Movies & Mixes Monday: The Strokes

Happy Cyber Monday everyone! Does anyone want to recommend a store for me to check out and save on? I'll be perusing the stores a bit today but I'm mainly looking for dresses so I'm not sure if I'll be able to find anything for very cheap.

On a different note, I've been recently obsessed with The Strokes again... which happens to me every couple of years. I remember being in love with them in 6th grade, and again in 8th grade, and of course now, in college. I think they're one of those bands that I will never not like. I hope I get to see them live someday, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to sing along to most of their songs!



Julian's lyrics are actually pretty deep even though they're so simply worded; I was surprised by that. And it doesn't hurt that he's quite the looker too... I don't know what it is, actually. There's something in those sleepy eyes and messy don't-care-hair that draws me to him. The video above links to my playlist of The Strokes (about 17 videos), so let it play in the background as you go through your other online activities and you won't regret it! My current favorites out of the ones above: "Taken for a Fool" and "Someday". Good stuff. So good that it's worth listening to on repeat, despite the fact that I normally hate listening to the same songs over and over.

Posting has been pretty sporadic these past few weeks thanks to school-- as it is, I stay up till 3 AM trying to finish other things! After this week it should die down a bit, and so hopefully I can finish off craft projects and have something to do other than mind-numbing work. Apologies!
<3 Linda

Bamboozled: Rough Draft

Today through Monday, I will be crafting and drawing like a maniac. Thanksgiving Holidays, as well as any other holidays, are my opportunity to do the things I love to do (but never get a chance to--thank you, College). Here's an in-progress shot of the second in a set of four digital paintings based on the elements: "Air".

I previously blogged about "Earth" here. I just really like the idea of creating nymphs because I find them to be peaceful and serene creatures. Or I imagine them to be so, anyway. Hopefully this one gets done soon and I can post up the result! Can't wait to see how it'll turn out. I'm still not used to using a digital tablet, but all I have to say is that this is the best piece of technology I could've ever invested in. (Then again, apart from the computer, I'm not very attached to technology at all, so take this with a grain of salt!)

Hope everyone's having a good weekend so far! I'm finally back in my own element after being creatively deprived for so long, and I'm more content than ever.
<3 Linda

TiLT (Part 2): Giving Thanks For...

• Having amazing friends who enjoy my presence and are willing to pick me up when I'm not doing so well. (This was the day that I played improv and a random girl told me I was a "bad partner". Conclusion: I'm not going to play improv for a while.)
• Having an awesome family that's going to drive down to see me tomorrow. I haven't seen them in ages. It will be nice. (I'm only saying this because they read this blog... JUST KIDDING! Sort of. :P)
• Having festive roommates who decorate our room for Christmas a month early.
• The wonderful, slightly chilly weather that has finally graced Los Angeles.
• The extra days to catch up on homework... I mean...

I'm just--- really thankful. In general. To life, for having worked things out in such a way that I can for once be content and not extremely anxious about things going on. I would say more but I only had a chance to write this at 4 in the morning, so my brain is pretty darn kaput. Happy Thanksgiving!
<3 Linda

TiLT: Too-Cute Tea Infusers!

I've always used tea bags for my tea, but loose-leaf tea is so much cheaper! You can buy it in large bags instead of buying teeny boxes of tea bags. To steep the tea, you need a tea infuser. And that's where these babies come in! They're so adorable. I feel like there's a huge gap for creating a business out there for creative tea infusers. Here are some of my favorites and where you can buy them:

1. These fruity tea infusers look so colorful and happy together, I like it!
2. This seashell one is meant to be a wedding favor, but seeing as how there's no wedding in my near future, I would probably end up buying this for myself!
3. This shark one is so cute because it floats on top of the water, making it darker and darker until you can only see the shark fin poking out! Innovative, huh?
4. I found this monkey one on EBay. The way it's supposed to hang off the sides of your cup is genius!
5. Tea-ception.
6. The rubber ducky idea is similar to the shark fin idea... but it has the added bonus of being a fun toy on the side! Not that you'd want to take it into the bath with you or anything... (Can you say tea bath? And yes, those do exist!)
7. Playing off the idea of dipping something underwater, this scuba diver silicone tea infuser is pretty well-thought out. I like how large his head is in proportion to his body!
8. Finally, the one that started the search for the best tea infuser on the internet: This candy cane tea infuser from Modcloth. It's coming out soon! I can't wait. I love how it hangs off the side of the cup :)

I mean, really. Now that the holidays are coming up, you're probably going to be looking for gifts. And what better thing to get a tea-lover?!
<3 Linda
PS. Confession time: Oh no... I'm a day off! I wrote this post yesterday, but didn't get to send it out, and that's why it's a "Things I Love Tuesday" post. Sorry!

Movies & Mixes Monday: Nostalgia in a Song

Also known as "Postcards from Italy" by Beirut.

Behind the Scenes-- An Excerpt

I know this post will be far too long for some of you to read, and I'm okay with that. I just really wanted to post some of the amazing writing that was in my scene for the Fall show my theatre group put on, written by my friend Amy. This is just an example of the quality of scripts that we have... I know I was sniffling by the end of it. If you have any extra time or enjoy reading short writing excerpts like I do, proceed:

"I guess I always knew it. Is it too clichéd if I say I always felt different? It’s true, though. I did. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I could ever tell anyone. I couldn’t tell my parents. They’re really Leave It To Beaver when it comes to that type of stuff, you know. The only thing my Dad wants from me is to marry a nice guy that can support me. All my Mom wants is for me to be less miserable than her. Well..(beat)..what if those two things can’t go together for me? What if I’m stuck here, watching everyone around me find their happiness and mine’s just…not meant to be found. I can’t be a lesbian - I mean, I’m not a lesbian. I want you to know that. And normally I can make myself believe that, too. Until I met Gina. It wasn’t an elementary school crush when I met her. It was my first day of college and I was nervous. Not the cool, excited nervous that you imagine having with Death Cab for Cutie playing in the background as you walk across the quad, either. No. The terrifying, I think I’m going to have explosive diarrhea nervous. I walked into my dorm and Gina was there, unpacking her clothes. She gave me that perfect smile of hers, and that was it. That was all it took. Once she started getting into theater, I followed right behind her. Any excuse to get closer. Who knew I’d end up loving the place? Four years later, and now we’re friends. Best friends. Just friends. Because she’s straight. She’s…normal. She’s everything I was supposed to be. Can I ask you something…? Why me?! What did I do for this to happen - that everything is going to be harder for me now? Why can’t I wake up fantasizing about Ryan Gosling like every other girl I know? All I’ve ever wanted was to be normal, to blend in. Well – how the hell am I supposed to do that when I’m living with this secret that could destroy me, destroy everything? And you know the worst part? I’m not angry. I’m really not. I just feel…guilty. I feel like this is my fault. It’s my fault that my Dad will never walk me down the aisle. It’s my fault that I can’t give my parents a family postcard that they’ll be proud of one day. No matter what else I do, no matter what else I accomplish or push through. If I tell them – if I tell anyone, it won’t matter. My degrees, my hard work, nothing will matter. I’ll never be able to love them enough to fix this. I’ll always be Emily. The lesbian. The daughter that wasn’t enough. Always."

Another writing site that I quite like to read when I have spare time is She Writes Pages... and Since She Left. I like the idea of having a picture prompt, and I'm thinking about starting either a segment on this blog or a separate community blog where people can write short pieces. If anyone else is interested, let me know in an email! :)

<3 Linda

Shout-Out: Happy Birthday!

I hadn't had the chance to hop onto the computer yesterday, which was my roommate's birthday! She was my roommate last year as well. We're so different but we get along, I would say. I am so happy I got to know her. :)

Happy Birthday, Kristina!

Her boyfriend came over and they were being cute together. We went to have a birthday dinner at Noodle World (she loves Asian food...). A bowl of rice and pho later, we emerged with happy hearts. I got her some chocolate dipped strawberries as well, so I hope she liked that! I will be posting up her birthday card soon, for those of you who like printables. I didn't get a chance to print it out, so it's going to be a late birthday card from me... Oops. I finished it on time though! It's the thought that counts!
<3 Linda

Christmas Party Dress Decisions

My friends and I are going to be cute this season and have a swanky Christmas party, complete with papercraft ornaments, Secret Santa, mocktails, carols, mistletoe, cakepops, and formalwear. The last part is where I'm slightly nervous. We want to have a party before everyone goes their separate ways for winter break, so this means that I have to get a dress in less than two weeks. After a whole night of searching online and eyeing up dresses, I've found a few options that cost less than $40 (It's really difficult for me to shell out more than that on one article of clothing) and I need your help!

Option 1:

This Asos dress is so pretty! It's still available in my size, and it's made for petite women, so there's a strong possibility that it'll actually fit. The front looks plain but I think that the back makes enough of a statement that it works. It's classy without trying too hard. Price: $26.96 for the black one, $44.93 for the red.

Option 2:

This dress from GoJane.com is so flattering for pencil shapes (like myself). The curvy lines and colorblocking add a nice touch, and the black and white scheme is perfect for wearing to a get-together. I also think that the sweetheart bust is cute because it reminds me of 1920s cigarette girls. It's always nice to have a hint of vintage in your wardrobe, no matter what! Price: $29.40 for plum/black or white/grey.

Option 3:

The final option is also from GoJane, because I love that site. I've been looking for a dress like this for ages-- One that has the flared sleeves and mini as a nod to the '60s and '70s. I found this dress on the site as well, and it's very similar to the dress posted above, except the bottom is loose and free-falling. I'm still on the hunt for a dress like these two, but with an empire waist baby-doll look to the bottom instead. In the meantime, I'm considering this one, because I'm thinking it's going to be a while till I find that dream dress. (Oh, and clearly I will be wearing something to cover the top on the inside! Haha.) Price: $31.70 for Plum, Navy, or Black.

It's quite difficult to choose one! I thought I might as well open it up to the general public, since so many of you have the same taste as I do. What's your favorite?
<3 Linda

The Perfect Pear's 12 Days of Xmas!

Hi guys! One of my favorite bloggers of all time is the lovely Lauren from The Perfect Pear. I would say she's second to Andrea (a la The Paper Sparrow) in my book when it comes to DIYs. She forever creates something that's not only unique, but doable and fun! For me I like DIYs that involve a guideline but allow for a bit of interpretation, and Lauren delivers. Now she's created 12 days worth of DIYs as an e-course, called "12 Days of Merry DIYs". It's only $15 dollars, and seems to be the perfect gift for a crafty friend during the holiday season! Check her site out for more info on the course!

<3 Linda
PS. I am a sponsor on her site, by the way-- I completely forgot to mention that before! I only support blogs that I feel are truly genuine and so I'm happy to help her out. Plus, she's a super-sweet person. You go, Lauren!

Not Food for Thought, Just Food

When I blogged about "pigging out on Pizookies with a friend", a lot of you asked me what a Pizookie was. I didn't realize it was such an unknown dessert! Basically it's exclusive to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse; based on this map it looks like they don't exist in Midwestern states. They give you ice cream and a warm cookie in a tin, and you pour the ice cream on top so that it has that perfect gooey hot and cold combination of dessert goodness in your mouth. They make the best cream soda as well, which I of course indulge in whenever I'm not gorging on Pizookies.... I digress. I found a few pictures I took a couple of weeks ago when I went with a friend to go eat dinner. She owed me money so she decided to slowly pay me back in dessert (Is this a good thing or a bad thing? We will see.)

I haven't been having the best quarter. Whenever this happens, I find myself "self-loving" a bit too much to make up for it, and this always takes the form of impulse buys in food. When my roommate and I trekked into Santa Monica to peruse stores, we came across a crepe place and of course, I had to have one. Did we miss our bus because I had to have one? Yes. Do I regret anything? Of course not!

And the worst part? This wasn't the first time I splurged on a crepe in that cafe. They have the best marketing strategy ever: Put tons of Nutella cans in the window so that you start to drool over the thought of a hot Nutella crepe with fresh strawberries. Sigh... I really need to learn to control myself, food-wise! Comfort food is the best food though, I have to admit. Haha!

<3 Linda
PS. Does anyone know how to insert GIFs into a post? I tried uploading it onto Flickr to get it on here but it was too large, and it's difficult to resize a GIF. Let me know, I had been so excited for it!

An Extremely Late Halloween

I don't quite want to post photos from the ridiculously amazing show my theater company just had because I feel like it would be overkill, but I do want to catch up with posting a lot of pictures that have been floating around on my desktop with no purpose. This set is from around Halloween.

My friends Yalda and Ivy are my two other "Marketeers", or Marketing Directors in the group, so we caught dinner. (As for the picture, there's only so much you can do to light up a dimly lit photo... my apologies). After that, we headed to the nearest Halloween store to play around with the crazy things you can find there.

 She had been happy to take a photo...

Until she saw the creepy clown in the background.

 Real or fake, rats have never scared me.

 Ladies and gents, I present to you my future as a cat lady.

Marketeers fo' lyfe. Or rather till the end of the year. Haha!

So many more pictures to post... but I'm going to try to keep it organized, so I'll end here. Overall it was a great date with good friends! There's nothing better.

<3 Linda

Yesterday, at 11:11...

I wished for happiness.

<3 Linda

LCC: It's Showtime!

Today and tomorrow is the culmination of all of our artistic efforts: LCC Theatre Co.'s quarterly show called Pieced Together! Like I said, I've been assistant directing, acting, and being marketing director (so making programs and whatnot)... so it's been quite the ride.

So far, it's been a craze of all-nighters to pull off a great show. Yesterday, I spent the night at someone else's place, worked on a video that was shown today, and then did my homework with about an hour to spare till the deadline. Close calls....We actually filled all (good) seats on our less popular day! Tomorrow should be a full house, since most people said they'd rather go on Thursday. Let's hope! We've been getting some great press for the show. Unfortunately this was the main picture chosen to be in the daily newspaper article we were doing though:

I can say this is definitely our most awkward picture yet. It was taken during an improv set when we played the game "Interrogation", which is actually my favorite improv game to play because it's often punny. Just thought I'd explain why we all had such harassed faces. It's kind of hilarious!

Today was far too rushed, I still don't feel like we've put on a show. Tomorrow night, however, I will try to bring my camera and document the goings-on behind the scenes of our show! Excitement. Just wanted to pop in and let you know what I'm up to!
<3 Linda

Stylespiration: Jane Birkin

If you couldn't already tell, I am completely in love with the styles of the '60s and '70s. Anything from the past really captures me in a nostalgic way, despite the fact that I have never experienced that era. (I would have thought that was completely weird if I hadn't met so many people like me in the blogosphere!) But anyway, Jane Birkin is one of my major style inspirations. She was such a free-spirited muse, and I love the contrast she captures with her innocent eyes and not-so-innocent clothing choices. If I could dress like anyone, I would probably choose to raid her closet. I definitely had Ms. Birkin in mind when I got my hair cut!

Here's an idea of what to do if you'd like to take a Birkin-esque spin on your own style... Click here to find out the names and prices for everything! As always, everything is under $50 except for the main piece (in this case, the dress). I'm particularly smitten by those shoe-sock boots... I've never seen anything like it!

If anything is essential to this collection, it's the wicker basket. Never forget the wicker basket! ;)
Sources (top to bottom, L to R): 1,2,3,4,5


<3 Linda

Food For Thought: Obstacles

In honor of PostSecret Day, I went onto the site and picked one that really touched me. Many of the posts today about suicide prevention, but I wanted to talk about general hardship that leads to such dark thoughts.

I feel like at this point, I'm not quite sure where I'm at. These days, the only things that really get me stressed is when my problems involve people I care about. Letting go of friendships, opening my mind to new things, and listening to others' problems... these are all things that make me worry. Worrying is good-- to an extent. Those who do not worry at all face being reckless, which is equally as unappealing as being uptight. Life is all about the balance: Caring about people, about the world, without being destructive towards yourself. I used to find myself thinking so much about other people that I wouldn't deal with my own issues, and that's just as bad as not caring about anyone other than myself. And now, I just see everything as being not as terrible, because I know other people are dealing with much worse.

I'm lucky to still have yet to confront major obstacles, but for those of you who are struggling to get over something right now, know that you're not alone. Plato has this great quote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle". It's hard to judge anyone when you know you're not seeing the whole picture; you don't completely know what's going on in someone else's life that makes them react the way they do. I do not often talk about religion because I believe it is a very personal and spiritual thing, but I will say this: If you do believe in anything, you probably have a reason to. You know that you are not alone because you feel a power, a force of the universe, all around you. The hardest person to please is yourself, and that force (whatever it may be to you). These are the only things that matter, in the end. And if you can find a way to get through the hardest of times, you will prove to yourself how strong you are. Life is difficult, but the point is: We always get through it, even when we believe that we can't. That constant surprising ourselves with our own potential is what we live for; it's what makes life worth living. Remember that.

<3 Linda

Bamboozled: Semi-Portraits?

Hello everyone! I've been so busy making programs for my theater group that I haven't been able to do any actual drawing for the blog! I can't wait to show you the work I've done on it though... But I will have to wait until it's actually printed and given out at show. I don't want to ruin the surprises for anyone who is in the group who reads this! I must say, it was quite the challenge to do about 8 pages worth of design in one day, but we managed it and I am so proud.

For today, I wanted to post a printable for you, but once I took my tablet to the lounge, everyone wanted me to draw pictures of them! Here are two of them, using Corel Painter.

Clearly, this is not how either of them look in real life. Haha! Both of them wanted me to draw them as historical figures... On top is "Lewis the Dashing" and on the bottom is "King Vivek the Jolly". It wasn't bad for a speed drawing, but I can definitely do better... they look so cartoon-y, like a child drew it! And yes, there are some really random objects in the background, as per their request.  I love how they look, just because I know how silly these guys are.

Expect a printable or something of the sort from me by the end of the week!

<3 Linda