Happy Valentine's Day!

The past two weeks have been extremely busy for me, and having a three-day weekend is excellent for detoxifying and catching up on some needed sleep.

But Happy Valentine's Day to all, regardless of if you are single, married, engaged, attached, or 'it's complicated.' I hope that your weekends are enjoyable even if you're on a getaway with your significant other or hanging out with friends at the mall.


Yesterday was the start of Fashion Week in Bryant Park- and while we're all still excitedly awaiting what is to come the following week, from what I've been seeing so far (from left to right- Georges Chakra, Yigal Azrou, and Nicole Miller), I've fallen for geometric and radically designed tops. But of course we'll see what is to come. I envy all and any of you who have had the honor of attending any sort of Fashion Week. :)


Last week (a reason why I haven't been able to update), I went on a snowboarding trip up to the Southern California mountains with some other friends and family members. Our cabin (top right) easily fit 30 people- the picture below is the great room when you enter. The picture next to it (top left) is a view from the backyard- it's very woodsy, just like Robert Frost's poems. The picture on the bottom right was the hill at Bear Mountain, where I went snowboarding and the picture in the bottom left is an adorable little snowman that we made while we waited for the trunks and luggage to be loaded into the car right before we left and came back home.



In my epistemology class, we recently discussed beauty. This is how we (as a class) were able to define for ourselves who is beautiful or not: if [insert name of person you think is beautiful] were to appear without make up and dress up just like you and walked into the same school/work place as you, would you notice them? While most of us would agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I've come to realize that there are rarely any movie stars out there that may be defined as truly beautiful, regardless of what generation they're in. As a consensus, my class agreed that perhaps the most timeless female beauty we agree on is Audrey Hepburn.


If you were to pick one person (male or female) who you thought represented timeless classic beauty, who would it be?

Happy Valentine's Day and kisses to all of you!

Confessions of a Beatnik

Beatnik: (n) a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

Welcome to Confessions of a Beatnik! My blog will be for the sole purpose of everything and anything I would like it to be. It will be a blog of not just fashion, or writing, but of anything that has impacted my life. Each week, I will be doing a series of picture shows that I think sum up the week in best (somewhat cimilar to BBC's "This Week in Pictures." Enjoy my blog and follow me in my quest to learn more about life, love, and anything and impacting that is impacting society.

This is what I love for this week:




1. Slumdog Millionaire- Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, the moment the movie began I was hooked. For any hopeless romantic like me, I highly recommend it.
2. Obama- While the inauguration was a few weeks ago, I still can't seem to get over the fact that change is indeed here.
3. Franz Ferdinand- With a new album that just came out earlier this week, the band (originated from Scotland) had excellent beats. Be sure to check out 'Take Me Out' and 'No You Girls Never Know.'
4. Jason Wu- If anybody saw Michelle Obama's dress at the inauguration ball, you will know that from that one night, designer Jason Wu has become high on the list of 'upcoming designers.' The New York Times has an excellent article that profiles him here.

And here is 'This Week 1/31/09':


1) Beijing Olympic Stadium- I'm a big fan of the Olympics, so there was no doubt that for almost the complete month of August I was glued to my television on the HD channel watching Michael Phelps make history, and every other athlete competing. Although some stadiums are used for recreational use after the Olympics is done (i.e. Montreal's stadium is still in use as a full-scale gym for people in the area), the bird's nest will be transformed into a large shopping area. While I personally think it will be sad to see the transformation, there is no doubt in my mind that the shopping center will bring in more money into the economy than simply leaving it.
2) Bangles- This set of bangles is from Zac Posen- and I adore it. I love chunky jewelry pieces, and bangles are a great easy way to add a bold look to a wardrobe.
3) FDR- Sure, ex-President FDR is gone, but in my opinion, his legacy still remains. Without him, US Citizens would not know the meaning of 'social security' (as he established the Truth and Securities Act), and banks would not be as stable (established banks to have strong connections with FDIC), but I think Obama's new policy is an establishment of what FDR did during his New Deal. After all, FDR did come after the Great Depression that hit on that fateful October day in the stock market, and after Hoover's lack of government regulation, FDR's ability to bring the economy back and to improve through government intervention has left a long-lasting effect on the US. With Obama's new stimulus package to build more roads and to allow for more government jobs for more people, I'm hoping that simlarly to FDR's New Deal, Obama's package will just be as useful. We'll just have to wait and see. You can also read what one journalist from the LA Times thinks about this here.

As for now, so long until next time!

-Confessions of a Beatnik.