

So a few nights ago, I literally could NOT fall asleep. I was in bed by 11 but didn't actually fall asleep until 2 in the morning. It was one of those insomniac nights. I literally tried everything to fall asleep...but to no avail. Here's a picture that basically sums up me that night. (And yes that's me and my journals in the picture).

I love journals. Personally, as an introvert, it's easier for me to form coherent thoughts and write them down than speaking them aloud. It's just that my mind is always such a jumble of thoughts. It's like I'm going crazy with all of this talking to myself. Yesterday, I was thinking how I loved dialogue-ing with myself. It's so much easier to make sense of things. These journals (I have a giant stack more in my bookshelf) are basically the stories (boring, funny, and interesting) of my life. Just a couple of things about me.

Ciao,

<3 jen.="" nbsp="" p="">