September Lifestyle Challenge

Hi everyone!

Today I want to take the time to address stress. Everyone experiences it, and it's completely normal (especially if you're about to go into college, like me)! However, just because it's a natural human tendency, doesn't mean you have to suffer through being stressed out.

That being said, this month's lifestyle challenge is:

    relax.

Take the time this month to do whatever it is that calms you down: listen to soothing music, take a nice bubble bath, do some light yoga, or read an easy book. It's important to take a break from whatever you're doing and just calm down for a little while. Your body and mind will thank you!

Feel well, everyone. And remember: life's good.

A Day at Downtown

Happy September, everyone!

I spent a day in Downtown Los Angeles with one of my dear childhood friends. Let me give you a tour of my city!

The first spot we visited was Grand Central Market (upper photo), which showcases great local eateries. Along the street on the way to GMC was a sign that said "Decide what to be and go be it," which is a saying by which I live my life! 

The middle bottom photo is from one of the glass elevators at the Bonaventure Hotel, which showcases a lovely view of the city from the 32nd floor.

The two corner photos on the right are from Grand Park, which has a rather--wait for it--Grand fountain. Usually the floor around the fountain is open for people to wade in; unfortunately, it was closed when we got there, and we were forced to take a selfie with boring, dry floor in the background.

My favorite place in downtown is definitely The Last Bookstore! It's the last independent book store in the United States, and I love it so much. They have a whole floor dedicated to books on sale for $1, and they also sell local art!

Last but not least, we visited the Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch, which has such gorgeous architecture; the photo doesn't do it justice. The left photo was taken on a bridge leading to the library, taken only to feature the sculpture in the background.

Here's my outfit from that day:

Hat: Vintage

Dress: Nordstrom

Belt: Bettie Page

Bag: Vintage

Have you ever visited Downtown LA? If there are local spots that I need to visit, please let me know in the comments!

A Day at Koreatown

Hello, all!

I went out for lunch at Koreatown in Downtown LA today with my girls. We ate an all-you-can-eat lunch special at Oo-Kook BBQ, where you can cook the meat at your very own table. We had twelve rounds of meat between the four of us!

After we recovered from our food comas, we stopped by the cutest little bakery: Paris Baguette. They had such yummy pastries, and the store setup was precious! The music they played was also really entertaining. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any photos of the pastries we ate.

And, for the moment you've all been waiting for--my outfit!

 

Hat: Reflection

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Bag: Vintage

Shoes: H&M 

Thanks for reading!

Why the Trickle-Down Theory is Complete BS

I'm going to divert from my usual subject matter today and spend some time introducing my political views. I hinted a little bit in my Fashion Pet Peeves post, but let me just expose how liberal I really am.

I HATE the Trickle Down Theory. I hate it with all my guts. For those of you that are unaware, trickle down is the idea that if the government allocates money to the rich/upper class, that money will eventually "trickle down" the social classes and will magically reach the poor. Advocates of the theory argue this kind of example: If a rich businessperson receives government funding, that person can now enjoy a lavish lifestyle; as this person spends, he/she hires people to do work (thus, this person's money "trickles down" to the lower class). That example in and of itself might strike some massive red flags at you.

Moving on.

I really cannot stand this idea because clearly, it doesn't fucking work. Even though the example above is true for many people, Trickle Down clearly doesn't benefit the poor as much as conservatives would like us to believe. When the government allocates money to the upper class, they're essentially giving rich people the green light to be as corrupt as they please so long as they keep the economy running. And I can never tolerate that. If Trickle Down were actually successful, America's unemployment rate would be significantly lower, and poor Americans would find work more easily.

Another major reason why trickle down doesn't work is because it not only widens the gap between high and low incomes, it perpetuates the idea that people with money can control whomever they want. Trickle down obviously benefits the rich, keeping them at the top of the social food chain (for what seems to be forever). These rich people--and I'm not saying that all of them do--can keep hiring (or is subjugating a more proper term?) lower class workers, keeping them "in their place." I refuse to support the idea that having more money makes you a better person. We need to understand that poor people are people too. 

My solution, and it seems quite obvious, is to allocate government funds to the poor and create an opposite system--a Transpire Up Theory, if you will. If the government gives its money to the lower class (in the form of food stamps, welfare, healthcare, etc), the lower class will be able to provide for themselves and have all the resources they need to contribute to the economy. This contribution would inevitably go up the social classes and benefit the rich in the long run. As my Economics teacher says, "If you give money to the rich, it benefits the rich. But if you give money to the poor, it benefits everyone."


Bite me, Ronald Reagan.

Fashion Pet Peeves

Today's post is going to be kind of a rant. There are a lot of things that annoy me within the fashion industry, so allow me to just dump all of my complaints on you.

1. Redundant brand names

I really, really hate when designers come out with brands named after themselves (e.g. Marc by Marc Jacobs or Michael by Michael Kors). I find it so annoying. Clearly, if your name comes right after the word "by," you don't need to re-state your name in the damn brand! Couldn't these designers think of anything any more creative? Come on, man.

2. Blatantly overpriced garments

To quote Macklemore, "I'm like 'Yo, that's $50 for a t-shirt.'" I understand that when I'm buying a designer brand, I'm going to pay more than I would if I were buying a regular retail brand. However, when designers charge over $100 for simple items like plain t-shirts or scarves, I can't help but cringe. When there's literally nothing special about a garment except for the designer's name, I call foul.

3. Knock-offs

As someone who plans to be a member of the fashion industry, knock-offs are a big annoyance to me. Buying and selling knock-off items really hurt the industry and take profits away from hard-working designers who deserve it. In addition, a large percentage of knock-offs don't even look like the actual items! The whole knock-off business really just needs to end.

4. Sweatshops

This is more of a pet peeve with capitalism in general, but I really detest sweatshops. No matter how cheap the cost of your garments end up to be, designers should never settle to oppressing underpaid men, women and children. More often than not, sweatshops workers have no choice but to work for these companies because they have little other opportunities. Sweatshops are a complete injustice and should be banned from the world economy.

5. Louis Vuitton

'Nuff said. Every Louis Vuitton product perpetually irritates me. Seeing the LV logo thrown all over a bag just makes me want to puke.

6. Body standards/fat shaming

This is an issue I have with the whole world, but it's really prominent in the fashion industry in particular. It seems as though some renowned names in fashion do not understand that people come in all shapes and sizes, and clothing should reflect that. I hate the idea that an hourglass woman with a big bust, tiny waist, and large hips is the ideal woman, and all other shapes are unacceptable. I can't stand seeing runway shows where all the models are all the same size (and often the same race). I also really hate advertisements that only feature thin models. Not everyone is a size two, and being any size larger than that is NOT a crime. All bodies are beautiful.

That's all I can think of for now! I might add on to these the more I think of them. Please comment down below and add your own!

August Lifestyle Challenge

Hello, everyone!

This month, the school year has begun again for many of us. Now, if you're like me, you're thinking, "Boo, hiss!"

However, attitude is everything whenever approaching new situations. This current school year is my senior year of high school, which is really quite daunting for me. To tackle this fear I've been having, I decided that the lifestyle challenge this month is:

    accept change.

I've realized that looking at change as not necessarily a bad thing, but an opportunity for new, positive experiences. Here's to a good school year (for those of you in school) and a fulfilling month for us all!