Coral

s & s summer tote / coral necklace / liberty bird dress
topshop scallop shirt / j. crew swimsuit / essie nail polish
topshop canvas shoes / bermuda shorts / banshee in coral

Coral is all the rage right now. We're seeing coral lipstick, nail polish, on the runway and on the red carpet (Emma Stone's minimal Calvin Klein sherbet hued dress at the Golden Globes this year). Last year, I fell in love with coral and various other shades of orange, but before that, I never use to wear orange. Last summer, I was shopping at Cotton On with my mom and she told me to get this coral salmon colored top. At first I was hesitant, since I didn't own anything in that color, but I thought why not wear something different and try something new? Now coral is the color to wear this spring! Colors that go with coral: navy, yellow and pink.

Not only am I a fan of the color, but I love white coral. I wanted to purchase a piece of coral from Alameda Flea Market, but I guess money was spent elsewhere. I do love sea and beach decor, star fish, shells, sea urchins, which reminds me of Something's Gotta Give, but oddly enough, I'm not a huge fan of the beach. But I do love the house in The Romantics and Interiors and they're set by the beach. Which reminds me, the groom and groomsmen in The Romantics wear a coral colored tie with an off white day suit - I'm in love with that combination. I suppose I do have a love hate relationship with the beach and the sea, but one day I would love to visit the Great Coral Reef.

My Love Letter to We Are The Physics,

Dearest Michael, Michael, Michael and Chris,

Firstly, I should explain that I have three major inspiration and idols in my life. Woody Allen is my movie hero, Roger Federer is my tennis hero and then we are THE PHYSICS are my music heroes! It's hard to believe that it has been four years since I first saw them opening for 30 Seconds To Mars. Yes, four years today. On April 21st, 2007, I saw 30 Seconds To Mars at the Astoria in London. Back in the day, I listened to 30 Seconds To Mars and I really liked Jared Leto as an actor and somewhat as a musician. Who knew that I would fall madly in love with the opening band instead? I remember the day as if it were yesterday. They were only on stage for twenty minutes at most, but they had so much stage presence and charisma and I just fell in love with their music. That night I went on their Myspace and found out they would be playing at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes really close to my dorm that weekend.

When I was in London, I would go to shows by myself all the time. It was my favorite pastime, seeing bands and meeting them. Admittedly, every time I would meet a band after a show, I would feel butterflies in my stomach, because I would be in awe of them. When I went to Bloomsbury by myself, I was a little anxious about seeing them. To my surprise, I ran into a friend Alison who happened to be a DJ there and... she also knew the band! What are the odds? So Alison introduced me to Michael, Michael, Michael and Chris. Yes, there are three Michaels in the band and the Chris! They were the nicest guys I've ever met! Not only are they talented and creative musician, they are so nice and modest about their music!

Their live show is truly one of a kind. I would love to describe their performance, but it would be like ruining a great movie. If you ever have the chance, you must see them live for yourself or watch their YouTube videos. You know how some bands just play on stage without any stage presence, because they've been playing live for years and they don't put their heart and soul into their performance? Well that truly saddens me, but we are THE PHYSICS puts 110% 120% heart and soul into every performance! They just go nuts! Now that's a show! When I was still in London in 2007, I saw them four times: April 21st, April 28th, May 11th and June 21st, 2007. Every single show of theirs was spectacular and so memorable.

When I saw them at KoKo on May 11th, I brought them a few gifts for fun. Since they toured with 30 Seconds To Mars, I bought them the DVD of Requiem for a Dream (Jared Leto's best movie) and a few other random things that reminded me of them. From May 11th to June 21st, I did a countdown on their Myspace page: Days, Hours, Minutes and Seconds. It was probably quite obnoxious for frequent goers of their page, but I thought it was entertaining and a little depressing, since June 21st would be the last time I would see them, since I was leaving England forever. When it finally came to June 21st, I really didn't want the day to be over, but it was the Summer Solstice, so I kept convincing myself that it is the longest day of the year. The show was at Camden Barfly and it was perfectly intimate and the crowd was amazing! This time I brought them their favorite carrot cake and their favorite sandwiches and other miscellaneous gifts. It was one of the best days of my life and I will never forget June 21st, 2007.

After my first year in San Francisco, I went to London to visit my brother and friends for two weeks. As luck would have it, we are THE PHYSICS had a show in London when I was there. The timing was just perfect and they were performing at Camden Barfly. I cannot stress enough how talented these guys are and how nice they are. I really, truly wish them good things and I really hope one day they will be able to tour in the U.S. They have already accomplished a lot, they've toured in Japan, Amsterdam, Russia, but I hope they can come to the U.S. (preferably New York) soon, so I can bring them homemade carrot cupcakes!

Thank you guys for being so sweet and your music is always the best form of escapism for me. I can't wait to see you guys again and hopefully that will be soon! I can't wait to do my crazy, obsessive countdown till the day I get to see your show! Good luck with everything and I can't wait for your next album! I less than three we are THE PHYSICS!

Feel free to follow them on: Website / Myspace / Twitter / Facebook

Much Love,
Avalonne a.k.a. Crazy Calculator Lady

Busy Bee

- I've been a bit of a busy bee for the past week. I was working as the production designer and script supervisor on a graduate thesis film. Long days and nights. Little sleep, but no worries, lots of snacking on great food. Was introduced to quinoa and had the most scrumptious quinoa salad. When I wasn't needed on set, I was in the kitchen making some gourmet snacks like I had chips and salsa and I cut up some cherry tomatoes and added them to the salsa and mint leaves and salt and pepper. Yum! Then I made the yummiest sandwich with crumpets/English muffin, cream cheese, Romana cheese, honey ham, strawberries, mint leaves and pepper.
- Last week, I was at a toy shop looking for props for the film and I bought a Rubik's cube for myself. I've always wanted to try to solve a Rubik's Cube. Today, I was playing with it with Shy and then we youtubed how to solve a Rubik's Cube. Of course it's no mystery. You can figure it out with an algorithm. The guy demonstrates it pretty quickly in the video, so it's hard to keep up. But I can do it!
- Went to the Aquarium to look for sea creatures and maritime decor and found the most perfect stuffed toy octopus, which fit perfectly with the theme of the film. We named the octopus Squiggy! I had to take a photo of Squiggy with Kitty and Chloë!
- Painted two weekends ago and based it off one of Caro's photos that she took in Modesto. My roommate taught me the trick to blend: put the paper on a slant, as simple as that, but I kind of like the rough transitions of the colors. Thanks Caro for letting me use your photo as a reference/inspiration!
- R.I.P. Borders in downtown San Francisco and other 200 stores. I don't even know when it closed down, but I'm sad that I didn't get to go before it closed down. I was there so much in February and beginning of March, but after Spring Break, I just didn't go to Borders. Now I don't know if I'll ever be able to finish off the Spree Killers book.
- Last weekend, the shoot ended a little earlier than usual, so I went to Haight by myself. I was so exhausted, but I had been indoors everyday, so I decided to go outside for a few hours. I went to the usual Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange and then for a change, I decided to walk on the other side of the road. I went to this quaint grocery store Haight Street Market (1530 Haight St) and bought some fresh food: strawberries, blackberries, prosciutto, shredded Romano and Parmesan and mixed herb salad and of course, a lovely mint plant. I love my mint plant, it smells so good! I should make myself an Arnold Palmer drink sometime soon!
- Thanks to all the warm and kind comments on the San Francisco Regatta post. I'm glad it was well received and I can't wait to take more outfit posts soon. Caro and I are planning to enter the Crossroads Photo Contest. I have a photo shoot idea in my mind! I hope we can shoot it soon! I'm excited! Oh, so according to official rules, the photos will not be able to appear on my blog if they're going to be submitted to the contest. Well I guess this photo will be solely for the contest. Please wish us luck, thank you!
- Exciting news: I'm meeting the lovely Jenn of Clothes Encounters tomorrow! I'm sure you've already heard and seen the one half of the dynamic duo Clothes Encounters (YouTube Channel) based in Los Angeles. Their style is always consistently succinct and effortless. It's no wonder they have so many YouTube subscribers (nearly 16,000, whoa)! She's a friend's friend and I'm really looking forward to her!
- Lots to do, lots to catch up on!

Dog Days Are Over

Lavender

crystal ring / french soap / spring thistles
bath tea / topshop lace dress / stacking boxes
rodarte spectators / clothespins / topshop sandals

Lavender has always been my favorite color, but I don't really own many items or clothing in lavender. It's a very specific type of lavender that makes my heart swoon, it's a warm and more pink hued shade of lavender as opposed to the actual color of lavender. I just love the word lavender, so when I was younger and I read Harry Potter, I was so excited to know there was a character name Lavender Brown, I just thought it was such a cool name. And then J K Rowling ruined her character! In celebration of spring, I've finally started to embrace all the pastel color goodness. I've always loved pastel colors, but I never wore lots of pastel colors since I prefer to wear more fall colors and fall clothing, now I have all these pastel color shirts and nail polish and I love it! Wearing Lacy Lilac nail polish by Sarah Hansen today.

I want to see more lavender colored items in my home and wardrobe. When I think of excess of lavender, I think of Bridget Jones' mother Gemma Jones re-marrying Jim Broadbent and everything was in lavender! Now that was too much lavender. Too much of anything isn't good, I think lavender is more elegant in small doses. I'm in love with the lace dress, which is out of stock, but I just love staring at this particular shade of lavender or lilac. Also those sandals look like the perfect spring sandals for a day in the park.

San Francisco Regatta

photographed by: caro ramirez (website | blog | flickr)

A regatta is a series of boat races. I felt like a movie heroine racing solo across the ocean to meet the love of my life. Who is he and where is he? Admittedly, I've become more cynical than ever, but I have and am and will always be a romantic and I would cross an ocean to meet the love of my life. I have this idea of writing a love letter and putting it in a bottle and then throwing the bottle into the ocean. Who knows who would find this bottle with the letter? But I'd like to think it would be quite a great journey and adventure for this bottle. Maybe the bottle would cross the Pacific Ocean and reach Asia, who knows? I first had this idea around the time of the earthquake this time last month. I was thinking about how life is so short and sometimes I cannot help fix global problems immediately, but I can always offer some kindness. Wouldn't it just make your day if you found a bottle with a letter in it?

I haven't decided what I'm going to write in the letter, but it will be addressed to unknown and I hope if someone were to find the bottle, it would brighten this person's day. Should I leave my contact information or should it remain anonymous? It would be quite amazing if someone found it and then contacted me. I told this idea to Caro and she told me a story about a couple who would develop lost rolls of film and try to find the owners of the film. It was such a beautiful story and it really makes me think how precious life is and how small acts of kindness can really make the world a better place. This whole idea was inspired by Letters to Juliet. I personally loved this movie, because I felt like love can really be powerful if you truly believe in it. If and when I visit Verona, I will definitely write a letter to Juliet, but for now, Thursday's love letter will be to dear Juliet. If I ever felt the love that Claire felt in Letters to Juliet, I would absolutely want to seize it and I hope that the other person would feel the same way about me.

I know that love is not a race and I'm really in no hurry to "fall in love", but I just hope I will meet this someone and share some great memories and conversations, whether it's for one night or a lifetime. Growing up, I've always wanted to do certain activities with "him", thanks to numerous romantic films: ride the Ferris Wheel at night à la Never Been Kissed and Before Sunrise, go star gazing, go on a row boat ride in a lake and of course, kiss under the Eiffel Tower.

Spring has Arrived

- The week started off with a very vivid dream of Andrew Garfield. I am so in awe of him.
- Started watching Shin Chan on Netflix Instant Play. Once in a while, I do enjoy some vulgar and crass humor and Shin Chan does it really well, although I never enjoyed South Park and Family Guy.
- Finally finished and published a birthday post for Vicky!
- Bought safari's sunset/leucadendron, ranunculus and craspedia for the apartment. Finally learned how to dry flowers while retaining the original color. As the flowers are drying out, leave a little water in the vase and let the flowers soak up the rest of the water.
- Rescued a cute fox from the most adorable shop Picnic on Polk Street. This little guy was on sale because he's missing a limb, so I bought him and I've named him Oliver the Fox.
- Embracing the spring season and sporting all kinds of pastel nail colors.
- Went to Irving Street with the roommate. Went to Crossroads and finally used the gift certificate and bought the coolest Frida Kahlo socks! Then we went to the quaint gift shop and bought a Sigmund Freud stress ball and a vintage design bottle of bubbles. The next stop was a comic book store and when I saw the Flash pin, I knew I had to get it... get a hold of this... Sheldon Cooper loves The Flash and I'm going to see Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. So if and when I meet Jim Parsons on Broadway this summer, I'm going to give him the pin! I'm such a nerd!
- Celebrated Shy's birthday at Fly tonight! They have the yummiest Italian pizzettas there! Drank two Shirley Temples. Wore a blush pink blazer, thrifted American Apparel lawn shirt (thanks Crossroads) and sea foam green pleated pants (thanks Buffalo Exchange, but they got ripped though, ugh)!
- Fi of Previously Owned has also started Analog Sunday! How exciting?

My Love Letter to Woody Allen #2,

image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Just for fun and for personal selfish reasons, I've compiled my favorite Woody Allen quotes along with some glorious photos of him. Image 1 is arguably one of my favorite scenes from Woody Allen's vast filmography. This lobster scene in Annie Hall was so heartfelt and real. It makes me laugh and cry at the same time. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton's on screen relationship is one of the most beautiful relationships in film history. I just hope to meet someone one day and share such a wonderful moment.

I want to thank all the lovely people who think of me when coming across something related to Woody Allen. It makes me so happy that people make that association with me and my unhealthy and ridiculous obsession with Woody Allen. Thanks to i wish i had taste for sending me a link to a Woody Allen illustration by Judy Kaufmann on Etsy. I think this illustration is just too adorable; I want an illustration of me as Annie Hall and Woody Allen. It's a shame I don't draw anymore. I used to draw when I was a kid, but then I gave up when I became self conscious. Since then I had killed my inner illustrator. But if anyone is willing to draw me and Woody Allen, I would gladly repay you with candy or sushi or whatever you want! Miss Anne Pomel, would you be willing to draw a caricature of me and Woody Allen, pretty please?

I remembered one of my all time favorite Woody Allen quotes from Love and Death: Countess Alexandrovna: You're disgusting, but I love you. Boris: Well, my disgustingness is my best feature. I love that Woody Allen is so forward and direct about sex. I know I've mentioned this in my first love letter to Woody. But I must reiterate my feelings toward him. I seriously love his outlandish ways, he is such an oddball and his sense of humor just speaks to me. I think the more disgusting he is, the more I'm attracted to him. Okay, I probably sound more insane now, considering he is 53 years my senior. But in all seriousness, he is my hero and I have the utmost respect for him and his work.

What are the chances that I'll work on one of his films as a PA or any crew member? I wonder. I think that will be the day I will pass out, wake up and then cry my eyes out and then pass out due to dehydration and then wake up and then cry some more and then take deep breaths and then stay conscious. I'm getting ahead of myself, but a girl can dream, right? I guess I'll just have to stay positive and optimistic. Although, I've already accepted the fact that I may never become a "well known" director, but I just hope I'll be able to work on the films of my favorite directors: Woody Allen (please, please, please let me get what I want), Darren Aronofsky, Sam Mendes, Julie Delpy, etc. It's good to have ambitions and goals, but it's also wise to be realistic and practical. I will work hard and hopefully hard work will pay off, but right now, I'll focus on broadening my experience in the filmmaking industry. Many more love letters to come! Stay tuned!

Dear Mr. Allen,

I am so in awe of you. Every day I learn something new and inspiring about you. I cannot wait to live in Manhattan. I cannot wait to live and breathe the Manhattan air and of course, I will visit Brooklyn and soak up your childhood home. I hope I'll be fortunate enough to see you on the streets of Manhattan and if I ever do, I don't know if I would have the guts to go up to you and bother you. I will probably faint before I think of even approaching you. Maybe I won't be lucky enough to see you on the streets, who knows? But my dream is to work for you. I would be so honored to be a script supervisor or production or personal assistant. If I ever had that chance, I would be eternally thankful to whatever higher power there is in this vast universe. I have many dreams, goals and ambitions, but I think my life would be complete if I ever had the chance to work for you and see you direct in action. Sadly, you will probably never read this and admittedly, I would be embarrassed if you ever did, but nonetheless, you are my hero and idol. Thank you for continually inspiring me to be a happy, grateful and motivated human being and filmmaker.

Yours truly,
Avalonne

“Sex without love is an empty experience, but, as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.”

“I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own.”

“I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens.”

“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.”

“Sex between 2 people is a beautiful thing; between 5 it's fantastic.”“My brain? That´s my second favorite organ.”

“I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.”“Man consists of two parts, his mind and his body, only the body has more fun.”

“Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over much too soon.”