out with the old & in with the new

2010 was a complicated year for me. I feel like I really grew up in 2010. There were a lot of tears, but like rainbows follow rain, there were a lot of smiles too. I had many new experiences, and while some were mistakes or made me sad, they were all formative and I'm glad for that.

My 2011 resolutions: none. No resolutions, no regrets. I try to be the best version of myself each day, but often I'm not; I make mistakes. Nevertheless, I don't need one day to make myself feel good about reinventing myself - it's a constant process. Writing things down won't make them happen. The only thing there is is to just do.


That being said, I do have a few 2011 blogolutions (If Sarah Palin can coin a word, so can I)
1. Blog twice a week at a MINIMUM. Even if it's just a picture or a quote, I should blog frequently and regularly.
2. Get more personal, to some extent.
3. Have some short posts more frequently with quotes I like, pretty pictures, or funny videos.
4. Start a new blog that focuses on politics and policy. I have a few here and there in this blog, but they don't fit with the rest of the post. If this is something I'm passionate about, it deserves my focus.

Hope you're doing something wonderful tonight!


ab imo pectore,


Hannah

reading has never been so chic

LoveloveLOVE these Kate Spade clutches...they look like classic books! three hundred-and-twenty-five dollars is too pricey for something that's so cutesy, in my opinion.

{via rough review}

{via kate spade}












The Kate Spade website also has Great Expectations and The Importance of Being Earnest. I would love some classically girly books, like some Jane Austen titles.



ab imo pectore,


Hannah

good morning, upper east siders

Since Gossip Girl is taking a break until January 24th, here's a post to help you miss it a little less. Besides all the guilty pleasure drama that takes place on the upper east side, many of us watch the show for the style. Blair's style is my favorite; she looks polished and put together, yet she always manages to wear something unexpected.

Blair is my favorite character, because she is the most complex. She feels deeply but lives in a shallow world.

I tried to pick my favorite of her outfits or accessories for the whole show, but that proved impossible. As I tried to decide between her green pea coat and yellow accessories outfit and her white Marc Jacobs dress and headband, I realized I could not pick the best of all three-and-a-half seasons. Here are my top five from season four so far.

{photos via http://blairfashion.blogspot.com from youknowyouloveme.org}




No one else makes black and white look so fashion-forward. Love the patterned tights.




The colors on this dress make it so elegant and almost seem like the are from an old, faded photograph.



This must be Blair's least expensive outfit all season. The skirt was not even eighteen dollars. She is mixing florals perfectly and proving that cheap can be chic.




The fuchsia with red could not be better. Leave it to Blair to mix it up while still looking elegant. I couldn't not choose this glamourous dress.




I lovelovelove how Blair mixed these prints. The beret is so Paris and the perfect accessory to start to the season.



You know you love me.
xoxo,


Hannah

Merry Christmas!

"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." - How the Grinch Stole Christmas





I watch Charlie Brown's Christmas every year. Regardless of what you believe, Christmas is about more than gifts and aluminum christmas trees. It can be about religion, family, reflection, tradition, or any number of other things.

I love the tradition and spirit that comes with Christmas. Everyone is just a little happier, a little nicer, and a little for thankful. I wish we could be like that all year. I watch Charlie Brown, The Grinch (cartoon, obviously), Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, and other classic Christmas movies. I also like to reread A Christmas Carol by Dickens every year.


Everyone's family is unique, crazy, and quirky, but they're the only one you have. I wouldn't trade mine for the world. Spend some time with loved ones today :)



Merry Christmas, everyone!!


ab imo pectore,



Hannah

semiformal

Alpha Chi Omega semiformal at my school was a few weekends ago (and the same weekend as my birthday...more on that when I get back to school) I went with a friend and had a blast dancing the night away at our great half-indoor-half-outdoor venue.

I went classic in black dress, matching black rosette bag, and black heels. I absolutely love this dress!! I also had classic red nails, and I wore a matching heart necklace and earrings set that my friend got me for my birthday a few years ago.


Here is the only pic that shows my full dress. It was taken on my phone, which explains the quality:




In the future, I am going to use Rent the Runway to get dresses. You can borrow a designer dress that you will probably never wear again anyway for about 50 dollars.



ab imo pectore,


Hannah

In the eye of the beholder

Not that taking History of Western Art and a few drawing classes makes me an art expert, but I absolutely love it.
I am a firm believer that you should read beautiful things and look at beautiful things everyday, which is why I like inspirational quotes and artwork so much.

But beauty isn't just a pretty picture, it's about something that speaks to you and it's something that you can carry inside you wherever you go. This is one of my favorites:



Something about this painting has always struck me; the motion, the colors, the odd angle has captivated me ever since I first saw it on a deck of cards that were intended for some sort of matching art game I had. I don't know enough about Degas and this piece to say much, but this is what beauty from a real artist looks like.




I chose the above Thomas Kinkade at random, as they all look pretty much alike, and no one painting has stuck with me. To me, looking at the painting is the equivalent of eating marshmallow peep after marshmallow peep; over processed and sickeningly sweet with no real substance. Yes, it portrays the (idealized) optical reality of the world we live in, but it doesn't say anything about what it means or feels like to be a citizen of that world. I guess it speaks to the triumph of mass-produced commercialism over taste, but I don't think that is his intended message. Sorry for the rant, but I really cannot understand the appeal of his "art." Maybe some people don't consider Duchamp's pieces to be art, but at least they make you think.


I would much rather have a print of the Degas painting than an actual Kinkade. I have an series of pastel drawings of Boston in my dorm room that I bought on the streets of Boston for about 20 dollars. An actual artist made it, and it captures the spirit of the city we are both from.


ab imo pectore,


Hannah

hello, finals.

If you're in college, it's probably finals week for you too. I have three down, two to go. Here are a few thing that have kept me sane...

1. Music. If you're sick of your own music, I recommend listening to other people's iTunes on your network, Pandora, Glee music, or Straight No Chaser's Christmas music.

2. Find a non-library non-room place to study. Preferably with comfy chairs, food, and coffee. I've studied at Starbucks and Panera lately. There enough noise that it doesn't feel too quiet, but not enough to distract you. Also, change up your setting if you're having trouble focusing.

3. Self-control. My friend downloaded a program for mac called self control. You can choose to block certain websites for a certain amount of time to help you focus. No more hours wasted on Facebook stalking and newsfeed updating.

4. Schedule what studying you want to do when to keep you on track. Also schedule breaks. Breaks are good.

5. Sleep eight hours every night. Do it. Your body, mental health, and GPA will thank you. Since you have no class, a few extra hours of sleep is definitely do-able. I am about to take my own advice and do just that.

6. Don't stress out. I am the queen of getting stressed out, but it is not productive. Life will go on. Keep Calm and Carry On.




ab imo pectore,


Hannah

sorry about the lack of posts recently. This is just a short one. I just wanted to share a surrealist poem by Pablo Neruda I read in a logic class. The thing about surrealism is that it doesn't make sense in a cerebral way, but it resonates with something unidentifiable inside you. In many classes I've taken, it seems that emotions and the heart have a strong influence on our decisions than our mind does, and surrealism recognizes that.

Neruda is a Chilean poet, so this is a translation I especially liked.

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.


ab imo pectore,


Hannah