bare attention.

hi, my name is alex.

Without getting lost in the details, I really must say, worst week ever.
But on a lighter note, some things I currently enjoy:






girl talk this friday. finally.

source: streetfsn, billboard, fashiontoast

Oh hey there.

on dance.


on repeat.



on red pants.

on hair.

on leather jackets.

on photo.

on travel.

cotton candy on a bike.

fresh food.

mango shaved ice.

on inspiration.

source: streetfsn, music, photo

Simplicity.

I love you Obakki leather maxi.
(source: shopsheboutique.com)


Amidst the impending reality of life, and all the pressures of the world I thought I would take a moment to stop and appreciate some simple pleasures in life:

1. The smell of fresh laundry, especially when it's a new detergent (mmmm)
2. How much the trees in my front yard have grown, if I hadn't been taking pictures of them I would've never noticed
3. Synchronicity and the collective unconscious (like when those around you seem to be riding on the same wavelength)
4. Productivity (whether its finally sitting down to read a book, make that banana bread you've been meaning to, or finishing those pesky grad apps...)
5. Writing letters!!!! Old school all the way (who needs to e-mail or text when you have a pen and paper!)
6. Being happy with what you've got
7. Spending time with friends and family
8. Cooking and sharing a delicious family style meal with all of those you love
9. Grocery shopping (I understand this may be the last thing people enjoy, but I think it may have something to do with my obsession for food)
10. Taking care of yourself (my latest obsession has been skincare, but whether its externally or internally, its always best to give yourself that love before trying to give it to someone else)

I also really enjoy mountains, hiking, travel, canada, oatmeal, running, eating, laughing, swimming, triathlons, meeting new people..... the list is endless.

oh! and of course, a good dance party.

Coveted.

black leather shorts. absolutley.

cream pleated maxi. lovely.

platforms? seemingly superfluous, yet highly desired.
(source: retrogurl, garypeppervintage)

Confession: I've spent way too much time on fashiontoast lately, and from the looks of it I'm not the only one. I really appreciate her style and ability to wear things with such an effortless appeal. All of the photos (taken by her and her bf) are amazing, so it's easy to get lost skimming through old posts. It's also interesting to go in reverse, to see how her style has evolved over time. She definitely has a very whimsical, bohemian, ethereal, rocker vibe going and the series of photos do a great job of capturing that essence.
Moral of the story? Simplicity, truly is key.

Perspective: Fashion blogs have really made me think a lot about my own sense of style, and I can't help but feel a bit dazed and confused over what it is exactly and where it's going. Perhaps, my biggest conflict is over this idea of individuality and having that "keen eye" for things. Style is "supposed" to be a unique expression of one's individuality, so it always seems to pose a bit of a problem when everyone else and their mother are wearing exactly the same thing. It's that feeling of being unoriginal and having no sense of style (or perhaps individuality) that we feel so repulsed by.

Storytime: In 2nd grade, there was this girl that always used to copy off of me (for what exactly, I don't know - coloring test?). Taking matters into my own hands, I decided to report this back to her mother, who admonished me for making such an outrageous claim. While the teacher very calmly told me, "copying is the highest form of flattery." Suffice it to say, that copying had left a certain bitter taste in my mouth ever since. Revelation. Copying can lead to inspiration (at least in the world of fashion). Seeing certain looks on other people that I normally couldn't see on myself, is a great prelude to creating your own style. With the help of the mighty web-o-sphere, we are able to share this collective fashion consciousness, in hopes that you too can inspire someone else.

Currently: If I were to describe my style I would say it was more vintage than anything else. A lot of the pieces I own and have collected over the last couple of years have been from my mom and grandmother. If it weren't for their slight pack rat tendency to keep EVERYTHING, than I wouldn't have the fortune of finding such great treasures. In fact, it's become a periodical event to dig through closets and old boxes for clothes that have been tucked away for years, waiting for me. Although I do appreciate vintage pieces, I always like to keep an open mind. The reason being, it makes it a lot easier to play around with different looks, and go with whatever suits YOU the most at that certain time, place, and mood you are in. Whether you are going to work, taking a walk in the park, or maybe just a trip to the gas station - what you wear can really affect your aura. I mean, it's a matter of self expression, right? If we all walked around wearing brown paper bags (or plastic if you prefer), how would we differentiate? Part of the draw to meeting new people I feel comes at the very beginning when we assess various external attributes (not to be shallow, but we all do it). Depending on what you're wearing, sometimes that is all the statement you need.

Bi Bim Blog?

After spending the better part of my day "researching" various fashion blogs and style sites for ideas and inspiration, I've come to the conclusion that starting a blog is far more time consuming and "labor" intensive than I would have ever expected (or perhaps I'm just over thinking this? probably). So to begin, I decided I will just post some photos of times past...












(taipei, circa 2008)
So what does go into the making of a good blog? Is it a catchy name? Aesthetically pleasing design? Or is it something more?

Bi bim bap, a delectable korean dish, is flavorful, simple, and altogether amazing. With a plethora of ingredients including spinach, rice, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, and egg (beef if you like), I am hard pressed to find any reason not to fall in love at first taste. However, before serving the dish I make sure to assemble all the ingredients for proper presentation. But why waste the time? It's all going to end up masticated and digested anyways, right? WRONG. I've come to find that the presentation of the dish is absolutley essential. The juxtaposition of the egg against the colorful assortment of vegetables is the key to making the dish taste so good! To top it all off, add a generous amount of kojuchang and love...

voilà!

Blogging ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of snippity snapshots
  
• 2 pinches of categorized interests
• A dash of fashion
• 1 tbs of awkward
• 12 Cups of HUMOR and LAUGHS
  
• AND A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

Even if I don't end up finding the right "ingredients," I feel as though I've already stumbled across a greater adventure. LIFE. Bon voyage!

My First Day.

If it were the first day of school, I imagine my get up would be something like this...



(A.A. tights, Etienne Aigner boots, thrifted skirt, mom's vest, shanghai silk market shirt)


After spending a solid 2 hours trying to find a decent photo editing program, I've settled on trusty ol' iphoto (the others were far to complicated for my skill level). So I do apologize for my primitive picture taking/editing abilities. To give you a better idea of the experience let me summarize, as I believe it went something like:

push button on camera>laugh at awkward self>upload to computer>MAJOR frustration> UBER FRUSTRATION>as;dkfalsdkfjl;asfjlsfjasdf>Bathroom break>zen moment>upload on blog.
or something like that.

If this were the life of mich the fantastico, I could prob just do a jig and the photos would be magically amazing and than I would whip my hair back and forth in absolute elation. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what my blog path has set out for me, so instead I will be doing a lot of reading trying to figure out how to get up to date with this high tech world we live in. Oy. Wish me luck.

Here's something to take the edge of, especially if you feel like this "aldkfjasldkfjalsflsd."