Dear NYU

Opening my Into to Marketing course pack, I found enclosed a red slip that reads (and yes, this is ALL in caps…): 

“WARNING

ANY REPRODUCTION OF THIS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED 

AND IS

BREAKING THE LAW…

….PLEASE RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF THIS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND YOUR ETHICS AS A STUDENT.”

Well, I say:

Dear NYU, 

I understand that this material is copyrighted and should be paid for, but charging us $50 for  a set of low quality paper photocopies you call “coursepacks” is too much (you actually charged $168 for my MOA coursepack, but I’m not going to get too into that because at least you didn’t put a “warning” slip in it). Even though $50 is a trivial amount compared to the over $50K tuition that we pay every year to attend this school, we still shouldn’t have to pay anything more for a course than the required text-books.

These photocopies should come with the course, free of charge. Or, at the very least, you can charge less for them. So please, uphold your ethics as a self-proclaimed non-profit academic institution, and don’t overcharge students. We are already on a very tight budget (you made us this way in the first place, by the way). 

Thank you, 

M.C.

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obsessing over Decoden.

Back in San Francisco I got a pack of gem stickers from Japan Town . I’ve been sticking them on my cellphone and it looks so friggen cute. I was aware that in Asia this is a pretty common thing, and there they go over the top with the pimp-age. 

 

 

 

 

I’m going to order myself the decoden kit for the first picture, ugh I can’t help it. This whole thing is so glamorously tacky and asian…I fucking love it. 

 

Oh, on I suppose a more serious note…school started. Major soul searching to ensue. Whatever. 

i’ll update this as i remember.

Things to do before school starts (Sept. 8th): 

– Get hair done. Meaning re-dyed, permed, and cut. 

– Buy new furniture for my bedroom.

– Visit to eye doctor. 

– New glasses? New schoolbag? hmm.

– Visit the herbologist. 

– Buy American Apparel shirts/hoodie from Trendy Blanks.

– Mail Stacey her birthday present (long overdue) and return her Sam Soon DVD.

All Saints – Spitafields

Just got back from a bit of weekend shopping with my mom and aunt in Bloomingdales.

Being that this weekend is the last of the 50% off sale items, I expected to spend most of my day rummaging through racks of last season’s crap, and to come away with mediocre things that I only decided to buy because it would be a pity not to take advantage of the sale in some way. But it’s funny how things usually turn out contrary to how you expect them to.

Today, in one of the least likely places, I discovered my new favorite clothing brand – All Saints.

Some of my favorite pieces. The pictures speak for themselves:

the back…ugh so good.

Their section stood out from all the others – with its rugged and eerie decor reminiscent of a set from Pirates of the Caribbean (not saying that I’ve actually seen the movie). I was immediately drawn to the interestings shapes and cuts of their clothing. This one amazing layered geometrical dress resembled a parachute skirt I bought in Osaka years back.

I would describe their clothes as very Rick Owens/Comme des Garcons-esque. I seriously would’ve worn EVERYTHING, and that never happens. I’m so glad that this brand is actually very reasonably priced. I bought the first dress in the pictures for $190. That isn’t exactly budget-friendly, but it’s certainly cheaper than what Juicy dresses cost. And for what I’m getting in return, it is worth every dollar.

Apparently that Bloomingdales started to sell the British brand only three days ago on Wednesday. And only in the 3rd Ave Bloomies can you buy their clothes in the US. But given their all around awesomeness, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot of them in the near future.

redecorating the bedroom.

Since I’ll be living back home for now on, I figured I might as well make the best of it. So! this summer I really want redecorate my room. I couldn’t start until August because I had guests staying in my room all of July.

I don’t have anything specific in mind, at first I was thinking of doing something really dramatic like repainting my walls and throwing out all that old furniture I’ve had since the 5th grade. Maybe I’d do a wall mural while I’m at it, too. But, it’s mid-August already and I haven’t done shit. NOTHING.

At this point, I have at most two and a half weeks until school starts and I really won’t have time to do anything. What am I to do?

Add dramatic lighting

Yesterday I was at Lee’s Art Shop on 57th between Broadway and 7th and saw an AMAZING rainbow chandelier. And then I pictured that piece of beauty hanging in my room and thought a simple thing like that can really make a HUGE difference. It was $120 which I thought was kind of much for a plastic chandelier but I did some more research online and it turned out to be the best price out there.

Wall De-Cals

I definitely won’t have the time to do a wall mural, but the next best thing are wall-decals, basically stickers for your walls. There are some really pretty floral and nature-ish designs out there and all I have to do is peel and stick (but knowing me there even might be some trouble with that…)

New Curtains

The curtains in my room are SO ugly. so ugly. My mom picked them out when we first moved in and they are fit for old ladies. Actually, my grandma wouldn’t even approve of them. Those curtains bothered me for the longest time, and it is time to make a move and buy new curtains of my choice.

New Knobs

Anthropologie sells some really beautiful door/drawer knobs. They aren’t that expensive either, ranging from $6-$14 most of it. Instead of buying a new drawer I could just change the knobs of the white one I have right now. Ta-da.

This is kind of a haphazard post. But I need to be at work soon! And today, I am giving them my two weeks notice.

And for those who are wondering, despite my overly excited post from last time, I didn’t get the Angel Chang shirtdress. My paycheck at Gap for two weeks wasn’t even enough to cover the cost, and knowing me I probably wouldn’t ever get the chance to wear it. So, I decided to pass it up and spend my hard earned money on American Apparel. haha.

the fashion show: angel chang

An hour ago I finished watching the finale of The Fashion Show tonight. Congrats to Anna even though though I was personally rooting for James-Paul.

As I was watching, I saw that Angel was wearing the most amazing shirt dress. And then I fell completely and utterly in love.

It turns out that Angel made this during a challenge, and because she got so many messages to remake it, she did! Now it’s for sale on her website shop for $295.

 

I love the details at the waist and the splash of blue. There is also a kick-ass avant-garde spirit behind this piece, officially called the “Siamese Twin Shirt Dress” because it is actually two shirt dresses sewed together! It turns into three different garments: a shirtdress, another dress worn upside down, and a layered jacket.

I remember Angel got eliminated relatively early during the show, but it turns out that she is actually a pretty successful designer, with Kirna Zabete stocking things from her past collections. I was looking through her work and I was really, really impressed. I will definitely follow what she’ll be doing in the future. 

Back to the “Siamese Shirt Dress.” I haven’t felt this way about any particular piece of clothing in a long, long time…or perhaps ever. Despite shopping so much the past month and promising myself that I will not buy anything for a while, I think I will splurge on this when I get my paycheck next week. I can’t help it. This is instinct.

But with the extra few pounds that I’ve gained over the past month or so, how will this look on me?

Rainy Thursday

Sorry for the lack of updates! I’ve been pretty occupied the last month with my two jobs and showing my guests from China around New York.

Even though they were really nice people, the good news is that they are GONE and I finally get my room back (I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress for a month while they were here…). This also means I can finally start redecorating my room.

Also, I’m ending my time with Cynthia Rowley on August 4th and I’m unbelievably excited. All I have left is the Gap and it’s good that I work 3 times a week, for about 4 hours a day. And that I am only doing until the beginning of September.

It hasn’t really felt like summer namely because of the lack of sunshine, good free outdoor concerts ,and traveling. It feels like so long since being in San Francisco. Also I haven’t gone to the beach and all I have is a lousy sandal tan line on my feet. But! yesterday while Irene, Catherine and I were eating at Butter for Restaurant Week, we discussed a potential mini-vacation in August. We’re thinking Cape Cod? We’ll see!

Also in regards to Restaurant Week, which is running through July 31st, my mom and I were thinking of going to Smith & Wollensky’s sometime next week. The menu looks so good. 10 oz filet mignon? I’m so there.

Today is one of those rare days off and I decided to cook up something. Greg made Ina Garten’s Orzo with Roasted Vegetables dish towards the end of the school year and it was really yummy. I’ve been meaning to make it for a long time and I finally did today! Here were the results.

I used zucchini instead of eggplant just because I remember not liking eggplant and green peppers instead of yellow. The feta is the star in this dish and ties all the flavors together. Next time I would definitely put less olive oil in the vinaigrette. My mom is not a big fan because she hates feta, but for those like me who love feta…this dish won’t disappoint.

re-energize.

Since starting college, I’ve been operating on a really fucked up sleep schedule and eating unhealthily. And all this has really taken a heavy toll on my energy levels and overall brain power.

This summer one of my main goals was to get healthy. This means adopting healthier eating habits and exercising. However, sad to say, I’ve been eating even more unhealthily (cake at 2am anyone?) and did no real exercising. NONE. All in all – I actually gained weight since being back, and I constantly feel extremely, extremely lazy.

BUT I still have a month and a half before school starts and it’s not to late! The past week I’ve started hula-hooping (a great waist exercise I must say) for about 20 minutes a day. I want to start jogging/bike-riding soon, too. I feel the hardest for me is to actually eat less and healthier…I have guests over from China right now and going out every night for dinner doesn’t help things!

Breaking down my GET HEALTHY plan:

Exercising:

• 20-minutes of hula-hooping every night.
• 30-45 minutes of jogging every day.

Eating:

• No more cake at night – if you seriously can’t help it eat a small piece.
• No more diet coke. WATER PLEASE. 
• More veggies, less fried-foods.
• Only eat to the point of satisfaction for dinner.
• Cook more for yourself. You’ll probably eat healthier and less.
• NO MORE EATING AFTER 9PM

Additionally, I’m going to go see a Chinese herbologist to see what he has to say about my low energy levels…and I am also considering taking daily supplements of omega-3 fish oils. Hm. 

Well, here is a brief outline of my proposed regimen. I figured actually putting my ideas down on paper would help to motivate me. What I really want is to get into a really good mental and physical shape for the upcoming school year. I think that is what really did me in last semester. 

We’ll see.

mark ryden

A few days ago I went into my room and found that someone (probably my mother) took out a rendition I did of one of Mark Ryden’s paintings. It’s a good thing I saw it because right after I decided to check up on what he’s been doing lately and to my surprise he has a new art series out, the “Snow Yak Show.” Ladies and gents, I would like to share with you my favorites from this collection: 

I will admit I am not head over heels by this series, but I am excited nonetheless because a) it hasn’t even been a year since he showed his last series, “The Tree Show,” and b) I am just excited about Mark Ryden in general.

Yes, I know you are probably creeped out by the naked doe-eyed girls and floating Lincoln head, but hey this is Ryden’s morbid genius that I love and this is what is central to his work, oddly. Check out some of his other work on his website http://markryden.com. 

I also found out today that he actually created the cover art for Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” album. Beautiful, love the meticulous details in this. Evidently, MJ was feeling the Ryden love, too. 

Andd I just found out that he has a postcard book of “The Tree Show” for sale on his website for $12.95. 

Yeah, so I need this. In a way my NYU peeps should be glad I won’t be dorming next year because I would so put these up on my wall and, since they were even creeped out by my Yoshitomo Nara postcards (really now?), these would seriously give them nightmares.

What can I say, I have a penchant for creepy, freaky and morbid art.

Also, if you’re curious, here’s that rendition of Ryden’s painting that I did:

Mine: 

Ryden’s (for comparison):

Love.

RIP MJ

I’ve been listening to so much Michael Jackson music within the past week or so (Rock With You has so been my jam). And I’ve realized that it’s really too bad the only part of the Michael Jackson phenomenon that I’ve gotten to first-hand experience was the controversy over his lawsuits, plastic surgeries and bizarre behavior.

However, the past week has been filled with nostaligic MJ overload: reading many articles, watching countless TV-segments and youtube videos, and re-watching the Martin Bashir interview. I know I’m late on this, but I think from this I’ve developed a rather solidified view of MJ that I’d like to share with you all. Initially I planned to write something more elaborate, but I think this condensed version might turn out to be more meaningful. Here it goes:

Michael Jackson is the most successful recording artist in history, and I don’t think there will ever be another celebrity that could parallel his success and worldwide impact. But, in the end, he died as a victim of the media, portrayed as a sick, psychotic she-male child molester when in reality he was just physically unhealthy, very lonely and mentally in a place that very few could relate to. He was a talented, soft-spoken man with good intentions that people took advantage of for money and was made into a figure of ridicule by the press. I have become extremely sympathetic to Michael, but I am glad he is in better place and that right now he is remembered above all for his musical legend. 

In news unrelated to MJ, I am having a post-July 4th barbeque. And I am dreading my first day at the Gap tomorrow. DREADING.