Getty it on

Wearing: my favorite Target Mossimo cardigan, thrifted floral dress, Target tights, Minnetonka triple-layer fringe boots

The love the idea of walking on water. I'm not Jesus, not a crouching tiger, and certainly not a hidden dragon, but I still love the idea. That's the illusion given by the rimless fountains in the courtyard of the Getty Museum. Today, P, C, and I spent the day at the Getty. At just $2.50 per person for round trip bus fare (free admission at the museum), this was the cheapest weekend trip we've ever taken. It was also one of the most blissfully relaxing day trips I've ever taken.

I'm not sure when it happened, but I think I've grown up [a little]. I used to hate museums. I hated that they were so boring, hated that it was always so quiet inside, and I really hated how I had to walk so much to see millions of paintings that looked so similar. Today, it dawned on me that I really like museums. Nowhere else can I find the kind of peace and serenity that a museum holds. Nowhere else can I find the quiet calm and stillness that settles within me while I wander from painting to painting, contemplating life. I like to see a painting, then picture an 18th century artist perched at his easel, gently easing strokes of paint onto the canvas. I also like looking at antiques and imagining historical figures sitting in the well-loved armchairs and sleeping within the faded sheets of the old beds in front of me.

After seeing the galleries, we took a tour of the beautiful Getty Gardens.







From above, it looks green and serene, but from within, the garden teems with life in every color from every angle. It really was magical!

Rodeo Drive

Wearing: Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue mohair cardigan and Boy Meets Girl tee, Forever 21 leggings, Rocketdog boots

Today, I went to Rodeo Drive with some besties and ogled the glamorous lives of the rich and (almost) famous. These pictures were taken at Prada, you know, just another luxury we normal people have to live without. The stores on Rodeo are not just stores; they're magnificent showrooms that can make any cheap item look like its made of gold, and that's just fine because the people shopping there can afford it all. Just off Rodeo is Santa Monica Boulevard, where we found the delightful little cupcake shop, Sprinkles. P and I split red velvet and key lime cupcakes. They were so delicious - the perfect combination of moist cake and fluffy frosting to tantalize the taste buds, well worth their $3.25 per cupcake price tag.

After Rodeo, we took the bus to The Grove Shopping Center and watched Angels & Demons, which was a real treat. Since The DaVinci Code was such a terrible film, I wasn't expecting much from the sequel. I'm glad it proved me wrong, though. The movie kept me excited and anxious (in a good way) at its every turn. I want to say that the movie was really raw, but I'm not sure what "raw" means, so maybe not. If you do see it, which I recommend you do, look out for Royce Hall (yes, part of Angels & Demons was filmed at UCLA) in the scene where Langdon and the detective walk through the arches at Harvard University. Only Hollywood would turn UCLA's historical building into Harvard University. Psch.

We finished off the day with some shopping at The Grove (the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale is on!) and dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. I highly recommend the dish I got today - the Salisbury Steak topped with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions, which comes with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I'm usually not a huge fan of large slabs of meat, but I devoured that steak. It was just that good.

I finally got that video from P and convinced it to upload to youtube. This is S and me riding a spinny ride of death at the Santa Monica Pier:



P's camera recorded it in HD, so check that out. And check our S's face while you're at it! :)

beachy keen

Wearing: Target Mossimo boyfriend cardigan, vintage floral dress, Rocketdog boots

Thank goodness the weekend is finally here. I don't think I could have lived through another day of hell week. Last week, I took three midterms, four quizzes, and finished weekly assignments and write ups for all of my classes. This weekend is my reward for working hard all week.

Last night, I watched He's Just Not That Into You again. It was so much better the second time around. The plot was easier to follow once I remembered who the characters were. I can't get over how gorgeous Scarlett Johansson is, even though her character is a slutty mistress/ home-wrecker. Hey, I'd cheat on my wife with her, too.

Today, I went to Santa Monica with some friends. We walked on the pier and rode the ferris wheel (where Spencer Pratt proposed to Heidi Montag, thank you People.com). S and I decided to be adventurous and ride a crazy spinning I-can't-even-describe-it-with-words kind of ride. I'll put up the video as soon as I get it from P, who filmed us on the ride.

These pictures were taken on Santa Monica Beach, right under the pier. Does the pier look familiar? This is where Hilary Duff walks alone after breaking up with the guitar-player boy in Raise Your Voice. I know, chick flicks are my forté.

Retail therapy is the best.

Wearing: vintage lace blouse and studded denim shorts from Thank You Mart, Gap beater, Steve Madden boots, marc by Marc Jacobs key necklace, vintage heart locket

I've been in midterms-week-lockdown/ hermit-mode lately. I get up, go to class, do my homework, study at the library, and sleep for about 5 hours. Lather, rinse, repeat. It's so miserable. What I don't understand is how the Calvin cycle makes sugars why professors insist on making one or two tests count for our entire grades when our understanding of the subject is so much more than multiple choice questions and free response diagrams.

Taking a cue from Fazed-Girl, I did this:

The only difference is that this Scotch-tape-and-post-it method worked for her and was only effective for me for about three hours. Case in point: I spent about a hundred dollars shopping on Forever21.com last night. (Check out Forever's new contemporary line, Love21!) See what stress does to me?

I may be sleep deprived and the high levels of cortisol from midterm-induced stress may be suppressing my immune system, but Bonnie seems to be doing fine.


More splitting! :)

Watch this:

It will change your life. I actually cried the first time watching it.

"Hey, I really like your glad's."

Wearing: thrifted (self-hemmed) dress, Wet Seal braided belt, Urban Outfitters Ecoté gladiators, vintage leaf earrings purchased on Ebay

I swear my feet aren't as washed-out white as that picture suggests. Really, considering how quickly I tan, I'm rather evenly-toned at the moment. I blame the poor lighting in my dorm room. Speaking of my room, allow me to introduce you to la catastrophe that was my desk yesterday:

Notice the piles of notebooks and folders, tangled chords, unfinished magazines, and the obvious mouse displacement (I'm right-handed). Is it not the very definition of en désordre? Bonnie the bonsai seems pretty cozy on that shelf thing, though.

I'm so jealous that most people are getting out of school and beginning to enjoy the spoils of summer when I'm still crawling through my second round of midterms. However, my classes have lately been focused on just one subject:





At least it keeps me interested.

Bonnie

Wearing: H&M denim jacket, vintage floral romper, Rocketdog boots

I think I'm in love with these boots as they add a tough edge to an otherwise girly dress. And they're soooo comfortable to walk around in. (S and D sent them all the way from San Fran as a late birthday gift to me. Thanks, guys!) The floral number is my latest buy from Ebay. It won me over at once with its cheery Spring print and lace-up back. The only annoying detail I didn't anticipate is the fact that I have to take the whole thing off to use the restroom. Because it's not actually a skirt, I can't just lift up... TMI, I know. I'll stop.

I have exciting news - my bonsai, which A.Lo has affectionately named Bonnie, is growing!! A week ago, it was a tiny green stem that looked like this:


Now, the stem has grown out and it looks like this:

It appears that, contrary to popular belief, the LA dorms can sustain life!

bumming around

Wearing: Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue black velvet dress, Steve Madden boots, Forever 21 necklace, Wet Seal floral sunglasses

I've been so sleep deprived all week. Getting only four hours of sleep the night before, I slept soundly from 1 AM to 12 PM last night today. After dragging our butts out of bed at the ripe morning hour of 1 PM, P and I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and camera-whore around in the grass by the Janss steps. Climbing and leaning against trees, sitting by the Shapiro Fountain, and rolling around in grass resulted in tree sap in my hair and on my dress, a shower in recycled fountain water, and grassy bits everywhere. It was a good day.

Last night, I went to Spring Sing, where I was wowed by another celebrity judge panel including Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina! Clarissa!) and Janice Dickenson. Janice Dickenson was escorted onto the stage by my RA, who got a kiss on the lips from the World's First Supermodel herself. The entire show was so amazing - I had no idea how much talent we had at UCLA. The most amazing part was seeing Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins! Sound of Music!) give her acceptance speech for some artistic achievement award. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love LA!

It's getting dangerously close to the second round of midterms and I haven't been nearly as productive as I should have been. P says, "I love how we just bum around on weekends." Bumming around happens to be a hobby of mine.

Can we pull through this avalanche?

If you haven't met her already, this beautiful songstress is Marié Digby:







You may have heard her first big hit "Say It Again" on her breakout album Unfold, which was released in April of last year. Her sophomore album, Breathing Underwater, is scheduled to be released this upcoming July and I cannot be more excited! P and I have been playing her new song, "Avalanche," on repeat for a while now and it never gets old. You can listen to the full song on her Myspace.

P says I look like a lumberjack,

but I told her she doesn't know what a lumberjack looks like. The inspiration? The southern countryside look of Hannah Montana and some destroyed studded denim via Fashiontoast.

Wearing: Forever 21 plaid shirt and necklace, Gap beater, cutoff shorts from Thank You Mart, Rocketdog boots

I said before that I was looking for a bow ring, and I found one on Ebay for just $6! Ah Ebay, you always come to the rescue.


Above, bow ring: 14k gold plated sterling silver and cubic zirconia.

Over 100 already? This is post #102.
I don't really have anything to say except that I'm so sick of school and so ready for summer. 18 units is 8 too many.