Tis the Season... of Caffeine!

Everyone in my life knows I am addicted to coffee.. this is nothing new. If I haven't mentioned it before on here, consider this my confession. I love, love, love coffee and can pretty much never start my day without at least one cup. So naturally, I also share an equally grand love for Starbucks. And, as I love the month of December and do all I can to get into the holiday spirit once Thanksgiving is over and done with, every year I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the seasonal drinks at Starbucks. And every year I take full advantage by ordering one every chance I get until the very last day they offer them up. So for those of you who have yet to taste these creamy, wonderful red cups of goodness, I have to ask... WHAT are you waiting for? Lucky for you, I'm here with a guide to... well, my personal favorites. Today I discovered one of the best hot chocolates I have ever tasted: the salted caramel hot chocolate. Oh. my. goodness. Equal parts rich, sweet, chocolatey, with the slightest kick that makes it the perfect sweet & salty guilty pleasure. I must say, one taste and this drink quickly shot its way up my favorites list. A more classic favorite would be the gingerbread latte, always. And as for the seasonal drinks I prefer largely over ice? Peppermint mocha and pumpkin spice lattes are both enjoyed better on the rocks, take my word for it (that's not to say their warm counterparts are not mouth-watering, as I am sure they are). And there you have it, lovelies... I have shared with you my expertise. The only one left on my to-try list at this point is the new caramel brulee latte, through which I will probably be consuming enough calories to substitute for an entire meal. Ah, c'est la vie. Because really, how often does Starbucks pull out those beloved red cups? My point exactly.

Happy holidays to you and yours, dear readers. xo

image via weheartit.com

Holiday Nightmare

Don't we all tell ourselves every year that we will do our holiday shopping online, nice and easy, with a cup of coffee, wearing PJs, no problem at all -- and every year, we fail? We venture out into the busy, crowded malls, spend about half our time stuck in traffic or circling around the lots aimlessly, hoping to spot some defeated shopper whose spot you can steal, wait in long lines, hear the screams of children drowning out the Christmas music... and so on and so forth. No? Just me? At any rate, I DO always wonder why I don't get more of my shopping done online in the comfort of my own home. I asked myself that just the other day, after I got home from the mall, dripping from the rain (non-stop gloom and showers for about a week now in Los Angeles -- better than a sunny Christmas, I can say that much).

I think it's safe to say I literally spent more time in my car, searching for parking or just trying to get in/out of the lots and the general vicinity of the mall... than I actually did IN the mall. At any rate, my best friend and I gave up within a couple of short hours, got NEARLY nothing done, and headed straight for the food. Tuna burgers and cheese fries made the excursion semi-worth it, but I digress. Next year, either I stop with the procrastination and get this stuff done nice and early, or I do it on my laptop in my PJs... dry, warm, and screaming-child-free.

I promise that was the last of what might sound a lot like a Grinchesque rant. And I promise, in all actuality I do really, really love Christmas and the holidays in general. We will now return to regular festivities... cue the Pandora Christmas music station, peppermint hot chocolate, and gift wrapping!

Also, please be sure to keep up with me on TWITTER & BLOGLOVIN xo

image via weheartit.com

What's on my mind?

Hello pretty people! I feel as though I have neglected this blog long enough.. as a crazy, crazy semester winds down I am back and hoping some of you readers are still left out there, somewhere. The ever-so-dreaded Finals Week is about to begin, so right now all that is primarily on my mind is a whole lot of French grammar and about 30 or so works of American Literature. And while it is 80 degrees here in Los Angeles, in the middle of December, I also find my mind wandering to a white Christmas. A beautiful cabin, crackling fire, snow covered pine trees... but for now, as I am stuck in SoCal buried in textbooks and notes, all I can do is drink my seasonal Starbucks coffee (Iced Peppermint Mocha, mmm), listen to Christmas music and watch The Holiday & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. (Side note: I think it's safe to say holiday movies never, ever get old to me). At any rate, I will stop my rambling at this point, take a breath, and look around to see if I even have any faithful readers left after my unofficial hiatus. I will try to be much, much better with updating as soon as I get through my finals. In the meantime, if you DID find your way back to this blog, please don't hesitate to leave me comments and let me know you are still out there. Lots of love (and best wishes to those of you in the Finals Boat like me) xo

image via weheartit.com

Rough Drafts

Oh how I wish I wasn't so artistically challenged. For as long as I can remember, I have had no ability whatsoever to sit down, sketchbook and pencil in hand, look at a neatly arranged bowl of fruit or vase of flowers, and recreate an almost carbon copy of the object onto paper. Now, I know this feat is possibly easier said than done, and very few people can actually create said carbon copies... but I would've at least liked to possess the ability to create an image remotely resembling its original. Throughout elementary school, art class consisted of little to no actual instruction, led by a rather discouraging woman who apparently didn't believe in words of endearment, regardless of the fact that her students were between the ages of 6 and 14 and could, at the time, really use it. This coming from a private school. No matter -- from then on, I was convinced that I was incapable of creating any piece of art worth taking even half a second look at. This wasn't just in my head, either... on several occasions since those fruitless elementary school art days I HAVE tried setting aside my personal inhibitions to put in real effort and see what the end result will be. In high school, the one art class I took was one that was required of us, and even then I would actually attempt tirelessly to complete the assignments everyday... only to pass them on to my best friend later (who happens to have impeccable sketching and painting skills) to complete for me.

This all came to mind when, just recently, I was sitting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and observing a local who looked to be around my age, standing about a foot away from a marble bust and sketching swiftly into a leather bound notebook, glancing up at her subject every so often and very rarely erasing her markings to make adjustments. I admired her then, thinking to myself how lovely it must be to pick up a book and go spend an afternoon at the local museum, sketching away effortlessly (granted, she lives in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to, a city bursting with art and culture and inspiration, the city that was once home to Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci -- but I digress). I imagine it to be liberating, satisfying, and even somewhat therapeutic. I guess that's what writing is for me, though. I turn to writing when in need of comfort and, more often that not, comfort is what I find. So maybe we all have that sort of medium, there to serve us loyally by providing us with that sense of freedom, relief, comfort, revitalization, whatever it may be -- in the form of drawing, writing, running, creating music, cooking, twirling batons, and so on. So maybe I'm not the next Monet... there's only so much I can do about that. For now, I'll frequent art history courses in place of drawing 101, leaving the painting to the pros and continuing on as an admirer.

Oh and by the way, how great are those sketches? The first is Dolce and Gabbana, second is Christian Dior. I love looking at designer sketches almost as much as I love looking at fine art... I find them so fun and inspiring. See -- appreciation. In this particular case, it's what I do best.

So now, dear readers, I'm curious: what is that one thing YOU turn to when you need to let go and relax? 

images via celebritybridgeuide.com and christmasmagazine.com

Welcome...

For the past few days, I've been putting a lot of thought into my first post, continuously turning a couple of ideas over and over in my head. Generally speaking, I've never been very good at introductions to begin with; this is made doubly awkward by the fact that, at this point, I can't imagine having more readers than I can count on one hand. I guess I can start this blog off by telling you the very basics about myself: I'm a college student from Los Angeles who loves to write, travel, read, shop, eat good food, meet new people, see things that inspire me and make me think, and just enjoy life to the fullest as often as possible. So there's me in a nutshell. This blog will be a direct reflection of that: book and film reviews, travel writing, outfit posts, articles or photos I come across that are inspiring or intriguing. I'm hoping to share memories, tips, musings, whatever. All I can do is express myself as best I can and hope you will all join me for the ride. xo