XOXOBLOOD

wearing: H&M men's burgundy elbow-padded sweater, Jason Wu x Target pinwheel dress, Dolce Vita Jamison booties, vintage Coach satchel

"You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single second of every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colours fill your mind."

Sitting here at 8:30 AM without a single thought to write, I was aimlessly scrolling through Tumblr when I stumbled upon this quote in big bold letters. And it struck a chord.

The closer I get to the finish line (aka graduation) the more I think about life: what it means, what I want from it, what it wants from me. And, to be honest, I'm at a complete loss like many other twenty-somethings. This has been a semester of procrastinations, distractions and avoidance. I have never been so unmotivated, unstable and not dependable. It's hard coming to terms with growing up, figuring out what the hell the rest of your life holds for you, and how to get where you want to be. I was reluctant to believe that I'm at a point where I actually have to care and think for myself.

But here I am. Hey, hi, what's up? I have a feeling that I'm going to be staying here for awhile.

I've been trying to tangle, trap, and saturate inspiration into my daily life. This is probably the most productive and active thing I've done in months. Something so simple and seamlessly easy can change what seems unchangeable- a stubborn mindset. The quote is a reminder to live, to truly live and not to merely exist. The things you choose to do, the people you choose to see, the experiences you gather from all of the above make up who you are. It's a gentle reminder to fill life with light and love, because, how else can you breed a happy soul?

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JUST WILD

wearing: cropped button up {Urban Outfitters}, black floral skirt {Urban Outfitters}, Dolce Vita Jamisons, vintage Coach satchel, Sunnies {Charlotte Russe}, vintage watch, assorted bracelets {F21 & Korea}

Isn't it wild that something that can seem like you're whole entire world one second can become a faint distant memory the next? Something you knew every teeny tiny detail about, have agonized over the littlest incident for hours on end, can seem so insignificant now? Feelings works in wonderfully mysterious ways, much like life itself, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wearing far too much Urban Outfitters in one outfit, it has become quite the obsession and I don't really know how to curb it. But when top + bottom cost $5 each, how could I possibly resist? Paired it with my usual favorites, this makes for an easy breezy outfit during these random spurts of hotness the Bay Area has been experiencing. A few inches shorter, my hair has been snipped off. Although I was in love with the simplicity that long hair offered, letting me "bun it" and run out the door, I am throughly enjoying the lack of split ends since the bleach did quite the number on my poor ends. If anyone is looking for an amazing hair stylist in Berkeley, please please please check out Jeannie over at Edge Hair Salon on Channing and Telegraph. She is the biggest sweetheart and I am completely smitten with her, not to mention she is super gentle and calming for those afraid of going under the scissors (like me).

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A TICKING AND A TOCKING

Sometimes, days in the summer feels as short as a tick and a tock, and then it's all gone. Even though the sun hangs around for a few more hours a day, giving us back the hours it stole from us over winter, it still doesn't feel like it's ever enough. That's how I've been feeling as of late, having my days slip by as I sit inside lecture hall after lecture hall, staring at the clock slowing ticking and tocking, realizing that my summer is also slowly ticking and tocking away. Having just finished the first session of summer classes, I only have one more session to go before my summer (all 14 days of it) officially begins. My best friend, the cutie in the photo above, and I have already planned out how to spend the remaining days of my very short summer. Let me give you a clue, the plan involves 3 states and 2 very very big appetites.

These photos were taken in the Mission District in San Francisco on a scorchingly warm day. Being lovers of anything aesthetically interesting, it's no wonder why we're such big fans of this little graffiti alley located conveniently across the street from one of our favorite thrift store. It's always fun to see the transformation of the wall, seeing which paintings stayed, which were painted over, and giving appreciation where appreciation should be given. San Francisco always finds a way to color my heart in a multitude of ways.

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PICKING APPLES VS. THE BIG APPLE

{photo credit}

Sometimes I wish I could live a much simpler life; one full of greens, beautiful flowers, and endless blue skies with nights completely and utterly brimming full of stars. Can't you just feel the calm blissful breeze blowing through your hair? The smile that just won't quit, knowing that you have everything you'll need and you're happy with all that you have. Living for the sweet simple pleasures in life, being delighted by your day-to-day. To live a life that doesn't stress, that doesn't require me to give more than I take, a life that is pleasantly pleasant.

But then reality slaps me in the face and kicks me in the balls.

That's not me at all. I commend, applaud and even praise those that can have lives like that, hell, I wish I could be happy with all that as well, but that's simply not me. I am a dreamer, a hardcore dreamer who have plans that are overwhelmingly large, probably not realistic in any sense, but are mine to have nonetheless. I'm the kind of girl who has been wishing for city living ever since she could make wishes. I'm loud, I'm obnoxious, I'm in-your-face, I'm probably the girl that you love to hate and hate to love. I like attention but I need anonymity, I like chatter as well as utter silence, I am optimistic yet extremely pessimistic; I need the ups and downs of life in order to feel alright. Boredom comes quickly to my brain that over-thinks 1000 thoughts/second and without a remedy, it feels suffocating. I am an on-the-go, see-you-never, so-stressed-I-just-want-to-cry and don't-talk-to-me-before-coffee sort of a gal, never really sure if what I want is actually what I want or what I should want. I love the energy, the vivacity, the feeling of city life from the bright lights to the tall skyscrapers to the sea of faces that you pass by.

But a simplistic life sounds so right, so okay, like such a great alternative to one full of late nights, eye bags, and price tags. I guess there are certain give-and-takes in each and every choice we make, whether it's a small gesture to a life-changing monumental decision, our lives are the consequences of our subsequent actions and decisions and if we can live with the choices we have made.

In Ke$ha's eloquent words, "we r who we r" and there ain't nothing wrong with that either.

{photo credit}

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