5 Favorite Movie Music Moments

We often forget about the music in movies. We're so engrossed with what's happening in the scene that the music often becomes an afterthought. After watching Sunday's season finale of GOT and really paying attention on how the music transcends the mood and scenes, I decided to share my favorite music scenes from movies that I love!

#1. Garden State 

Let's be real. This entire movie had an AMAZING soundtrack but the one scene that I loved the most was the final airport scene. Frou Frou's Let Go + Zach Braff running through the airport back to Natalie Portman brought out the hopeless romantic in me. This movie has been around for a long time but whenever I rewatch it, this scene gets me every time.

#2. 500 Days of Summer

Like Garden State, this movie has an amazing soundtrack. However my favorite has to be that every time I watch this movie, I am always captivated with the first 5 minutes. The opening number by Regina Spektor with the childhood reel makes you feel things! Makes you feel nostalgic yet ready to see the characters, does that make any sense?  (btw ignore the first 2 minutes)

#3. Amelie

This is a beautiful French movie. If you haven't seen it, definitely hop on Netflix and give it a go. It's uplifting, funny and quirky! It's like the most french movie you'll ever watch- but it's a wonderful movie! I forgot what scene this song plays but I LOVE this soundtrack. Definitely give it a listen!

#4. Begin Again

This movie is one giant soundtrack. My favorite scene is the one where they're all on the roof and they're just singing and playing- it's a beautiful vibe and you can really feel it offscreen. Makes you want to pull up a chair and listen to them play all night on the roof. 

There's one scene in this movie that Mark Ruffalo's character says that really conveys what I'm trying to say. 

Cheesy? Yea- well cheesy is nice sometimes.

#5. She's the Man

Okay- so She's the Man is one of my all time favorite movies. It's an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It's hilarious with hot guys, I literally wished I lived in this universe. It's filled with sassy ass one liners- Anyways! There's a scene at the end where Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum are playing around on the field and- there's really no rhyme or reason why I like this scene, but I do. And you can never go wrong with a little All American Rejects.

xx 

Linda 

Favorite Fashion Styles for Men

1. The High Fashion London Man 

via Jim Chapman

Pea Coat

One Youtuber I really admire is, Jim Chapman. It's rare to see men talk about clothes and fashion and Jim does it in such a simple yet informative way. I would definitely recommend watching some of his fashion videos.

Jim lives in the UK and people in the UK are pretty damn well dressed. Well compared to SoCal natives anyways. They seem to understand the appropriateness (<is that even a word) of every occasion. One major trend that I noticed is that, they always have an amazing coat. Literally a statement coat that looks good on top of ANY outfit. My 2 favorite coats for men are: Trench Coats and Pea Coats


2. The Casual Man
Typically you'll see the hipster guys rocking this look. It's that balance between looking put together yet also kind of douchey.

The three main key components to this look is

• Plain T-Shirt
• Black skinny/straight jeans
• and a casual jacket (bomber, leather, canvas etc) 

You can never go wrong with a leather jacket- but with the ever changing weather.. it might ultimately be a bad choice. In the winter time, it's not warm enough.. in the summer time, it's too hot. A good alternative is the bomber jacket. It's such a big trend right now and it's a good light jacket. It looks good with any outfit- can't go wrong. 

3. Korean Street Style

via pinterest

Now, if you want to ooze coolness- drop the thermostat- make some ice… go for the kpop street style. There are two things to keep in mind for this style. 

via pinterest

<< 1. LAYERS 

It's a known secret that layering will always make an outfit look better. Even if it's layered badly, you'll probably still look good! 

2. MONOCROMATIC >>

Staying with one color will give you that coolness factor. If you can't decide what to wear, go for the same colors! Just don't drown yourself out- throw in a shade lighter or darker. 

Anndddd…. if all else fails. Dress like Barry Allen. 

 

CAN. NOT. GO. WRONG. 

Hope you enjoyed reading about my three favorite fashion styles for men! 

**These are all based on my own opinions. 

Current Favorites

I'm going to just jump right in! I present to you.. my favorites of the month!

1. Favorite Music
Missing You by John Waite - If my life was an 80's rom com, this would be my theme song.

2. Favorite Person
Chris Evans - Recently binged on some of his movies like Playing It Cool, Before We Go, What's Your Number, and of course the Captain America/ Marvel movies- ultimate crush material right here! What can I say? Wicked sense of humor+boyish charm= being my phone's wallpaper.

3. Favorite Discovery
Universal Studios- Moe's Tavern serves alcohol! And they let you walk around the park with it! Just.. don't go on any 3D rides after.

4. Favorite Memory
My friends got married!! Squad photo done right.

5. Favorite Activity
Went hiking with my friends and cousins! Not going to lie, struggled a bit- but definitely felt like I worked out!

6. Favorite Show

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Started from season 1 on Netflix, it amazes me how crazy they get! It should be called- "It's always a good laugh!" 

via google images

7. Favorite Movie

Smart House- Disney Channel is showing all their original movies in celebration of it's 100th! This movie came on the other night, and I forgot how much I loved it! When I was little, I always wanted to have PAT clean up all my messes and feed me delicious smoothies. 

via google images

8. Favorite Quote

"All my loving, I will send to you" - The Beatles. I knowwww, how cliche! Quoting a Beatle's song.. but hey! Those boys really sure knew how to make words tug at you. 

9. Favorite OMG moment

Game of Thrones- If you're not caught up, too bad. The internet is full of spoilers! THAT STARK REUNION THOUGH!! When Sansa hugged Jon- I was literally in tears. They both have been through so much and it was so heartwarming to see them finally together. All we need now is them to find Arya- save Rickon and burn Ramsey to the ground and live in Winterfell happily ever after. Oh and you know- have Dany come in with them dragons and kill all the white walkers. You know- chores. 

10. Favorite Tearjerkers 

HOLD THE DOOR - you know. 

& The ending of Big Fish- I recently rewatched this movie and wept like a baby at the last 10 minutes. It's one of those movies where you follow the person's life and you get attached then watch how it ends. Onion ninja's working overtime. 

Hope you enjoyed reading about my favorites of the month! 

Detour to Neverland

No, I don't mean to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch! I mean, Peter Pan's Neverland. It's been a long while since I last blogged, and believe it or not- a lot has happened.

I don't want to bore you with the details so I'll just do some quick highlights of my life for the past 5 months.

In December, I graduated from the big leagues (college.. I meant college). I actually did it! Finished my last two classes and got my diploma in the mail. Honestly though..it didn't feel like anything special. I didn't feel any wave of accomplishment or success- it kind of feels like a big gapping black hole of now what? Everything has always been planned.. preschool-kindergarten-elementary school-middle school-high school-college, now I'm left with no plan!

After the holidays went by, I started to consider what to do. Should I find a full time job? Should I travel? Should I make up some bullshit and say "I'm taking a year off" when really, I'm just buying some more time to decide? But then, an opportunity came up.

Let me say this, I have a very loving family. Like a very loving family. A loving family who offered to take me to China and Japan with them for an entire month. WHO CAN SAY NO TO THAT? Initially, I told them no (what a fool I was) because I didn't have enough money to go. I spent it on my solo trip to Italy and I'm not the type of person who takes money from people even from family. I like to earn my own money and do things on my own. There's seriously nothing greater than earning your own money from hard work. However with some convincing, it was too good of an opportunity to give up. I made sure I thanked them and used my own money for spending on food, souvenirs and paid my share for our trip to Japan. And so, I spent all of March in Asia. (I'll do another post about it later!)

Fast forward to the present. Now, here I am again like I was back in December, what should I do with my life? I kind of feel like I'm in Neverland. Obviously without all the fairies, mermaids and pirates and whatnots, but I'm kind of like in an alternate version. Like Pan, I don't want to grow up. Right now, I am a Lost Girl in Neverland. Life's not a fairytale.. and I know there's responsibility to take, growing up to do- adulting. But for now, I'm in a Neverland state of mind.

There's a really great quote from the 2003s movie version of Peter Pan where Peter says, "To live would be an awfully big adventure." I've always liked this quote. The words have never seem to leave my mind. I'm pretty scared of the adventures that lie ahead.. but I'm hoping I'll eventually fly out of Neverland and find my place with the Darlings.

Signing off for now,
Lost Girl

Black Friday Haul!

It's been a while! But I'm finally back. I just finished my last quarter of school- can't wait to get my degree in the mail! Anyways, I decided to go out for Black Friday shopping. I didn't really want to go but as tradition would serve- me and my cousin always go out just to see the deals. 

In the first picture, I bought this beautiful geometric garland from target! It's so pretty I hung it over my bed post. It has hints of gold and copper. It's a little chunky so it bothers my head from time to time when I lean back but other than that- I'm in love with it! I think it was only like $12- a good steal! The beanie and plaid scarf on the bottom picture is also from target. They were 40%- how can I not? 

I also got a couple of things from Pacsun. I haven't shopped in pacsun in sooo long! I think the last time I bought something from that store was back in high school. I didn't even know they carried Brandy Melville stuff! They were offering buy one get one half off and of course I couldn't resist snatching some brandy shirts! They're so soft and comfortable- I actually wish I bought more! The plaid shirt on the left was on sale for $15. What a total score! I've been on the hunt for plaid since it's winter but everywhere I've seen them- they're ridiculously expensive. I'm so glad I was able to get my hands on one! 

And that's all I got this black Friday!

x 

Endless Pasta, I adore you!

Cinque Terre, Italy

Endless pasta, cobble stones and little roads- Italy was a dream! 

Hey guys!! I just got back from Italy a few days ago and I'm already missing it! I had such a lovely time- I wish I could live in Florence forever! Let's start with how I even got there. About 4 months ago, I was kind of in a rut. I felt like I just needed to do something fun and exciting. So I poked around the Internet and I remember hearing about EF College Break from the commercials on Spotify so I decided to look it up. 

I browsed around their website and found an awesome deal on their Grand Tour of Italy trip! I took a chance and booked it. I booked as a solo traveler and believe me- I've never been so brave in my life. I've never traveled alone to another country before! I was complete terrified but I also really felt exhilarated. Fast forward 4 months and here I was ready to leave on a trip I never thought I'd be going on! 

Traveling there was exhausting due to the 2 connection flights but once I got on ground, I was glad to be there! Throughout my trip I had three roommates and became friends with a girl from NY who was also traveling alone! Majority of my group had friends traveling together so it was nice to meet someone who was also alone. It definitely made my experience better! 

My trip was 12 days long, the first and last day were for traveling so technically I only had 10 official days in Italy and I made the most of it! We traveled from Sorrento/Naples-Rome-Florence and finished off in Venice! 

Sorrento/Naples/Capri/Siena

This is the ultimate sunny side of Italy. I'm not exactly sure where we were but it was very bright and had a total seaside vibe to it. It was a gorgeous town. We took a boat ride to Capri and the sea was endless. It was so cute there! They had this little beach area where people could swim. I dipped my foot in- I want to say it was lovely but it really wasn't. Hahah. There were so many rocks there that I was scared to cut my foot on it! I treaded gingerly like a baby learning to walk for the first time on it! Now I know why people there had swim shoes on! 

Rome

Oh Roma, now this is the place of walking! We literally walked EVERYWHERE. Everything was kind of walking distance so taking a taxi didn't make too much sense. We went to Pompeii, the colosseum, trevi fountain, the spanish steps, THE VATICAN! Any famous place you can think of! I was stunned of culture shock. I couldn't believe the ground I was walking on! I stood right underneath Michael-Angelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel for about 10 minutes trying not to die from the sheer beauty of it. I threw my coin in the Trevi Fountain (and of course I forgot to make my wish!) and I walked around the Colosseum where the emperor would walk- someone please pinch me. Rome was hectic because there was so much to see with so little time. 

Florence

I could have stayed in Florence forever! It was definitely not as hectic as Rome. Florence had such a charm to it that you can instantly feel. It made me really enjoy just being there. Everything wasn't as far as a walk and it was so nice to go into the museums there. I can't quite explain it, but Florence was my favorite place we visited! Plus we also stayed in a hostel there which was extremely fun! It had a nice bar downstairs where you can get drinks and mingle with other travelers. 

Venice

I always wanted to visit Venice. Knowing that it might not be there and the reality of it being swept under water is crazy! When we were there, it was high tide so the water was extremely close to ground. You can see it in my picture below! Venice had so many tight little ally ways and small streets- it was fun to get lost in. 

I definitely want to go back to Italy one day but for now.. onto the next adventure! 

x 

linda

—

I took about a million pictures so I'm just going to post my favorite ones I took! 

Trevi Fountain

Panna Cotta Gelato 

Venice, Italy

Gondola Ride in Venice, Italy

Tiramisu! 

The yummiest squid ink pasta on earth!

Venice, Italy

Fresh Pesto Pasta- Cinque Terre, Italy

Venice, Italy

Florence, Italy

Shrimp and Veg Risotto - Sorrento, Italy

Colosseum- Rome, Italy

Painter on the street- Rome, Italy

Pantheon- Rome, Italy

Margarita Pizza- Florence, Italy

The Vatican

Colosseum

Ice Bar- Rome, Italy

Until next time.. Ciao! 

x

Things I Wish I Knew- Surviving Vegas

We're back at it again with my "Things I wish I knew" series! I was having a hard time deciding what to write about and since I just turned 22, I reminisced about what I did for my 21st. Thinking back to my 21st birthday in Vegas, I realized that there were a lot of things I wish I knew ahead of time so I thought it would be a great addition to my series.

Going to Vegas for your 21st birthday is kind of like a right of passage in the U.S. Basically it's an excuse to go get shitfaced and party your ass off. Getting lost in the glitz and glamour is all part of the Vegas charm. Here are some tips I suggest if you're ever heading over there!

1. Have a good meal.
The whole weekend will go by and you'll realize that you only had one meal the entire time. Take the time to actually get some food in your belly. It'll definitely help with the massive hangover you're about to take on. If you can't hit the endless buffets, check out one of Gordan Ramsay's restaurants. It's worth the trip!

2. Speaking of hangover..
Drink lots and lots of water! The weather is insanely hot, especially in the summer- don't be fool trying to act cool at the day club. The deadly combo of alcohol+hot sun-water = you not getting out of bed.

3. Have a promoter handy
It's hard to get into clubs without a promoter in Vegas.

4. Budget yourself!
It's extremely tempting to spend loads of cash in Vegas. Your dolla bills will be gone in seconds so watch yourself! Those slot machines are evil. Once you're kind of buzz, you'll want to keep buying drinks so save yourself and only bring a certain amount of cash with you.

5. Heels are the worst 

Target.com

I know those stilettos are super cute but you'll die in them if you go clubbing with them. There's absolutely no way you'll survive the night- let alone 2 hours dancing in those. The bloodstains are real people. The blisters are no joke. No bandaid in the world will help you. If you know you're going to be dancing your ass off, I advise you to get some wedges but if you're like me and kind of hate the look of wedges.. I would get platforms like the one above. Don't be that girl who walks barefoot back to your hotel. It's not cute and it's a bit sad. Don't be that girl! The floor is disgusting! Keep a pair of small foldable flats in your purse/clutch.

6. Don't waste your time seeing a super popular DJ. 
I went to go see Zedd perform at XS and it was basically the worst night ever. It was insanely crowded! It took us 30 mins to get to the bar and the dance floor was closed off. We ended up sitting around the pool and we couldn't even see Zedd from where we were. Save yourself the few bucks and go to a smaller club. It'll be more fun with a smaller crowd and less crowded bar.

7. Don't wear a black outfit
There are literally thousands of other girls wearing the exact same color. Set yourself apart and wear something colorful like a red or blue dress. If you're brave enough- a white one.

Lulu's 

8. Experience it all 

Don't just drink and go to the club all weekend. Go catch one of Vegas's popular shows! There are tons of concerts and shows you can see. If you don't want to see a show, walk around the strip and casinos. At Caesar's palace there's a huge mall that you can walk around and shop in. 

And.. that's all the advice I can think of! Good luck to you- have fun and be safe! 

Until next time..

x