Volcano.

What I am to you is not real.
What I am to you, you do not need.
What I am to you is not what you mean to me.
You give me miles and miles of mountains and I'll ask for the sea.
What I give to you is just what I'm going through.
This is nothing new, no, no just another phase of finding
what I really need is what makes me bleed

But like a new disease, Lord, she's still too young to treat.

Damien Rice is fucking brilliant.


Love,
Jen

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never thought I would make it to Warwick Avenue.

This post will be crossing significantly sentimental territory. For any readers, let me offer a heads up: this kind of entry will not occur often, but let me explain...In writing, everything feels slightly more official. And I feel like a new transition has started in my life, not just physically but emotionally as well....such changes should be documented. That being said, let me move on.

For more than a year, Ive devoted myself to one thing.
Forgetting everything else, or simply putting it aside.
Perhaps due to a strong sense of stubborness mixed with a large dose of hope.
Whatever it was, it led me to some of the the best memories I have had in my 20 years of life. And let me make it clear, I do not regret a single thing.

YET. There comes a time when a girl has to acknowledge when a limit has been reached and moving on is the only major thing left to accept. Contrary to my previous beliefs, this limit is not about giving up.....but instead about knowing when you have had enough. Perhaps it takes a regaining of the natural selfish nature we have within ourselves, to finally continue and let go of  one person. In this manner, new places will come up, new people will come in, and new memories will be made.

I made it to Warwick Avenue. I hope to not run away now.

Love,
Jen 


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Beverly Center Day.

As a continuation of my amazing spring break, some window shopping just HAD to be done. So my friend Brey and I knew it was time to go to LA an take advantage of all the amazing stores in the area. With caramel lattes in hand, we started an adventure checking all the racks of clothes, admiring the walls of shoes, and loving the jewelry in every glass case. Safe to say being broke didnt help with the growing desire everytime we walked into a store..but we managed, and definitely got a surplus of ideas of what to spend our next round of paychecks in :]
While I cannot speak for Brey, these were my highlights of our visit to the oh-so-grand Beverly Center.

Let's start with SEE. How this store has been in Beverly Center for nine years and I hadnt noticed is beyond me! For those who are eyewear lovers (and pretty damn blind) like me, trust me when I say this store is absolute heaven. I had a hard time narrowing it down to one pair, since they had a million options. The small boutique has their own brand going and its an understatement to say I was impressed by it. The tortoishell pair I fell in love with was a good $289...not too shabby for some legit glasses! Too bad my birthday is in September. ha.

Next stop: ALDO. I absolutely adore most of the merchandise the shoe store is carrying. The chain has just put out their collaboration with Julian Louie, a must-see. The first pair is a lil preview of the tribal inspired collection featuring bold prints and a brilliant homage to the wedge. In the words of Rachel Zoe: I DIE ;]
The second pair is featuring one of the trends of last fashion week, the colorblock. The fact that Aldo has mixed wood in the design is a delightful bonus. And last, but not least...doesnt that last pair scream YSL trubute platform? Yet, actually does it successfully.

Ive never known much about Club Monaco, and now I deeply regret not being more informed a long time ago. While the store is still a lil pricy for my budget, they had several pieces which would be staples in my closet. I wish I could place the entire lookbook on here, but that might be quite troublesome. So let's stick with the piece that mad my heart soar as soon as I laid eyes upon it on the mannequin. The Anita skirt above proved to be unlike anything I've seen in a while... Hitting slightly above the knee, the a-line skirt is covered with strategically placed minute rhinestones with gold thread wrapped around forming a sun shape. Its light, sparkly, and flowy. Matched with a chambray shirt, tortoiseshell glasses from SEE, and a good pair of loafers= WIN.

Finished the night with some hookah and a very exciting Lakers game in good company. Yea....spring break is good to me <3 

Love,
Jen

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night of studying.

" There is a myth perpetuated by universities and intellectual journals that to understand a work of art is truly to grasp its message, to engage with it. But we know from our experience in life how far apart understanding and engagement can be and how possible it is to love another person or to respond to a building without adequately understanding then, or to understand them without feeling. "

-James Ackerman (1985)

drink the poison, trace the veins.

Goodbye to my 189E art history class.
Hello to a new and ongoing fascination for the subject matter.

With the help of a cranky printer, this morning was a bit hectic to say the least. Yet, I managed to turn in my final paper for my contemporary art history class...eight pages of nudity and ordeals in performance art. While it feels great to be done with the workload for the class, I must admit im gonna miss the exposure to such grand works twice a week.

Moving on to a topic im extremely intrigued by. French artist Orlan.
As I was investigating another bizarre, but ballsy artist, Vito Acconci (who I suggest you look up! try ubu.web for some of his work) I came across Orlan's life performance piece and was instantly hooked.The transformative artist underwent a series of plastic surgeries through which she incorporated famous features of women as portrayed by well-known artists and sculptors; a piece which is often referred to as The Reincarnation of St.Orlan. The list she used included, among several physical attributes, Venus’s chin as painted by Botticelli, Mona Lisa’s forehead as imagined by Da Vinci, as well as Psyche’s nose as created by Gerome. Orlan technically would come to be the living, breathing definition of beauty as thought of by some of the most brilliant participants in the art world, although such purpose was not the artist’s intention. Orlan wanted to continue a struggle against that which is programmed...that which is in our nature or God's plan if you will.To begin to appreciate Orlan's carnal art, one must try to reflect upon the surgeries as the artist herself did, without suffering and leading to the enlightenment of future generation concerning the pressures of beauty. I find it perplexing how a person can make their entire life one long performance, in which they're ever-changing but not because of true growth but because they have been trying to prove ONE point which emerged during youth.
I really wonder if she has changed her mind about the task she took upon herself to complete. And even if she has, I guess there's no goin back now, is there?


One thing is for sure, there was an immense amount of dedication which she placed in her craft. Whether it was mixed with idiocy is another matter entirely.



I dare you to keep a straight face.

Imagine you're walking down the street. In your own lil world, thinking about your plans, perhaps even wondering how to work out all those insignificant problems you come across during your day...think about those times that you are so unaware of yourself as you continue a path. You've been that lost in thought, right? The answer should be yes.
Now think of this. A stranger suddenly stops you in the middle of your mission here and ask quite surprisingly to take your picture. One's first reaction might be.."What? Why me? Come again?" To which the photographer's answer is:

Well...you have a beautiful face.

And just like that. You're aware of urself again. The light shining down from the sky just got a whole lot brighter, the colors around you appear to be significantly more vibrant and there's all of a sudden a bit more of a pep in your step. While it might be considered extremely superficial, its a beautiful thing in all its simplicity.
Douglas Huebler took a series of photographs in 1970 with this purpose, to catch that reaction right after such a compliment is given, to document the mixture of coyness and flattery that takes place.
The piece above is called Variable Piece #34.

A major thanks to my Art History class with an emphasis on contemporary art.

Love,
Jen

VIII

Oh Blogging.

So this is my first time doing such a thing. And I must admit, Im pretty damn excited!
Ive been a fan of a few blogs during the past few months, and honestly, even if no one reads this...there's something about it that's stress-relieving and quite beautiful. To be able to put down the thoughts you have accompanied by that which inspires you, motivates you, even that which haunts you...what a magnificent way to express it all.
 Of course my roommate just decided to point out that it is finals week, and I have tons of writing to do...and THIS is the time I choose to start a blog.
But that's how it always is right? You're going through hell and you find one thing to get you through it.

To my first writing post on Blogger.
I look forward to sharing. and that means a lot cuz im usually pretty greedy ;]

Love,
Jen


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