and speaking of treats...

I just drooled on my desk! Ming Makes Cupcakes is officially my new favorite website ever. Thank you Joanna for introducing me to the most creative, mouthwatering cupcakes and their recipes!

tribeca film fest, you're such a treat!

My dears, I've been seeing one to two movies a day since the 22nd, and I am in heaven! Thank you, thank you, thank you Tribeca Film Festival for rejuvenating my spirits and giving me limitless amounts of inspiration! Your amazing films and talented filmmakers really inspire me to act on every creative instinct. It's been so fun!

(That's me on the second to left!)

pret-a-portea

I always did want to have tea with Karl Lagerfield and Madonna...

Fabulous!

short tales

Lately, I've been entranced by the short film and short story. I don't know if it's because brevity and concision add an edgy dimension to every artform, or if it's simply 'cause I'm an ardent fan of "less is more" and like seeing it applied everywhere (well, maybe except eating!). Either way, I'm continuously moved by shorts.

And they're kind of taking over my life! Last weekend, I line produced my friend Perry's short film; I'm reading (again) some amazing short stories (Jhumpa Lahiri and Miranda July, I highly recommend); and tonight, I'm seeing some of world's best short films at the Tribeca Film Festival (I nabbed an all-access pass for the entire festival, wahoo!).

Really makes me wonder: how would our lives be conveyed if it were a short film or short story? In ten or twelve minutes, what would I say about myself? What would others say about me? Hmm...

PS: Some cute short films here and here.

another sweet selby story

I cannot get over how adorable this couple and their NYC apartment are. Photos from the Selby, of course! I've been going apartment crazy looking for a sublet or lease for this summer in the city and beyond... it's the most fulfilling but also most stressful process ever! (And I've just begun... yeeps!)

And they have a teepee! Too cool.

um, helloooo hotdog!

Now this is what I call live blogging. I am, right now, waiting for my friend to pick up my Crif Dog. What's a Crif Dog, you ask? (I just found out myself.) Think crazy amazing hot dog concoctions -- hot dogs wrapped in bacon, smothered in avocado and cheese, wrapped up in a fried egg, you name an insane combination and Crif Dog's got it. Just look at their menu.

I'm already feeling guilty and squeamish -- they are soooo unhealthy -- but I'm also so curious! We've been working on a group project all day and night, so yes it's 2am in the morning and yes we're a bit delirious, but we'll have that Crif Dog, thankyouverymuch!

move me, manhattan

Before I started NYU three years ago

... when I was living in Philadelphia

... dreaming about New York City

... and how it would look

... and taste

... and feel

I never imagined how much

I'd be moved.

Dear City, you sway me every day,
in the littlest of ways.

And I can only begin to capture
them all.

(photos from my Blackberry)

book haven

Sometimes, a girl just needs to curl up in a nice comfy couch and indulge in a good book. Call me a nerd, but I am in dire need of escaping into literary paradise, stat! I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by myself lately, have you ever felt that way? All of my thoughts on my life (be it business, school, love, friends) have been getting on my nerves -- I think my brain needs a bit of perspective; a story to dwell on that is not my own.

Do you have any good books to share? I loved The Glass Castle. (Memoirs rock!)

Thrift, NYC

Yesterday, my friend Perry and I randomly bought a painting at Billy's Antiques on Houston Street for our film shoot next weekend. We weren't planning on shopping, but sometimes when you see something so spectacular (in our case, an an abstract portrait of a woman that stands literally as tall as me!), you just have to have it! That rush we felt in finding the painting reminded me again of how much I love scouting for treasures in New York City. I guess my heart really does belong to flea markets and thrift stores! So it's only appropriate to share with you some of my favorite places, right? Check out:

The Brooklyn Flea. Amazing vendors & booths, all weekend long. Go!


The Market NYC. I think it's time for me to visit again.


Angela's Vintage Boutique. I have so many goodies from here.

That's just three to start you with. More later! xoxo

inspiration: this and that

One of my favorite bloggers, Oh Joy! has the most amazing little column in her blog called This & That, in which she pairs a fashion design item with a home decor piece. (And let me tell you, the pairs are ah-mazing. You have to check them out!) I tried to make my own This & That's, but it's so hard to find the right photos! So far, I've got this one 'cause I love turquoise...

Necklace from Vivre; Door unknown.

wonderful women

I've had these photos of two sweetly fabulous ladies from the '60s (I believe) saved in my computer for months. I have no idea who they are, but I just love them so much... perhaps because they look like such family women, like they were just the most wonderful wives and doting mamas. (And clearly hair connoisseurs as well!)

I couldn't get them out of my mind all week. Actually, they've served as my daily reminders to take it easy and enjoy the life I have, since I've been feeling so stressed by the constant balancing act. So today, inspired by their serenity, I put down my blackberry and planner, grabbed a scrumptious-looking salad with lots of avocado, and thoroughly enjoyed a few moments of sunshine outside, just me and my thoughts. It was heavenly. Then, I called my mom for some TLC, because we all know that mothers -- awesome hairdo or not -- are always sweet and especially fabulous.

(photos via 1001 rules for my unborn son)

passion projects + summer plans

Ack! I can't believe how terribly slow at blogging I've been! Forgive me, my dolls! I love catching up with you guys, but lately my life has been so insanely busy, filled with planning for the future, loads of work (both the school kind & the making-money kind), and passion projects. Do you know what I mean by "passion" projects? You'll often recognize them as those quirky projects you take on even though you sometimes have no idea why, except for the inexplicable passion you've developed for them...

My recent passion projects include volunteer-managing social media and marketing efforts for Bellaga, a really awesome website that serves as an online marketplace for independent fashion designers to sell their collections direct to consumers. Our small company just launched a few weeks ago, so it's been exciting and rewarding to take part in its development -- I feel like a proud momma! (Interested in learning more about how to sell on Bellaga? Click here and follow us on Twitter!)

Another project I'm working on is helping my friend Perry with his short film, The Thrill. Perry has been one of my closest friends since we met on the very first day of school more than three years ago, and he's also a genius director/screenwriter. I'm supporting him as line producer, and we'll be shooting in two weeks... so excited to finally help create a film! I'll keep you guys posted on photos + an upcoming trailer! (I can't share the script, but I assure you, it is good.)

And lastly... the big surprise/news! After weeks of struggling to keep mum, I can finally share with you my summer plans! (Drumroll pleaaaase!) This summer, I will be working in NYC for L'Oreal USA as a marketing/brand management intern for the Consumer Products Division. (So I'll be collaborating with the Maybelline, L'Oreal Paris, or Garnier Fructis brands, yippee!) I'm stoked to join the world's largest beauty company (which happens to own Kiehls, Lancome, and the other brands in the photo above), and can't wait to give you more updates. :)

Phew! I'm all out of big news for now. Life is so full of exciting twists and turns, but it's really up to us to twist and turn as well to make the most out of them, don't you agree? What are some of your "passion" projects? Fill me in, lovelies!

some poetry for the mad girls

Mad Girl’s Love Song

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,

And arbitrary blackness gallops in:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:

Exit seraphim and Satan's men:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,

But I grow old and I forget your name.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes they roar back again.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

-- Sylvia Plath

Note: Lovelies, I'm sorry I've been so super busy lately. But I have a really huge post coming after this one with lots of exciting updates and news! Coming soon... in the meantime -- poetry!