endless city

"I dream for a living"

2009-09-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

"You have many years ahead of you to create the dreams that we can't even imagine dreaming. You have done more for the collective unconscious of this planet than you will ever know."

-Steven Spielberg

I'm feeling hopeful and patient today--and ready for whatever life's got in store for me. Thanks, Mr. Spielberg ;)

Back in the swing of things...

2009-09-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

i'm so excited fall is just around the corner.

1. i turn 21 in the fall

2. i'm back in school (thank goodness for a routine!)

3. new york in the fall is absolutely beautiful

the hamptons excursion was a huge success, and sort of the last big shebang of summer before i had to get down to business. now i'm loving the smell of freshly sharpened bouquets of pencils, crisp college ruled notebooks, and new textbooks. i've got a tough semester ahead, but really, really fascinating courses that i cannot wait to get immersed in! not to mention, a huge load of shakespeare, as i'm playing rosalind in uncle will's As You Like It in november (more to come on that).

in lieu of the school year, i've been perusing this list:

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

even if it does sound a little morbid (i would rather it said-"1001 Books You Should Read Because it would be Fun") it has a million--or 1001, i guess--amazing books on there.

i'm also planning on traveling to central park to romp in the enormous amounts of leaves that will be falling in the next month or so! i'm listening to a Wayne Newton song on replay in my brain--"I recall Central Park in fall... how you tore your dress, what a mess! I confess, that's not all..."

The lover's bedside book

2009-09-05T09:16:00.001-07:00

I'm in the Hamptons, for the very first time, staying at nick's family's beach house. wow, it is beautiful. i always love being surrounded by a rich history as well... and this particular family has a lot of rich history--not only in the stories they tell at the dinner table (over fantastic meals, mind you), but in the things they keep around the lovely cottage. last night, as i was perusing through the books on the shelves, i came across a gift to one of the family members that was given to her in 1957--a little book by a French cartoonist, called The Lover's Bedside Book. how quaint, fanciful, and romantic it was! i flipped through every single page, and each picture was more fun and imaginative and silly than the last.--what every lover wants in a relationship. it sure did enhance the beauty that is the east hamptons. :)

what have you learned?

2009-08-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

gotta admire Stefan Sagmeister... a fellow new yorker. founder of the inspirational and artistic: Things I have learned in my life so far.... simple and somewhat obvious messages and idioms, yet meaningful all the same, and displayed in individually artistic and beautiful ways. it really is a daunting thing, to sit down and think... "what have i really learned in my life so far...?" especially, when i'm still so young. you can agree with, disagree with, and think some people's opinions are just plain weird; but the point is, you're connecting with other people and appreciating the way they express themselves. that's what i love about Stefan's idea.

i love these:

"the whole world reminds me of music, and the music reminds me that i'm free"

"let madness be your culture"

"never take anything for granted"

"life is unpredictable"

YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM!

2009-08-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

DID I SAY IT ENOUGH TIMES?!?!

Let's all bake these!

yummmmmmmm...

thank you, thank you, thank you chockylit and your cupcake blog for the recipe.

new tattoo?

2009-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

yes? no? maybe? so?

i'm thinkin' yes.

the word speaks for itself.

the feather is a drawing from my sketchbook.

picture it without the grey background (these are pencil shades from my sketch)

my birthday is coming up (OCT--LIBRA!!), and i believe a present to myself is in order:

lots of pain and ink in my skin.

but it's worth it.

;)

the Monk Man

2009-08-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

it seems that i'm on a roll in profiling people that inspire me this month and sharing what i love about them with you. so why not add a person to the list that i haven't just discovered... he has inspired me continually for most of my life. thelonious monk, man... he's the best of the best.

somewhat of an obscure jazz pianist, and perhaps one of the most eccentric.

and now it's:

STORY TIME!

i started piano lessons as a young girl, but not to learn scales, arpeggios, and the like. no, my father thought it essential that i was taught in the ways of jazz piano styles, which, is a very different way of learning. my dad is a drummer and loves jazz music, so i like to think that he had a fantasy of playing jazz jams with his piano prodigy of a daughter... alas, however, i regrettably have lost the touch that i had back then. it is an art that you must keep up and hone in on.

BUT, i never lost my love for this man. we could all take a lesson from him, plunking away at the piano. the thing i love about his music is how accurately it describes a life i strive to live. no stanzas, refrains, choruses, or any type of structure to the song whatsoever--but passion, spontaneity, and an enviably cool attitude in every note. he plays what he feels.

Dace Moore

2009-08-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

i fell in love when i came across her site...

"With styles that possess sophisticated modern lines, the d a c e brand always conveys a sense of classic femininity."

simply fantastic, if you ask me.

jan von holleben

2009-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

dreams of flying, is fantastic, imaginative, marvelous, and brilliant!!

what i want to know is... how did he get all of these kids to stay still for him to capture these photos?! ... who am i kidding... they were probably loving it!

who doesn't want a photo taken of themselves flying?!

these photos remind me of coldplay's newest music video

oh, chris martin, you are a super hero.

inventions

2009-08-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

There's a blogger for the NY Times Opinions page named Maira Kalman--and she is oh-so-fabulous. I've been poring over her posts. The blog is called And the Pursuit of Happiness.

#1. She is a pretty impressively smart lady.

#2. She is a pretty impressive artist.

#3. She is a pretty impressive humorist.

#4. I really like her. :)

She began this new illustrated blog/column about American Democracy in January '09, and a new one pops up on the last Friday of every month. What I love the most about her is the subtlety and lightheartedness in which she uses principles, sites, and figures in America's history and government to delve into deeper thoughts on the people of this country. July's post not only stuck with me after reading it, but motivated me to get up off my butt and DO something! Applause applause applause, Maira! Thank you for the spank that got me in gear. The post is about one of our most impressive forefathers... none other than Benjamin Franklin.

A few things really got to me:

#1. Franklin's charts of daily goals for doing good every day.

Really, honestly, truly... how genius is this?

It is a simply-put, straight forward way to

ensure that at some point of the day,

something good will arise of your own doing.

Props, Mr. Franklin. I think I may adopt this schedule myself...

Sophisticated colonial vocabulary and everything.

#2. The sum-up of the post.

You heard her! Get a move on! What's your excuse?

excursions

2009-08-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

i was in my hometown--beautiful, wholesome, mile-high Denver, CO--a few weeks ago... and i had an adventure worth sharing. an adventure unlike anything i'd ever get in the city. first, let me preface with the fact that my brother in law is an avid mountain climber, and his favorite way of doing this is climbing from the base of whatever mountain he is tackling at midnight or so, so he reaches the summit at sunrise, at a time when most 'sane' and 'normal' people are still snug asleep. he informed me on a walk we shared after dinner one evening that it's a surreal, fantastic moment being on the top of a mountain (in the best mountains of all: the rockies) virtually alone, watching the sun leak onto each small crevice of Colorado and the amazing mountains that live there. i couldn't help thinking as he was sharing a few anecdotes of his own excursions and adventures, "wow, this is something i think i would really like." in fact, i think i said "wow" about a million times as we walked together.

my family then trekked up to a spot in rocky mountain national park, and set up two tents, and a teepee. yes, a teepee. coincidentally, that weekend it was Colorado's birthday! happy birthday, Colorado! i'm so glad you were inducted into the United States! where would i be without you?! as we were celebrating Colorado's wondrous and fruitful offerings as a state of the union, i drew this picture of our surroundings:

yes. it was pretty gosh darn beautiful.

after a lovely campfire, singing KOOM-BAH-YAH MY LORD (i wish we really had) and eating s'mores (which i'm so glad we really did), my brother in law started packing up. he said, "anyone who wants to go on an overnight hike is welcome to..." with a hopeful expression. i threw all fears to the fire, grabbed my little sister and said, "HUZZAH! I'M COMING ALONG!!!" and so my excursion began...

he was beside himself. his list of things to pack in a small backpack:

-a blanket

-water bottle

-carbs

-...that's all

he had the compass.

we climbed. we hiked. we tripped. we were freaked out. because it was dark in the middle of mountain lion and grizzly bear territory. at about 3 A.M, we setup camp. meaning, we unrolled our blankets, and laid down, under the most beautiful sky of vivid stars i have even seen. thinking back, i can't believe that i was as content as i was sleeping out in the open of the wilderness like that. i never made it to the summit... my brother in law tried waking us up, but we were in too deep of a sleep in mother nature to finish the mountain with him. we woke up at around 6 A.M. to him coming back from his summit trip, hiked back down the mountain without saying a word, and i've never felt closer to nature than i did that morning.

and i wasn't attacked by any grizzlies, mountain lions! HUZZAH!

orlala!

2009-08-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

found this QUESTIONNAIRE of one of my favorite designers, orla kiely--getting ready for her presentation at london's fashion week in september.

Designer name: Orla Kiely Origin: Dublin
Design background: Orla studiedat the Royal College of Art. Her first job was at Espirit.

Career highlight: “Opening our flagship store in Covent Garden.”

What is your signature style?“Colour, pattern and texture with a 60s twist.”

How would you describe the Orla Kiely woman? “Creative.” Name three things that are inspiring you for spring/summer 2010:“Patrick Heron, Cornish boat scenes and the original Stepford Wives film.”

Where in London do you find most inspiring? “The V&A museum.”

What sums up quintessential London for you? “Skylon at Royal Festival Hall.”

This year marks London Fashion Week’s 25th anniversary. What is your most striking LFW memory? “Constructing our stand at our first Fashion Week when I was seven months pregnant!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

cool. so, now that we have a little taste of who miss kiely is, let's SHOP her collection! i am always drawn to her quirky, colorful, girly style. i feel it connects with some part of me that stays delicate, sweet, innocent, and somewhat child-like. i unfortunately don't own anything of hers... but i imagine if i did, i would always escape to some pretty, laced world where i'm baking perfect apple pies, riding a vintage cruiser bicycle with a scarf over my head next to audrey hepburn, who just met up with me after a ballet lesson. then later i'd meet up in my cute little sailboat with mr. right with the perfect hair, fishing for some type of colorful fish that you'd see in a wes anderson world.

...and then i'd pick flowers with jackie kennedy or something...

it just keeps going.

i urge you to peep through her lookbook...

mr. kelly... you're a doll

2009-08-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

every summer before i graduated high-school, i was a camper at the national tap ensemble's annual tap camp that used to be held in colorado. for two weeks, we'd dance all day, learning from the most talented, respected, and creative tap dancers in the country. we took experimental tap classes, street and hip hop tap, classical, and so on... today i was reminiscing about one of my favorite classes at the camp... it was dubbed, "tap on film," and this consisted of learning numerous dances from movies, mostly the great MGM musicals. Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Gregory Hines--they were our muses. one specific summer we spent an entire week on a number from Kelly's masterpiece, Singin' in the Rain. to this day, i can watch this dance and do it along with the video.

funny, how something this complicated and difficult can stay engrained in your mind after such a long time. i'm so very glad that i do remember this dance. even just watching it gets me excited and ready to go. :)

_____________________________________________________________

i've always considered myself a tap dancer more than anything else. i've always felt stronger in this genre of dance rather than ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, namely because of my mother's decision to expose me to Mr. Kelly's genius films as a child. if you haven't seen them, i'm urging you to watch them... NOW!!! they always give me the sweetest sense of nostalgia, help me chase all my blues away, and set the bar for the kind of chivalrous, charming wise guy i knew i wanted to fall head over heels in love with--after all, kelly was all of those things. ;) i am absolutely smitten with him. he was a gorgeous, gorgeous man. talented, intelligent... sigh... smooth, debonair, playful, romantic... he was a rascal.

"If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I`m the Marlon Brando."

-Gene Kelly

NOTE: for a considerable challenge that involves a lot of sweating--try to learn one of his dances. i assure you, he makes them look a lot easier than they are.

the inspiration museum

2009-07-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

there are way too many places to see in the city, and seemingly so little time to do it. amidst all of the chaos, however, there are times when you stumble across something that gives you so much inspiration and simply oozes new york city's character. it's moments like this, when you find these spots in the city (that are different for each person), where the chaos seems to halt, and you are ecstatic to be a new yorker--even if you happen to be an emigrant new yorker ;). this particular spot in the city i had heard of many times before, but only recently did i visit this place, since i recently moved into its adjacent neighborhood. it's an artists' museum, his studio, rather, where he sells his coveted slogans and artworks that are usually seen in random places around the city's walls, sidewalks, scaffolding, lampposts, and even trash. he sells greeting cards, bags, t-shirts, books, stickers, pins, all of the things you may see in a museum gift shop blocks up on the museum mile. but his museum is much bigger than any Metropolitan Museum of Art, or MOMAfortress. his museum is the city. the big, bad city that sometimes discourages the dreamers (like me) to lose their dreams in the cracks--and he is reminding everyone with his awry sense of humor, and experienced nature about new york city's hardships, that dreams and goals are indeed reachable even when you are surrounded by the negative.

i visited his museum and found him sitting outside in his lawn chair. i was immediately transfixed. we had a short hello, and i found myself personally connecting to every piece he had in his museum. everything spoke to me, and i can't even begin to explain the reasons why. it is something you have to experience for yourself. next time you're in the city... go to 102 St. Mark's Place if you haven't been before. maybe you'll feel the same way about it as i do, maybe you won't. but it is most certainly a museum that will give you a taste of how it feels to live in the city.

here he is...

and my personal favorite:

dogs.

2009-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

found this great photographer on Flickr with the help of someone special, and perusing her photos really reminded me how grateful i am for man's best friend. i have four dogs in Colorado--Cleo, Pepito, Madeline, and Flower--a dog here in the city--Mokie--and a dream dog that i will get someday. Maximus Decimus Meridius, the Bernese Mountain Dog.

the photographer is mosippy, and her pictures light up my heart ♥ :) They are fun, quirky, and candid portraits, with perhaps more personality than most humans' portraits. i'm telling you... you've GOT to check these out. it'll have you buying puppies in no time. einstein, the shy cocker spaniel, and texas are some of my favorites. you will definitely learn a lesson from these pups on how to be yourself in front of the camera, and never be ashamed of who 'yourself' is.

If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat. (... however, i still love cats, too)

Bernese photos:

stay tuned for pictures of my own Bernese, Maximus (could take a while since I haven't even adopted him yet). Soon...

be funkilicious

2009-07-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

i found this site... it is oh so wonderful, and oh so easy to get distracted by.

ever wanted to see a cartoon of yourself?

or have you ever wanted to 'warholize' yourself?

OR have you ever wanted to make a stencil drawing of yourself?!?!

look no further than be funky

found this perusing the web, and spent WAY too much time uploading pictures.

BUT LOOK WHAT YOU CAN DO!!!!

nick took the original picture:

...but i can apply all of these effects.

and the coolest part is:

i can gift them as postage, post cards, t-shirts, a cool personalized card, a keychain, a magnet.

EEE! i love finding good gift ideas!

have fun funkifying your pictures!

i'm such a loner :)

2009-07-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

loners, in my opinion, have long had a bad rap. we characterize them as outcasts and undesirables--hermits at best; at worst, potential unabombers, yikes! but, since it is so easy to feel alone in nyc at times, why not embrace it? i'm finding this notion so gratifying. i'm discovering things and finding inspiration in the least likely of crevices. it's always been rather easy for me to go into my head and feel alienated, but now, i'm not associating any negative words with this alone time that i am getting. i'm no alien!!

i'm thinking that successful alone time means letting go of my communication addiction. no texting, no facebook, no phone calls, no blogging, no emails, no coffee dates, ZIP, NADA, ZILCH! just me, with myself, and i. it's there that i can get my best thinking done.

a rekindled flame

2009-07-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

what can i say? new york can keep a curious and creative girl like me busy all the time (too busy to blog, apparently), but in the midst of the hustle and bustle, and the seemingly endless amount of free time it feels like this summer is giving me, i've rekindled a smoldering flame of mine. it's a rather mysterious love that most people don't know i have. is he tall dark and handsome, you may ask? well, not exactly... 'he' could be anything I want! this secret love of mine that i love keeping to myself is simply called--DRAWING. and this summer in the city, the flame is now ablaze!

i purchased a sketchpad a few years back when the flame was still burning, but i never got around to filling the pages. but now... ah... now i can happily flip and skim through the pages of my own secret works that i have had the time to perfect at my leisure.

i'm so grateful that i'm getting to simply enjoy life at the moment. i love completely indulging myself in something that no one really knows i'm good at (and who knows if i'm really good or not?!). but i've sure loved rekindling this old flame of mine, and i think this kind of thing should happen more often. who knows: maybe i'll get out the rusty old violin sitting in the basement, or the out-of-tune guitar, the dried up watercolors, or crack up the fingers for some piano playin'!

i'm just sayin'....

2009-05-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'M BAAAAAAACK!

hello wonderful world of bloggers.

i'm back from my M.I.A stint. the pressures of school, auditions, and a big BIG move to a beautiful new apartment were just too much for me to even think about opening my computer.

...i'm just sayin'.

i'm glad to be back. :)

but i'm just sayin' i'm starting out slow.

top fives

2009-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

learn more about your friends, every chance you get. share what you love just as much with everyone else. put together top-five lists. it is oh-so-fun. and, like everything, they never have to be the end-all-be-all of your favorite things. i could come in here to my blog, endless city, click on EDIT, and change anything in any of these lists any ole' time i want. that's what's fun about it. i always think of things that'll make me laugh.

Top five jobs I have had:
actress in a movie

actress on stage

dance teacher

cocktail waitress, or, aka: barnstormer (dropped a record 10 full drinks from a tray one time)

banana republic sales associate for a whopping 2 weeks

Places I have lived:

nyc--midtown & soho, soon gramercy

denver

houston

tennessee (only for a month)

I ONLY HAVE FOUR! :(

TV shows:
arrested development

top chef

flight of the conchords

planet earth

summer heights high

Places I have been:

cali

puerto vallarta

lake michigan

orlando

toronto

Top five foods:

brie cheese with apples, pears, bread, honey

bruschetta

fondue... the whole five courses

a really good, well seasoned filet

milkshakes :)

Celebrity men i admire:

jude law

bill murray

gael garcia bernal

robert de niro

clint eastwood

celebrity women i admire:

kate winslet

cate blanchett

emily blunt

catherine zeta jones

diane keaton

directors:

wes anderson

scorsese

quentin tarantino

eastwood

woody allen

this is just a sampler, i would say, since there are so many things i could do a top-five for. any more ideas?

i went to this site for inspiration.

the.

2009-04-06T11:11:00.001-07:00

i'd say one of the best things in life is creativity, stemming from anywhere.

the.

this company is the official marketplace for amusing and eclectic wares designed by the. team. Listen to this--They have short attention spans, which account for their inability to get past the definite article of a company name. Haha! Love their sense of humor.

each page of this sketchbook has a picture of a wall that is blank, ready for grafitti, small notes, what-have-you. need to be cured of a tagging habit in the city? channel your creativity into this notebook!!! or, do you want to plan out a massive art piece that will catch every passersby's eye?

love vintage-esque?

2009-04-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

i do (:

check out modcloth's retro indie stuff. it has one-of-a-kind vintage, and vintage-esque inspired pieces. good for fashion musing, and an awesome way to spice up your wardrobe. if you're anything like me, i'm always wanting to try out new things with clothes and my style. i put something new on, and feel like a different person.

i've already found a few pieces that i am definitely going to put together for the summer--only after one sift of the site. this rendezvous dress will be absolutely perfect for a possible italian/european adventure this summer. possibly with these shoes? yes, i think so! (:

here was my favorite find by far. the australia dress. talk about flashbacks to classy times. if i get this dress (i mean, when i get this dress, let's be honest here) i know i'll just have to buy a one-way ticket to the outback or africa to go on safari. it just seems like the most elegant adventurer's dress, doesn't it? i had lots of fun pairing this one with other pieces from the site. let's just say... you will see me wearing this outfit very soon. i think this derby hat adds the quirkiness that i like. channeling annie hall, no? here i come, kenya, on my way to meet the lions and rhinoceros!

tell me what you think. share outfit ideas, please!!!

flickr fools

2009-03-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

ok... so i know i'm going post crazy

but really. this is something extremely important.

yes, Flickr has some good photos and... interesting photos. regardless

of whether it's good or not, the site is definitely the perfect place for some photographers to have their photos seen and appreciated. my boyfriend plays on this site. all the time. and out of the massive amounts and thousands and thousands of photos on this website meant to be photographic art-- i must say:

he's good.

each photo (i think) has a piece of nyc in it. they're all strong, thoughtful, and creative

; and there is a good balance of humorous and dramatic imagery. i say things are no good if there isn't any variety. that's why i love his photos.

...just sharin an interesting little tidbit, is all i'm doin. :)

click to see some good photos

NOTE: check out the black and white essentials.

this is how his photos make me feel:

where's the hook?

2009-03-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

wanna see something that i really, really love?
well, looky here:

from my top ten favorite movies of all time. i could watch this movie every day, and i still wouldn't get sick of it.
in fact, i have watched this movie everyday at certain points of my life and it has always been my favorite.
always reminds me that there will always be a child in everyone. we don't have to grow up all the way. who ever said we had to?! huh?!
i guarantee, if you ever feel a need to be reminded to lighten up, or escape your 'adultness' (even though, technically i'm still a youngster--but hey! nyc is a hard place to live, ok?)... watch. this. movie.

NOTE: imagination. findonenow--find it in the things that make you happy. it sure makes things more fun.

AND it could help you FLY!

hello.

2009-03-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

well, here i am, blogging.

sharing inspirations, interesting things, and things i want to learn more about.

i live in an endless city where anything and everything is possible.

here's where i share what i discover around every corner of NYC.

every day here, i always think:

anything you could ever hope for is something you can begin doing for yourself today, making the whole thing happen about 7,000 times faster.

but that's just if you're in a hurry.

something to remember.