Study Muuuusic

Amazingg.

Break (AOTL) by Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino + Adele + Jamie xx = eargasm



If you didn't already know, Childish Gambino is Donald Glover, comedian // actor // indie rapper, from Community:



Bahahahaha. That face. Reminds me of the Pauly D faces (i.e. the only reason I ever watched the Jersey Shore...).

 

 

 

 

This could battle out the Troy/Donald Glover look, I think.

Haha hope you enjoyed the little study break pick-me-up!

Call yo Mom

Image via My Life, My Vibe

Happy Mother's Day. As I'm painting in studio all day before my final crit, I think this little nugget is too charming for its own good.

Quotation of the Week

"Away she hurried, not beautiful, not supremely brilliant, but filled with something that took the place of both qualities — something best described as a profound vivacity, a continual and sincere response to all that she encountered in her path through life." 

Simple, humble pleasures

I meant to post this video via Aerie by American Eagle when it was relevant during the holiday season. But, it stills feels a bit springlike, and I've been a fan of the french film, Amelie and its incredible soundtrack since way back. I guess it's never to late — Here it is!



The soundtrack by Yann Tiersen:

Amelie from Montmartre_OST by ostt

My favorite scenes from the movie:



As long as we're on the note of happy, cute French films — Here's another favorite:

(Sorry, there are no subtitles on this video. A little context: The middle-aged man is a professor of a French high school for delinquents. He just got fired, because of his "contemporary" teaching methods, which involve teaching the youngsters how to sing à la Sound of Music. Poor guy, he basically changed their whole overlook on life, gave them new hope, yada yada. However, as he's leaving, the children start singing and flying paper airplanes with inspirational messages on them.)

If I've learned anything these past few days, it's not to take life and or simple, little pleasures (Sunshine, warm cup of coffee, a friendly face) for granted.

¡¡¡ Slope // Nelly // Slope !!!

In honor of the last Slope day and all my favorite songs in one...

Letting Go Of Your Love (Nelly + Nicki Minaj + Sean Kingston) by mochi beats

Bon Weekend!

As per usual, a happy tune for le weekend :)

The Beach Boys - Wouldn t It Be Nice by Beach Creep

Image via Stylish Wanderer

Marigold

Images via The Daybook

I love.

CT heart LL

Literally, pure, musical genius. I'm actually speechless. The spoons. The water. That seductive-signature-side glance. I'm in Lykke Li nirvana.

And yes, just in case you were wondering, they're performing in a single bathroom stall. And her finale move is flushing the toilet. Yep.



Favorite lyrics —

I'm working, I sweat, but it's all good
I'm breaking my back but it's all good
'Cause i know i'll get it back
Yeah, i know your hands will clap

And I'm working,
Yeah, i'm working
To make butter for my piece of bun
And if you say I'm not OK
We mus-t go
If you say there ain't no way that i could know
If you say i aim too high from down below
Well, say you're not 'cause when i'm gone
You'll be callin' but i won't be at the phone  

I miss you more than I used to miss my 8:40

Last week of classes of my entire academic career...



Some Good Lyrics —

So take a shower, shine your shoes, brother
Ain't no time to lose, brother, we're about to booze, brother
We're about to throw a celebration in honor of separation
Before we have to say goodbye
'Cause I woulda never made it through without each and every one of y'all
I woulda never made it through without the Adderall
I woulda never made it through without my Ray-Bans
No teacher's lookin' in my eyes
'Cause I would rather relax in my castle, havin' class was a hassle
Hopin' this razzle-dazzle pays off when they pass me my cap and my tassel
But as the hours and the minutes diminish
I think about the business that we left unfinished
Like who is gonna claim all this random jewelry that's on my nightstand?
I guess I know why they call it a one-night stand
But even if you can't remember names
If you could remember everything, it wouldn't be the same ...

Ayo my life is like a picture of a lot of liquor
An exotic mixture of elixir and a sorority mixer
But this here, will probably be the last time
I can hit on so many girls without spending my last dime
Thankfully I passed wines, what did I take wines for?
Nobody ever used any of that on wine tours
 
But I guess that's the common theme
Everything you know right now will one day all just be a dream
And these faces that are glowing are going to be unknown
When the place to which you're going is what you will call a home
And you'll forget about the Palms, and all of the sake bombs
But I hope you don't forget about us
 
So even if you've lost every single note from class
Hopefully you come across the notes that we used to pass
And I know you will have thoughts of what we did in the stacks
I gotta say, your brain is really worth an A+
 
So this is dedicated to a stadium of dissipated hockey crowds
Dedicated to an empty table at Souvlaki House
Hopin' that you call me, when you get out to Wall Street
I don't ever wanna lose touch ...

Quotation of the Week

"Anyone who has gumption knows what it is, and anyone who hasn't can never know what it is. So there is no need of defining it." 

Weekend Music: Sweet or hot, doowop doowop doowop

Lady's got sass and spunk. Ella totally kills it here. I always listen to this song for inspiration on how to live my life. With sass, with spunk and as always, with style.

Emotastic Mooosic

Lykke Li: Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) by Gold Panda

Favorite Lyrics —

These scars of mine make wounded rhymes tonight
I dream of times when you were mine so I
Can keep it like a haunting
Heart beating close to mine 

Simple, yet to-the-point lyrics. Gold Panda really enhanced the haunting beauty of this song. More rainy day music to add to my collection muaha. 

I adore Lykke Li.

Quotation of the Week

"Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest."

Little bit of chutzpah

More inspiration from the yellow dress, including the runway song:

Lykke li -Little bit (panue' remix) by Panue'

There's an art to making an entrance.

 

 

Nothing is perfect man, that's what the world is...

K'naan - Take A Minute by berman1125

Favorite Lyrics (starts at 1:57) —

And that's the reason why, I could never play for me,
Tell 'em the truth, is what my dead homies told me,
Oh yeah, I take inspiration from the most heinous of situations,
Creating medication out my own tripulations.
Dear Africa, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless.
 And any man who knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn, damn thing at all,
And everytime I felt the hurt and I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall,
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride,
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze,
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride,
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze, Nothing is perfect man, that's what the world is,
All I know is,
I'm enjoying today.
You know, 'cause it isn't everybody that you get to give.

Idol, Muse, "The Man Behind the Camera, the Genius"

The Man who first got me into menswear.

Pale Yellow Flounces

Yael Naim - New Soul (ReLex Re-Edit) by ReLex

Springtime, Angela

My design for the 27th annual Cornell Fashion Collective showcase. So happy I could burst! Click {here} and scroll to slide 8 for another feature :)

Inspired by:


Corinne Bailey Rae "Put Your Records On" from Orange Films on Vimeo.

"Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest."

Quotation of the Week

Madeleine Peyroux: Smile by Charlums

"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." 

— William Shakespeare

Passage of the Week

"As an American, I want to speak up for women in my own country — women who are raising children on the minimum wage, women who can't afford health care or child care, women whose lives are threatened by violence, including violence in their own homes.


I want to speak up for mothers who are fighting for good schools, safe neighborhoods, clean air and clean airwaves; for older women, some of them widows, who have raised their families and now find that their skills and life experiences are not valued in the workplace; for women who are working all night as nurses, hotel clerks, and fast food cooks so that they can be at home during the day with their kids; and for women everywhere who simply don't have time to do everything they are called upon to do each day ...


We need to understand that there is no formula for how women should lead their lives. That is why we must respect the choices that each woman makes for herself and her family. Every woman deserves the chance to realize her God-given potential."

Girl crushin

For the next two weeks, media is going to get crazy over the big 4-29-11.  I really enjoyed this Time piece, "Top 10 Ways William and Kate's Wedding Breaks the Mold."

By the way, Time does excellent lists. I procrastinated the hell out of last night over their "32 Epic Reality TV Moments." Make sure you check that one out too. Ha. (Favorite: Timberlake crying on the phone to his mom on Punk'd; Ashton Kutcher sent "IRS agents" to seize all his belongings).

Favorite excerpts —


#2. The Older Woman
Prince Charles had 12 years on Diana, and Prince Philip has five years on Queen Elizabeth. But the tradition of older, supposedly wiser grooms at royal weddings ends with Kate Middleton — William's elder by six months. Unlike Diana, who exuded a youthful unease from her very first engagement photos, Kate has routinely demonstrated the poise and maturity of an older woman. When William unceremoniously dumped her in April 2007, photographers snapped her out on the town looking carefree and fabulous — and her wayward prince eventually came crawling back. She pairs that resilience with an ability to stay cool under pressure. "She has behaved impeccably," says Catherine Ostler, the former editor of Britain's high-society magazine Tatler. "She's never said anything silly or had a tantrum or hit a photographer." If only the same could be said of all the Windsors.


#3. No Gifts, Please
When you've got the keys to a pad like Buckingham Palace, you probably don't need a new blender. With that in mind, the future Mr. and Mrs. William Windsor have asked anyone wishing to give them a wedding gift to consider donating to the Royal Wedding Charity Fund instead. Those donations will support 26 charities around the world, including groups that work with disadvantaged youth and the widows of army veterans, and others that fight school bullying and deforestation. The couple's request will also prevent useless clutter from piling up in their new digs. Diana and Charles received more than 6,000 wedding presents including a piece of crocheted lace spun by Mahatma Gandhi, and a gold model of an Arab sailing dhow encrusted with gems from the Emir of Bahrain. Try making space for that on your coffee table.

Read the full list {here}.

Quotation of the Week

Image via A History of New York

"The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way."

More [apple] jack: Weekend Music

The Jackson Pit (Xaphoon Jones Remix) - Jackson 5 & Passion Pit by Rustylaundryroom

Posted a remix of Jackson 5 for the soundtrack to last weekend {here}. Oh hoo I was way on top of this trend. This just came out.
I was just kidding about the brag. I don't usually do that...

More happy music yay!

We all get dressed for Bill.

No sleep, no meals, no cars, no fills, no deal.

You've Got the Love (Theophilus London Remix) by NotorietyInc

I have such a soft spot for The xx remixes.

Favorite lyrics (starts at 0:17) —

I think it's safe to say I'm in your heart and you can't get me out
The city streets, I scream my name, I think we took this route
But déjà vu, you say "I do", oh maybe I've gone too far
But neither less, let's take it slow, leave faith behind the stars

You know me best, how many years?
One or three? how many tears?
Three or four?
And those were just makes no joy, sticks

You play that game, you play it well
I just touched down, no NFL

The heath throw (get it?? HEATH THROW, heathrow airport. pretty good, theophilus...) it properly

They say my passport look like a property

Next to London, welcome
This is London, welcome
If you see something, help uh
If you see something, help 'em

Oops got a dream I woke up

In about one week that we broke up

That means no sleep, no meals, no cars, no fills, no deal

Smoker...

And the sun might be shinin' but it's colder than it seems; 'cause the weather's dialectical: there's no in-between

I chose that title, because it reminds me of Ithaca right now. Lolz.

Getting back into my whole trip-hop phase. Blue Scholars gave a concert here back last fall. This video is pretty old though (like 2007...), but it's still my favorite of theirs. How they come up with these lyrics is beyond me. It's music that has a lot of layers, a lot of depth..

Gah! So good. Even if you just read the lyrics, you can get a perfect sense of the stresses and the rhymes that he intended... 

Favorite lyrics (starts at 1:47) —

North of Martin Luther King: a straight warzone
Detours through the concrete, cranes, and bulldozers
No, the Hill is not over still
Every block got a coffee shop; it's overkill
Focus, know the deal
Dope to see Kalil back, the medicine is good again
The feeling: illegal, and coming back to your hood again
It's priceless, I write this, our lives are in crisis
Most talk, but don't walk, the path of the righteous
Despite this...
I measure each step, walkin' closer to my final destination of death
When I'm layin' to rest, I'm only savin' my breath
The Northwest fills my lungs, heals the pain in my chest
Clutch the moment, a transfer in my hand
Still listening
Lookin' out the window to the gold and the gray
And the sun might be shinin' but it's colder than it seems
'Cause the weather's dialectical: there's no in-between

In walks an old soul
A First Nation native, cat's chiseled like a totem pole
No words, as he stands and looks over us
He gets off and says, "Have a good day, you foreigners."
I, crack a smile one time for the acknowledgment
Northbound, now we start to pick up more college kids
They try to study on the ride
To make up for the fact that they probably kicked it hard last night
And I ponder if it's time to save up and get a car
And pay for the gas that we're takin' from the war
I'd miss all the colorful faces, the places, and spaces I've embraced with
The faith that I can rest and raise kids here even with these cats set
Trippin'
Bringin' '95 back again, same old conditions
From Reagan, to Bush, to Clinton, to the Bush the 2nd
No matter the neighborhood in the city you're reppin'
It's gettin' serious y'all
You can even hear the rebel call
Gettin' off, leavin' hella pieces on the walls
Seen it all, sittin' sideways with my townmates
Only place left where majority is brown-faced...

Comfort food

Image via T-Mag

Th weather this week has been a mixture of snow, rain, mushy sleet and drizzle. I just want to be cooped up eating eggs, toast and oatmeal and drinking copious amounts of tea and coffee...

Quotation of the Week

"She's spontaneous. She's ballsy. She has no clue what she's doing, and she doesn't care."

BON WEEKEND!

I Want Brooklyn Back by whitepandamusic

Image via The Daybook

Looking forward to comfy clothes, sleeping in and feel-good tunes.

So fine and it just ain't fair; so beautiful and so damn rare.

I love unconventional love songs. This one has the dopest lyrics. I highlighted my favorites. Because I'm a dork.

03-nujabes-lady brown feat. cise starr from cyne-cms by miriambasco

Favorite Verses (starting at 1:08) —

[Verse:]
She's angelic and energetic
Using sex as a weapon
I reckon that I'm confessing
Her body is just a blessing from God Down to earth
She needs to be in a church to prove that
We didn't spawn from fish but God's work
Hurts to see her clothed cause her body beholds
Secrets untold valued like platinum and gold
For she is the key to open my mind to see
The energy that radiates from the gates of heavenly bliss
I reminisce over touch and kiss

While you fucking a bitch, I go make love to my miss

Never scandalous
It unanimous that the how i handled it
Lights off and candle lit rooms and glamorous
Yo I call you love sexual you look edible
Parallel snuggle up close intellectual
In a rendezvous who are you in wrap hairdo
No makeup in jean shorts open toe shoe

I wanna hold you mold ya soul I behold you

Know you better than myself never own you
But keep you never leave you
I beseech you
Gods gift to man is you wearing a see through
Riding Seadoos in Atlantic Ocean
Causing commotion
Lay you down going through the motions
Keep ya skin soft lotions got me coasting
Down pretty round brown thighs the candles low lit


[Chorus:]
Honey brown wit the long black hair
Teasing me with a kiss and a stare
Slight touch and you taking me there
So fine and it just ain't fair
So beautiful and so damn rare

[Verse:]
Look at this agreeable
Delightful, delectable
Unforgettable
So sweet she may be edible
She needs a pedestal To step out of heaven you ready boo

Never hypothetical you factual and magical

Fuck theatrical

Baby girl because you actual

Physically your chemistry is so mathematical

Had to use academics to define your spirit

You lifting my limits

Your name off my tongue is a lyric

She's a compilation of my minds representation
Of a representative
Representing an excellent revelation of time and dedication
Never impatient
She know the deal
Revealed herself to me
So I can see Her heavenly ways
Her heavenly gaze
And plus it don't hurt that she has an ass for days
So as we lay I reminisce on the day that we met
Please god never let me forget

Arriba, abajo, al centro, para adentro!

A mini photo essay of our getaway to Punta Cana. The accompanying song will forever be associated with this trip. (Start it at 0:38 if you want to skip the slightly tool-ish dialogue.) 

Don Omar - Danza Kuduro ft Lucenzo by Cheif-Mechanic

Hotel lobby upon our arrival.

Blue oceans, tall palms, white, sandy beaches... heaven.

Unending lobster paella with lime.

LUSH.

After a long beach day, a cup of peppermint tea while watching the sunset on our balcony...

Sunset leaves.

As the sun sank...

... Night time adventures followed..

Chin, chin :)

les français

Image via The Sartorialist

The shoes, the pants, the peacoat... If I were a man, I would rock this ensemble.

Quotation of the Week

"I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar, it can crumble so easily, but don't be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it."

Punta Cana, DR

Image via Deep in Vogue

Away on vacation for one glorious week of sunshine, beach hair and coconut-umbrella drinks. Ciao! :) 

Rothko numba three

Reminds me of a pansy? The flower, not the wimp. It's supposed to be inspirational geez.

We don't care if the sun comes up...

Image via Egd-Illustration

Dancing With The Dj (Acoustic Campfire Version) by The Knocks

This makes me feel all snuggly around a cold, spray-misty beach and toasty campfire. The original version {found here} is pretty sick, too. More groovy discotheque than "kumbayah," though.

Digging this with the rainy weather right now.

Officially spring yet?

Image via Deep in Vogue

Pretty, calming flowers. The pink ones especially remind me of my mother's garden at home. She would always cut a few stems for our kitchen table.

Quotation of the Week

Image via Harper's Bazaar, Oct 2010

“An authentically empowered real woman, who looks and feels like a modern women in the twenty first century, allowing us to see the best of ourselves in her. She brings a sense of connection and accessibility to that position that no nation has ever witnessed.”

Sun salutations

Image via New-Age

Can you meditate in a painting?

Klimt, Birch Forest, 1903

The detail is overwhelming. After attempting to capture the texture and light of my own still life painting, I can truly appreciate the effect of this work. You really get a feel for the crispy, crackling leaves; soft, velvet mosses; strips and layers of bark.

A refresher for the heart

This is a bit old, but I watch it from time to time, because it's so downright charming and adorable.

Wednesday {Coffee Break}

Image via tokketok

Putting the energy into a gray and dreary hump day calls desperately for an espresso and dark chocolate.

Playthings for urbanites

Image via T Magazine, The Slug and the Squirrel

They're called terrariums, and I want one.

"Terrariums are just the thing for urbanites like us who are strapped for space and yearning for a patch of greenery."

Created by designer Jose Agatep, these quaint statuesque biomes would be perfect for my drab little office cubicle.

“He fills them with plants from a local Philadelphia flower shop and soil and wood chips from along forest trails and train tracks. (He particularly likes taking components from the outdoors because they come with the bacteria and insects necessary to maintain the self-contained ecosystem, and sometimes they sprout mushrooms, much to his customers’ surprise.) 'Everything is so … technology,” he says. 'We need the nature. It’s a good reminder of how it used to be.' ”

Apparently, Anthropolgie now sells these in their home department ($28 to $398). Oh you would, Anthro. You can read the full article here.

Quotation of the Week

"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream."

And we were... gone!

Favorite excerpt —

"You're so beautiful," He said.
"You're elegant and deep,
and innocent and wild."
"You saw that there?" I said.
It was like he read my palm.
"I saw that,"
He said, "And much, much more."

Bob stayed looking for almost an hour,
As if he were studying a map,
Observing the moon, 
Staring into my eyes.
But it was my vagina!

I watched him looking at me.
He was so excited.
So peaceful and euphoric. 
I began to get wet and turned on.
I began to see myself the way he saw me. 
Like a great painting or a waterfall.

Bob wasn't afraid, no, he wasn't grossed out.
I began to swell.
I began to feel proud.
I began to feel beautiful and delicious,
Like a great painting or a waterfall.

Bob wasn't afraid, no, he wasn't grossed out.
I began to swell.
I began to feel proud.
I began to love my vagina.

And Bob lost himself there,
And I was there with him,
In my vagina.
And we...
Were...
GONE!

I went curiously and left deeply moved. Who would have ever thought, the Vagina Monologues would be a tearjerker?

Monsieur Right, meet Mademoiselle Right

"Top Mating Preferences" via HD 3620: Human Bonding, Hazan

I'm taking a pretty intriguing course in the department of Human Development. "Human Bonding" studies the science/sociology/psychology — what have you — behind human "mating" relationships, aka couples.

Some things are making a lot more sense to me since taking this class... but, is this list of top 12 traits that we prefer in potential partners, actually... true? Interesting to note that males rate "physical attractiveness" a lot higher up than females. Hm.

More rothko love

Mark Rothko painting

Ma ma ma mia. To me, it feels a bit lustful.