Charles Anastase, Litas, and Litas for Less
Posted: February 8, 2012 Filed under: Fashion | Tags: brian atwood, charles anastase, Faux Litas, Go Jane, Jeffrey Campbell Litas, Litas-for-Less, Lulu's, Necessary Clothing, Revolve Clothing, Solestruck, Urban Nog Leave a comment »Yes, I’m doing it. The Lita post. There are thousands of Lita posts floating all over the web ever since 2010, when the Lita first came out. Everyone either has, or wants a pair of Litas (when I say everyone, I use this term very loosely). The smartest thing Jeffrey Campbell has ever done was to be inspired by Charles Anastase’s Dungeon Boot.
Charles Anastase's Dungeon Boots, courtesy of The Look 4 Less
Back in 2009, ladies were already going crazy over Charles Anastase’s Dungeon Boot (of which the exact retail price is unknown, only that it was available for pre-order and special order). Imagine the excitement when Jeffrey Campbell came out with the Lita in 2010 for $160. And now, 2 years later, they’ve milked the Lita craze for all it’s worth, producing the Lita in various different colors and prints.
I was successfully staying away from the Lita fad, trying not to buy another pair of shoes. And I was so good too, reading my food blogs and researching new recipes, until I strayed and came upon these.
only size 10 left T_T @ Solestruck
Every time I stray into looking at shoes, I always come upon a pair I absolutely must have. Most times, that pair is already sold out (the Brian Atwood Martina Strass) or it’s sold out in my size. Which is exactly what happened. Not that this means good news for my bank account, or my already overstuff closet. There are plenty of other prints and textures that the Lita comes in that I can move onto. However, in my frantic search to hunt down a pair of Lita Exotics in Black Snake (and then the distressed Brown Leather, and the Mustard), I came across some Litas-for-Less. And this is really why I’m even writing this post. Because then I went and looked at 2 pages worth of Google search on Litas-for-less, and found that people were posting about Litas-for-less that didn’t look like Litas.
So I decided to share the knowledge, and write a looks for less post. Many girls can’t afford to drop $160 or more on a shoe they absolutely love, and there’s no reason why they can’t have the same look for a price they can afford. Chances are that plenty of girls are still searching for a Lita-for-Less, one that doesn’t necessarily involve buying a knock-off from China and getting it in the mail 1-2 months later.
Starting with Go Jane, since that’s the one some people may already know about. They have plenty of fun colors, but I’m going to start with the classics since those are the most popular, and sought for.
Lace up suede platform. $38.55 on sale, comes in 6 other colors
Woven leatherette platform bootie, $42.50, available in tan (as pictured), black, and dark brown
Lace-up leatherette, $41.50, available also in camel
Go Jane offers a pretty good replica of some of the classics for over less than half the price. The original has a more defined arch, grommets (those metal rings you slip the laces through), and a thicker, lighter-coloured cuban heel.
Next is the N.Y.L.A Azlea @ Revolve Clothing on sale now for $65
Available in sizes 8 - 9.5
This is a pretty fair look for less, especially when most people are looking for a Lita-for-Less in a classic color like brown or black. The N.Y.L.A Azlea only comes in the color as pictured above. It’s not 100% like the Lita, as you can see, the Azlea has a lower platform than the Lita.
But we can do better than that price-wise. Urban Nog carries a few Litas-for-Less (actually they have a lot of other designer-for-less styles as well) all for $39.50 (shipping not included). For those of you who might have seen these on Lulu’s, these are the same shoes for a lower price.
The Promise Jocie, a two tone Lita for Less, also available in mustard two tone
The Promise Beacon, the glitter Lita-for-Less, only available in silver as pictured
The Victoria, blue suede Lita-for-Less
These are a pretty good deal, especially for the price. You can see some differences such as the stacked heel in the Promise Beacon and Josie, and the hook closures for the laces up top.The Victoria lacks the usual metal grommets where the laces are pulled through. The closest Lita-for-Less is probably the Francheska in black leather. But you can see that the platform on these is still not quite as high as the original version. Compare it to the original, the Lita in Black Calf Leather (sold out at Solestruck) which is probably the most popular version.
The Francheska, comes also in beige suede
Jeffrey Campbell Lita, Black Calf Leather - courtesy of Solestruck
But wait! We’re not done yet. Necessary Clothing also carries Litas-for-Less, which they call Neccesary Litas (actually a good name, since Litas are indeed necessary now). They have 15 versions of the Necessary Lita, including 2 glitter colors (black and silver), priced at $44.99. If you’re looking for a bright colored, or fun looking Lita-for-Less, then definitely check out Necessary Litas.
The Necessary Lita in classic black
The Necessary Lita in Leopard
And just for fun …
The Necessary Lita, in the U.S. Flag
The most noticeable differences between the Necessary Lita and the actual Lita is the darker heel on the Necessary Lita and the lack of grommets on the Necessary Litas (just like Go Jane). The Necessary Lita in Leopard appears to be made out of faux suede, while the real thing comes in pony. Even so, you can see that the platform and arch of the Necessary Lita is pretty close to the original.
Well that concludes my Litas-for-Less post! I’ve included lots of options, and lots of pictures (because I know how important shoe porn is!). Each site had some classics, and also something fun and different to offer. Take your pick because there are so many options (although not as many as the actual Lita). ^_^ Hope this was helpful, and I hope this post comes up in many a search for the Lita-for-Less!
* Two posts in one day! Actually I had this written before the Hello Kitty post, and I just couldn’t wait to put it up since I’d already written it. ^_^
Hello Kitty themed Valentine’s Day
Posted: February 8, 2012 Filed under: Art, Fashion, Love | Tags: Hello Kitty, Valentine's Day 6 Comments »As I promised, I would write a Hello Kitty themed Valentine’s Day post. Really, this post is for my beloved hubby, Aileen. She’s the real Hello Kitty lover. This idea for a Hello Kitty post came into being while I was scouring through Etsy, and came upon Hello Kitty goods for Valentine’s Day, which lead to me scouring through a Hello Kitty search on Etsy.
Unfortunately there is no Hello Kitty restaurant, no Hello Kitty bar/lounge/club in the U.S. The first Hello Kitty house is currently being built in the Hamptons, which is a great improvement for the Hello Kitty-less status of the U.S. . So if you have the money to, and you want to spend it, you can put the two of you on a plane and head over to Taiwan for a Hello Kitty Valentine’s weekend. Why Taiwan? Not only because Taiwan has plenty of Hello Kitty houses (I swear I pass by one every time I take a taxi) or Hello Kitty restaurants, etc … but also because Taiwan has Hello Kitty airplanes.
the Apple Jet
Eva Air has 3 Hello Kitty airplanes: ‘ ”Magic Jet” spreads the message of love and friendship and flies to Sapporo and Guam, “Apple Jet” celebrates Kitty’s love of the fruit and flies to Seoul and Fukuoka, and “Global Jet” brings the world together and serves Hong Kong and Tokyo.’ – courtesy of crunchyroll.com
Inside the Apple Jet
Not only does Hello Kitty decorate the outside of these planes, but she also decorates your headrest, your pillows, even the seats in the airport terminal as you wait to board the plane.
A peek into the Hello Kitty terminal
Hello Kitty world inside an airport terminal
They really thought through everything, you even board with Hello Kitty
You even get to eat Hello Kitty …
Why get an adult meal when the kid's meal is much cuter?
After exploring through Hello Kitty establishments in Taipei, take her/him on the Global Jet to Tokyo, because Tokyo is where Hello Kitty Heaven exists. She/he can go crazy over all the exclusive to Japan items, and you can pick up plenty of Hello Kitty wine, and even a Hello Kitty bouquet.
Hello Kitty peeping out from a bed of flowers
Now this is only if you belong to the 1%. If you belong to the 99%, like the rest of us, there are plenty of ways for you to make Valentine’s Day all about Hello Kitty still. If you want the Hello Kitty bouquet, try taking the picture above to a local florist and ask if they can recreate it. Here’s a tutorial on creating Hello Kitty bouquets: http://www.badkitteh.com/2011-08-hello-kitty-bouquet/ that you could provide the florist with, or attempt to make yourself. If you don’t have the time to go to a florist, or make the bouquet, Bad Kitteh has also kindly provided a link where you can order it direct.But hurry because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!
If she/he loves Hello Kitty balloons, there are plenty of Hello Kitty balloons on the web, as well as at Party City for you to make a balloon bouquet.
Hello Kitty Valentine's Day Balloon, she stands up on her own
Like I said, Etsy has plenty to offer in Hello Kitty goods, Hello Kitty cupcakes, cookies, cards, chocolate (which you could also make yourself if you’re DIY inclined) and jewelry.
Hello Kitty cookies! The piping work is so good ... *envy T_T
Xoxo, Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty says Happy Valentine's Day!
If you want to give her jewelry, besides the options on Etsy, ebay, and Amazon, Tarina Tarantino has a line of jewelry called Pink Head, devoted to Hello Kitty. The bracelet below is portrayed in lavender, but comes in 4 other colors.
At the end of the night, curl up together in front of the fireplace (or tv) with a Hello Kitty snuggie/fleece blanket, or in Hello Kitty jumpsuits, and a bottle of Hello Kitty wine.
Jumpsuit in Hello Kitty pink via Karmaloop. They've plenty of other colors/prints all on sale
Yes, that’s right, you don’t have to fly all the way to Japan to get a bottle of Hello Kitty wine. You can order them on the web, or if you live in NYC, the following stores carry Hello Kitty wine:
Astor Wines & Spirits (212-674-7500)
Bowery & Vine Wine & Spirits (212-941-7943)
Columbus Avenue Wines & Spirits (212-865-7070)
Sea Grape Wine Shop (212-463-7688)
Vintage Grape Fine Wine & Spirits (212-535-6800)
- courtesy of the Village Voice
Hello Kitty wines, or what's available in the U.S. anyways
Happy Hello Kitty-themed Valentine’s Day hubby! <3 u
Etsy, how I love thee
Posted: February 7, 2012 Filed under: Art, Love | Tags: Etsy Leave a comment »Today’s Valentine’s Day post is all about my love for Etsy. Etsy is a great place to find cute, handmade, alternative gift ideas. Personally, I think that last year’s bounty of Valentine’s Day themed goods was better, but I still found a lot of cute, and funny items. Etsy is a great place to go if you’re looking for something unique. They’ve got great handmade cards that don’t necessarily fit the hearts, red and pink glitter theme that you’ll find in the card aisle.
Etsy always inspires me, and yet at the same time never fails to make me feel artistically inferior …
Love is in the air
For the vintage lover
The Anti-Valentine
This one is my personal favorite, because I love Pacman, and it’s humorous.
They finally meet!
And of course, because I’m obsessed with food, the very first place I always check on Etsy is their Edibles section. I always feel lacking in the decorating department whenever I look at Etsy. Here are all these home bakers who turn out beautiful decorations and cookies, who learned it on their own. Why can’t I do this too? This is why I’ve obstinately held out on taking classes because I believe that I can do it too! But alas, I’ve resigned to cheating in the near future and will probably sign myself up for a class or two …
Anyways, Etsy always has so much in the Edibles department, especially if you’re looking for a gift for the gluten-free, or the vegan. From gourmet marshmallows, to flavored caramels, to cupcake toppers, you can find it all at Etsy including cookies for your man. Here are a few of my personal favorites.
A twist on tradition: a dozen red roses AND chocolate, all in a cookie
Instead of chocolates in a heart shaped box, handcrafted heart shaped chocolates
Got wood? That says it all ...
Last, but not least, for my very own penguin lover (Dede!)
super super cute fondant penguin cupcake toppers!
In addition to all of these adorable goodies, Etsy has a wealth of items for the Hello Kitty lover! ….*cough … Aileen
But I’ll save that for my next post, so stay tuned in for a Hello Kitty themed Valentine’s Day!
Valentine Nostalgia
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about getting a date to spend it with. It’s also about the crazy fun you have with your girlfriends. Actually, what I miss the most right now is Valentine’s Day last year. I miss Helen Oh, with all her enthusiasm for each themed get together she planned.
Squishing Helen!
I miss all the cute decorations, and the food, and the fun we had. I mean, where else are you going to get a spread like this? Only with your girlfriends!!
For all that it drove us crazy some times, I miss the all girls environment. I miss the safety, and the quiet grace of our campus. I miss how easy it was to arrange a get together. Most of all, I miss the four of us together in the same place. <3 u guys, let’s do this again someday before we’re all old ok?
Whaa? Whaas goin' on? Hey Kunku, is that donut good?
We <3 U!!
On Valentine’s Day
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Love 3 Comments »Valentine’s Day
Yes, that time of the year is creeping up on us. Valentine’s Day – that day of romance that places so much pressure on us. For those of us who are single, we feel the pressure to find a date, someone to spend Valentine’s Day with. For those of us who have settled down, we feel the pressure to make this day “special”. As if all the rest of the days of the year are not special enough with the people we love.
I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I hate February. It is my least favorite month of the year. I certainly don’t perceive it as the most romantic month of the year. Or perhaps because growing up, the pressure at school to have a valentine was no less intense as it is in the adult life. I don’t recall having any confessions of love, or gifts from secret or not so secret admirers. Nevertheless receiving gifts from assigned secret valentines in school was usually faced in trepidation. I dreaded the boxes of message hearts that I couldn’t eat (they tasted like chalk to me anyways) and the kitschy Russell Stover chocolate filled heart boxes that tasted like crap. Valentine’s Day, over the years, had come to mean a Hallmark holiday for me. A day filled with consumerism, and unoriginal cliché gifts consisting of ‘1 bouquet of red roses, a box of chocolates and a card bought from the nearest pharmacy’. I viewed Valentine’s Day and all the white bears holding red satin pillows like the way I viewed girly mangas in the bookstore. I abhorred them.
My one good memory of Valentine’s Day with a Secret Valentine extends far back to 6th grade. My secret valentine could not come to school because he was sick, but worried that I would feel left out when the other children received their presents. His mother dropped my present off at school. He had written a riddle, which I was to decipher to guess his identity, and a bag of sour heart shaped gummies. I was touched by his worry about my feelings, and the thought he had put into a gift. I never really had to decipher the code although I certainly tried, because my house advisor informed me that this particular student’s mother had dropped off my gift. And the bag of gummies was certainly the perfect gift; because that was exactly the kind of candy I liked to eat.
So yes, I am still a little bit of a Valentine’s Day cynic. Trying to recreate the feeling of romance in my household consisted of me buying a card for my mother and asking my dad to sign it. I always made sure to do something extra nice for my mom on Valentine’s Day, like buy her flowers, because typical romantic gestures do not exist between my parents. My dad would always remember to buy flowers or cards for his mother, but somehow I was the filler between my parents. My mother always knew that I was behind the flowers and the cards, and she would always tell me to stop wasting my time, but I knew that receiving something nice on those days would still make her feel better inside.
By the time I entered college, not only was I a Valentine’s Day cynic, but also cynical about love in general. I’d been in love once. It ended horribly in the way that Scarlett O’Hara realizes that all this time she’s been in love with a dream. I’d fallen in love with the boy I met, and I’d stayed in love with him for 3 years … only to find out one day that he’d grown into someone else. I shocked everyone in my junior year American Lit HS class by announcing during our discussion of The Age of Innocence that perhaps love doesn’t really exist. I certainly didn’t believe it did. This declaration was met with loud gasps of horror from my female classmates. I definitely felt my male classmate, someone well liked by all the girls in our school, tense up in unease to my right. I went on to explain that I believed that you could fall in love with someone in a moment. But people change, and they grow, and you don’t necessarily stay in love with that person whom they become. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in love, I just didn’t believe in love forever. To love somebody, and to keep loving them as they grew and changed was an extraordinary, rare, and near impossible feat in my mind. It made sense then that I would sympathize with Newland Archer, a man who chose the safe option, who found that it was possible to be content without loving his wife, who chose to continue to let his dream woman live in the recesses of his mind at the ending of the novel.
With this mindset, I entered college, vowing never to find love, but to find safety and peace. Someone who could not hurt me if I did not love him, who could only offer me friendship and stability. I would have my fun while I was young, not needing to commit myself until I was ready. I never thought I would encounter love again.
The first time I decided I was ready for a relationship, it worked out disastrously. We met through a mutual friend. We talked online, and met a second time, and then third, and on his birthday we officially became a couple. Our short-lived relationship (which ironically has also been my second longest relationship) was mostly long distance. It was also to be my first Valentine’s Day with a real romantic interest. I dreaded it because Valentine’s Day has always seemed to be a test to me. A test of ‘how much do you really care?’ and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to find out. The red roses, the heart filled with candy, the generic card have always said to me ‘you women are all the same. I really couldn’t be bothered to find out what you really like.’
Even so, I learned that there are worse things than receiving cliché presents. My boyfriend informed me that I was to accompany him to his frat party for Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t believe that our plans for Valentine’s Day consisted of attending a frat party, something which required me to travel 4 hours home on the bus the day before. We ended up going to a frat party that night, after which I was informed that since we had already attended a frat party, we could do ‘other stuff’ on the night of Valentine’s Day. Waking up the next day and finding his friend hiding out in the room preparing to surprise his girlfriend with gifts was a nasty wake up call. Said friend tried to reassure me that all my boyfriend could talk about was what to get me. It was hard to be reassured when said boyfriend looked at the teddy bear bearing lollipops and asked me where he could find a stuffed animal store in flushing. A teddy bear bearing lollipops was perfect for his friend’s girlfriend who was very much into cute things. Not so perfect for me.
All my worst fears about Valentine’s Day came true. Before leaving for New York, I had just wanted to stay at college, celebrating with my girlfriends. I hadn’t stayed because I didn’t want to disappoint this boy who claimed he loved me. He loved his version of me, someone who was cute, and Asian. In the end, he bought me a kitschy gift basket from a peddler on the street. A gift that said ‘I put no thought or effort into this’, and worse a gift that said ‘I don’t know you at all’. He described the gift, equipped with white teddy bear embracing red satin pillow and stale candy as ‘perfect’ for me and exclaimed that he knew I would love it. Not wanting to ruin the moment for him, I merely nodded and smiled.
After that, our relationship quickly ended. I started dating Dede, and I was re-acquainted with love. Being with Dede taught me to appreciate cute things. Well, that, and Etsy. Last year’s Etsy was filled abound with wonderfully cute and unique presents. I still hold some of my same views about Valentine’s Day. I just don’t really like red roses in general. I still think Russell Stover’s chocolates taste like crap. I’m more likely to buy a box of message hearts, spell out stuff on cupcakes, and make Dede eat them. Many of the Valentine’s Day gift ideas reflect the consumerism and materialism that just confuses me. Why is a red wallet on a list of Valentine’s presents? Where is the romance in that? A wallet is a present I think of for Christmas, or a birthday. The red color does not make it romantic to me, but that’s my personal opinion.
Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day of love, not a day of red or pink colored things that you can buy for someone’s birthday, or for Christmas, or for Mother’s Day. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about making the people you love feel special, about spending time with them, showing them that you put time and effort into your plans because you care about them. What you do on Valentine’s Day shows how much you know about another person, and whether you’ve been listening to them. If he or she wants the wallet, then get it not because a magazine says that this is a good idea for a present, but because you know that this is something that your significant other has been wanting for a long time. If she doesn’t like roses, then find out what flowers she does like. Maybe your significant other wants a romantic piece of jewelry, or maybe they want you to record yourself singing romantic songs. Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you’re limited to choosing from the floral arrangements online, or the Valentine’s themed candy, or to the colors red and pink. Maybe you guys want to make penguins out of modeling clay.
Having tried to find new ideas online, and just recycling through last years posts and this year’s lists of material goods, I’ve decided that I’m going to make my own Valentine’s Day idea posts this year.
Birthday cake!
Posted: January 26, 2012 Filed under: Art, Recipes 1 Comment »Once again, a large lapse has befallen my posting. So what better way than to start the new year with my birthday post? Lol, this past weekend was my birthday (1/21) and also the ringing in of the Lunar New Year! Hehehe, it’s my year (and Kunku’s!) because we’re both dragons ^_^ Dede tried to plan a surprise party for me .. but failed to keep it a surprise <3
Friday, we started off at my place with Sangria and cake. There was Peach and Mint white, Citrus and Pear red, and Grapefruit and Mint white. For recipes check out my post on birthday sangria at my food blog.
Birthday Sangria!
It all started out with a new cupcake I was making for the holidays. I’ll be posting these recipes on my other blog, so if you want the recipes, check out http://shlieka.blogspot.com/2012/02/birthday-trifle.html
The Sugar Cookie Cupcake
This cupcake was kind of an accident. I was messing around with the measurements of the vanilla cupcake recipe and didn’t quite know what would turn out. The result was a sugar cookie cupcake. It taste and looks just like a fluffy, soft sugar cookie on top. I had so many cupcakes, and nobody to eat them. Fast forward a few days later, and I’m thinking ‘hey, I need to figure out what to do with these cupcakes without wasting food. ‘ The fantastic part is that I had just dug out 3 jars of Trader Joe’s Lemon Curd. I love this stuff, and it was getting close to it’s expiration date. I just knew that I had to make a trifle, to put a little moisture back into the cakes, they would soak this lemon curd right up. But when I opened it up … the consistency had thickened over time. I wasn’t sure how I was going to spread it over crumbled cakes. Thankfully, I also had a bag of Meyer Lemons in the fridge that I’d been meaning to turn into homemade Lemon Curd.
Mmmmm lemon curd ..
The left jar is the homemade lemon curd, and the right is the lemon curd from Trader Joe’s. I ended having having extra homemade lemon curd, which I whisked in a bowl with the Trader Joe’s lemon curd. The homemade curd was very thin, which helped thin the Trader Joe’s lemon curd to a perfect consistency. I used the rest of the heavy whipping cream and made whipped cream with a little lemon curd whipped into it.
The first trifle ^_^
The first trifle I made was so delicious. Layers of sugar cookie cake, lemon curd, blueberries and whipped cream. Dede went crazy over it which is why we decided to make it for my birthday. We used canned peaches, strawberries between the layers for my birthday cake and dotted the top with blackberries before decorating with piped chocolate.
Me making a wish! This was my first time piping chocolate ^_^. It was so much fun! I made hearts and shoes and swirls. We got the gold candles from Party City and the freaky thing is that when they melt, they’re still gold on the inside!
After cake and drinks, we headed to the The Smith for food, and ended the night at Santo’s Party House! I’ll be posting a birthday post 2 with pictures from the rest of the night/weekend as soon as I get them n_n.
And the sadness comes
Posted: May 14, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »I’m finally done with my last final, which marks the end of my academic path here at Mount Holyoke. And now I can finally allow myself to be sad.
Four years seems like a long time, when you’re just entering college. And it is. Four years can be a lifetime of memories, built with the people you meet. In four years, you forge bonds with the sisters you’ll never forget. But four years is not enough.
Sometimes you take the world for granted. You think you have all the time in the world to explore; to do different things; to go to that event the next time. And sometimes, time runs out. There are so many new things I’ve discovered each year, and there are still so many things I still want to do.
Even though I’m glad to be done with my work, I want to take more classes. I want to move out this year, only to move everything back in the fall. I want to walk into Blanchard and eat with my friends, to have meal swipes. I want to go to more dining halls, even though the menus have gotten worse over the years. I want to go to non-cultural events, sports events, things I never thought were that crucial enough for me to go to. I want to return to this environment of privilege, where I am a woman who has a voice and no man can take that away from me.
I want to sit on the carpeted floor of someone’s room, eating ramen noodles over a pot, and microwaved rice with kimchee. I want to meet the wonderful women who will be entering in the fall, to get to know them more than just the brief visits I’ll pay to my friends here. I want to choose new classes, sit through hall choosing, and plan and re-plan what room I’ll get during room choosing. I want more than four falls and springs to learn new things, make new memories, spend time with my sisters.
I’ll miss driving around the valley, exploring for new and exciting places in my first car. I’ll miss walking outside my room during finals and seeing everyone looking like me, knowing I’m not the only one suffering. I’ll miss the safe and comfortable environment, being able to see so many familiar and friendly faces. I’ll even miss composting, local produce, and how green Mount Holyoke tries to be. I’ll miss big family style dinners, how everything always seems to revolve around food. I’ll miss the afterparties to Asian cultural events: nobody ever goes in, everyone stays outside eating their last meal swipe of the day. I’ll miss living with my besties, one down the hall and two upstairs. I’ll miss our campus, beautiful at any time of the day.
As I walk around campus, my mind is filled with thoughts of “this is the last ….”. When I first came to Mount Holyoke for camp, summers after 5th and 6th grade, I was incredibly sad to leave. At the time, I never thought I’d come back for a college education (although I wrote differently on my admissions essay). Now, knowing the campus even more, and having spent time in Mount Holyoke as a womens’ environment, leaving a second time is ever more bittersweet. This time, I know for sure that I will never return to attend this institution. These last days, I’ll treasure and savor the last moments marking the end of a lovely chapter in my life. I am, and have loved being: a Mount Holyoke woman.
So I’ve been spending the break away fr…
Posted: January 13, 2011 Filed under: status | Tags: Taiwan! Finally ... 1 Comment »So I’ve been spending the break away from the girls =P but (!) I’m in Taipei, where I haven’t been for 7 years =(. Even though it’s been raining non-stop here, I’ve been having a great time. Food in Taiwan is AWESOME. My cousin and his wife celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary yesterday and my mum bought them a cake. It was chocolate, with alternating layers of fruit filling and pudding filling, with whipped cream frosting on the outside. Where in the U.S. are you going to find a Taiwanese style cake with pudding on the inside!!
If you’re in Taipei, and you have an opportunity to go to the Flora Expo, definitely hit up the 夢想館 (dream pavilion) and the 環保館 (eco-friendly pavilion). I wish I had brought my camera with me to take pictures of the Flora Expo, but all I can do is tell you what it’s all about. The first stop in the Dream Pavilion is to admire a large paper flower hanging from the ceiling that has various degrees of movement and weighs 3000g. Afterward you make a wish in front of one of their graphic stations, and depending on what you wish for (love, health, fortune, etc ..) you get a colored bracelet. In the next room, there are 3D graphic screens of flora, with stations that light up when they’re ready for you to harvest “flowers”. You match your bracelet up to the flashing light on the ground and harvest different flowers from different stations.
Moving on to the next room, you pat stamen like protrusions hanging down from the ceiling, to release and harvest pollen. Afterward you follow the footsteps past another graphic screen where you turn from human into insect (I was an ant). Then you wave your hands in the air, and on the screen, these things (I didn’t quite understand what they were) that help you with your pollen cluster around where you’re standing in front of the screen. Together with a group of people, you put your hands on a large globe which lights up and gathers your pollen. Then the opposite screen yields a landscape image, and then you proceed onto the next room. The next room holds a circular movie screen where a animated screening of landmarks and landscapes in Taiwan play out. After you watch the movie, and get to play with fairies on the screen, you move on to stations where you harvest your flowers, and at the end you get a print out of your own unique flower.
The outside of the Eco-Friendly Pavilion is made up of panels of recycled plastic bottles. It uses natural resources for heating and cooling down. To cool down, water streams down from the side of the building, and all water used in the Eco-Friendly Pavilion is recycled water. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch a runway show of the garments created with green materials that are displayed inside the Pavilion.
Haha, I look like the lazy bummer out of…
Posted: August 3, 2010 Filed under: status | Tags: Resident ALIEN 1 Comment »Haha, I look like the lazy bummer out of the four, but I’ve been MIA because I’ve been in Shanghai for the past 2.5 months where wordpress and blogspot have been BLOCKED. Will update later with pictures from the Expo, promise …
As for being back, I’m incredibly excited to be reunited with my friends, but also feeling weird about being back. After living in a place where you’re the majority, where you’re not faced with institutionalized racism, you get used to the comfort. Yes, China has it’s problems, I’m not dismissing them, but they’re not my personal torments. Coming through the airport was like everything was being thrown back in my face. Customs signs in Detroit said U.S. Citizens/Resident Alien. Great, Resident Alien … makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside doesn’t it? And when you walk up to the counter, the lady working there asks you if you’ve lived in NY your entire life and you want to scream a “Yes, I am a born and raised goddamned AMERICAN” instead of the cheerful yes your mum chirps out. But you keep it bottled inside because A. blowing up in an international airport is a really stupid idea and B. you’re telling yourself that you’re just being overly sensitive. And as much as you’ve missed all of your friends, you know it’s been a good 2.5 months, returning to the motherland, to the quiet house where you can get some peace of mind and when you walk outside, you actually feel like someone normal for once.
