tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25865779945951048842024-03-14T08:44:57.796-07:00Have a Cup of...Who said a rocket scientist is not stylish?NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-52106445171729384372012-06-18T22:16:00.001-07:002012-06-18T22:16:35.291-07:00Life's like a RunwaySo really, what's all the fussing for? No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior.<br />
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"Labels or Love" lyric-twisting aside, as someone who sees the world in fashion, I have come to the conclusion that not only love, but life, is a runway. You pick out that perfect outfit, strut down the catwalk, and right back into the dressing room. That's not that different from getting dressed in the morning, going to work, and coming back home. Maybe I'm more H&M than Balmain, and more Guess than Jimmy Choo, but the concept is the same. Thanks to years of religiously reading Vogue from cover to cover, a true fashionista does not have to rely on labels to pull off a perfect styling.<br />
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It is inevitable that in what we call the runway of life, there are moments of what-if's. Don't get me wrong, I am happy with where I am not and have no regrets. But it is also a fact that we all do have that what-if moment, especially in relationships.<br />
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Relationship is all rainbows and puppies until hurricane *insert name* hits. At that point, you really do what everyone does when faced with the onset of a hurricane: run. Bonus points if you can run really fast in the correct direction. I'll give you a hint: not towards the hurricane. In the midst of the running, we all can't help but wonder: what-if? What if I was more this or more that? What if this happened or that happened? 99% of the times, those what-if scenarios somehow comes true and leads to the happy ending. The tricky part is that you need to be the character in the Garry Marshall Land. <br />
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Then what does that leave us? Are we all forever possessed with the ghost of the relationship past? I'd like to think otherwise. For one, whatever happened, happened. Unless you can invent a flux capacitor (and you probably won't if you tried because by definition, flux is not a capacitor), you can't change what has happened. When something ends, we all tend to get fixated on all of the things that didn't go right, and tend to neglect things that did go right. Truth is, things did go right; it just didn't last. So instead of forever moping and being all angry, it's best to keep the best memory in your heart and move on.<br />
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When the ghost of the relationship past made you fall flat on the runway of life, moving on is probably the hardest thing to do. After all, we all just want to sulk away in the corner, binge on ice cream and chick flicks, and feel sorry for ourselves. But that is not a happy place. Like Carrie Bradshaw once said, "When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking." It is comforting to know that your friends are there to lend you a helping hand or two. That's what friends are for.<br />
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Then if you're like me and adores Sarah Burton, looking at something beautiful, like <a href="http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/alexandermcqueen/experience/AA,en_US,sf.html">Alexander McQueen's Pre-Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection</a> will always make you happy. Actual post on that will be up later...at some point...just be patient with me? Please?<br />
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xoxo<br />
NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-66904626871107314362012-05-20T21:57:00.002-07:002012-05-20T21:57:35.897-07:00Ding Dong, Color Blocking is DeadWhen I first started this blog, I was posting every other day, which became every week, which became roughly every one-to-two months. Which means...it's time for a new post!<br />
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Aside from my real life keeping me busy, there was a solid reason why I was silent about all things fashion for the past few months. No matter how much I try, color blocking and I are not meant to be. Sorry, color blocking lovers, you may hit "exit" at this moment. Everyone else, carry on...</div>
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Color blocking is, in my opinion, a fashion savvy-er word that means: "I don't know a thing about color coding so I just smacked on whatever that I could find." It would work if you want to look like a middle schooler, but definitely not if you want to look anywhere near mode. No matter how hard the fashion ads try to sell you that color blocked dress, pink and red don't go together. Nor will purple and yellow. Instead, try pink & black and purple & gold/silver. <br />
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As such, I was thrilled upon reading June issue of <i>W</i> magazine (one of my favorite fashion magazines!), where they previewed fall fashions. I figured color blocking would be a one-season-trend, and I was proven right! Yes, my dear mode-fashion lovers, color blocking is gone!!!<br />
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Here is the fashion spread I absolutely love. I may be biased, because I love black & white (with a hint of red) styling, but even still, this spread is so stylish and chic, it's hard not to love. This spread is photographed by Craig McDean, and styled by Marie-Amelie Sauve.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LVcsUKoBxr2rzdaST73bcTqdF85LB4fkUMhVh0Za4gEnifX9fA1dbbyj0zmbQCnk9Hf6P4MRP7dqGJEcBpD9od00CkVEB02fI27sO1h2avKgzGsfdONZ9Avm9If9BiiE8elO8v19wTY/s1600/IMG_0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LVcsUKoBxr2rzdaST73bcTqdF85LB4fkUMhVh0Za4gEnifX9fA1dbbyj0zmbQCnk9Hf6P4MRP7dqGJEcBpD9od00CkVEB02fI27sO1h2avKgzGsfdONZ9Avm9If9BiiE8elO8v19wTY/s400/IMG_0216.JPG" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress & Boots: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere, Turtleneck: Alexander Wang, Gloves: Sermoneta Gloves, Tights: Leg Avenue </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOgYFBZlaOrqz_OljQKBMc05nkhst7Yqp16uXjnnhwFS7JV5Jy5KRZtSVPiTDokHKTCzwPPi9Z_UPLd3an9WqynkJYqCrwMbluwe2XZV5Jja3p-nBhWWyATo1uLhRWmZ__qg8XHNqdZ0/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOgYFBZlaOrqz_OljQKBMc05nkhst7Yqp16uXjnnhwFS7JV5Jy5KRZtSVPiTDokHKTCzwPPi9Z_UPLd3an9WqynkJYqCrwMbluwe2XZV5Jja3p-nBhWWyATo1uLhRWmZ__qg8XHNqdZ0/s400/IMG_0222.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirt: Jill Sander, Fishnet Turtleneck: Alexander Wang, Skirt: Lover, Gloves: LaCrasia Gloves, Belt: Yves Saint Laurent, Boots: Celine </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZudiQz8Psm9hSg1RdpPuf98uzuW7V_qdBgtKbV30zWH1snxd_BdbXT37W4YUNWVKI1g7YTsYPfTNaRZ-YSak86pCwRU82VRGnjMqnRuGAYO8FMlNnBlb4m-turblCIoBnrt2zoCjg6Mw/s1600/IMG_0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZudiQz8Psm9hSg1RdpPuf98uzuW7V_qdBgtKbV30zWH1snxd_BdbXT37W4YUNWVKI1g7YTsYPfTNaRZ-YSak86pCwRU82VRGnjMqnRuGAYO8FMlNnBlb4m-turblCIoBnrt2zoCjg6Mw/s400/IMG_0223.JPG" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leather Jacket, Top, Pants, Boots: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere, Fishnet Turtleneck: Alexander Wang</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQQNd0hKtA7Vceyz3XGkmosAq_A35MN2IbSxzIxyjheDnR7GZb6bMXuPA3nTVTjVu-sF-bre86SwZpmyyS0dhkxHiKFXEjN6Tx8jZ3hRb4MTh1mFmLiltoQV6z5w11-HAvJ1ITu89_oE/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQQNd0hKtA7Vceyz3XGkmosAq_A35MN2IbSxzIxyjheDnR7GZb6bMXuPA3nTVTjVu-sF-bre86SwZpmyyS0dhkxHiKFXEjN6Tx8jZ3hRb4MTh1mFmLiltoQV6z5w11-HAvJ1ITu89_oE/s400/IMG_0224.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coat: Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, Jacket, Fishnet Turtleneck: Alexander Wang, Skirt: Celine, Visor: House of Flora, Gloves: LaCrasia Gloves, Boots: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwPg7bd95Aotu-wA7t6rNPDyWQ13TeTLSq36infV_Ym8SmaBzTVE63LI7pBIQdXgpcUo_Ir1s26fbuu-KR9PqV15jam2XDq2Oa5pqlyRSF2W2lsOh12QchgGejNtbnpRjbiqIfnGLEB4/s1600/IMG_0225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwPg7bd95Aotu-wA7t6rNPDyWQ13TeTLSq36infV_Ym8SmaBzTVE63LI7pBIQdXgpcUo_Ir1s26fbuu-KR9PqV15jam2XDq2Oa5pqlyRSF2W2lsOh12QchgGejNtbnpRjbiqIfnGLEB4/s400/IMG_0225.JPG" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top, Belt, Boots: Celine, Fishnet Turtleneck: Alexander Wang, Shorts: Raf Simons, Gloves: Sermoneta Gloves</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwPHKYp8VWvYfUe7gzj_zV-bjme7jO0S_8Z5uJRVUX09wZ0IPVyJGQ5qS_bNscLsvNT9EUfIwc3bcpg2v_HoJ9jsamaUnhtlxsty2udAKMffrZB8cd2E10dA1UbGY_1bTkotvEeW-00/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwPHKYp8VWvYfUe7gzj_zV-bjme7jO0S_8Z5uJRVUX09wZ0IPVyJGQ5qS_bNscLsvNT9EUfIwc3bcpg2v_HoJ9jsamaUnhtlxsty2udAKMffrZB8cd2E10dA1UbGY_1bTkotvEeW-00/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacket, Top: Emporio Armani, Fishnet Turtleneck: Alexander Wang</td></tr>
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In fashion, I always wish we can bypass summer and fast forward to autumn, just because fall fashions are always the most stylish of all. Wouldn't you agree?<br />
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xoxo,<br />
N</div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-16175272749679408592012-03-24T22:57:00.000-07:002012-03-24T23:04:31.599-07:00Rocket Scientist-Fashionista's Take on a Dating SiteSince all I write about is fashion and movies, I figured I would take a break and write about something about myself for once.<br />
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This weekend, I ended up being rather bored in my room with a laptop. So I did what everyone who has no plans on a Friday night would do: sign up for a dating site, and promptly go off of it in less than 24 hours. I'll explain why...<br />
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Channeling my inner Temperance Brennan, I would say that my brief stint on the dating site was a good anthropological study of a general population outside of my nerd bubble. I have obtained a good survey of the female profile that is the most desired among the male population, which then proved that I myself do not fit the profile in any way.<br />
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How was my Bones impression? Well being the rocket scientist, I have to examine and analyze each traits that was discussed in the said profile. Also, it's just plain fun.<br />
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<i>"I want a laid-back, down-to-earth girl..."</i><br />
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Oh the cliche. First of all, I'm a rocket scientist. My job requires me NOT to be down to Earth. Literally. Now talking about this more figuratively, I'm a fashionista, so I'm still not down to earth. Let's face it, those people are the kind who thinks fashion is stupid, waste of money, and vain. I have had plenty of those comments thrown my way. What they don't realize is that by writing off fashion as vain, they are proving themselves to be a closed-minded people. I am not asking everyone to appreciate fashion, but the very least they can do is to show respect to the art.<br />
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I also have recently discovered that I get very depressed if I'm not moving at 100mph and staying up until 2am working. I don't know about you, but that doesn't scream "laid-back" to me.<br />
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<i>"I want someone who is low maintenance..."</i><br />
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Let's see. The entire shelf of my closet space is filled with shoe boxes. I do not leave my house without a make-up on, because I believe in being at my best at all times. Recently, I caved and bought a few more pairs of yoga pants because I did not own any sweat pants that are not PJ's. I do not own a backpack. The only pair of flat shoes are my running shoes. I'm a Sephora VIB (like a VIP list).<br />
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Definitely not low maintenance. Thing is, this is just who I am as a person, and I'm not apologizing for it. I think everyone has a right to be who they are, as long as they aren't causing any nuisance. I know this is a popular misconception, but being high maintenance does not equal diva attitude.<br />
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<i>"Are you a real person!?"</i><br />
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No, darling, I'm a terminator. John Connor sent me to kick your ass, and then I'm thinking about running for the governor's office in California.<br />
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In all seriousness, I got asked this for real. Is it so hard to believe that a rocket scientist can also be a fashion stylist!?<br />
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Channeling Bones again...Upon careful examination of the evidence presented, I have concluded that dating site is not for me.<br />
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Then again, I'm too busy anyway and I would like to spend the spare time (when I have one) with my friends. :)<br />
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xoxo,<br />
N<br />
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PS: Going along with my nerdiness, I think I'll catch up on Fringe... <3NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-26511307120688590632012-02-26T23:48:00.001-08:002012-02-26T23:48:37.164-08:00Hugo, and how a rocket scientist/fashion stylist was bornAs someone who deeply loves movie, it is only fitting that my first post of the year 2012 is on the night of the Oscars. The night that is all about dressing up, smiling, and hoping that your wardrobe does not malfunction. The night that is all about stressing out whether you are going to be on the stage making that "I would like to thank the Academy..." speech, and god forbid you leave someone out in the state of Oscar-winning daze. But above all, the night is all about celebrating the love for the movie.<br />
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Hugo, by far one of my all-time favorite movies, won 5 Oscars tonight.<br />
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The movie goes far beyond the face-value of a fantasy movie about a boy in search of a key that unlocks his robot. The movie is filled with love and gratitude towards the art of film making. I think anyone who grew up loving the movie will understand this underlying message. I also love how the movie that is all about the beginning of the motion picture is filmed by using the most cutting edge 3D & CG technology. Hugo, in a way, pays homage to the movies when it was still shot in 8mm films by filming it in digital 3D.<br />
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The technology has advanced far enough that we can create just about anything on film. When filming Gone with the Wind, which was released in 1939, "the fall of Atlanta" scene was a huge deal. Lots of real sets had to be burned, thus there was just one take, no mistakes were allowed, everyone's stress level is maxed out, you get the picture. Fast forward 70-something years and there is Pandora (not the radio station, the one with blue aliens), cars-turned-robots (or robots-turned-cars?), and of course, Paris in the 1920's, recreated in the most amazing way ever done. <br />
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I read the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57367902/martin-scorsese-on-hugo-a-very-personal-film/?tag=contentMain;contentBody">interview piece</a> on the director, Martin Scorsese, and it really hit home. The article talked about how he was a sick kid with asthma and spent a lot of time watching movies. The world of film (and books, for that matter) is the one place where you can go on an adventure, and you only need just one thing: imagination.<br />
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Growing up, the majority of my friends existed in the world of books and movies. As someone who lacked playground skills of any kind (read: nerd), and had a unique fashion style (I didn't dress like a mainstream middle schooler), I was the real-life Luna Lovegood. Seriously, no one told me that going on and on about Apollo projects at the playground would result in balls getting thrown my way! When the "cool chicks" in middle school were just discovering the existence of Chanel bags, I was all about <a href="http://www.robertadicamerino.com/">Roberta di Camerino trompe l'oeil bags</a>. There might have been some incident about a 13-yr-old me claiming that sandals with 3in heels are considered flat shoes. I actually still believe that statement to be very true.<br />
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I didn't care much about not fitting in at the playground, because I knew I had my books and knowledge, and that's something no one can take away from me.<br />
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Like Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." You need knowledge, but if you are severely lacking the imagination required to make good use of that said knowledge, then that's just...very unfortunate. The world of books and movies are the best place to work on those imagination skills. <br />
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Since I'm lacking the luxury of time to indulge myself in the world of 221B Baker Street, I'll have to make do with the latest issue of Vogue. :)<br />
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xoxo,<br />
NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-52410258768018766612011-12-30T07:51:00.000-08:002011-12-30T07:51:39.719-08:00A Year in McQueenThe title says it all. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrandMcQueen">Alexander McQueen Facebook page</a> posted a collection of Alexander McQueen magazine covers from 2011. From those, I selected 12 covers, marking a year in McQueen.<br />
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Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve!!!</div>
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and...</div>
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May the new year be filled with happiness, love, and peace.</div>
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xoxo,</div>
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N</div>
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<br />NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-53590897487762463682011-11-11T20:50:00.001-08:002011-11-12T14:13:13.162-08:00Magic in MakeupAs someone who loves fashion as I do, it is a given that I also love makeup. I was probably 4 or 5 when I discovered eyeshadow and nail polish. Of course, I wasn't allowed to put them on, but I told myself that when I am "old enough," whatever that age may be, I will totally put those gorgeous eyeshadows on and do my nails. And I did.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t2GTovdd2JoLZ_m_1HJszNusEHf3x4pJFTfQCSA0BKIGw8lYT_PfR-aic2MU2yg3htFA0TbXvi6G2eFd6XGOn4s8IAuGyNIX1OpgzFKnkTnM3gX1BeF1T_L2sq96EkaZDB0UbOOiv64/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t2GTovdd2JoLZ_m_1HJszNusEHf3x4pJFTfQCSA0BKIGw8lYT_PfR-aic2MU2yg3htFA0TbXvi6G2eFd6XGOn4s8IAuGyNIX1OpgzFKnkTnM3gX1BeF1T_L2sq96EkaZDB0UbOOiv64/s320/IMG_0028.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sephora by O.P.I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some people may argue that makeup is a mask that a person puts on to hide behind. Isn't that such a negative way of seeing things? Makeup, when applied correctly, makes people look beautiful. What is so wrong about being beautiful and loving yourself? I'm not saying that everyone should look like Angelina or Giselle (that's just impossible). It's about loving yourself for who you are. Personally, I believe in always looking my best because that is how I want myself to be. Putting on makeup is just something I do to look gorgeous.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAs-0tgymqpkDzWtfSrR_46QYubScy8VNfi5cRSWlP7K1R9_oon5aFYLcVKB15f-pe9DXzyP2DYiarUSvaKMxF4bmFY2YcEjJBuCdbqfKEhQZTua11F4uOSDWn4WMe7iG5vWhBRNHSmE/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAs-0tgymqpkDzWtfSrR_46QYubScy8VNfi5cRSWlP7K1R9_oon5aFYLcVKB15f-pe9DXzyP2DYiarUSvaKMxF4bmFY2YcEjJBuCdbqfKEhQZTua11F4uOSDWn4WMe7iG5vWhBRNHSmE/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left: Courreges, YSL, Courreges, Urban Decay</td></tr>
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So this means that I don't think I'm gorgeous without makeup? Not exactly. It's not like I'm changing my face after I put on a makeup. I like myself without makeup, but the truth is, no one looks super fabulous without makeup. If you are the rare kind who do look amazing without the help of makeup, congratulations, you got good genes. Most people are born with features that needs some tweaking with to look great. Me? I'm all about tweaking; I got uneven eyes and eyebrows that just won't go with my face. Don't get me started on my nose. There are features that I would rather change, but this is just how I look. Instead of hating myself for it, I figured out a way to love myself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI-WDqtzaf6rt2nIalE5rWCkwIbk4-rIUE_IB_BUJ1zMONc7Ey35pUp5vO5PykgOf8rtJ-inqKgGk843Sj6-kGSDCoH-Xize5DiWeoJlrITMT6qTRWOOqtaN75Q2B5OwZKqlvtotMddA/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI-WDqtzaf6rt2nIalE5rWCkwIbk4-rIUE_IB_BUJ1zMONc7Ey35pUp5vO5PykgOf8rtJ-inqKgGk843Sj6-kGSDCoH-Xize5DiWeoJlrITMT6qTRWOOqtaN75Q2B5OwZKqlvtotMddA/s320/IMG_0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urban Decay</td></tr>
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Uneven eyes? Use optic illusion in a form of colored eyeliner that matches with the eyeshadow. By drawing the right eyeliner significantly thicker than my left, my eye sizes are evened out. I would never use black eyeliner on my top eyelid; that actually makes your eyes look smaller. I only use brown eyeliners on the bottom eyelid. WTF-shaped eyebrows? Time to put those tweezers and eyebrow pencils to good use. You know what the totally tweakable eyebrow means? Depending on what kind of eyebrow shapes are IN, I can totally tweak mine without much effort. So in other words, my eyebrows are always in style. As for my too-low of a nose to the point where I can't wear some sunglasses and safety glasses (they just. freakin. fall. off.), I can get hit by a ball right in my face and not break my nose. It's not like I plan on getting hit in my face, but with my level of clumsiness, it is expected. Apparently the only time I'm not clumsy is when I'm skating or dancing. Anyway...with the number of times I got hit in the face playing volleyball (it happens...), basketball (hurts the most), football (can't catch the damned ball), dodgeball (epic-fail at dodging), I'm pretty sure I would have broken my nose had it been higher. But it's not! Awesome, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZp5n2VYLX6e8v5KAzajlPauAEN8EXlOsw1yUm4WCw8vIEaZFA-7orm-RIKyrH3fTAJFMx3fKnjQLtoj3NLsWz7K6WJaeA8le9S-caoOmg3zpNZqPZ14eCBbX2918ADinWeGRMRkU4-M/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZp5n2VYLX6e8v5KAzajlPauAEN8EXlOsw1yUm4WCw8vIEaZFA-7orm-RIKyrH3fTAJFMx3fKnjQLtoj3NLsWz7K6WJaeA8le9S-caoOmg3zpNZqPZ14eCBbX2918ADinWeGRMRkU4-M/s320/IMG_0033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom: Rimmel, Rest: Sephora</td></tr>
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Beauty comes in different style, and if putting makeup on is not your style, that's fine. Just make sure that you love yourself for who you are. It's easier said than done, but don't give into the peer pressure or some set idea of how you're supposed to look. I'm all about makeup, not because I gave into peer pressure or read one too many fashion magazines (although I do that anyway) and want to look like a model. I just love it and that's all there is to it. Proof that I'm so not into the mainstream style? I'm addicted to dramatic eyes to the point where I was rocking the super winged eyeliners for good 3 years, Cleopatra-style. But doing it in black got boring after a few months, so I switched it up and used colors. I'm not talking about usual violet or pink here. I'm talking bright blue, emerald green, and bright orange. I got rid of bright orange, only because I finished it and I can't find another one in the right shade. I still use bright blue and emerald green eyeliners, then went metallic and added gold and silver to the collection.<br />
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Makeup is all about having fun and loving yourself. That's the magic in makeup.<br />
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xoxo<br />
NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-18436892747921152662011-09-25T23:20:00.000-07:002011-11-11T22:00:32.088-08:00My September IssueWhen I first started this blog, I had no idea what I wanted to write about. So I wrote about sports, movies, and random things that I have a very strong opinion, like my attempt at getting rid of bullying from this face of the Earth. Okay, fine, I may not be able to get rid of it, but I can write about it in hopes that I am inspiring someone, somewhere. As I wrote several posts, I have found my own "topic" to focus on, and it should come as no surprise to those who know me in person: Fashion.<br />
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Yes, I'm one of those rare kind who is a big time space nerd that religiously reads Vogue. I mean really, Vogue is my bible. Sadly, I have absolutely no fashion freak friends in real life. I feel like there is some unspoken rule that if you are "serious" about your job, and if that said job is unrelated to fashion industry, you should not be a fashion freak out of fear that you may come across as "vain."<br />
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I object.<br />
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Legendary Anna Wintour could not have explained this any better in the documentary, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1331025/">The September Issue</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>I think what I often see is that people are frightened about fashion. Because it scares them or make them feel insecure, they just put it down. On the whole, people that may say the mean things about our world, I think that's usually because they feel, in some ways, excluded or...not a part of the "cool group." So as a result, they just mock it. Just because you like to put on a beautiful Carolina Herrera dress or a pair of J Brand blue jeans instead of something basic from K-Mart, it doesn't mean that you're a dumb person. There is something about fashion that can make people really nervous. </i></blockquote>
So. True. I know I'm making a generalized statement here, but some people think that in order to be taken "seriously," they have to look like, excuse my honesty, crap. Sure, if you show up at your work wearing a Dolce&Gabbana evening gown, you probably won't be taken seriously, unless your job requires you to put on that said dress. But then again, that's called common sense.<br />
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So why does fashion make some people nervous? Is it because fashion freaks secretly trash talk all those non-fashionable people behind your back? Before you go cry in the corner and throw one of your Forever 21's at us, let me explain.<br />
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First of all, most fashionistas are not born with this amazing sense of fashion. We have made some seriously ill-advised fashion choices in the past. At the very least, I know I did on more than one occasions. However, instead of being absolutely clueless about what looks good on me and what doesn't, I invested a significant time and effort in learning everything about fashion styling. I have gone through numbers of fashion magazines and studied each styling in the photo spread or one of those ad spreads. Also, whenever I go shopping, I try on more clothes than I would buy, so I would know what works for me and what doesn't. Unless you are a model, chances are that there are some looks that you just can't pull off no matter how much you love. For me, I look downright ridiculous in anything that has frills or anything that's in the soft color family, even though I like those super girly looks. What can I say, pink frilly dress and I were never meant to be.<br />
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So when one of the fashionistas make some "bitchy" comment about some outfit, we actually know what we're talking about. Honestly, we mean well and we just want you to look the best version of yourself. Some people who are "sort of" into fashion take that as a serious offense but we just shrug it off. Sure, inner beauty is what matters the most, I absolutely agree. You can wear the most amazing Alexander McQueen gown with a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos, but if you forget your brain, well, what a waste of a lovely outfit. Now, imagine you're meeting someone for the first time. Do you want to make a positive impression and build up from there, or make a negative impression and work your way up to turn that negative number to positive? and no, you can't just pull off more negativity in hopes that negative times negative becomes positive. That doesn't work in real life. So really, what's "vain" and "dumb" about knowing what would make you the best version of yourself? I would say that is one intelligent move.<br />
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In case you are wondering, yes, I have given some styling tips to my friends. Let's just say that after following my styling advices, they started getting compliments on how they look, and they have never gotten that before. Yup, I pretty much rock. :D<br />
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With that, I'm closing my own September Issue.<br />
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xoxo,<br />
NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-73741503322237606052011-09-18T22:43:00.000-07:002011-09-25T23:21:21.025-07:00Alexander McQueen Women's Pre Spring/Summer 2012 CollectionWhat do you do to unwind after a long day of work? Aside from the usual things like, reading, TV, working out, cooking, etc, there's one thing that always puts me in a good mood. For someone who adores high fashion, there is nothing more wonderful than staring at the clothes by your favorite designer online, while Keane plays in the background. (If you wanna snicker, you have 5 seconds before I give you a dirty look.)<br />
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If you're a reader of this blog (Thanks!), you probably figured that by "my favorite designer," I mean Alexander McQueen. I even have a category called "Alexander McQueen" and if that's not a dead giveaway, I'm not sure what would be.<br />
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<a href="http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/int/en/corporate/archive2012_psslook_womens.aspx">Women's Pre Spring/Summer 2012 Collection</a> lookbook is just SO gorgeous, you have got to see it for yourself. Good news: Remember that "super-wide belt over a jacket" style that was in about 4-5 years ago? According to Sarah Burton, it's back! Now I get to wear my belts and totally be in style, or even ahead of style.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1nAaYHpFhHMCohuVF-9J7yHk6wyRX9M7dO54F6SU1AkU-WBl-L3PUvTf92ga7SGbxyYxjCN6WDzHEA_7OEZQzm_FV6etunjaa18iOFFcy6ap21CWL6rkqGz71VsOhAvWbSc0uDodiPM/s1600/screen-capture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1nAaYHpFhHMCohuVF-9J7yHk6wyRX9M7dO54F6SU1AkU-WBl-L3PUvTf92ga7SGbxyYxjCN6WDzHEA_7OEZQzm_FV6etunjaa18iOFFcy6ap21CWL6rkqGz71VsOhAvWbSc0uDodiPM/s400/screen-capture-1.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>Notice how the belt matches with the embellishment on the pockets of the dress? I like how the style is put together, but not so over-the-top matching. Subtle matching says "I'm a classy fashionista," while over-the-top matching screams "fashion rookie."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ia0x2bPxPJumGrQLqn2QTrIkREnVmEE-MglVvzTHjpQGzArm7ypSD3HCHCUvjqEyl4zcaKb2Z901mJuld71Y5WYiX4wnwxkCUvqrV3DbAbMHPPDRA48fYqgSm2f7OHqTiNrk3SR206s/s1600/screen-capture-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ia0x2bPxPJumGrQLqn2QTrIkREnVmEE-MglVvzTHjpQGzArm7ypSD3HCHCUvjqEyl4zcaKb2Z901mJuld71Y5WYiX4wnwxkCUvqrV3DbAbMHPPDRA48fYqgSm2f7OHqTiNrk3SR206s/s400/screen-capture-2.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Animal prints are still in next year! Maybe I should stock up on some leopard and snakeskin prints, since those two are such an "it" material this fall/winter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_rGTHVo2DhOg41Sy3g0g5TbkROjnQdBOrge-WokVcj5_n8G719IcBr_C-d4d60DeurfJDIgZ-bACVQQgXMzrIQIK3XnkCi2oSR39t-wwRQsTWv2QUfd2bsCPLX8K5IEXz59Ym19r9ko/s1600/screen-capture-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_rGTHVo2DhOg41Sy3g0g5TbkROjnQdBOrge-WokVcj5_n8G719IcBr_C-d4d60DeurfJDIgZ-bACVQQgXMzrIQIK3XnkCi2oSR39t-wwRQsTWv2QUfd2bsCPLX8K5IEXz59Ym19r9ko/s400/screen-capture-3.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>Oh my gorgeous. Seriously, whoever first came up with black and gold pairing is a freakin' genius. Wait...it's probably Coco Chanel, right? Anyway, back to this gorgeous evening gown. I love the distressed layered skirt; it's so McQueen. Edgy, yet classy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vKYTBzCmvlKN7rQdePsvTaPF-gVd_C-wRU2FGnOtaTll18cdSjXVg0VIRvOSKeO7CoOXOSS-TAowjY2yiYmuKjdQOk5w3U6OOc0IUY6V-g3G1fOYniCRuYH2b1B5rApkJWU7WWNCrS0/s1600/screen-capture-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vKYTBzCmvlKN7rQdePsvTaPF-gVd_C-wRU2FGnOtaTll18cdSjXVg0VIRvOSKeO7CoOXOSS-TAowjY2yiYmuKjdQOk5w3U6OOc0IUY6V-g3G1fOYniCRuYH2b1B5rApkJWU7WWNCrS0/s400/screen-capture-4.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>The cocktail dress version of the above evening gown, I presume. Okay, I'm running out of synonyms for "gorgeous." Fabulous? Beautiful? Well, you get the point.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkdLR_Ikzcq5-Kr60rVxtfu1HBzNSTKtEjdvom5BI3wbCti1UItDXQro4JS5lIdaVQL4DiLe_9zM68Ti47o9iLTm4HkSGCPUDBHErYvLHrylzvAScySGlz5zRrrj5q0tIC30ZS3F5YnI/s1600/screen-capture-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkdLR_Ikzcq5-Kr60rVxtfu1HBzNSTKtEjdvom5BI3wbCti1UItDXQro4JS5lIdaVQL4DiLe_9zM68Ti47o9iLTm4HkSGCPUDBHErYvLHrylzvAScySGlz5zRrrj5q0tIC30ZS3F5YnI/s400/screen-capture-5.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>Here, the contrast between the metallic bodice and flowing skirt is perfectly balanced. Giving the dress the tough-and-sweet dual personality that most women have these days. You gotta be a fighter to be absolutely fabulous at what you do, but that doesn't mean that you've given up on your girly side. I feel like this dress represents that duality in a perfect way. Maybe I'm going overly sentimental over a dress, but you know what, I got my blog so I get to interpret it however the way I want. :) <br />
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And by the way, yes, I do have a thing for Brit-rock.<br />
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xoxo,<br />
NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-9850555634062862862011-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:002011-07-04T08:00:57.659-07:00Movies, Movies, MoviesSince it's the 4th of July and half of 2011 went by, I say it's an opportune time to post my (very biased) mid-year movie reviews. I call it very biased because it seems like I am never in agreement with most movie reviews posted online. Those movie reviews always find something to not like about in every movies, and somehow all of the reviews agree with each other. So how is it that all movie critiques think the same...? (insert Spock eyebrow twitch) Besides, I did write a <a href="http://naosirius.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year.html">"movies to watch this year" post</a> earlier, and of course, there are updates to be made. :)<br />
<div><br />
<div><b>The Rite</b></div><div>It was very Exorcist meets Omen, but hey, I like a good horror-thriller movie. And by a good horror-thriller, I mean the kind that doesn't have limbs flying off every 5 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind watching splatters (in fact, I do like Tarantino); I just can't take those splatters seriously. :)</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Water for Elephants</b></div><div>Apparently it's not Christoph Waltz-in-Inglourious Bastards-scary. I'll watch it at some point.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Source Code</b></div><div>Jake Gyllenhaal does the same thing over and over again until he gets it right. Then the last 10 minutes confused the crap out of me, Inception-style. That was definitely one of those times when you wish you had a remote in a movie theater. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</b></div><div>I thought it was way better than the second and the third ones. Maybe it's the lack of octopus-looking bad guy that made it better. I mean, dude with octopus stuck on his face does not exactly scream "badass pirate." On the other hand, Black Beard really was a badass pirate. Speaking of which, you know how in every Pirates movie, a character who dies ends up being not really dead? I call for Black Beard making a comeback in Pirates 5...if there is one. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Kung Fu Panda 2</b></div><div>Confession: I haven't seen this one yet. I suppose I will be expecting some skadooshing. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>X-Men: First Class</b></div><div>My favorite movie of the year so far. :) </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Cars 2</b></div><div>My excitement level went down a notch when I found out that most of the Radiator Springs cars are just going to be in it for a few scenes. To top it...my favorite car will not be making an appearance. sigh.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Super 8</b></div><div>That was one pissed off alien, and unlike some other alien flicks where aliens just breaks crap for 2 hours for absolutely no reason, this Super 8 alien had a very good reason to be very pissed off. By the way, when is Star Trek 2 coming out!?</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Oct. 21 -- The Three Musketeers</b></div><div>It's Paul W.S. Anderson - Milla Jovovich duo, so at least the action is bound to be crazy-cool. I wonder when would the actual The Three Musketeers movie will be made -- the one that's true to the book. Oh wait, it's bound to be ridiculously long and ridiculously dark...so awesome, right? (maybe not?)</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Nov. 23 -- Hugo Cabret</b></div><div>It's a movie about a boy, a train station, a robot, and set in Paris, 1930's. Yeah I have no idea what it's about, but Martin Scorsese is the director so I'm guessing that seemingly crazy combination of things will come out to be something awesome. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Dec. 16 -- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</b><br />
First off, it's Sherlock Holmes. Professor M is played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364813/">Jared Harris</a>, recently known as David Robert Jones from Fringe Season 1. My new favorite actress, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636426/">Noomi Rapace</a>, is in it. Seriously, who wouldn't be excited?</div><div><br />
<div><b>Dec. 23 -- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher version)</b><br />
I love the original Swedish trilogy so much that I'm a bit skeptic as to how this remake will turn out. I'll probably watch it regardless, though.<br />
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<div>Happy 4th of July!<br />
<br />
xx-N</div><div><br />
</div></div></div></div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-29663764366326757692011-05-28T07:03:00.000-07:002011-09-25T23:21:21.014-07:00Timeless Fashion - Spring/Summer 2010To all of my non-fashion-obsessed readers: I'm so sorry that my blog is turning into a fashion blog these days. I blame my teams for their premature defeats -- let's put it at that. Schalke got booted from the UEFA Champions League after semifinals, and while I like Barca, I'm sort of rooting for the Bundesliga teams. In the basketball front, Lakers and Celtics were done after...which round was that? Yes, I know me liking Lakers and Celtics is very frowned upon and it is equivalent to me saying that I like both Yankees and Red Sox. Alright crazy NBA fans, you can throw imaginary popcorns at me. I mean don't throw real popcorns at me, I like eating them and I'm no Spiderman.<br />
<br />
Anyway, so this post is a sequel to <a href="http://naosirius.blogspot.com/2011/01/timeless-fashion-fallwinter-2009.html">Timeless Fashion - Fall/Winter 2009</a>. In the ideal world, I can keep all of my fashion magazines...which is so not the case. Thus, me turning some magazines into collages.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
xx-N<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNKY-tBiQpSXcGxwV8THnkxAz0J9sfHuPZkzbRKI-OqtMtPbNfb73mguPPpkbGNza0bceuhr5Qg6q76ALjZk06qHQLvhhxk8pHArULwIkGVLF6R7aRjCx_7ulwXKTpDauN8Q3gMu4448/s1600/P1010139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNKY-tBiQpSXcGxwV8THnkxAz0J9sfHuPZkzbRKI-OqtMtPbNfb73mguPPpkbGNza0bceuhr5Qg6q76ALjZk06qHQLvhhxk8pHArULwIkGVLF6R7aRjCx_7ulwXKTpDauN8Q3gMu4448/s320/P1010139.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paint It Black</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa2KUi5w1EioIebldUotOGqpQSlWrrCInoE5lS-7noZ7W0GpMJjdfaJ-X9jzjoIzEdkr5k7RLG6DuB6s4SbMDnhT8LQymEmvoeGhJWem2CsLxYZj8LCDbj10A-Vq8phH4PW1vD1qLiaI/s1600/P1010140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa2KUi5w1EioIebldUotOGqpQSlWrrCInoE5lS-7noZ7W0GpMJjdfaJ-X9jzjoIzEdkr5k7RLG6DuB6s4SbMDnhT8LQymEmvoeGhJWem2CsLxYZj8LCDbj10A-Vq8phH4PW1vD1qLiaI/s320/P1010140.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the Glamor in the World</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE4j-73c9c2PW3FyiPC1QfGuEeVt1xPLWhsxgKgwJ8MBMfwSkEY4JEuxJ_f2fcnANbYLk38iR7b6t6hhSqZpI134ZVFZs3PEyfoD42XS6kERCFYbZSYr4zsIJVD-zhBCpfSjCUE7mbpg/s1600/P1010142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE4j-73c9c2PW3FyiPC1QfGuEeVt1xPLWhsxgKgwJ8MBMfwSkEY4JEuxJ_f2fcnANbYLk38iR7b6t6hhSqZpI134ZVFZs3PEyfoD42XS6kERCFYbZSYr4zsIJVD-zhBCpfSjCUE7mbpg/s320/P1010142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amusement Jewelry Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mD8YpOl3SR87JDCypkSAgnBA1iRyPzvkZDq496_zxVclUBeazmk7dUb9u9EXE__VnfPAQjBNPu8xhlg2ggjqf-d9tn4E69dYE_I1kN4rofDSZFrC5pPGisx0VVrAZkDm64CTZH4559w/s1600/P1010145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mD8YpOl3SR87JDCypkSAgnBA1iRyPzvkZDq496_zxVclUBeazmk7dUb9u9EXE__VnfPAQjBNPu8xhlg2ggjqf-d9tn4E69dYE_I1kN4rofDSZFrC5pPGisx0VVrAZkDm64CTZH4559w/s320/P1010145.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet'n'Edgy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-86694697669807489262011-05-03T07:13:00.000-07:002011-09-25T23:21:21.033-07:00Alexander McQueen: Savage BeautyIf you adore art and lucky enough to be in the City (by that I mean New York City) sometimes between May 4 and July 31, 2011, I suggest you include the Met in your list of places to go. <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/">Here's why</a>. I intentionally used <i>art</i> instead of <i>fashion</i>, because McQueen's work surpasses fashion; it really is a work of art. I won't go into details on what the exhibit is about, because the website does <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/about/">a much better job at it</a>. In short, the exhibit has loads of dresses designed my Lee Alexander himself, and you have to be mad to not go have a look because to quote Barney Stinson, it's Legen-wait for it-dary.<br /><div><br /></div><div>NY Times Fashion&Style ran <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/fashion/03iht-FMET03.html?smid=tw-nytimesfashion&seid=auto">an article about this exhibit</a> too, and there was this passage that I thought was not the accurate description of McQueen's work.</div><blockquote><i>There are streaks of sadomasochism and misogyny in Mr. McQueen’s work. The concept of using as a model a woman with prosthetic legs or of having a robot squirt paint viciously over a dress still seem discomforting. And Sarah Burton adds a further menacing note when she explains that a robotic Perspex armor-like shell worn by a model in a Givenchy collection designed by Mr. McQueen could have electrocuted the person wearing it.</i></blockquote><div>I have seen most, if not all, of McQueen's work, but I seriously have no idea which collection or dress this passage is referring to as being sadomasochistic and misogynistic. I suppose demanding someone to wear Armadillo heels to walk around the city can be a bit sadomasochistic, but who does that? Not even Lady Gaga walks around the city in that shoes, because if she did that, we would know. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ofm2cHA-W3Ahw7AQVGmwh0uguAUcR_mQyasGHfAaSkcGwyMWvyUrERp3P2IHp3AKQo-Wje5PLhrnZcunf3cWScVDSg6ywkv4YshYDjWZvfzNwwYlEbQZMVREx5dUig7m3WkLbGmPJHY/s1600/screen-capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ofm2cHA-W3Ahw7AQVGmwh0uguAUcR_mQyasGHfAaSkcGwyMWvyUrERp3P2IHp3AKQo-Wje5PLhrnZcunf3cWScVDSg6ywkv4YshYDjWZvfzNwwYlEbQZMVREx5dUig7m3WkLbGmPJHY/s400/screen-capture.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><div>Honestly, this ensemble screams nothing but "I'm gorgeous." To top it, what is wrong with using a model with prosthetic legs? I really have to disagree with the idea that not looking like just another emaciated model is discomforting. I first fell in love with McQueen's work because of its originality and the underlying concept that beauty lives in all shapes and forms. I love that Lee Alexander had women with prosthetic legs model his collection. People don't go on prosthetic legs by choice. You don't choose to be born without a leg or two, be sick, or be injured. I love how Lee Alexander let the world know that these women are not "disabled;" instead, they are very able and beautiful.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did some reading, and as it turns out, Lee Alexander refused to invite Victoria Beckham (who went as Posh Spice then) to the 1999 collection, because he thought Posh Spice's celeb-status would overshadow the appearance of a model with prosthetic legs. Aimee Mullins, the Paralympic athlete, modeled the hand-carved cherrywood prosthetics designed by Lee Alexander. Seriously, how is this sadomasochistic or misogynistic? I think it's quite the opposite.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for squirting paints, it's all in good fun, right? The almost-electrocution incident could have been easily avoided if any of those artists had an idea to ask an engineer for a consult. I have no idea exactly what that almost-electrocution dress looks like, but all it really takes is good insulation. Anyway, that's enough of me writing; here are some more of the looks that will be showcased at the exhibit. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsdTiVScr9eGY1HHvfF7vEpp4IOfr2HLDsHBZ3twWmqan4IITQ9Ou3hbVdg09apWHmmlIy54iaoRNBgV30BDd3-CBopX0cpcd7y68YoUEyTMnVq-LA4A03w-dTEuEx9Xi1kv3Rwp7V0/s1600/screen-capture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsdTiVScr9eGY1HHvfF7vEpp4IOfr2HLDsHBZ3twWmqan4IITQ9Ou3hbVdg09apWHmmlIy54iaoRNBgV30BDd3-CBopX0cpcd7y68YoUEyTMnVq-LA4A03w-dTEuEx9Xi1kv3Rwp7V0/s320/screen-capture-1.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrX95mx16J-wYa4Tb7cFLXJQtd-cQzXFrLo__bv7slZYBua2WtvPYuZUZBBX71wtZ5Jd_dYsJT3dqg5uYBigZ4xSTPcVs8DIwRtwFhYEEdAUEQD_rvIvASR_bBXBZjugg-LA269raO2Lc/s1600/screen-capture-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrX95mx16J-wYa4Tb7cFLXJQtd-cQzXFrLo__bv7slZYBua2WtvPYuZUZBBX71wtZ5Jd_dYsJT3dqg5uYBigZ4xSTPcVs8DIwRtwFhYEEdAUEQD_rvIvASR_bBXBZjugg-LA269raO2Lc/s320/screen-capture-7.jpg" width="232" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_-9heUFaiWxFpGj4faOulVDlLMW-BUfiPsGcy5lt0nD_LfmrohpWuxD3A4kqC0Ar32pijZaW97X_s80u3cnMc3t2Uhe5ez2V5ciZm3pGAq7VxdvGGUhhWZhdEBv8Uz4zxsVn6rVwd8s/s1600/screen-capture-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_-9heUFaiWxFpGj4faOulVDlLMW-BUfiPsGcy5lt0nD_LfmrohpWuxD3A4kqC0Ar32pijZaW97X_s80u3cnMc3t2Uhe5ez2V5ciZm3pGAq7VxdvGGUhhWZhdEBv8Uz4zxsVn6rVwd8s/s320/screen-capture-6.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYM7O6sYXyI8YSoNOoe2x_ZpsJXQPKwZzsl1mA7BegPPHzjbNZbAAPSsnLV-gIcJrYqGWZGiL8KA1w240KsudyfAZIb1E12kETJk3g6mb-oak7bldPV3GG11AQgcuxnrJpRxgs5gHBTY/s1600/screen-capture-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYM7O6sYXyI8YSoNOoe2x_ZpsJXQPKwZzsl1mA7BegPPHzjbNZbAAPSsnLV-gIcJrYqGWZGiL8KA1w240KsudyfAZIb1E12kETJk3g6mb-oak7bldPV3GG11AQgcuxnrJpRxgs5gHBTY/s320/screen-capture-5.jpg" width="213" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrYUmw5lVr6nwKQmJSuKNEQr2U7r4S7hnEvfirRxFY33gKSKHQDMwp1kAU-inXzzUJbDPToXSIrdr3kzI-W9KYpv7a8UMMiiPbC6rdUVRFafZhd5-hVN9hUlSY9mtiAl4s5LWkhmEG90/s1600/screen-capture-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrYUmw5lVr6nwKQmJSuKNEQr2U7r4S7hnEvfirRxFY33gKSKHQDMwp1kAU-inXzzUJbDPToXSIrdr3kzI-W9KYpv7a8UMMiiPbC6rdUVRFafZhd5-hVN9hUlSY9mtiAl4s5LWkhmEG90/s320/screen-capture-3.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmpo_MrWdwIQsYFuGLCiE2rsGG4KDu1Pw6-KmXJX99xndeaHYuGghvSKK53XGyg6d99y2dkHRjKB_oHBSGBrSD1zg5Z6nv_gYRzT36Pjn4er6FVo46COAYdXIjV80Nn3qk7D5BP8C8Lo/s1600/screen-capture-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmpo_MrWdwIQsYFuGLCiE2rsGG4KDu1Pw6-KmXJX99xndeaHYuGghvSKK53XGyg6d99y2dkHRjKB_oHBSGBrSD1zg5Z6nv_gYRzT36Pjn4er6FVo46COAYdXIjV80Nn3qk7D5BP8C8Lo/s320/screen-capture-4.jpg" width="198" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DIoRp-V1MBnY5Hfuqoe7zbZe3euRkMAxhP1CTyl1T388T5mJxuoJY7MJ-ttumtegG_gAzU6BpI-pi0JL5Ar6k_w0QXOLT7GPiwUxDGEcmDuTxb66xFahLF7I-XYMX0ddKhoh7cAUJxI/s1600/screen-capture-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DIoRp-V1MBnY5Hfuqoe7zbZe3euRkMAxhP1CTyl1T388T5mJxuoJY7MJ-ttumtegG_gAzU6BpI-pi0JL5Ar6k_w0QXOLT7GPiwUxDGEcmDuTxb66xFahLF7I-XYMX0ddKhoh7cAUJxI/s320/screen-capture-2.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D5vnkHb0y1Yxv9BaFXWmSSApvmnSB4Vy53TyfuKB2xtJ07raa1ojy_wHdgS4hISUjGFRI2owiW_T7DmM-VkQLlF4HysHQNobvIhGEpqZ9fT_2tCUkq2N-Qt38NBOmOiIm9QOrXTJ7hA/s1600/screen-capture-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D5vnkHb0y1Yxv9BaFXWmSSApvmnSB4Vy53TyfuKB2xtJ07raa1ojy_wHdgS4hISUjGFRI2owiW_T7DmM-VkQLlF4HysHQNobvIhGEpqZ9fT_2tCUkq2N-Qt38NBOmOiIm9QOrXTJ7hA/s320/screen-capture-8.jpg" width="187" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All images are taken from <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/objects/">here</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So beautiful, don't you think?</div><div><br /></div><div>xoxo-N</div><div><br /></div><div>PS: According to <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/110509-alexander-queen-metropolitan-museum.aspx">British Vogue</a>, this exhibit is the Met's Costume Institute's most popular exhibit ever. Is it just me who keeps thinking, what is Lee Alexander himself was still alive to witness all these? </div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-81008101740995605622011-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-03T05:54:54.920-07:00Makeup is for Myself, Leave the World for Someone ElseSorry for the lack of posts these days; the past couple of weeks in my real life has just been insanely crazy. Actually, it still is, but I really need some breather.<br />
<br />
I was reading through the April issue of <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/">Cosmo</a>, and I totally loved the article by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1312575/">Olivia Wilde</a>. I'm probably a bit biased because I like her, but after reading the article, I decided that I like her even more because I can totally relate. Olivia wrote about how this 75-year-old lady commented on the literal deadliness of the 3-inch Sergio Rossi ankle booties she was wearing on that particular day. She then reflected on why women would wear such painful shoes (simple: because they are so. damn. pretty.) and concluded that:<br />
<blockquote><i>"I was wearing them for me. They were my confidence trigger as I left the house and headed out into the world, and if that's what it takes to remind myself to put the sass back in my strut and be the best version of me, then so be it."</i></blockquote>As a self-proclaimed fashionista myself, you have no idea how often I get commented on my beauty routines, especially since I'm sort of in a field where I'm not really expected to look like I just came back from a Vogue photo shoot. Fine, I exaggerated by about 100 times there, but you get the idea. I would wear heels and occasionally fall down (thank you, sidewalk craters) and freak the crap out my friends. After my friend commented on how zombie-ish I look, I started wearing makeup to exams, where the only thing I will be facing is a freakin paper or computer screen.<br />
<br />
Call it vanity, but I really don't care if I fell flat on my face wearing a pair of beautiful heels, and I don't care that I just put on a full makeup for a piece of paper. I would feel much worse if I fell flat on my face wearing a blah shoes, of if I saw myself in the mirror after the said exam and I look like crap. Why? Because I know that the person staring back from the mirror is not the best version of myself. I feel like often, us women get it into our head that we dress up for someone else. I have to disagree with that. I make my best effort to look awesome, because that's the best version of me. I dress up for myself.<br />
<br />
I strongly believe in that if you want to be loved, you must first love yourself. See, I am the one person who's known "me" the longest, so if I don't love myself, who would? It's only natural that I would want this amazing person called myself to look the very best at most times, right? I say most times because after all, wearing that killer shoes all the time can be rather tiring. It's all about positive thinking.<br />
<br />
Whenever I fall down because my heel got caught in the sidewalk crater, I know I at least am the best dressed person to fall flat. I just brush off the dust, get up, and keep on walking (with a possible bruise). Whenever I'm so sleep deprived, I know I at least am the best looking sleep-deprived zombie out there. I'll just get that beauty sleep later. We all need some kind of confidence boost to kick off the positive mindset to get through the day, and looking the best version of myself always does the trick. Of course, I try not to forget accessorizing with this thing called "smile," which works on every outfit.<br />
<br />
Although, I have to say that there are times when looking the best version of myself doesn't seem to cut it because life likes to throw tons of lemons at times. When all efforts to stay positive fails, I turn to my best friend, who somehow knows how to put me back on my feet.<br />
<br />
xx-N<br />
<br />
PS: I took the title of this post from the song called "Perfect Day" by Hoku. The song was used in one of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250494/">the most positive happy movie ever made</a>.NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-20595837237625388392011-04-09T08:21:00.000-07:002011-04-09T08:21:03.178-07:00Interview for Seven BillionLittle back story: So my awesome wonderful friend from high school also <a href="http://1person7billion.blogspot.com/">blogs</a>, and she asked if she could interview me for her blog post. Actually, her blog is one of the reason I decided to start my own, so of course I said yes. Here's the <a href="http://1person7billion.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-2-by-nao.html">original link to the interview</a>. I hope you guys enjoy!<br />
<br />
xx-N<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>1. Where did you grow up?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Japan & United States. Yes, in World Cup Soccer, I do support both Team Japan and Team USA. Did you know that both teams have the same team color? ...ok different shades of blue, but it's still blue!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>2. Name a role model (can be male or female, famous or not....)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Coco Chanel. I love and respect how she lived. When women were still trapped in the notion of "get married and have kids; you don't need to work, leave that to your hubby" and corsets, she single-handedly tore down both of them. She started from a small hat boutique and went on to build the first designer label made for women, made by women. I love her because she never settled for something mediocre; instead, she always worked to achieve the best. Of course, she was the first designer to design black dresses, marine style, shoulder bags, and rhinestones (before, everyone wore real jewelry...gasp). She also taught me that it's rather a wonderful thing to never fit in through this quote:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"In order to be irreplacable, you must always be different" -Coco Chanel</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>3. What first drew you to science?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hmm...I really can't remember :D It's something I was (and am) always interested in.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>4. How (if) has your gender effected your academic choices (i.e. major)?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I really don't think my gender had anything to do with my choosing Aerospace Engineering. Once a space-nerd, always a space-nerd. :p</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>5. Do you think your gender plays a role in how people in your academic field view you?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Let's just say that if I'm getting some letter from someone I never met and all they got is my name, there's an 100% chance that the said letter has a salutation of "Mr." haha. No offense taken on my part, though. Pretty used to it. :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Other than that, I'm never conscious of my gender in my field. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>6. Do you think women have certain advantages when it comes to science, or is research truly gender-neutral?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There were small incidents where I was more experienced with using certain equipments, such as metal file and heat gun, even though I had never used them before. The only reason is that metal file and heat guns are oversized and overpowered versions of nail file and blow dryer, respectively. I guess in general, men don't really need to use those two on a daily basis, so that could be an advantage. In a more broader perspective, I would like to think that scientific researches are gender-neutral. As much as I disagree with the notion of men having advantages over women in academia, I also disagree with the contrary, that women have advantages over men in academia. I really think everyone should be equally judged for their intellectual abilities. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i>7. If you could do any kind of job you want, what would it be? Why?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I want to live at 221B Baker Street and solve all those cool cases with Sherlock Holmes. I love solving mysteries and Sherlock is the best. Being Indiana Jones' sidekick may be cool as well, but something tells me that the survival rate is kinda sorta low if you're just a sidekick. You know, with mummies and rocks and Nazis and other random bad guy of the day on our tail...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, you said any job....right? :p</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In real life, I'm studying and working to get one. ;)</span><br />
<div style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-44934208854663861072011-03-22T06:39:00.000-07:002011-03-22T06:39:08.283-07:00Loser Like Me...but not to worry. This post is not a whining, complaining, oh-my-god-my-life-sucks post. I assure you, it's quite the opposite.<br />
<br />
As you probably realized, I'm a Gleek. First season was awesome. Second season started off a little weak, but I think it's definitely getting better with plot, music, and a touch of Gwyneth. It goes without saying that I absolutely loved the Regionals episode. There were so many gleek-tastically awesome things about it: Kurt & Blaine duo, Sister Mary-ex-exotic dancer most likely inspired by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105417/">Sister Act</a> and played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222643/">Loretta Devine</a> aka Chief's wife from Grey's Anatomy (yeah, I watch one too many TV shows), New Directions' girls' costume that was so edgy'n'sweet, and of course the music. <br />
<br />
I love Get It Right, but I could relate more to Loser Like Me. The New Directions "wrote" this song as an anthem to how they are "losers" in high school but they are determined to succeed in life after high school (yes, there is one). The chorus part goes like this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So everyone can hear</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Baby I don't care</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You wanna be, you wanna be,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A Loser Like Me!</i></div><br />
Yeah, seriously, where was this song when I was in middle school and getting hit with the worst they got and knocked down? Let me tell ya, nerdy kid + thick glasses + mega-klutz + vertically challenged = bottom of the food chain in middle school. Since all that mattered was volleyball and basketball, everyone who couldn't play those two sports got the "uncool" label and well, I could play tennis and figure skate (I claim single axel as "being able to jump") and little bit of soccer, but who cares?<br />
<br />
So I could rant and be bitter, but that's not my style. I learned a lot from this. For one, school life hell will end eventually, and this experience gave me a super thick skin. Also, I decided to do my best to not be judgmental. When faced with the sketchy situation, it definitely helps to go with the gut instinct. But in the non-sketchy situation, I think it helps to take time to get to know people. You know how Shrek said that ogres are like onions because they have many layers? I think the same can be said for people who are not green, nor live in the...marsh? Where does Shrek live now?<br />
<br />
Anyway, I know that when you're going through crappy time, have it be school or post-school, it seems like crappiness will never going to end. I also know, that however long and painful this crap-tacular time may be, it will end. Things will get better. You will come out much smarter and stronger. When life slushies you, why not turn them into sparkles? So to all the "losers" like me, here's our anthem.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FQ59jBudWwQ" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-27944417843647562892011-03-14T06:38:00.000-07:002011-03-14T06:38:14.490-07:00Japan Earthquake and Pacific TsunamiI'm pretty sure that most of my readers are well aware of the recent earthquake that hit Japan and Pacific region. As much as I would like to write down here how severe the damage is, I really can't. I can't write them all down because none of us know for sure exactly how many people have lost their lives, went missing, severely injured, or lost everything that mattered to them. Some cities got completely wiped out, and most of the people who lived in those cities are still missing. It's been speculated that the final death toll may very well go over tens of thousands. Most people probably survived the earthquake itself, as the buildings in Japan are highly earthquake-proofed. Then multiple tsunamis washed everything away in a matter of seconds. <div><br />
</div><div>There are survivors. They are the ones who need help the most. In some areas, earthquake survivors are going on very little food and water, not to mention limited health care. In other areas, earthquake survivors are facing the possibility of radiation poisoning from the nuclear power plants that keeps overheating (in a nutshell, that's really what's going on). Many people have lost their loved ones, house, everything. They are alive, but they are going to need help to build back their life from scratch.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I really don't usually rally for donation, but this cause is something that I really care about. Also, I know my blog is not exactly getting tons of hits, but I still have one going on, so I would like to use it to help those people in need. I do understand that not everyone has the money to spare - I get that. However, if you do decide to help out, here is the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f9efd2a1ac6ae210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD">link to American Red Cross</a>. I think if you are from other locations, you can navigate to your country, and I'm sure they will have a similar donation site. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Japan is already getting aid in many forms from (last I heard) 91 countries and regions. I am so grateful for all the support that keeps pouring in from all over the world. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Thank you -- N</div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-10918614064625290902011-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T09:00:00.328-08:00Heal the WorldAll these conflicts, anger, and hatred on news is just so sad. I know this is just one blog out of millions, and my voice probably won't really count. I just wish that for once, people would stop with the hate. It's easy to pick up a stone to throw at someone, but aren't we better than that? It's easy to hate and resort to violence, but often it's the innocent people who suffers the most. Isn't it about time that we learned that from the past?<br />
<i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Heal the world</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Make it a better place</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>For you and for me</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>And the entire human race</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>There are people dying</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>If you care enough for the living</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Make a better place</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>For you and for me</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>~Michael Jackson~</i></span></div></i><br />
Love & Peace - N<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-11912737386639267342011-02-10T06:24:00.000-08:002011-03-15T09:24:37.952-07:00Gnomes, Fireworks, and ChocolatesAt first, this was going to be a "<a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/gnomeoandjuliet/">Gnomeo and Juliet</a> looks like a cute and funny movie!" post. Then I realized that this release date coincides with the Valentine's Day weekend. Figures... Time to add some more twists in chocolate flavor. ;)<br />
<br />
First off, I hate romance novels and movies. (Thank you, readers who didn't angrily hit the close window button.) Reason why I love stories is because I like to be surprised, which is rather rare to begin with. Side effect of reading almost all Agatha Christie novels includes being able to crack most mystery cases. Anyway, I hate romance stories, because every romance stories have just three possible endings:<br />
<br />
1. They all live happily ever after. <i>I'd rather watch Disney; at least they have pretty pictures and amazing songs. </i><br />
<br />
2. They don't end up together because one of them kicked the bucket or they just decide not to. <i>I seriously want 2 hours of my life back. Crap it's with that sinking ship! Make it 3...</i><br />
<br />
3. They all die in the end. <i>This is only entertaining when there are zombies/aliens/island involved.</i><br />
<br />
However, something about that it's red and blue gnomes hating each other makes the movie seem rather entertaining. I wonder how it's going to end...Juliet-gnome drinks pesticide and Romeo-gnomeo throws himself into a lawn mower? Okay that's bit gross, so probably not ending like that.<br />
<br />
You know how every pop culture-ly things go in to a massive pink cupid overload during Valentine's Day? It's great if you have that special someone, but does that mean all of the Valentine-less people out there can't celebrate? Well that sucks and I disagree, especially with all the chocolates out there. In the Valentine-themed Glee episode, Blaine (aka Kurt's crush, aka that dude who needs to go easy on hair gel) was gushing about how it's great to have one day in the year when you can just pour your hearts out to that special someone. Blaine, you need an excuse of a holiday to do that? I get that some people may need that excuse as a last kick in the arse, but really if you love someone, just say it. That is...to the best of your ability and in a not so over-the-top way (I did love that Gap scene though).<br />
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The cynical me loved the Glee episode, because underneath the "pentagon love triangle" and me wanting bitch-slap this particular character I finally warmed up to, there was a message that it's okay to not have a Valentine in a traditional definition. So with that, I'm calling this Valentine's Day to be the day where you celebrate with people you love. Whether it's two-way love, one-way love, friends love, family love...everyone should have a chance. I'm wishing everyone a happy (early) Valentine's Day with choc-full-of love, and good luck to all the Blaine's out there. :)<br />
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My best friend told me about this song just few days before it was covered by my favorite Glee actress, Lea Michele. I love Lea's cover and had to post it here. Enjoy! ...and thanks Youtube.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AiG0n-OUpFI" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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xx-N<br />
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PS: I made a poll to get an idea of which topic(s) my readers enjoy the most. So yes, feel free to vote once, twice, bazillion times (<-- I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you might want to channel your click-happiness some place else...). FYI, you can select multiple answers. Thanks :)NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-24581234955442290632011-01-27T07:16:00.000-08:002011-09-25T23:22:12.107-07:00Alexander McQueen Men's Spring/Summer 2011 CollectionTo all of my non-fashion obsessed readers: the next post will be on a movie, just slightly delayed to have my post coincide with the release date.<br />
<br />
Ahem.<br />
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As someone who has been obsessed with fashion, I have always wondered how men's clothes are being designed. There are just so many ways to reinvent the look with women's clothes, when compared to men's clothes. I am aware that I need to study more on men's styling area, but for the moment, I feel like a lot of the men's collections look very similar to one another. It is such that I was very curious to see how men's collections are being designed and styled by my favorite designer, Alexander McQueen.<br />
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I'm always fascinated by the fashion era, genre, or culture at which McQueen draws inspirations. McQueen always takes one style and reinvents with more Brit-rock'n'roll edge while maintaining grace. Sorry for my lack of adjectives, but that is just so. freakin. COOL. In this Men's Spring/Summer 2011 Collection, my "it" item of choice is a jacket.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp2WoG0QXhv0do_83M3eJb5atDxj5fIdkNHkCFwHKcvwmKMlNpKCMKYuAl6zon0eA49zpYizsgVTDqyL9dGu29EukwQVSaLbtzfSou7u0U-mal_ty-NhVNvLlQqPjDYrLnFXl4hwpUWA/s1600/screen-capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp2WoG0QXhv0do_83M3eJb5atDxj5fIdkNHkCFwHKcvwmKMlNpKCMKYuAl6zon0eA49zpYizsgVTDqyL9dGu29EukwQVSaLbtzfSou7u0U-mal_ty-NhVNvLlQqPjDYrLnFXl4hwpUWA/s320/screen-capture.jpg" width="147" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93IS7jQWwHLtGKKOfKJE9WpXBmLzCC6KIR_TOmotLQGPxtghW561m31pBkClp6sPf1vA4UGp7nHZiv5yechSikl8qFHz_6zQBWNiE9YIr23qpHYCr0_Br1CnxPA_jGVKtYbpTk6vw9Q/s1600/screen-capture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93IS7jQWwHLtGKKOfKJE9WpXBmLzCC6KIR_TOmotLQGPxtghW561m31pBkClp6sPf1vA4UGp7nHZiv5yechSikl8qFHz_6zQBWNiE9YIr23qpHYCr0_Br1CnxPA_jGVKtYbpTk6vw9Q/s320/screen-capture-1.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>I love this 20's-ish formalwear inspired jacket paired with an also vintage dress shirt. This look is way hotter than the overdone tuxedo in my book. I mean tuxedo look will always be James Bond-hot, but once in a while, a new formalwear should be introduced. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6sfTaMvUh0BQo51xgdxQg7Ebdqm3ht_OaMX0GBfysBqFyHuGd_rkgylGZ6n5mt0kDozVvm7vfUVTLF9eud3dkW1YOe9UrqmcxAYb_2-PN5I4Y4u8bBijp-A846gVUWiLxA68nA-3U5g/s1600/screen-capture-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6sfTaMvUh0BQo51xgdxQg7Ebdqm3ht_OaMX0GBfysBqFyHuGd_rkgylGZ6n5mt0kDozVvm7vfUVTLF9eud3dkW1YOe9UrqmcxAYb_2-PN5I4Y4u8bBijp-A846gVUWiLxA68nA-3U5g/s320/screen-capture-2.jpg" width="124" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLODSmep7PrjIMqtRdxxleNGJ1oFWjkoFUGG6AFYHIbUrLGSZ4ddQeufmrEv9btdANsg_MvYRTA0A3_yzhJstgOBLV6iZPsNyGXPWZ1pBQ74hr8niZMQkiQovWVdlcQY1agbNg-GMnNg/s1600/screen-capture-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLODSmep7PrjIMqtRdxxleNGJ1oFWjkoFUGG6AFYHIbUrLGSZ4ddQeufmrEv9btdANsg_MvYRTA0A3_yzhJstgOBLV6iZPsNyGXPWZ1pBQ74hr8niZMQkiQovWVdlcQY1agbNg-GMnNg/s320/screen-capture-3.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>I LOVE this entire ensemble to the point where I would totally wear this. Fashionista 101: Forget the gender deal in fashion; if you like the clothes and can pull it off, wear them. The way I see it, true fashionistas shop at both men's and women's section at the store for a very simple reason. On some occasions, the design that I like only exists in one section and there's no way I'm letting the fact that "the clothes I want are not in my 'gender' section at the store" get in the way of fashion.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojBlH_6dX6KejU-EUHBgsjb6HRuL0ZAdkgHVAUVvYWV0h04xP4OIh0ogA_8023GPC5mvjBSsHWQpRpJc8rEN2TMMC3qALMyorojkSvi13qP1NTgAlWAbnplEaFVL0imP5DF8aXbFRBDs/s1600/screen-capture-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojBlH_6dX6KejU-EUHBgsjb6HRuL0ZAdkgHVAUVvYWV0h04xP4OIh0ogA_8023GPC5mvjBSsHWQpRpJc8rEN2TMMC3qALMyorojkSvi13qP1NTgAlWAbnplEaFVL0imP5DF8aXbFRBDs/s320/screen-capture-4.jpg" width="114" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3FTKi26EwWw6rz1Zs-wqtIp9f9lvGkV9rlqrTUpXD_JYHxNquIkCMVTyiZ4vQD3Ce5_3-if1olGnjEUrP_BVEsWpTSeQmjmdedL9pdNyncC2WRX4QOvYaRA2ygPfA-a_1nMA44Q8mgU/s1600/screen-capture-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3FTKi26EwWw6rz1Zs-wqtIp9f9lvGkV9rlqrTUpXD_JYHxNquIkCMVTyiZ4vQD3Ce5_3-if1olGnjEUrP_BVEsWpTSeQmjmdedL9pdNyncC2WRX4QOvYaRA2ygPfA-a_1nMA44Q8mgU/s320/screen-capture-5.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>Shiny jacket? So futuristically cool and fun! Although, I probably won't be able to pull off this look. Darn. Maybe with some tailoring...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuhcZdXD3BCUFDbPCOvKY-w1uIlRZPH56gX-YY85tUsINFlH_rEUBRP2fLATjg2bDnrVUTWGvcXULefds5NlFY8oIwjqr_EoGD5fQ2iEGLmsRB2DISRxhUpDVpw3SbBKRw6zOPXzNTgk/s1600/screen-capture-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuhcZdXD3BCUFDbPCOvKY-w1uIlRZPH56gX-YY85tUsINFlH_rEUBRP2fLATjg2bDnrVUTWGvcXULefds5NlFY8oIwjqr_EoGD5fQ2iEGLmsRB2DISRxhUpDVpw3SbBKRw6zOPXzNTgk/s320/screen-capture-6.jpg" width="126" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkpfIHCr8UmSPNbDd80Tu5tyGwkdeIh2iNT4fz6sR_T7bfasDPlIUg8D7B_8tJ5XfrOrLZBRPyNrvmJGHals-YP0bfZDNZhj1JxqZ6N924WDbDInJ7mOrfxjLkT6-SBNjUXP4mRfFaj0/s1600/screen-capture-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkpfIHCr8UmSPNbDd80Tu5tyGwkdeIh2iNT4fz6sR_T7bfasDPlIUg8D7B_8tJ5XfrOrLZBRPyNrvmJGHals-YP0bfZDNZhj1JxqZ6N924WDbDInJ7mOrfxjLkT6-SBNjUXP4mRfFaj0/s320/screen-capture-7.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>I love this 20's-ish aviator jacket, especially the dark green-brown combo colors. Unlike the shiny jacket above, I bet I can pull this one off...I think. <br />
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If you are interested, here's the entire <a href="http://alexandermcqueen.com/int/en/corporate/archive2011_ss_mens.aspx">Men's Spring/Summer 2011 Collection</a> (all of the pictures are taken from there) and here's my earlier post on <a href="http://naosirius.blogspot.com/2010/09/alexander-mcqueen-pre-springsummer-2011.html">Women's Pre-Spring/Summer 2011 Collection</a>.<br />
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xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-29315581803072543952011-01-20T02:31:00.000-08:002011-09-25T23:22:12.113-07:00Timeless Fashion - Fall/Winter 2009If you know me in person or have been reading this blog, you probably have figured out by now that I'm a bit of a fashion addict. So much so that I have watched the entire Sex and the City series + 1 movie (have yet to watch the second) just so I can study the awesome-gorgeousness that is Patricia Fields' styling.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>In fashion, I would estimate that some clothing trends have a 10-15 year-cycle, while other clothing trends stick around for really long time. Remember that horrific hammer pants from the 80's that somehow made a brief comeback a year ago, and got promptly faded out shortly after (thank goodness)? On the other hand, variations of boot-cut pants have been around since the 70's when it was first introduced into the mainstream fashion in the form of pantalones. Hammer pants = not so flattering. Boot-cut pants/pantalones = flattering for most body types. Also, boot-cut pants make stilettos look gorgeous. My point? Truly beautiful fashion pieces are timeless.</div><div><br />
</div><div>To showcase that, I have made some collages out of <a href="http://www.vogue.co.jp/">Vogue Japan</a> 2009 September and December issues. Enjoy!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk41jQxHF0mTe28agmdOUgY-lZt8pqE81w17wHnM5iIRW9qonQanD2fsqN2B7vpYnviG94z-8EjhmYA-QqeEXU2vz_Iy7jhycMaeb9e7Pn69ZyifEM2sA4ZpR3x9jYLYG3bIPrs2wPOpY/s1600/P1000859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk41jQxHF0mTe28agmdOUgY-lZt8pqE81w17wHnM5iIRW9qonQanD2fsqN2B7vpYnviG94z-8EjhmYA-QqeEXU2vz_Iy7jhycMaeb9e7Pn69ZyifEM2sA4ZpR3x9jYLYG3bIPrs2wPOpY/s400/P1000859.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red. Gold. and Vogue</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYZX7ihncc5v_pzN65IF4B3BFMTtdqIh9TBak2IfpkcaEV_hro4Z1cLpMUce_MRum5zwFS8BFb6nJBokHogcaiiwgY7do2x5PnTANx6ACnKZX10tdfZcR8FGTU4KXNWVSs5SpIFcNCc8/s1600/P1000862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYZX7ihncc5v_pzN65IF4B3BFMTtdqIh9TBak2IfpkcaEV_hro4Z1cLpMUce_MRum5zwFS8BFb6nJBokHogcaiiwgY7do2x5PnTANx6ACnKZX10tdfZcR8FGTU4KXNWVSs5SpIFcNCc8/s400/P1000862.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glamorous Glitter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78x0AaSJ8xqKwU8-YSVCcA79dUz1sxyi_SeVkplqlAzZjADkgZFfeYMY6WToCyY0ykOCgdrZ30y1mMW_q1qAAxpbyOY8nLdEZ2o3jKIiWQa1_0DO0YwPDmtaHqn2RL1wNt6XKWB7Jt7w/s1600/P1000864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78x0AaSJ8xqKwU8-YSVCcA79dUz1sxyi_SeVkplqlAzZjADkgZFfeYMY6WToCyY0ykOCgdrZ30y1mMW_q1qAAxpbyOY8nLdEZ2o3jKIiWQa1_0DO0YwPDmtaHqn2RL1wNt6XKWB7Jt7w/s400/P1000864.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful Explosion</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>The captions are rather small, so feel free to leave comments if you want to know which designer label the particular piece is from. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Many thanks to <a href="http://www.vogue.co.jp/">Vogue Japan</a> for the gorgeous pictures. :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>xx-N</div>NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-79560441125798634312011-01-07T08:51:00.000-08:002011-01-07T22:18:05.614-08:00Peer Pressure MadnessAfter writing the "light" article on movies, I feel like writing something that's not entertainment-related. As someone who religiously follows current events, I have to say, last year was too bleak. So. Many. Conflicts. I'm not a full-fledged history buff (more like an ancient history buff), and even I know that the quickest way to recount a history of mankind is to just list battles and wars in chronological order. You would think that after thousands of years, things would have improved for good - or is that wishful thinking?<br />
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Then, I started to map out levels of conflicts, and it came out like this:<br />
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War > Battle > Huge Riot > Small Riot > All Sorts of Random Fight > Bullying > Peer Pressure<br />
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In my mental map, it boiled down to peer pressure, and having lived through teenager hell, I can totally write about that bit.<br />
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Often, people cave into peer pressure because they are just "going with the flow" and "everyone's doing it." It's very tough to stand up for what you believe is just regardless of your age, but I would say it's most tough when you're just a teenager and classroom relationship is your life. I do admit that there was a time when I caved into peer pressure and said something I did not mean at all. I'm not proud of it. I sincerely hope I didn't hurt someone in the process, and if I did, I'm deeply sorry. People say that you have to be in the situation to really understand how it feels. As someone who has been on the resisting end and caving end of the peer pressure, I can say with conviction that I will never again be on the caving end.<br />
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After I was on the caving end of the peer pressure, I thought back to the times when I stood up for my friends, even if it meant that I got bullied instead. Being a teenager has its benefits in that you tend to act more on instincts. Sometimes, it's better to act on instincts and doing what is right, rather than making a quick pros and cons list in your head. Here's why...<br />
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I think I was in the early teens when this happened. I transferred to a new middle school, and had few friends. Keep in mind that being on the chubby end, complete with Harry Potter glasses and a thick book didn't place me with the "cool" clique. Not that I really cared much about being with the "cool" clique - I didn't even know such thing existed till I got out of high school. So at first, the bullies in the class left me alone because I had my nose stuck in my book too often to really care about the bullies in the first place.<br />
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Then one day, the bullies did something that pissed me off greatly. They decided to pick on this kid who was very quiet and nice (not the kind that would fight back), and went ahead and just threw his stationery in a trash can. I didn't know this bullied kid well, but I felt that it was so wrong to do that to anyone, so I confronted one of the bully, gave the bully a good lecture that you don't do that crap to people, and told the bully to apologize. I suppose it worked in a sense that the bully stopped picking on that kid. What I didn't know (nor made the connection back then) was that the bully decided to pick on me instead. And that was the beginning of 5 years of bullying that pretty much went on until middle school graduation.<br />
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Did I hate the fact that I got constantly bullied and not a single one of my so-called friends back then stood up for me? Absolutely. Will I stand up for that kid again? Again, absolutely. It's the right thing to do. How did I deal with the bullies? I gave them a silent treatment and never spoke with them ever again. I think it worked in a sense that as the years went by, the bullying frequency decreased. I don't believe in fighting back violence with violence. Maybe this is why every single time I take the "Which Hogwards house will you be in?" quiz, I get Gryffindor. Can I get my owl letter from Hogwarts already?<br />
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In all seriousness, I think if everyone decided to do the right thing, then we wouldn't have any conflicts in the world. I know that one person rarely makes a difference on a world-wide scale, but I'd like to hope that I'm making some difference in the lives of people I care about. It doesn't have to be "save the kid from a bully" everyday. You can give someone a hug, a compliment, anything to show them that you care and that they are not alone. Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but I believe that some good will come out of it. Hopefully, those good deeds will take on an exponential curve....ok now that's a wishful thinking. But I can still believe in the good in people, right?<br />
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xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-23580729069878121472011-01-01T07:29:00.000-08:002011-01-01T19:38:19.577-08:00Happy New Year!HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!<br />
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I would post new year's resolution, but I've never really got the purpose of the resolution, so I'm not doing that here. I don't understand why you're required to rack your brain and come up with stuff that you want to do at the beginning of the new year. If you ask me, just do what you want to do when you come up with the idea, regardless of the time of the year.<br />
<br />
So instead, being the movie addict, I'm writing about random movies (and one album) to look forward to this year. I'm writing about only the ones with release dates, which makes most of them summer release movies. It's nice to have something to look forward to, right?<br />
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<b>Jan 28 -- The Rite</b><br />
Sir Anthony Hopkins playing a mysterious exorcist? Count me in. ;)<br />
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<b>April 22 -- Water for Elephants</b><br />
No, I'm not a Twilight-Rob Pattinson fanatic, and I have no idea what this movie is about (aside from the fact that it's about circus people) even after watching the trailer twice. I think Reese Witherspoon (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250494/">Legally Blonde</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/">Walk the Line</a>) and Christoph Waltz (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/">Inglourious Bastards</a>) are wonderful actors -- thus my listing this movie.<br />
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<b>May 20 -- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</b><br />
I kinda have a feeling that this series has been overdone and there's little mermaid in this movie (she better not develop a crush on Jack and decide to give up her voice to become a human, because we've seen that movie already), but hey, it's Jack Sparrow. Besides, Penelope Cruz looks very awesome-cool as a pirate. :)<br />
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<b>May 23 -- Born This Way, Lady Gaga's 2nd Album</b><br />
It's Gaga, Lady Gaga. Enough said.<br />
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<b>May 27 -- Kung Fu Panda 2</b><br />
I got promptly skadooshed for leaving this one out, so to avoid further skadooshing, here it is. While we're at it, can someone please tell me what this sequel is about!? I swear, this trailer is far more confusing than Water for Elephants, and I lost the staring match. Damn you, computer graphic panda...you don't get dry eyeballs.<br />
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<b>June 3 -- X-Men: First Class</b><br />
I'm more excited for this than the Wolverine sequel (no offense, Hugh Jackman). Mainly because Professor X was apparently super hot (see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493464/">this movie</a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472160/">that movie</a>) before he turned into Captain Picard...wait what? No, I did not just mix up about 3-4 movies!<br />
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<b>June 24 -- Cars 2</b><br />
Cars + Pixar = <3<br />
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<b>Dec. 16 -- Sherlock Holmes 2</b><br />
On top of the awesome Robert Downey Jr. - Jude Law duo, Noomi Rapace (aka Lisbeth Salander from the original Millennium trilogy movies) is in it. Totally. Worth. Watching.<br />
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Lastly, here's to hoping that this year is going to be filled with happiness, love, and peace.<br />
<br />
xx-N<br />
<br />
PS: Special thanks to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/search/title?sort=moviemeter,asc&start=1&title_type=feature&year=2011,2011">IMDB's this list</a> for helping me write this article :DNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-9851086839719816052010-12-20T06:55:00.000-08:002010-12-20T06:55:51.679-08:00Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...About 55 years ago, Santa Claus was feeling a bit mischievous. After all, Christmas time was fast approaching and he wanted to play a little heartwarming prank to remind the people living outside of the North Pole that miracles do happen once in a while. So Santa Googoled "awesome Christmas prank," and came up with a wonderful plan.<br />
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North Pole Santa found out that Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. was posting an advertisement for kids, where they can call the certain number and talk to Colorado Springs Santa. North Pole Santa picked up his Santaberry and texted Colorado Springs Santa about his plan. The Santas worked together to put some charms here and there so the phone number printed on the ad would be "accidentally" misprinted. As much as the Santas loved to talk to the kids, they wanted to create something special that would last for years and years, bringing smiles to not just kids from Colorado Springs but to both kids and grown-ups from all over the world. The misprinted phone number ended up being connected to the operations hotline for the Continental Air Defense Command's Commander-in-Chief. As the calls from kids started to pour in, Colonel Harry Shoup, who was the Director of Operations at that time, had his staff check the radar for Santa's location and promptly updated all the kids on Santa's whereabouts. The Santas were fist bumping, for their prank seemed to have worked.<br />
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Three years later, Continental Air Defense Command turned into North American Aerospace Defense Command, or more commonly knows as NORAD. Ever since, NORAD tracks Santa on Christmas Eve, updating everyone in the world where Santa is. As for Santa, he also got a little surprise Christmas present of his own as a result of his prank. He finally had a super-high-tech-sleigh-GPS installed. Of course, Santa can tell where the kids are without the GPS, but having one speeds up the process. This can't hurt, seeing that Santa has a lot to do in one night: eating cookies, drinking milk, delivering presents and happiness.<br />
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~Fin~<br />
<br />
If you are looking for the <a href="http://www.noradsanta.org/en/whytrack.html">fact-based version of this story</a>, check <a href="http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html">this one</a> out, especially on Christmas Eve... :)<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas!!!<br />
<br />
xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-60129935490244403922010-12-12T07:03:00.000-08:002011-09-25T23:22:12.123-07:00Brains vs. Fashion...!?I figured after doing a bunch of best-of-lists, it's about time I actually wrote something. My "serious" posts have been about fighting stereotypes and negative thoughts associated with it. The notion of fashion vs. intelligence is definitely a blog-worthy topic to tackle, as I'm certain there are many, many stereotypes that comes with it.<br />
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<i>"Fashionistas are not smart"</i><br />
I bet this is one of the most-believed stereotypes. Also very untrue. Fashion is a form of art, and to produce an art piece, yes, you would need this vital organ called brain to work. A great work of art and regular day-to-day styling do not pop up from thin air. Fashion is something you work with everyday when you decide your outfit. Some people have a rather misguided concept that if you are brainy-smart, you can get away with a very unfortunate wardrobe choice. I'm sorry to burst the bubble, but this is not the case. On to the next topic...<br />
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<i>"Looks does not matter, especially if you got the smarts"</i><br />
Okay, before you turn green and go Hulk on me, you should know that I actually hope that this was true, as people should be judged by the inner beauty. Unfortunately, we don't live in the Disney world where your furniture will put up an amazing dinner show just because you are hungry. Since the first bits of yourself that gets registered to a stranger are highly visual, it's understandable that the said stranger would probably have some idea of who you are through your looks. You got the smarts, so why not work that to your advantage? But don't go sulk in the corner because you don't look like a supermodel. You do realize that a fashion model's job is to make the clothes look pretty, right? So, if you are a model, great job pulling off all sorts of outfits! As for the non-models, your job is to best project your inner beauty to your outer beauty, which really isn't that hard if you got the basics covered.<br />
<br />
<i>Know what works on you, and what don't.</i><br />
The highway to fashion disaster is wearing something that doesn't suit you. This unfortunately seems to be happening on a regular basis for many people. Know that what you like does not always equal what works on you. The easiest way to figure this out is just trying on clothes at your favorite boutique/store, and see if you can pull it off. It's free to try on clothes, you see. If you don't trust your judgement, recruit your fashion-obsessed buddy (there is always one around you) to come shopping with you to be your personal Tim Gunn-Anna Wintour hybrid. Trust me, a <i>true</i> fashionista would jump at an opportunity to be a stylist and trash talk hideous outfit without hurting your feelings.<br />
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The trick here is to tell apart a <i>true</i> fashionista from a <i>textbook</i> fashionista. A textbook fashionista never ventures outside of a fashion norm (thus, textbook), will stick to the safe zone, and consider everything outside of the safe zone as a "faux-pas." I suppose you won't go wrong with this kind of fashionista; however, you won't get any original, unique styling ideas from them, either. On the other hand, a true fashionista is not afraid to invent new looks that are original, or incorporate looks that are straight off of runway. I would say a true fashionista signature style would be ones that are stylish, yet original, and can easily pass as one of the photo spreads from a fashion magazine.<br />
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<i>At least do regular maintenance. </i><br />
Above statement can be shorted into two words: look clean. Truth is, most people can't tell if you got a $100 or $10 shirt on, but everyone can tell if your shirt has your lunch on it or looks like you slept on it. Proper clothes maintenance is all it takes, and by that I mean putting your laundry machine, ironing board, shower, and razor to good use. After all, it defeats the purpose if your clothes look clean and you don't... ;)<br />
<br />
xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-84071906113893756682010-11-20T05:56:00.000-08:002010-11-27T23:22:02.734-08:00Harry Potter and Underrated CharactersTheater release of <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1</i> (sadly, not 3D) gives me the perfect excuse to write about, well, Harry Potter. I guess I am a <s>bit of an</s> huge original book series fan, so I felt disappointed by some of the film adaptations. The reason? The fact that a majority of rather minor characters that I love did not make it to the film, or got the screen time they deserve. The real-world issues, such as budget and overall running time of the movie, are pretty understandable. After all, we don't have goblins running our bank. So to shed some light on those lovable side characters, I'm doing a super-biased list of my favorites. In no particular order, because hey, I love them all. By the way, there may be spoilers, so if you're not caught up with your issue of the Daily Prophet, read at your own risk. I'll try to not spoil what happens at the very very end, though.<br />
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<b>1. Neville Longbottom</b><br />
I seriously have no idea why his role got super downsized in most of the film adaptations. He's the "mirror" of Harry. If Voldemort didn't pick Harry, Neville would have been the chosen one, and I'm certain he would have been just as great. He does start off as "that rather dorky kid" but he definitely has his super shining kick ass moments, especially in the end of the <i>Deathly Hallows</i>. So really, why is he always holding some cactus plant and being sort of useless in most movies? Sure, the dude knows his Herbology, but he doesn't have to be walking around with some random plant all the time...<br />
<br />
<b>2. Dobby</b><br />
First off, Dobby is adorable, not annoying. He may not look like My Little Pony and have rainbows coming out of his nostrils, but that's rather shallow standards for the definition of adorable. He should totally get the screen time he deserves. Besides, the mental image I got going for my Dobby is about hundred times cuter than what the special effects people came up with. :)<br />
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<b>3. Tonks</b><br />
Let's see. Auror. Member of the Order of the Phoenix. Got pink hair but can change hair color (and looks, in general) at will. Sort of clumsy. What's not to love about her? Not to mention, she married my favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor of all times. She rocks! I wish her role was more true to the book (aka more screen time!) in the <i>Half-Blood Prince</i>. <br />
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<b>4. Fleur Delacour</b><br />
I started off with a neutral "eh *shrug*" feeling about her, because in the <i>Goblet of Fire</i>, she was like your typical super gorgeous girl who gets all the guys, your super secret crush included. But I have to say she did a 180 in the <i>Half-Blood Prince</i>. I love that scene that takes place after Bill Weasley, her fiance, is seriously injured by a baddie-werewolf. Pretty much everyone thinks that Fleur is pretty shallow, only loves Bill for his good looks and now that's all messed up, thanks to the werewolf, and will call off the engagement. Our girl proved everyone wrong by sticking by her fiance. Not every good looking girls are shallow bubble-heads, people. That scene was so touching, it's a shame it didn't make it to the movie. <br />
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That's a wrap! Now, I'm going to go get me some magical sweets at Honeydukes. ;)<br />
<br />
xx-NNaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586577994595104884.post-3513208813297059732010-11-13T04:21:00.000-08:002010-11-27T23:21:54.289-08:00You may be a Figure Skater IF...To celebrate the (very delayed) beginning of figure skating season, the "you may be a figure skater if..." list is on! For those who don't follow figure skating as religiously as I do, the season begun about a month ago and goes on until March of next year (roughly). I hope the non-followers of the sport get the joke as well as the followers. :)<br />
<br />
By the way, figure skating is that ice skating sports where you wear this shoes. Just so there's no confusion with that hockey shoes of terror.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TcOfIo3RzhTpjRGVkpdQ2wO_CKS0IRYGkwGZnb-qHd2-AELG_6iY7dTL_D5JN6ozHpbBD2mY-Jc8ErozY-tzpyeWf5gfCbAnxhq9Xb7azzeptv8oq2Wp577bUzVXSXcT9l17K6F_PXI/s1600/IFS-244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TcOfIo3RzhTpjRGVkpdQ2wO_CKS0IRYGkwGZnb-qHd2-AELG_6iY7dTL_D5JN6ozHpbBD2mY-Jc8ErozY-tzpyeWf5gfCbAnxhq9Xb7azzeptv8oq2Wp577bUzVXSXcT9l17K6F_PXI/s200/IFS-244.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>1. You hear a favorite song and starts to mentally map out the choreography...<br />
2. and design the costume inspired by the song.<br />
3. You love the smell of the ice.<br />
4. You love the chilly temperature setting at the rink, only if you're the one skating (otherwise it's just freakin' freezing in there).<br />
5. You dread skating on the same rink with 100+ other hockey shoes, because hockey blades create numerous ditches on ice, consequently trapping figure skating blades. argh.<br />
6. You don't think it counts when someone says "I can ice skate!" and promptly pulls out a hockey shoes, and can only skate forward. Here's the analogy...Hockey Blade: Figure Skate Blade = Cardboard: Notebook Paper.<br />
7. You get too worked up when figure skating don't get the TV coverage it deserves, and none of your friends get it.<br />
8. You have developed a secret crush on figure skaters more than once.<br />
9. You heard "Carmen," "Masquerade," "Concierto de Aranjuez" and <i>Phantom of the Opera</i> mashup one too many times.<br />
10. You would love to see someone bold enough pull off a "Single Ladies" program, complete with that Beyonce choreography. Any takers? It would be legendary!<br />
11. You come back with 10 or more bruises on your legs/other body parts and you just shrug it off.<br />
12. In the earlier days of skating, you have smacked your head on ice more than you should and wondered why people around you are so freaked out.<br />
13. You hear <i>The Man In the Iron Mask</i> soundtrack and immediate think of that fantastic program by Alexei Yagudin at Salt Lake City Olympics. <br />
14. For someone who plays sports, you have zero accumulated sun damage. Word.<br />
15. You love clothes that sparkles. Come on, it's the only kind that stands out on ice!<br />
16. Sometimes, you feel like Cinderella (minus Prince Charming) trying to find that perfect shoes that fits. Also...<br />
17. It irritates you when non-figure skaters don't understand that your skating skill drops exponentially when skating with the shoes that doesn't fit... <br />
18. or blades that aren't sharpened. <br />
19. You can't purely enjoy watching those figure skating flicks because chances are, there are about 20 things that are just blatantly incorrect. <br />
20. You read through this list and actually understood what I wrote. ;)<br />
<br />
By the way, the Grand Prix Series is at its fourth competition, Skate America! Gotta go get my skates on!<br />
<br />
xx-N<br />
<br />
PS: I have nothing against hockey; in fact, I do enjoy watching the sports. Although, I may be slightly biased towards figure skating because I do figure skate. :)NaoSiriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05734555682720402917noreply@blogger.com0