Big Jet Plane

          Last week I posted about a cool brother/ sister duet Wild Belle so this week I'm posting a band called Angus and Juilia- another brother/ sister duet (Australian this time!). This song is mesmerizing! I'm going to lay outside by the pool under the 80 degree sun and soak up my last few rays of the California sun.

just because...

(via lost)

Salvador Dali and his wife Gala

Introducing.......

         Drummmmm rollll pleaseeeeeee............MUSIC MONDAYS (cue fireworks and crowds cheering)!!!!! This week the up and coming brother/sister band Wild Belle  is stealing my heart!!! This particular song is very Santigold- and come on, seriously, who doesn't love Santigold??? Happy first Music Monday everyone!!!

Nothing good gets away

Back in 1958, John Steinbeck, author of East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men, got a letter from his teenage son Thom, in which Thom confessed that he had fallen desperately in love with a girl named Susan at his boarding school.


Steinbeck wrote this wise and wonderful letter back to him the same day...



New York
November 10, 1958
Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First -- if you are in love -- that's a good thing -- that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second -- There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you -- of kindness and consideration and respect -- not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply -- of course it isn't puppy love.

But I don't think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it -- and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone -- there is no possible harm in saying so -- only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another -- but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I'm glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens -- The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa




        Boy oh boy does that man have a way with words. I hear cheesy advice on love all the time (like 'love yourself first' and 'good relationships are hard work') but this is a far cry from that mushy inspirational shit you find on Pinterest. It amazes me at the level of wholehearted support, respect, and admiration Steinbeck has for his teenage son's supposed first love, certainly something you don't come by often in this generation. And with that mental state of complete equally, Steinbeck hacks it out- that undeniably true, hard to gulp, insane reality about love.  "There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you -- of kindness and consideration and respect -- not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had."  .....damn, Steinbeck.




Ps- Men take note: Steinbeck gave his son the best advice when he said 'Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also'. Redundancy isn't always a bad thing : )

(found on Cup of Jo via letters of note)

Yellow espadrilles

(via odessamay)

            I cannot bear it any longer! Beautiful, beautiful summer days, I cannot wait for you to be here...

Today

(via lost)

           This is what today felt like. If I ever move away from dreamy Southern California, I'm really going to miss this...

Video games

Lana del Rey - Video Games from Chriistoph on Vimeo.

           My last weeks have been spent listening to Lana Del Reys new album Born to Die. Over and over and over again. Have you ever noticed how every year (and always during non-summer months) an album always is released that makes you ask yourself, "Why isn't it summer right now!?!?!?" In 2008 it was Shwayze...Well, this year it's Lana del Rey. This music video kills me! All I need are burning hot days and warm breeze nights spent being happy and lazy with people I love.

P.s. Does this video remind anybody else of this scene in Love Actually???

Encased in plaster

(via a subtle revelry)

           For the longest time, I used to step over a little black widow spider web as I walked in and out my sliding door to my back patio. It wasn't that I was content in letting the little spider nest at my doorstep, but rather that I thought it was easier to take giant exaggerated steps over my doorstep than to deal with the obvious problem at hand. Until one night I was up late outside spray painting some clay figures I had just made when I stepped barefoot into the spiderweb! After a momentary freakout (like high pitch shrieking, running around in circles/triangles/hexagons, flailing my infected leg around - freakout), I grabbed the closest weapon (my can of white primer spray paint) and attacked with full force. And when it was all over, I was standing before this little web that was flecked with a million drops of microscopic white paint. And in the center hanging from a string was a tiny curled up dead spider entirely encased in white paint. It was all so morbidly beautiful and surreally peaceful. I don't think I've ever had a moment of complete clarity, but that is what I would imagine it would feel like. I had the intention to spend the next morning's sunlight to take photos of it, but it was so windy that night that everything blew away before I could document it. I had almost entirely forgot about it all until I saw this DIY on dipping brightly colored faux flowers in white plaster. They have the same sort of terrible, quiet beauty that my spider had. It's nice to be reminded of the beauty I saw that night in the spiders nest and to be reminded to always look for the exquisite elegance that comes with (the often unexpected) moments of life.

Keep calm

(via tumblr)

          I'm not very fond of the increasingly popular Keep Calm and *insert wholesome-y feel good phrase* posters. But this gem is a titillating exception! There's only so much calm keeping a girl can handle, sometimes a bitch just snaps....

On connection and vulnerability

              Last week I touched on something a bit personal and I thought I should share a little bit more about it, or rather about why I wrote it. Because of Wabi-Sabi's recent one year anniversary (Pass GO, collect $200) the past few months I've had the chance to look back at a years worth of my life and progress. I can even look at what I was wanting, feeling, admiring, thinking about exactly one year ago to the day- which sort of creeps me out but is also sort of really amazing! The thing that I noticed, though, was that most of the things I was writing about were pretty things and neat gadgets, which are all very important to me but say nothing about who I am.  

           I recently read a post from Cup of Jo that was about  authenticity and her struggle in deciding whether or not she should share something quite personal. She writes that her mother told her that authenticity is saying 'This is what happened to me or this is how I truly feel, no matter what the popular belief is about what I should feel.'  This must have resonated with me because it gave me the courage to share one of my own struggles that I wouldn't ordinarily share with the entire world wide web. AAAND THEN (this is the really crazy part), I randomly discovered this Tedtalks on vulnerability. Brené Brown is ammmazzingly poignant, witty, hilariously truthful in this talk about human connection and the need for vulnerability. So let me break it down to a few sentences (if that's even possible):

In order for connection (what gives up meaning and purpose in life) we must be vulnerable.

Connection is the result of authenticity- the courage to tell the story of who we are with our whole heart.

 We need to learn to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen.

Ok, so, I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that I jotted down two pages of notes from this tedtalk, but believe me when I say that those little tidbits are just a few of Brené Browns amazingly insightful thoughts. They make me feel so relieved that I did decide to share (an albeit very small) personal experience to you all. Thank you for reading!! **gives awkward emotional hugs**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mega(rad for i)phones....

(via honestly wtf)

Megaphone from RACOON_STUDIO on Vimeo.

           These ceramic megaphones for iPhones is genius, awesome, brilliant, crazy cool! Want want want!!!

2012 Oscars

Hugo

Extremely loud and Incredibly Close

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Artist

The Descandants

The Help

The Tree of Life

(via apartment therapy)

          My favorite awards show of the year is on tonight! Yesss, that's right...I'm talking about the Oscars!!!! I need to make something clear straight off the bat, I DO NOT watch the red carpet. Okay, okay... yes, alright I watch the red carpet sometimes (what girl can't pass up living vicariously thought all those beautiful actresses in flowy long gowns!), but if you're looking' to talk fashion you better look somewhere else because we're talking set design, scores, and screenplays over here. 

       Okay, obviously one of my favorite categories is Art Direction. The above images are snapshots of the interiors from the nominees for Best Film (most of which were also nominated for Art Direction also). Some of my favorites are Hugo (obviously), and The Descandants (but, honestly, how hard is it really to make a Hawaii home beautiful). I did like The Help but I couldn't stop thinking about how much better Mad Men does the 60's. I haven't seen Midnight in Paris (gasp), but from the looks of things it probably would have been one of my favorites. 

       This year I won't be on the edge of my seat (ok, couch) hoping for any particular film to win Best Picture (unlike last year, in which I probably would have died if The Kings Speech didn't win), but I am rooting for Hugo! I also loved the Descendants, but Hugo totally had that quirky magical charm that I'm always such a sucker for. Side note: Speaking of The Kings Speech, last year it was one nomination (leading actress) away from winning the Big 5. My sister told me today that the Big 5 is when a Film wins the five major categories (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay-either original or adapted). This year, it will be impossible for anybody to win the Big 5 because no one film is nominated in every category. 

         

Oh Land

            I AM OBSESSED with this new band I discovered called Oh Land. So far, Wolf & I is my favorite song, but White Nights is great too! The White Nights music video is soo bizarre and oulandish I can't help but to love it (and it also reminds me of the TV series Pushing Dasies- another thing I am abnormally obsessed with, but that's a whole different story)! And, helloooo- Nanna Øland Fabricius is the cuuuutest. Biggest girl-crush ever. Enormous. 

bone and flesh

(via knack studios)

“Don't let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.” ~Astrid Alauda.

           Extraordinary people find comfort in knowing that they are the master of their own mind. Ordinary people find comfort in knowing that no matter the depths of their emotional despair they will always be commanders of their own body. For me, and for those who also battle anxiety, there is a point in which the horrors of our mind become the horrors of our body. For us, our worries not only consume the mind, but at any time can take over the body- our actual bone and flesh. The worry overflows from our thoughts to our heart (which is a much smaller distance than one might think) and finally to our fingers and our toes. It debilitates our body and paralyzes our movement until we fear even our...breathe.....just.........might............stop. 

Luckily, there are things that can help. 

But still, there is helplessness, despair, weakness, and incompetence in realizing that your own body has betrayed you- and not even a little white pill can make that go away.

merde

(via raindrops)

          The past few days have been a bit soggy here in LA. Isn't this umbrella awesome???

content

(via barnes & noble)

           On Valentine's day, I posted my favorite e.e. cummings poem. He's easily one of my favorite poets (along with the rest of the world, and with good reason) but I just realized that I don't even have one book of his poems. This is the prettiest books I could find and it's available to order from Barnes! Right now all I want is this book, and brand new moleskine, and a cup of tea- I couldn't imagine being more content!

i carry it in my heart

(via tumblr)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

         It's my absolute favorite love poem by e.e. cummings. I don't care how over used it is or will ever become, it will never stop being my favorite. Happy Valentines darlings!

Moon of my life

(via tumblr)

            Somebody could say this to me every morning for the rest of my life and it would never get old.

Goodbye, First Love

           I'm dying to find a theatre in LA where I can watch this! Goodbye, First Love played at the New York Film Festival at the end of last year, but I haven't heard about any showings in LA ( -____- sometimes I feel like NY gets all the good stuff). It's a french film about a young girl going through the agony and ecstasy of her first love. How appropriate would it be (obviously if you were single) to watch this cuddled up with your cat and a pint of double-chip rocky road ice-cream on Valentines day evening. All joking aside, that sounds like a pretty rad night.

        When I was a kid, sometimes I would take my fingernails and press them into the part of the gums that  were right below my bottom teeth. I did this because as much as it hurt, it also felt good. I guess even as a kid I recognized that there is a certain kind of pain that also causes pleasure. Some people say there is a sort of addicting exhiliriating pain that comes with getting tattoos, I like brushing my teeth really hard. Anyways, the point I'm trying to get to here is that remembering a great love is like pressing your fingernails into your gums. So go ahead and on Valentines day remember that first love (yup that one that never really leaves you). Remember that time you were young and unjaded- that irrational, passionate, all or nothing, can't live without you, heart swelling, heart wrenching, absolutely debilitating first love. And then, eat a tub of ice cream. 

anyone worth a shit...

(via tumblr)

          Key words: anyone worth a shit. There are plenty of fish who think you're a hot mofo with a nice...whatever you have- problem is there are a million other people out there who look exactly like you. Same hot ass. Identical perfect breast. Hell, she even probably has the same little black dress you do... Point is, nobody has the same beautiful brilliant mind that sits inside your perfectly shaped little noggin. Find a man that loves that too.

It all comes down to the card....

          On Valentines day it doesn't matter where you got for dinner or what day you celebrate, in the end it all comes down to the card..... 

Here are a few cute little cards for:

....your dapper man! : )

(via cup of jo)

....your fierce lady!

(via cup of jo)

....and for your "I don't know what we are, but we're definitely something"

(via cup of jo)

On seduction..

(via pinterest)

          Just a little lesson on seduction... It's not just about those cheeky little undergarment numbers, kids.

The truest kind of love...

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

          I posted this video about a year ago, but it's a beautiful story and perfect for our 14 days of love. This true story is the saddest and happiest thing I have ever seen. Though I can't see their real faces, it only takes their endearing voices to imagine how they looked at each other. It is nothing short of beautiful.

So is it such a problem if he's old...

Lianne La Havas from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

           So, this may not be your typical Valentines day love song, but I adore this quirky little number by Lianne La Havas about a love affair with an older man. I didn't know anybody could make having a sugar daddy sound so darling....

14 days of LOVE

(via  pinterest)

          Happy first day of February! Valentines day is looming and love themed foods, parties, gifts, and films will consume everybody's lives for the next two weeks. I'll be joining the bandwagon, as today will be the first of my 14 days of love. But fear not all you stags(!) I will not be limiting myself to that sappy sugary shit you work so hard to avoid during this month of love. There is enough love (and misery) for everyone! : ) In fear of rushing into things too fast, I'll just leave you with this lovely poster.... I hope it's not too soon, but I just need you to know that I'm obsessed with you all! ; )




          Side note: When I was a lass, I was so sure that Valentines' Day was actually ValentiMe's Day that I would have fought to the death to prove it.

Cafe in Le Marais

 ( via the sartorialist)

         In Le Marais, Paris men have scruff, wear nice coats, and drink coffee that doesn't come in recycled paper cups. It should be like this everywhere....

The Times

(via refinery29)

         My whole life I've had this really weird obsession with candles. I remember as a kid I would collect every candle from around my house so that every surface in my bedroom was cover with them, then I would turn off the lights, and watch them all burn in the dark. I love the way their little lights flickered, they way it smelled, they way the wax would dribble down the sides (my mother hated that). Since then, I've tried to cut down on my candle-ing. (note: Sometimes, I still sit in the dark and watch a few burn.) Right now, I have a Sandalwood scented candle on my nightstand that I use every night because it's earthly and all-but-sugary smell is perfect for relaxing.

          I just stumbled across this amazing Times scented candle that smells "in a word, newsy, with hints of guaiacwood, cedar, musk, spice, with "a powdery note and velvet nuance," meant to mimic the aroma of black ink on newsprint." I've been known to flip through the LA Times (staying loyal to my coast!) every now and then, and I have to say the smell and feel of the newsprint is a vital part of the experience. So... sorry, Sandalwood candle, if I ever get ahold of this baby you're being demoted from bedside to bathside.

Consistency

(via designsponge)

            Sometimes, when everything around us seems so absurdly uncertain, it feels so nice to have something consistent. Even if that thing is as tumultuous and foreboding as the unruly waves of the sea. This is the curse of comfort.

Ice Cube and Eames

          If you live in LA, you should have deffinitly heard about Pacific Standard Time by now. "Pacific Standard Time is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. Beginning October 2011, over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980. Celebrate the era that continues to inspire the world." So basically, a whole bunch of galleries (including every damn major gallery and museum you can possibly think of) in LA are holding exhibitions that are dedicated to recognising art and artists from 1945 - 1980 (aka the dawn of the LA art scene and what has led to the wonderful world of LA art that we all know and love today). 

        To promote the collaboration, Pacific Standard Time has posted short videos of musicians and actors giving homage to artist showcased in PST. (Brilliant! Artist celebrating artists!) I have a mild (ok, not so mild) obsession with midcentury design, and my all time favorite is the video above of Ice Cube talking about Eames! It's absolutely fantastic! Who knew Ice Cube studied architecture??!? He just jumped a few notches higher on my cool scale. He talks about the hidden beauty in LA, bougie traffic, and compares making music to making the Eames :

 "It's not about the pieces, it's about how the pieces work together. Taking something that already exists and making it something special- kind of like sampling. In a world full of McMansions- where the structure takes up all the land, the Eames made structure and nature one. This is going green 1949 style, bitch. Buhhleedat. Who are these people that have a problem with LA? Maybe they're just mad they don't live here."

And those are words to live by, kids......

Faber Castell

(Faber Castell from eric yeo on Vimeo)

          I'm sitting on my bed listening to Tegan and Sara, and I'm too exhausted to write anything witty or interesting or pretty, so I'm going to post this video. I'm about to bust out some FB's and lay on the floor, draw, and drink tea. Catch you on the other side, kiddies! 

Insatiable

(via Wednesday)

          George Burns said "I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." But I say that if you find something you love so much you're willing to look like a complete blundering fool for it, you've already succeeded. Passion, in its insatiable state, is everything.

A nice reminder

(via wednesday)

          I just remembered, that a good friend of mine once told me that it's important to remember that everyone feels the same as everyone else, just not at the same time. That's a really nice thing to be reminded of. Sometimes, she's really insightful- thanks Nicole!!

What a beauty!

( via honestly wtf)

          Today, my sister and I decided to kick off the new year with our habitual trip (which almost always turns into a camp out) at our usual Starbucks in Pasadena. For some bizarre reason, it didn't even cross our minds that tomorrow is the annual Tournament of Roses parade on Colorado blvd. We drove up to find a tons of people already camped out in front of our beloved coffee house! Parked on the street right next to our Starbucks was a totally rad Airstream. I've always loved the retro design, and I'm convinced that some day I will own one. For some reason, Airstreams (and teardrop trailers!) seem to remind me of the carefree California lifestyle. I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life and never have I once camped out to see the parade on new years. Every year, for a few days leading up to new years the streets are packed, literally with happy campers. How awesome would it be to wake up in this meticulously restored 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud and step outside to watch the parade live??!?! Can you say bucket list?? 

Happy New Year!

(via lantligt) 

(via tomboystyle) 

          Go ahead, ask me if I made a new year's resolution just like every other totally unoriginal human does on the first day of the year (you know, like when you go on first dates and to break the awkward silence he/she asks you questions like "What's your favorite band?" or "What do you like to do in your spare time?") The thing is, it was about ten seconds till the ball dropped when my sister and I started discussing what our resolutions should be. We were obviously a tad short on time and we didn't want to make the usual vows to increase the number of laps we run a week or decrease the amount of unnecessarily spent dollars, so I decided to decide tomorrow (obviously, I didn't resolve to stop procrastinating).  To be honest, I don't think I have ever made a real New Year's resolution in my life, but there I was the next morning, feeling pretty empty and unsettled because I wasn't starting off my year with a kick ass declaration on how I'm going to improve my life. Then, I remembered that exactly one year ago I had written a letter to the new year of 2011. 

Dear 2011,

    While you're visiting for these next dozen months, we dare you to challenge us, to terrify us. We'll welcome irritation, inspiration, exasperation. We won't let fear paralyze us. We promise to follow our OWN instincts, rather than the instincts of others. We vow to break from what we feel most comfortable with, all for a chance to say to ourselves, "You know, that really wasn't for me after all.." We resolve to always do what we are most afraid of. We will overlook what we cannot love in others. We swear to never tell ourselves our lives are in shambles, when the train has not yet reached the broken track. And most of all we will never overlook a chance to start from scratch, because arrivals and departures aren't the only times to make new resolutions!

          I think that was a pretty damn good resolution! And as it turned out, 2011 was a pretty good year for me- by all means I pray that it's not the best year I'll ever have and I doubt it will be the worst, but it was a pretty decent one. I "found myself" a little more, I learned how to keep my chin up, and I figured out that faking it till you make it actually does kind of work. Remembering where I was exactly a year ago and realizing where I am today is almost inconceivable (totally and embarrassingly cheese balls, I know- but also kinda true). And, it's not because of some quickly forgotten promise I made to myself, it was because I kept making new promises after I forgot the old ones. Usually (I said usually, as in not always), if resolution has left our thoughts it's because it is no longer relevant to our lives. It's time to make a new set of commitments for our new challenges.
         Like I said, I usually don't make real resolutions... but, I guess this year I resolve to constantly resolve. So, yeah, today I made a small resolution- one that I know I won't keep (or probably need to keep) till the end of the year. And, if on February 7th I want to make another change in my life, I'll make a February 7th resolution to do so. The point being, I didn't challenge myself because it's the first of a new year and blah blah blah, but because it's today and any old day is a good enough day to make myself a better me.