Category Archives: Style

Obsessing over… (part 4)

It’s been a while since I wrote one of these posts. I hope you guys missed them, ‘cuz I sure did.

  • Lana del Rey: Despite how gravely she screwed up her recent SNL appearance, I LOVE this girl. Seriously, my iTunes have not gotten a break from her (as well as my next bullet point) for like a month now. I love the seductive, mysterious nature of her songs and her strange voice. She doesn’t sound like any other artist that’s popular right now, which is admirable, and she’s never collaborated with LMFAO, which is basically unheard of. Also, I’m a huge fan of her cool, slightly surgically-interfered with look. Recommended tracks: “This is what makes us girls,” “Video Games” and “Million-dollar man.”

  • Kate Nash: The songs of Kate Nash are the definition of contemporary Brit pop. They’re pure fun, for listening and for singing in the shower. Nash is a lot like her fellow Brit Lily Allen, but in my opinion, far more cool. She’s like the strange chick you went to high school with that you always wondered about befriending but never summoned the courage to. Listening to her profusely has also helped me perfect my British accent, an unsolicited skill I’m prone to utilizing after a few beers. Recommended tracks: “Don’t you want to share the guilt,” “We get on,” “Mariella” and “Kiss that girl.

  • Rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders: One of my friends is really into this rock climbing business and one day, after getting fed up with my gym workout routine, I decided to join him. What I discovered is that not only is this a fantastic, low-impact workout, but it does wonders for the mind as well. I am no expert at this [activity, sport?] but from what I gather, strategy and overcoming one’s fear of heights (even though the walls are about 15 feet tall) and falling are far more important than physical strength. I’m still having trouble being comfortable with the possibility of falling off the wall (the floors are padded) but I’m determined to get good at it!

  • Blue nail polish: Not much to say here other than that I’m really into these right now. Left to right: Brucci “Gianna’s rockin’ blue,” China Glaze “Re-fresh mint,” Essie “Barbados blue” and OPI “Russian navy.”

Your turn! What have you been obsessing over?

Obsessing over… (part deux)

Hello.

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been posting many recipes lately. You also might’ve noticed that it’s summer. New York is hotter than Satan’s den this time of year so I’m trying to spend all my free time at the beach and by the pool; the thought alone of cooking is hard to bear. Anyway, I hope ya’ll can forgive me.

I had so much fun writing the first “Obsessing over” post that I decided to do a follow-up. Here we go:

  • The new Incubus album, If Not Now, When?: Incubus has been my favorite band since the tender age of 13. You know when a particular music just speaks to you? Well, this is it for me. Their current sound is a bit more mature since their last release, Light Grenades (2006). I’m ecstatic that they finally recorded a new album. After a five year hiatus, I thought they were over for sure. This is one of my favorite songs at the moment.
    Not only is the entire band extremely talented, and their music awesome, but the lead singer, Brandon Boyd, is a Grade A hottie. I have been consistently obsessed with him for years! I mean look at him…

And to add more fuel to his sexy fire, he is also a great painter and poetic prose writer. Damn…*drools*

  • Zooey Deschanel: First of all, she’s the freakin’ cutest. I love her big blue eyes, voluminous hair and retro style. I also love that she’s not stick-thin, like most women we see on screen. I adore her movies, especially (500) Days of Summer – to say I’ve seen it at least 20 times would not be far from the truth. She’s also half of the band She & Him. Her voice is incredible – like a bird’s – and the songs are great.
  •  Lastly, I obsessing over my newest shoes! I got them at Call it Spring. They are adorable, comfortable and cost me a whopping $10 (reg. $50)! Here I am wearing them at High Line Park. You like?

As always, I want to know what you’re currently obsessing over, too :)

Obsessing over…

-French movies: I recently subscribed to Netflix (and am currently very angry at them for splitting Instant Play and mailed-in DVDs into two different services), so now each moment of my leisure is spent on the French cinema, old and new. If you are at least half the Francophile I am, check these out:

  • “Hors de Prix” (Priceless), a modern-day French take on “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” starring Audrey Tautou (you may remember how much I admire her from this post). It’s a cute, funny, light-hearted rom-com, and it shows some gorgeous views of the French Riviera.
  • “Paris” (2008), starring Romain Duris and Juliette Binoche (you may remember her from “Chocolat” with Johnny Depp), is a fantastic drama. It tells the stories of several Parisians and their very different lives, but centers around one, very wise and possibly terminally ill man. This movie is philosophical and deep, and shows the true (in my opinion) essence of Paris. I must admit, I cried like une petite chou chou at the end of this one. I highly recommend it!
  • I also decided to watch all of Jean-Luc Godard’s films. So far I’ve seen Le Mepris (Contempt), starring Brigitte Bardot…

damn, I’m a sucker for French women. This film was a bit hard to get into but paid off in the end. It documents the life of a suffering screenwriter and his physically flawless yet utterly miserable wife. It shows the downsides of love, marriage and ultimately patriarchy.

  • …and “A Bout de Souffle” (Breathless) – this one was more up my alley. It documents the adventures of a young criminal, Michel, who is on the run from the French police, and a young American girl with whom he is in love. The movie is mostly set in Paris.  This film is critically acclaimed for its revolutionary cinematography – even if not for the story, I highly recommend it for this reason alone.

(The girl is played by the stunning Jean Seberg – an actual American)

-Black nail polish: even though most would say it’s more of a colder months color, I completely adore it year-round. I like its seriousness and the way it contrasts with my skin. I also like that if it’s chipped, it looks badass and kind of rock-and-roll as opposed to negligent. I’m currently using “Black Caviar” by Duri – it has a wide brush, goes on smoothly and has great staying power. -Prosciutto: I’ve never been a big fan of prosciutto – I enjoyed it in sauces but not really on its own. I was recently cooking something that required its addition and was left with quite a bit of it. I decided to give it another go and realized how incredible this product is. It’s salty, smoky, meaty… I’ve always vouched for bacon as my favorite pork product but I may have converted. I think it’s always worth it to buy the absolute best possible quality Prosciutto di Parma when it’s available, even if it costs extra.

Having had my first encounter with pork belly at Momofuku and now this, I’m starting to really harbor an appreciation for pork.

What have you been watching/wearing/eating lately?

All over the place.

Tuesday was the last day of spring break so Irina and I decided to spend it frolicking around the city in the sun. First, we headed over to the Brooklyn Museum, which was of course closed…good job planning, I know. But we did stay in the area to take some photos…

(Top: Sound & Matter, Pants: Zara, Sandals: Steve Madden, Bag: Aldo, Sunglasses: Ray Ban’s “New Wayfarer”)

Determined to scratch the persistent art itch, we made our way to the Met in the city, where we spent several hours. This is one of my favorite pieces of all time – Rodin’s Burghers of Calais. I fell in love with Rodin in his Paris museum and seeing this in New York gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Then we went back downtown – to Little Italy for pasta. We chose La Nonna of the myriad restaurants on Mulberry St. and I had pasta Carbonara, which totally hit the spot after a full day’s roaming.

Then we met Sofya for coffee at Cafe Charbon…well isn’t that Parisian of you, Lower East Side! Sofya brought some special treats from bisous ciao. – a very chic macaron boutique in the area that never disappoints.

This was the kind of day when I absolutely adore New York; when I get to see, feel and eat its wonders, when I forget the horrendous train stations, the dirt, and the snooty attitudes.

Montreal Recap

As mentioned before, I spent this past weekend in Montreal, Canada, in the company of some of my lady-friends. We stayed up into all hours of the night, slept well into the day and celebrated the New Year in every way we knew how. It was fabulous and we had a blast.

Apart from the extensive breakfast buffet and this fantastic panini, the food in our hotel’s restaurant (Delta Montreal) sucked. *Cajun-style butterfly shrimp, goat cheese, tomatoes and guacamole.

I usually never order shrimp in restaurants, but the goat cheese intrigued me. This sandwich, served with mesclun greens in a raspberry vinaigrette, pleasantly surprised me.

This is poutine from La Banquise, the specialty dish of Montreal – classically fries, cheese curds and gravy – however, this one is the Poutine Danse (one of La Banquise’s 20-something choices!), fries, cheese, shredded turkey, bacon, onions and creamy black pepper gravy. So sinful and so delicious.

One of the days, we went to a neighborhood known as Old Montreal. This modest area is filled with little shops, galleries, cafes and street performers.

“Some mustard?”

*Artist unknown

*Me on New Year’s Eve. (Dress: H&M, Boots: Sergio Rossi)