my playlist: chill pill

TGIF.
start your weekend right & listen below.
enjoy!

b-comfort, b-green, b-Burnetie

you must know this feeling: to walk for miles and miles, minutes beyond minutes (even hours), having your legs turn to jello and your feet give up because the shoes binding your feet are just too uncomfortable. 

walking is something almost unavoidable in New York City and you need to be able to survive on your feet the entire day, tourist or not. if you've never experienced the pain that completely exasperates your feet after a long day of walking, I am envious of you. I can only assume that 1) you have hooves that can mold to any shoe you put on, or 2) you only & always wear Burnetie shoes.

I got my first pair of Burnetie high tops last week and couldn't wait to wear them. with some friends in town visiting from SF, I thought a day playing tourist with them would be perfect to break in my new kicks. to my surprise, they needed no breaking in whatsoever.

just as a disclaimer: my feet are quite delicate. it's not uncommon for me to get blisters and soreness within just a couple hours of wearing shoes (don't even get me started with high heels..."beauty is pain" is an understatement). within a few steps in my new Burnetie's, I already felt like I was walking on clouds. kind of unbelievable, considering the last few pairs of shoes I bought have been a pain to wear - what a relief.

for starters, the fit was perfect. I'm usually a 6½-7 so I ordered the size 7 Burnetie. I had just the right amount of room and was a solid width for my feet. once I slipped on the high tops, it was like a natural feeling that my feet belonged in them. like the "glass slipper" if you may. not to mention, the zipper on the side makes it so easy to slip on & is SO convenient for days when you have to rush out the house! (aka everyday for me)

but in order to pass the comfort test, I had to take these pink high tops (the color btw is uber cute) out on the town. a full day of walking in NYC. now if you've ever walked more than 3 hours straight in the city, just trust me when I say you are guaranteed at least two blisters and an ice bath for your feet once you get home (if you ever make it home). believe it or not, I needed no such pain relief for my feet after a day in Burnetie's.

I made my way around the East Village, to Williamsburg via metro, gallivanting for God knows how long, to the Brooklyn Bridge, walking the entire thing to Manhattan. it was such an easy stroll along the bridge, I could've gone back and forth in my shoes, they were that comfortable. plus the view was incredible.

my day didn't end at the other side of the bridge. while my friends were already feeling exhaustion after the BK mile walk, I was the opposite. I was thoroughly surprised by my feet's stamina. of course, the only difference was that I was wearing Burnetie's.
a brisk walk to City Hall for the train led us to Chelsea for some pizza at Grimaldi's. perfect meal to equal out those calories burned throughout the day, am I right? story short, I literally walked for 3 hours straight in these shoes and I didn't complain, stop to sit down, readjust the lacing, air out, massage, or attempt to cut off my feet once. I'm officially a fan.

as a plus, ALL Burnetie shoes are made with zero waste & it's the only brand that utilizes vulcanized rubber to make completely new shoes [watch a video about it here]

not many manufacturing companies are eco-friendly, so I'm thrilled to have found a sneaker line whose mission is to reduce the amount of chemical products and toxic waste in the environment [read more here]

it most definitely is possible to be stylish, comfortable, and green all at the same time!

there's a ton of styles to choose from, for both men and women; you can find multiple colors, patterns, high tops to slip ons & they're all made with natural or recycled rubber.
I can't forget to add among being a great alternative shoe, Burnetie's are totally budget-friendly. the shoes range from just $20-100 & in this economy? not bad at all! 

here are some looks I created on polyvore, for other ways to wear these chic Burnetie pink high tops:

for a girly girl on a casual day

AX Paris owl dress, $29 / Green lapel vest / A|Wear lace handbag, $32 / ASOS engraved ring / Crystal stud earrings / Alexander Wang round sunglasses / Waist belt / High Top Vintage

perfect fall day outfit

Pull&Bear pull bear, $29 / Alice + Olivia leather shorts, $600 / Socks / Cross body handbag / Miso feather earrings, $11 / Triangle ring / 2b fedora hat / Burberry / High Top Vintage


want to see more?

shop the entire Burnetie collection here

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outside lands 2012

God, I love music festivals.
can't emphasize that enough.

I'm so beyond belief happy that I attended this year's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival last weekend. I already miss being in the chilly san francisco atmosphere of golden gate park, frolicking in the dirt and grass without a care in the world...just to listen to good music and be around great people.

really no words to describe how perfect our first day at OL was. the crowds were definitely scarce compared to the next two days, which I liked. our first band was tanlines and they sounded great live! even better than on record. we trekked over to the sutro stage to see reggie watts who triples as a beatboxer, rapper, and stand up comedian. by far the most interesting 45 minutes of my life at OL. there's much to explore at this festival, including the heineken dome which we checked out for a little bit to get some fist pumping in. yacht was our next stop, followed by die antwoord who easily became one of my favorite new acts. in between dancing like a crazy person at the twin peaks stage, we mellowed down to tennis. who put on one of the greatest live shows. her voice is just so magical. but you know who else's is? dave grohl. foo fighters was so sick, I loved feeling like I was in the '90s again. we ended the night with electronica at mstrkrft and the incredible justice (my #1 highlight of the weekend for sure & that was so unexpected). again, no words. I'm pretty sure I was almost completely sober during both acts but felt such a high, like I was one with the music. I think I danced the most I physically could that entire day, it was just perfect! also, the response to our King Joffrey stick was another success. so glad I made it!

after getting a solid 5 hour sleep friday night, it was time to prep for day two. so many great acts, yet we didn't get to the park until after 5:30. I was disappointed that we missed geographer, who would've been fantastic....but thankfully, we made it in time for the kills who I've been dying to see since college. allison mosshart is so badass! next up was norah jones who really is my idol. I've wanted to emulate her voice since high school, try as I may. her rendition of "don't know why" was so beautiful. got to catch passion pit for a hot second - literally! got there in time for "the reeling" & met up the other half of our group to see sigur ros. again, talk about magical. I was in such a daze within the first 15 minutes of their set. all the instruments and his voice were just drowning me in the utmost trance. was so relaxing to just sit on the grass and enjoy each other's company while listening to such beautiful music, even if we don't understand a single word of what they're singing! the icelandic language makes for amazing tunes. we took a bit of a 180 degree turn and decided to head over to metallica for some head banging and heavy metal rock n roll. it was serendipitous walking into the polo fields, with the fog rolling in, lights beaming through the trees, as "enter the sandman" played from a distance. how perfect was that? thus ended our short day at the park.

*le sigh* just thinking about how we closed our epic weekend at OL makes me sad. made sure to get an early start even if it meant roaming the grounds by myself...which is exactly what happened for the first couple hours! after brunch with non-OL attendees, I got to the park alone and watched big gigantic. SUCH an awesome duo! had fun dancing around the crowds, somehow finding my way to franz ferdinand where I met up with my friend. hopped back over to the panhandle stage only to bump into some more friends & get introduced to electric guest, who were incredible. next up was santigold who I've been dying to see ever since coachella live streamed her show last april. loved her energy. bloc party was a perfect follow-up, after bomba estereo for a hot minute. SO much international talent we got to witness! sunday was the ultimate festival close-out, as everyone knew it was "stevie wonder night." but for our group, we took the alternate route, without any regrets. we were in the mood to be flat out ratchet. and where better to act a fool than at wolfgang gartner & skrillex? I can't even begin to describe the energy bursting through the crowd. I'm sure the same was happening over at Stevie, but we wanted to be loud & obnoxious, and soak up in all edm goodness. it was such a great closing night, and skrill took me by complete surprise.

look into my eyes

in the past month, I've frequented the eye doctor after having this reoccurring redness in my right eye. it turns out that my overuse of contact lenses lead to an inflammation in both eyes, plus a bacterial infection of some sort. no bueno.

I don't remember when I started using contacts, but I do remember vividly in high school my obsession with colored contact lenses. I'd switch between turquoise and grey lenses, regaling in the fact that I could confuse people with my race just by changing the color of my eyes.

perhaps this contributed to my identity crisis growing up into my almost-adulthood, never remembering the real color of my eyes unless I wore glasses (which was a public rarity, and still is). one of my friends here gave me a nickname after my "green eyes" but once I switch back to clear contacts it will no longer have purpose. 

I've built this identity surrounding my unique, yet fake, eye color. I can't tell you how many times a guy has approached me just because he thinks my eyes are beautiful. "sorry to break it to you, but they're contacts." what. a. boner. kill.

now that I'm almost 24, I think it's time for me to move on and out with the fake eyes. my doctor told me that a majority of people with eye problems are usually those that wear colored lenses. they're thicker, which prevents more oxygen from hitting your eyes. hence, the inflammation and redness I've experienced. I'm down to my last few pairs of turquoise lenses and after that, I'll be done & ready to move on. part of being comfortable with yourself if accepting the fact that you were not born with blue or hazel or violet eyes, whatever it may be. this leads to why I'm writing this post. 

I came across this Korean website called Candy Lens, where you can buy literally any type of colored contact you can think of, even designs! every anime lovers' dream, pretty much. (that's not meant to be stereotypical...in my defense there's a whole section of the website dedicated to anime contact lenses)

there are literally hundreds of these lenses, ranging in all colors of the spectrum. but why the frenzy? and specifically, in Asian cultures?

typically, Asians have either brown or black eyes. having the option of colored lenses is a way of extending our personal style, in addition to begin separated from the rest. but I feel that aside from personal feelings on wearing colored contacts, the fact that yes, they are fun to wear and are less boring than flaunting your own pair of brown/black eyes, there is some kind of cultural dilemma Asians face in regard to changing their eye color.

in college, I tackled this issue of upper eyelid surgery, aka blepharoplasty, for asians in a sociology class. this concept of "whiteness" as a heralded race in Asian cultures is bothersome, especially when many Asian men and women undergo surgeries like this to enlarge their eyes, essentially. this is of course, a further step than simply getting colored contacts to look presumably less Asian.

what do you all think? are there ethical issues to wearing colored lenses, or is it just for sheer pleasure?

for me, there's always an underlying reason why we dress the way we dress, how we want society to see us. it wasn't my intention to get all psychoanalytical about my contacts, but it's an issue I, myself have to grapple with.

as for the future of my eyes, I'd like to experiment with clear lenses and rediscover who I am and what I was born with.

the year of the dragon

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

hope everyone had a fantastic NYE. mine was spent at home due to my inability to walk straight (I sprained my foot last thursday at avicii...which was bomb but the slippery sidewalks of san fran are the total opposite. so careless.)

2011 was a great year. so much happened. most were great, memorable, life-changing.

I'm looking forward to this new year. especially since it's my year: the dragon

here's what's awesome about this chinese astrological year:

Other years might seem to drag on, but the Year of the Dragon has the potential to breathe life-shaping fire, to be magical, even mythical. Keep one eye on the calendar and the other on the stars.

I'm ready to kill it in 2012

but before I do that, I want to remember all the good that's happened in 2011, so here's a look back at my year!

I began and ended the year with my favorite cousins/friends. funny how that worked out didn't it?

cheers

don't want to talk. all i hear is noise.

my cousins and I standing by the shore...well, the San Francisco Bay...

can I just tell you all about how obsessed I am with Empire of the Sun? since their uberly stellar coachella performance, I cannot get enough of these guys and have no idea how I ever lived without their music prior.

I felt compelled to post this song because I just got great news in the mail regarding a big white envelope sent to me by a university in New York, enclosing an acceptance letter to their grad school program. !!! I do have much to think about and have heard a slew of opinions and words of encouragement but since I have a couple weeks to turn in my decision...right now, all I hear is noise (but don't get me wrong...I'M SO EXCITED)

"standing on the shore"

nicole is "priceless"

last wednesday, Nicole Richie came out to The Grove in LA for a book signing to promote her latest, "Priceless"

hoping that I would at least have one companion to travel to West Hollywood with to attend this once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, my luck was shot as none of my LA friends were available. BUT I had a mission and nothing was going to stop me from meeting my celebrity girl crush. so I made the trek alone.. nervous, anxious, and so fucking excited.

thankfully, I got to Barnes a little early and the line wasn't extremely long, to my surprise. I waited for over an hour and finally...it was time to meet Nicole.

she's seriously even more gorg in person than she already is in pictures or tv...I heart her.

I'm about 5 chapters in and so far, so good! I honestly was not expecting much from her (or I guess, even her ghost writer's) writing skills but the story has me hooked and the dialog between the characters is very amusing and even hilarious at times. I can't wait to read what happens next!

until then, here's a bit of her latest from House of Harlow 1960 tribal collection:

really affordable and chic. to see the full line, visit the Trend Boutique

true life: i'm a college graduate

it's been 4 days since graduation. I feel no different, look no older, nor speak more professionally. $40,000 down the drain? not quite. there were multiple times throughout the weekend where I could've bitched someone out for cutting me in line at starbucks or for intentionally shaking my seat on an airplane but I did what any mature adult would do...nothing.

the sartorialist

october 22, 2009
beverly center terrace
los angeles, california
the sartorialist book signing
an unforgettable night.
it made my life (almost) complete.
c:



scott schuman is seriously one of the nicest people (famous figures) I have ever met, and I'm sure everyone that's attended a book signing can say the same.


each and every photo is so special.


free wine! and lots of desserts :)
p.s. do you like my a.wang inspired braid?


the crowd was so different from the typical LA vibe that I get every time I'm in hollywood. it was so refreshing to be part of a crowd that was (for the most part) so fashionable and cultured.

there were, however, a ton of aspiring bloggers that want to be "the next sartorialist"...please lol

more pictures to come soon! (aka once my friend uploads them onto facebook haha)


EDIT: MORE PICS!

scott and I sharing a moment :)


my loves

wall of inspiration...

...the beginning

it's britney bitch

once was simply not enough. I HAD to see the circus tour again, this time in LA. I missed my opportunity to see her in Paris so this was my last chance. and it was sooo worth spending another $150 on a ticket. though I knew what to expect, the show still had me screaming on the top of my lungs - it helped that our seats were freakin amazin, 3 rows from the floor! plus, I was a taaaad drunker than last time, and by "a taaad" I mean A LOT. haha. I want to re-live it. but I guess for now, pictures will do!


pre drinks at Yardhouse ... mmmm mojitos






so hot


sec 115 row 3 seats 9 & 10 running shit




yes I'm wearing a concert shirt to the concert. don't judge me..


<3

hello

for PR homework I read about how there are at least 175,000 new blogs a day. I suppose my blog will contribute to this large number.

thinking about blogs makes me look back on my Xanga days, so long ago I can't even remember my username(s). I wish I saved some of those entries because I updated that frequently and it held a lot of high school memories, if I remember correctly...not that I care for those anymore but it'd be nice especially for when I'm procrastinating. it's actually bugging me that I don't remember any of this, even with my old livejournal accounts, I have no idea how to access any of my old entries. I used to like doing that freshman year of college, I guess just to reflect on the old days; but even if I hate thinking about how square my high school experience was, I think it would be interesting to look back at those entries from time to time. just a thought...