Remember until high school, waking up early was not impossible. It was hard, but not impossible. Somehow, after college waking up before noon has become the hardest thing in the world. My sleep cycle was completely messed up since I graduated in May. I went to bed when the sun came out. And I would just sleep the day away.
However, living in Illinois for almost 3 years, I have learned that summer is too short to be wasted on sleeping! After 6 months of brutal weather, the long awaited summer has finally arrived. I am not going to sleep summer 2011 away.
May 29, 2011 Sunday morning 7AM
Hair ready- Fish tail
Get dressed- Chiffon top from FAshion BAbe's Wendy HOuse
So, I did grocery shopping at 7 AM on a Sunday morning at County Market. I was excited to get Rocky Road ice cream but unfortunately they did not have it. But I have to say I actually enjoy shopping when the supermarket is empty. Like this place is reserved for me.
This morning was productive. From now on, I am going to an earlier bird.
I like ice cream. I may have ice cream when I eat at a restaurant but it’s never been on my grocery shopping list. Until……THIS!
I named it the “Muddy Rocky Road.” It’s supposed to be coffee and Rocky Road ice cream but I ran out of Rocky Road ice cream when I took this picture. I replaced it with regular chocolate chip ice cream. It's simple and delicious. I am definitely hooked with this dessert. And from now on, Rocky Road ice cream is a must-have item on my grocery shopping list.
This trivial change struck me in the head and made me wonder: When was the last time I tried something new?
Life should be more spontaneous. Last time I did something spontaneous was with Christina, almost a year ago! The last weekend of summer vacation, we decided to drive to Miami. We only had one night to plan and we hit the road the next day.
Being in such a small space for almost 20 hours was not so fun. But, it turned out to be worthwhile.
I will never forget the feeling when being on the beach. I thought, “Wow, last night I was still having coffee with Christian at Starbucks in Champaign. And now I’m here in MIAMI!”
I can have thousands of plans for my life; but none will lead to anything without execution.
Since I have decided to be more spontaneous and try new things in life, I started my day with a challenge of picking out an outfit that I've always loved but never felt confident wearing because of my height. (I’m 5’3)
I tied my hair up in a ponytail and it made a difference. My hair is long and wavy, so it kind of creates a visual effect that makes my upper body look longer than my lower body. So tying up my hair definitely helps.
I would prefer wearing wedges with this dress. But I wanted to be comfortable walking. So I just threw on a pair of sandals from Guess.
Last night, I was going through all my nail polishes. I decided to wear this obnoxious pink. It’s summer. It’s a colorful season. It’s a season to play colors!
Through the fashion photographer Cecil Beaton's eyes, fashion should be daring, be different, be impractical, and be anything that will assert imaginative vision against the play-it-safer.
So, get out of your comfort zone and start living your life now! You will be surprised how fun life can be once you get rid of the boring routines in your life.
What does fashion even mean? The legendary icon Alexander McQueen, CoCo Chanel, Hermès, Sex & the City, Vogue, Paris, Milan, celebrities, snobbish people…I can imagine the answers range from different categories: people, brands, locations, objects, movies, etc. However, while these answers appear to be so comprehensive, all I hear are high-end, expensive, snobbish, and materialistic.
Does fashion have to be so unapproachable and so unaffordable?
CoCo Chanel said, “Fashion does not only exist in dresses. Fashion is in the sky, in the streets. Fashion is about ideas, the way we live and what is going on at this moment.”
“Fashion is anything that is popular in a culture at any given time.” If so, then fashion really cannot be defined solely by one meaning. It is constantly changing and definitely varies across cultures.
Fashion is representation. The way a person dresses reflects his/her personality, lifestyle, income, culture and so on. It is a personal statement on who you are, what you want to be and how you live your life. It can be care-freed and it can be carefully managed.
Photo by The Sartorialist
Fashion is the creation of creative ideas. Creative ideas are arts. Arts are subjective. So fashion really is subjective.
Photo by The Sartorialist
Above is another photo by The Sartorialist. Although she is not wearing Christian Dior or CoCo Chanel and she matches a striped top with a floral skirt, she still dominates the clothes and develops her own definition of fashion with her confidence and happiness. Fashion is not mainstreamed and should not be. Fashion does not exist without confidence. It is the fundamental element in good representation. It cannot be bought; it cannot be faked. It can only be discovered, built and maintained.
Fashion is fun. And it should never be limited to intimidating brand names and absurd prices. Some people try to set a “fashion boundary” between themselves and the “others” to satisfy their ego. (They are the snobbish people I referred to earlier) But, fashion is not “owned” by anyone. It simple resides in each and everyone of us. Just be happy with who you are.
