V-Day Gift Guide: Ninjas.

Got a significant other with a soft spot for ninjas? Here you go.

Ninja finger puppet valentine. Tiny, cute, and, geeky!

Found in Etsy.

Why a V-day gift guide?

Simple. I know some of us get totally and utterly lost as to what to do on Valentine's. Go all out? Ignore it altogether? Something economical, yet simple and sweet? And you don't only give presents to your partner, but to your friends and family as well. Well, those you like!

Here, I give options to everyone.

Also, I try to help you avoid the perils of cliché Valentine's presents, the most common ones as follows:

Underwear? NO. NO. NO. Unless the recipient specifically says, "Oh yes, I would love it if you gave me underwear that you consider sexy," avoid giving undergarments like the plague. Because, basically, it's a gift for the giver, not the recipient. It just means you want to see your significant other in that undergarment. So, drop the hint that maybe you would like to see your lover in that, and hopefully, they will acquiesce!

Candy: Look, everybody likes candy, given. But every year? On the same day? No. If you can't afford anything else, why don't you try to cook? Or bake your partner something? Even if it bombs, they will appreciate the effort. And probably help you!

Flowers: Flowers are never out of style. Never. See how important they are that I bolded and italicized the word? Flowers are always welcome, just don't do it once a year! And if you're doing it on Valentine's try to do something...original? Like my friend's boyfriend did: he got her a number of red roses that was a rose for each month they'd been together and one white rose that signified their future. That is made of win. Why? It makes clear that you know how long you've been together! It's thoughtful! Women love this!

Jewelry: Jewelry is always nice, but there is a problem: it's the safe gift. It's the one you can always go to without fail. That's why jewelry stores are always full to bursting around key holidays: Valentine's, Mother's Day, and Christmas. If your partner has been hankering for a particular piece of jewelry, then give it to them! If not, try to save it for a birthday or another important occasion. Or, better yet, give it as a "it's Tuesday, I love you" gift. That will get you brownie points forever.

So there you go. A somewhat brief guide. If you're not the Valentine type, then just ignore this post altogether. Just remember, you shouldn't reserve love, affection, and tokens of appreciation just for Valentine's.

Do it all damn year!

V-day Gift Guide...starting early, yes.

Yes, folks. I know some of you hate hate hate Valentine's because it's a capitalist scoundrel of a holiday that perpetuates the idea that one's significant other must only be rewarded once a year. I agree! But I also like red hearts and the original idea behind it. Plus. Candy!

So here's one for the guys (and gals?) to receive.

Have you ever wanted to give your male significant other a piece of jewelry that's not cheesy? That doesn't make him look like a poser? Then I have the perfect thing for you: here.


A stingray leather-accented sterling silver ring. The perfect mixture of manly jewelry and style, without going into the scary metro area. If Damian weren't anti-jewelry, I would've given him this puppy ages ago, that's how much I think this ring is awesome.

Can be found at Amazon for $59.99.

Want! Part 502 of who knows.

Oh no.



Oh no.

I am totally needing these shoes...

Why? I don't know? They're just...nuts. It's like an oxford went on a blind date with a wedge and ended up drunkenly in bed with the wedge and a boot.

This is awesome.

I would totally wear these with skinny jeans and a button-down to run errands on one of those nasty rainy days we've been getting lately.

Anybody feel like encouraging my fashion fantasies? Size 11, here.

(Edit: I'm totally digging these Onitsuka Tigers too...uuuuuuugh. I love gray.)

Something left for me in the morn.

(I like the black and white version more...so I put both up!)

I woke up this morning and stumbled to the kitchen to find these beauties left for me. Well, I'll be darned if not all days have to start out shitty. Damian passed by my house on his way to work and left these for me! What a way to cheer me up people, seriously...I die (to quote Rachel Zoe, despite the fact that I don't like Rachel Zoe). And they're so damn bright and perky, how can I not feel good when I look at these beauties!

<3 Thank you, Damian.

So here are two more pictures from my day, one being my outfit pic...I'm trying to keep it up. My face is obscured by Domo-kun as my expression was somewhat bordering on murderous. Hunger + crazy work hours = never good. Anyway, perhaps this helps as a guide on appropriate dressing? Since I've seen some other instructors dress a bit...too...provocatively/inappropriately. The other is just the perfectly organized chaos I have on my office desk. With my beloved Tsuki the Third taking the center spot.


Good night everyone!

The winter of our discontent.

Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.

To say that the start of this new year has been bumpy could be an understatement. School driving me mad, papers and thesis threatening my sanity, intensely disliking my job, desperately wanting to move out, and other things that I will not mention here for the sake of privacy and respect. Though only two classes in, the majority of my students look so unhappy to be there. And upon correcting their essays, I'm unhappy too, because apparently they did not learn anything in the first part of the course. (Only two have taken the course previously with me, so I know those learned. THEY. HAD. TO.)

This was supposed to be an outfit post: every semester, I come up with the grand plan of photographing my work outfits. I always either forget, have no time, or come home so tired and disheveled that I just can it. I already missed one outfit, so I was going to try to make up and post the second. To try to spice things up (and mirror my then mood, which turned out to be foreshadowing) on Tuesday I decided to take a classroom picture when all the students had gone.

Little did I know that the face I made for the pic I would be having ten minutes later.

Stupid car dumped me again! I may have to hatch a plot (a Damian-suggested plot) of finding a way to give my car to the Mythbusters and making them blow it up.

Oh Jamie and Adam. If you read this, please make this poor girl's dream of redemption and violence come true!

Outfit:
Belt: thrifted, .25
Earrings: Kress .50 (and outfitted with sterling silver posts, so that ramped them up to a whole $1.50!)
Bangles: thrifted, .75 for about 8 bangles.
Dress: Isaac Mizrahi for Target, $9.99
Shoes not pictured: Liz Claiborne, $15.99
Nerdery, I mean, glasses: Cynthia Rowley, $47.00, JC Penney

Polka polka polka dot!

First outfit post of 2009?

A little ray of much needed sunshine arrived in the mail today in form of my latest MJ purchase. In case anyone was wondering, yes, he is definitely one of my favorite designers! I scored it off the Bay for a whole $62.00 (shipping included), so I think it's a pretty swell deal for this cute, and decidedly perky, dress.

I bought it because I decided I needed some sort of...concrete? objective to aim for. And my aim for this dress is to wear it to commencement. Hopefully, this June. If not, next June, but I am definitely finishing this summer, even if I have to defend in July. But I will finish. So help me whoever's in charge of this place.

But we're not going to get into that right now!

By the way, I didn't chop off my head on purpose. I took the picture sideways because it was the only way the entire ensemble would fit in the picture. Silly mirror!

Staring at monitor, night 4.

So I'd been working pretty well for about three nights until school started, and that totally altered my system/work routine. Despite being sick today, I decided that, well. I'm already stuck at home anyway so might as well do something with myself that was productive. I'm up to page 17 of this God forsaken first chapter and I'm fairly sure I still have a little more to go.

Clearly, thesis is winning this fight. The whore.

But! I'm quite proud that I've progressed from 9 to 17 pages. That means, yay, I made 8 pages. And, really. For those that think writing is easy, go suck a spike covered penis. Really. Unless you're into that sort of thing. In which case, I just hope you fall face first into a pica pica pile.

Other than that, I have gotten some stuff in the mail (don't worry Tovi, I'll pay you tomorrow!). I just haven't been in the mood or condition to try stuff on and prance. That and my camera is stupid. Really. I need to get it fixed, but I don't have a back-up camera and I would feel naked without a camera!

I think I'm going to go to sleep soon...after all I have a fever and I've been awake far too long. Sick people need their rest.

G'night.

Thesis 1, Stella 0.5

I have confirmed that thesis is a monster that cannot be tamed. I say 15 pages, it says "you're going on 14 and you're still missing two sections!"

And then it laughs cruelly, spitefully in my face. And I weep.

Well, not really. I'm kind of past weeping and at violent anger right now.

The Several Day Itch.

So I don't know if any of you non-Puerto Ricans have heard of this little thing called pica-pica, which literally means itch itch. No, I don't know the actual name for it, just the one used colloquially. But, want to know something?

It really does effing itch.

You see, the damn thing is a wild grass: it grows anywhere. And it seems to be transporting itself in hefty quantities right about now through the wind. For several days.

Needless to say, I'm about 17.5 seconds from scratching my skin off.

I've taken showers, put water, tapped, done everything short of running around naked screaming and diving headfirst into a tub of cream. The worst thing is we don't have a dryer: we do drying the old fashioned way. Out in the yard.

Son of a bitch!

In an attempt to not think about this constant itching, I've been writing like mad. Right now, I'm taking a break because I just realized I've been writing for about three hours. I'm about 3-4 pages shy of my chapter goal and believe me, I didn't want to say that because I'm scared I'd be tempting the academic gods into slamming me with their almighty writer's block. But at the same time, I'm so tired and exhausted. Sometimes I just want to weep because I think, "shit. So much effort in typing this and they may very well just crucify it and chuck into the waste bin." Yes, negative thinking, but standards in theses have gone up radically ever since one particular thesis defense was likened to a horror movie. And not a good one.

However! I have decided that once I finish every chapter (aka, chapter gets fully approved), I'll get myself a little treat to celebrate this. Perhaps I'll buy a necklace or bracelet and add a charm whenever a chapter gets approved. And then, get something really big when I successfully defend my MOTHERFUCKING THESIS.

That's right, I used all caps.

Ah. To dream. And perchance, to sleep?

To-Do List

►Pay tuition fees.
►Return shirt at Old Navy.
►Get an agenda.
►Get travel guides.
►Request letters.
►Get clothes from tailor.
►And as always, clean my room.

What Damian has to put up with.

(Not that he's some sort of saint or anything...)

(1:13:59 AM) osoroco: vat you up to
(1:14:22 AM) chuchulu: uuuuh
(1:14:29 AM) chuchulu: nothing?
(1:14:40 AM) osoroco: staring at ze monitor ?
(1:15:00 AM) chuchulu: shoooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
(1:16:31 AM) chuchulu: i want to have unsafe relations with several pairs of shoes

Currently...

...listening to Colors (Code Geass opening song).
...drinking (well, more precisely, feeling the aftermath of) coquito.
...has written two single spaced (which means four double space, yay!) pages of my transgender/media paper.
...reading Japanamerica by Ronald Kelts.
...craving shoes, craving shoes, craving shoes!
...wrestling allergies.
...plotting ways to start working out soon (body con dress!).
...wondering if there are any other females that are excited over the Terminator Salvation movie (and not because Christian Bale is in it. Very. Big. Plus. Though.)
...fully aware that Damian might want to kill Mr. Bale after reading that statement.
...going to bed!

But not before leaving you with this...my latest boot obsession.


Gorgeous, no?

Yellow.

For some reason, lately I've been very much into yellow. But not a "mellow" yellow (couldn't resist!), but intense almost neon shades of yellow. I don't know why. Before I'd been pretty afraid of yellow. But I guess I took it as a sartorial challenge and now I am looking for the most intense shades of yellow I can find. Oh well. If it worth doing, it's worth overdoing?

I've bought a couple of bright yellow articles of clothing, among them a fleece pullover for when I go traveling and a sleeveless shirt. Add to that some thrifted shirts from the Salvation Army. I also have some yellow bangles that may have started this craze. But right now, I'm craving this vest. I need this vest in my life...it's insane.

Leaves.

DSCF2378
Originally uploaded by chromachord.

Picture taken at Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce.

Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur (WITH THE FUR).

Hello my freaky darlings! How have you been? First of all, I apologize for the extended and seriously unplanned disappearance. Tsuki, my laptop, fell and sustained virtual damage to its hard drive and is in the shop. AKA with Damian. And Hiro the desktop has been craptastic as well: it flashes the blue screen of death rampantly and is slower than the line at the mall during Black Friday.

Secondly, my very good friend Gloria flew down from the States to visit me so I was definitely showing her around PR! So now I'm sporting a brand new tan. I didn't seek this tan, mind you. I wear 75 SPF so that's how nasty the sun is down here and that is exactly just how much I don't spend time in the sun. My skin fried in 2.5 seconds. I mean, you can see one of my birthmarks, which is actually a sort of skin discoloration. Normally I'm so pale you can't see it.

Thirdly, the post title is totally Gloria's fault since her mission was to get that song stuck in my head and she has succeeded. And it doesn't help that on her last day here, we actually saw someone with Apple Bottom jeans.

Fourthly, a very happy holiday and new year to all that celebrate any sort of occasion during this time of year. And if you do not, I hope you've had a pleasant vacation! In Puerto Rico, it's still Christmas, so we have actually one more gift giving holiday to go! Oh, such festive Puerto Ricans.

Fifthly, I took a bunch of great pictures, but unfortunately, I have not uploaded them yet. I'm not used to working on the desktop anymore so I'm trying to avoid using it as much as possible. But, really, it seems that I will have no choice for a while.

Hopefully, I will update more regularly soon. With pictures! But for now, take care everyone.

Questions asked, questions answered.

1. Do you like blue cheese? I don't know if I've ever had it.

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? No.

3. Do you own a gun? No, I don't think I've even considered the possibility.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Never had anything from Sonic (Seconded!)

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes, but I get more angry/upset than nervous due to the crap-ass medical insurance systems available in PR that make me jump through hoops and hurdles (covered in flame!) just so I can get basic exams and such.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Mystery meat that I can't get enough of. I'm horrible. I can't say no to a hot dog. If it's made out of meat, I have to think long and hard about it...but if it's chicken, that hot dog is gone!

(Hm, I just realized that my reply to that question can be misinterpreted...)

7. Favorite Christmas Song? Oh Come All Ye Faithful, All I Want for Christmas Is You, and most of the typical Puerto Rican Christmas music.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water. I only drink orange juice if I'm sick or travelling, which will eventually lead to my being sick.

9. Can you do push ups? Yes. Not many though because I am unfit.

10. What's your favorite meal? I cannot pick? Sushi, dumplings, crepes, paella, pasta, stuffed peppers, my mom's bacalao, but I can tell you right now what I don't like: olives, capers, and red meat.

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Hm...I like jewelry to be either very delicate or extremely huge and bonkers. That said, I think I like rings, bracelets, earrings, and brooches the most.

12. Favorite hobby? Photography, graphic design, fashion, singing, cooking, traveling, among others. And shopping, definitely, especially thrift/flea market shopping.

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? I don't think so. Well, Gerardo says he does, but that's a very specific incident.

14. Do you have A.D.D? I don't think so, but I know I have OCD.

15. What's one trait that you dislike about yourself? I cannot narrow it down to one, but here they are: I expect too much from others, I self-deprecate too much, and I'm really bad at forgiving and forgetting.

16. Middle name? Maris.

17. Name 3 thoughts at this moment.
1) What am I forgetting?
2) I'm so hungry...
3) I hope I'm not getting sick.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday:
1) clothes
2) food Cafetería Mana
3) makeup

20. Current worry right now? Money, thesis, conference papers, and being a good host.

21. Current hate right now? Allergies, I forgot my water bottle, and I need to go to the ladies room...

22. Favorite place to be? New York City! Though I've kind of been missing European countries laltely.

23. How did you bring in New Years? With Damian and his family at a family friend's house.

24. Where would you like to go? I think this question should say where wouldn't I want to go...I want to visit the world!

25. Name three people who will complete this? I don't know.

26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? Whoever answers!

27. What color shirt are you wearing? Well, it has blue and white horizontal stripes.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never done it.

29. Can you whistle? No? Very poorly?

30. Favorite color(s)? Green, white, hm...green, mostly but I like vibrant colors!

31. Would you be a pirate? I like the idea of the pirate myth but in reality, modern pirates suck, so no...and being at sea with scurvy? Not awesome.

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? It's very rare for me to sing in the shower, but usually I sing stuff like...the Cinema Paradiso theme. Lately it's Oh Come All Ye Faithful. People, it's the choirgirl in me.

33. Favorite girl's name? Isabel/Elizabeth, Sofía, Victoria, Dorças. (If I ever give a girl that name, she would kill me because ignorant people would probably call her Dork Ass.) I like Ezra too. I know it's a boy's name. I don't care.

34. Favorite boy's name? Damian is pretty good...:P I can't really come up with boy names right now...I used to like Nicholas, but taking class with a viking professor of the same name kind of killed it for me.

35. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing. Well, lint maybe.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Chris Rock.

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Hush Puppies!

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Never broken anything, but I have a bum knee that hurts like a mofo that lost on election day. That, and my jaw pops.

39. Do you love where you live? No. I mean, I like my house, but with all the construction going on in the vicinity, I'm not happy.

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Four.

41. Who is your loudest friend? I don't know...I think we all have our moments of loudness...

42. How many dogs do you have? Three: Chewy the Pirate Prince of Darkness, Maya Oh Scratch My Belly Please, and Patch the Crazy.

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I don't think so...?

45. What is your favorite book? Pride & Prejudice, all the way.

46. What is your favorite candy? I can't pick...chocolate, crepes, fruit tarts...aaaaah!

47. What is your favorite sports team? I don't really follow sports.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I don't know...I plan ahead, but I don't plan this ahead...

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? At Jennifer's house, wrapping up a small holiday get-together.

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Why does the dog keep doing this to me?! (She wakes up very early so I can open the door and she can wake up my parents.)

Warning: anime academia ahead...

Just some random thoughts that pop into my head when I watch anime/read manga...

Why do anime characters lack nipples? Is this a desexualization or objectification of the female? Dolls don't have nipples; are female characters being made into dolls?

What is the obsession with mecha (aka mechanical/mechanized armor)? Man's integration to machine? Overcoming the limits of the human body with a oversized mechanized humanoid?

What in Zeus' beard were Sadamoto and Anno on when they made NGE? Seriously...

Is Malice Mizer ever going to do a reunion concert? Seriously?

Was Shinji made more sexually ambiguous (allusions are made to attraction to Rei, Asuka, and Kaworu) to make the animated version of NGE more popular amongst girls for yaoi/shonen ai purposes? I think so...

What makes transgender so seemingly acceptable?

Is CLAMP ever going to finish X? Seriously?

Can Sora's death after the sexual consummation of his relationship with Arashi be considered a punishment? After all, he dies and she loses her powers...there's some sort of connotation of sex = punishment there...

That's all for now...

The Curse of the Internet

Apparently I have some sort of...unholy mark on me that signals that every once in a very frequent while, I must go without internet. And this is one of those whiles.

My mother has been doing some extensive remodelling/renovating/whatever you want to call it and today they decided to just...yank all the cables from their wall plugs...and now, nothing works.

I am going to leave it at that before my wrath explodes upon the internet and things get worse. Here's a picture of a poinsettia to tide you over until I can provide some real content.

Rest is good.

The semester is nearly over, which is so marvelously awesome there are really no words or actions that can describe it, other than staying quiet, appreciating the weather, and nomming on assorted things. Now I'll finally have time to rest and work on my projects, which include conference papers, thesis, and advertising for an activity.

One of my professors asked me to design pretty much everything publicity related for an upcoming event. This is pretty cool because it gives me a change to practice my graphic design skills, rounds out my resume, and, well. Publicity?

Thanksgiving was good. I barely tasted the food though since I've been harboring a cold from Hades. Shitty as a I was, I dragged my ass to school to show the mock-ups I'd made. Here is a completely unflattering picture of my outfit!

I've been getting most of my stuff on sale lately. Either that, or Salvation Army/flea markets for me! Have to seriously save for next semester since I have to be making a few business trips. Of course, some fun will be injected with them too!

I'd been obsessed with that dress for a while and they put it on a half-off sale, so it had to come home with me! I've worn it way too many times...and I've had it less than a month!

Jacket: Salvation Army (kids dept!)
Pins: Kress (turned earrings into pins)
Dress: Pitusa
Shoes: Old Navy

I'd say expect more posts soon, but I can't promise anything! I want to catch up on lost sleep...

And I have to catch up on academic work. Oh thesis.

What I did on Saturday night.

Mago de Oz concert. Video taken by Damian since my camera is ailing and, quite honestly, I was too busy fending off ponytails, armpits, and flying beer. But it was a pretty awesome concert.

I'm still stuck with schoolwork and to top it off, I'm sick. Damian and I both are. It's probably Tovi's fault; the bastard came to Puerto Rico probably just to share his nasty Chupacabra-lovin' germs.

I kid!

However, there is awesome news on the academic front. I'll be presenting at three conferences next year! Four, if I get accepted at the Colegio one. Of course, that means I'll barely have Christmas vacation, as I'll have to work on my papers for both conferences and thesis.

Oh well. Work hard, play hard?

Another thing: Keyla asked me to put up a wishlist for Christmas, so here's a link to my Amazon Wishlist. I'd really appreciate it if I received items that are marked high/highest priority, since those are articles that I would use for my research. The books don't have to be new! I'm okay with used copies. If you don't like anything you see on the list, feel free to give me some cash for the Send Stella to Conferences (SSC) fund. ;)



Anyway,back to ye olde grind. Take care everyone.


Park the car in the Harvard yard.

Well, the title gives it all away, no? ;)

No, I'm not going to go study at Harvard. I will, however, be going there! And not on vacation.

I can barely type I'm so excited. I can also barely type because Chewy is sleeping on my lap.

8D

Jarvis, you up?

Things have been quiet and they probably will be quiet until I finish the semester. Buried under a ton of work and preparations. Woo. In the meantime, I distract you with an artistic picture of my shoes.

I've already gotten started on my Christmas shopping, since I don't want to get caught in the mall fighting with 500 other people over presents. I am not in the mood for that this year. Seriously, no. So Christmas present shopping starts now.

If anyone is planning on getting me presents, my Amazon wishlist would be a good place to look! ;) (Okay, end of shameless self-promotion.)

Hopefully, when things settle down, I'll have time to actually do something relaxing. Like sleep. Yeah, sleep is good.

In the mean time, take care everyone and hope you're all doing fine. One love!

One love? Yeah..school is getting to me...

Under paper piles.

Hey everyone. Am alive. Have just been bowled over by business again. And lack of internet for a day.

Hopefully will post soon. As soon as I clear my paper pile!

To-do list revisited!

Alright, so I posted a to-do list a few weeks ago. I'm revisiting it again to see what I've done. The ones that have been done will have a check mark next to them.

-work out √
-finish grading papers √ (though I have more to grade now; groan)
-show students their cumulative grade up to now (I couldn't do this due to an emergency academic recess so it was out of my control)
-finish first chapter
-finish and send proposals √ (though I have to write a couple of more!)
-work on Cobi shirt √
-work on English Major design √
-work on Chupacabra '08 design
-not lose my mind √
-clean room √
-hang out with friends √√√
-take dresses/jacket to tailor
-do TA and professor observations √
-work on TADS portfolio √ (half a check? doing observations counts as working on the portfolio...)
-do thrift shopping √√√ (too much, I'm afraid...)
-harass Damian about leaving me alone here √√√ (yep)

In addition, I washed my car, presented at the Victorian Literature festival, got accepted at a conference, and bathed one of the dogs. Awesome. Still, I have to grade more papers, make more proposals, finish the damn thesis chapters, and prepare the last section of the course. Also, I need to start preparing gift lists for people.

Interestingly enough, my nap intake has gone up. Hm.

Q & A.

Sarah D. at The Year of Living Thriftily did this and told her readers to consider themselves tagged, so...here we go!

Other than yourself, who are your favorite designers?
You actually want me to pick, oh the travesty. Yves Saint Laurent, Rouland Mouret, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Marc Jacobs, I can't remember any more!

If you could come back as a dress, which one would it be?
I have no clue. I can't pick one. A particular dark green dress from one of Rouland Mouret's old collection does come to mind, but nothing in particular that I'd be over the moon for.

If you could come back as a model, who would you be?
None. I'm quite happy with myself, I wouldn't want to look like anyone else!

What's your favorite color?
Green. Pretty much every shade of green except neon green.

What's your favorite junk food?
Hm. French fries dipped in ice cream is a possibility.

If you could have another body, what would it be?
Mine, but without the levels of unfit I have now.
A little more muscle would be fine. Other than that, I'm content.

Who are your fantasy dinner guests?
My grandma, my best friends, Damian, la Llorona, Abraham Lincoln (to discuss his premonitions), Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Frida Kahlo, and my thesis director, Dr. Irizarry. There may be some people missing from this list, though.

Where's your favorite place to have a drink?
La Cava de Amós and Salvatore. And the drink is an appletini, if you please!

Last book you read?
Something to do with la Llorona. That's all I ever read now.

Pets?
Three dogs, Chewy, Maya, and Patch.

Breakfast?
Cereal, usually. On Sundays, scrambled egg sandwich.

At age seven, you wanted to be?
A movie star, a singer, and a doctor. Yep.

What's the one thing you find easy to forgive?
Actually, I'm not all that good at forgiveness. This is a problem.

What's the one thing you find impossible to forgive?
Cruelty to others, ignorance.

What's your biggest self-indulgence?
Shopping and travel. And books.

Favorite Place to shop?
Salvation Army, thrift shops, flea markets, Marshall's, Old Navy, and eBay.

Whose wallet would you like to steal?
No one's. I'd feel too guilty knowing that that money wasn't mine.

Whose diary would you most like to read?
No one. I consider it a violation of their privacy. I wouldn't like it to be done to me, so.

If you were an inventor, what would you invent?
A way to convince everyone to be nicer to each other. I'm sick of all the assholes.

What's your nickname?
That's private! Well, actually, I had some when I was little, and I do consider those too dear to me to reveal. I have a friend who calls me Ella (due to the Rihanna song), Chromy (from Chromachord). Other than that, Stellita is all I can think of.

When and where are you happiest?
When I'm with my friends, with Damian, and when I share a really good moment with my students.

Who is your best friend?
I have a couple of good best friends, but they should remain private! However, in addition to them I think Damian is my best friend. I know some people think that you're significant other can't be your best friend, but we started out as such, so...

Who is your worst enemy?
I don't know? I've had a couple of negative people in my life, but enemy? Well, I know some people hate me/consider me their worst enemy, but I'm not out to fuck anybody up. That's just lame.

What piece of art would you most like to own?
I'm more a fan of photography, but I do admire deeply a lot of Frida Kahlo's work!

What's your favorite vacation spot?
New York City, probably. I've been there five times! But Europe is great. And I need to go to Asia, seriously.

What's your most treasured possesion?
I can't just pick one...but I remember that I had a bandanna of my grandmother's, and everytime I would see it, I'd burst into tears remembering her.

What's your favorite band?
Shit. Can't pick! But Queen, Garbage, No Doubt, Muse, Enanitos Verdes, Mago de Oz, Mojinos Escozios, probably more.

If you weren't a designer what would you be?
Well, I'm not a designer, unless graphic design counts! Wait, it does, no? Ok. Well, I'd like to work for a fashion magazine or be a travel writer. Photography is right up there with awesome. But I think the ultimate would be Samantha Brown's job...travel show host.

What's your biggest fashion regret?
Hm. None? Well, okay some outfits, like my eight grade prom dress, but all in all I think fashion is always going to change. So I'll love something now and ten years later I'll hate it. Then love it again.

Always...
say you're sorry if you messed up. I know I'm not good at this, but I try. Tell people you care about them. And, most importantly, be yourself.

Gulp.

I just finished sending out proposals a while ago. Have no clue when I'll hear back from them: there is no reply by date. Ay ay ay. Commence the wait.

However, I have a truckload of things to do (including writing more proposals), so I guess I won't think about it as much.

Riiiiight.

Love letter.

Ah, the love letter. A lost art in the modern age. Replaced by e-mails, text messages, and the phone, there is no longer the "I pine for you" letter that would be anxiously awaited for, received, and devoured.

I don't think I've ever received a love letter (I've received some creepy letters and e-mails). I've gotten some sweet emotionally charged e-mails, but never a love letter. And when I read this one (which is very simple and to the point), I wonder how I would feel. Would I be jaded? Would I be moved?

I still think they're sweet and cute. I mean, come on. We all know about Beethoven's Immortal Beloved!

I'm opening up this subject to discussion on the comments: I'd like to know your thoughts on love letters. Kitschy? Cute? Nauseating? Waste of time? I want to know!

And please, be reasonable...provide explanations for your position so you don't fall into the realm of logical fallacy. :)

Mango (not the fruit!).

Mango (the store) and I have a bit of a troubled history. Everytime I go into the store, I never find anything that I like. Usually, what I come across is ugly overpriced monstrosities. In polyester, to boot! (Yes, I admit I have some sort of discrimination with polyester, but am now attempting to overcome it. Now I don't have a problem with polyester as long as it's not expensive and the scratchy kind.)

I think Damian just fainted at my previous statement.

So anyway. Another reason why I hate Mango is because Penelope Cruz promotes it. I'm sorry, I just don't like that woman. There is something about her that just ticks me off. But we won't get into that now.

So I feel weird because now, I stumbled upon the Mango retail website and am in love. I still think that some of the things are expensive, but the designs are so much more appealing than what I've seen in store! What is going on?! Is it because we are in Puerto Rico, we get shitty stuff in store? In the name of the retail deities, please, throw us a bone!

So I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm approving of Mango. I am openly coveting things from Mango. Here are a few that I think are remarkably cute.

I need this brooch! Guh, so gorgeous!



I think I'll stop now...I'm gettin overwhelmed by all the things I cannot buy! :(

Fascinating feathers frolicking fabulously.

Say that 6 more times!

Anyway, before I begin I'd like to give a disclaimer: I didn't get this because of Kenley on Project Runway. Granted, she has made them more accessible due to her exposure on the program, but I've been wanting one of these for close to a year.

So without further ado, I present to you all, my feather fascinator!

Isn't it sweet? I can't wait to have an opportunity to wear it. I would've preferred a headband, but this will do. In any case, it was what I originally wanted a year ago: I only began to think about the headband because it seemed more probably to be available in stores. Never happened so, the Bay saved my arse again.

Problems with this accessory? I know I can't wear this to school. So many people here aren't that keen on adventurous fashion. Also, with the nasty rains, the poor baby would get wet, and we just can't have that, can we?

I haven't found outfits to wear this with yet. It's easy to go overboard and turn into a character with this thing, so it would have to be a simple outfit that doesn't outdo the hairpiece. The person I saw it on, who restarted my whole obsession with feather fascinators, only had a simple black dress on, so I guess that's the way I should play it. Except I don't really have any simple black dresses. Just one that I got from the Salvation Army some time ago.

And one last picture, except this time it's an action shot! (Well, the fascinator is on my head, even though I'm not wearing it out...) Excuse the manginess, I'd just finished working out!




Also, for those of you wondering how it went for me at the Victorian Literature Festival, it went good! My old (old as in previous, not in reference to advance age) Victorian literature professor did not glower in disapproval and she seemed satisfied with my presentation. And I could see (well, what I could see: I had a spotlight aiming right at my face, wee) nods of approval and faces of interest from the audience! So I'm very happy. All I've heard so far is very good.

Now back to my cave of working on abstracts and proposals. You'd think that doing a 100 word abstract would be easy, but no. I always go over the damn 100 words.

Sartorialist approved!

People, I have this skirt. This exact same skirt. I kid you not. Well, okay, the plaid is a different plaid, but they are the same length, same fringe at the front edge, same leather straps to the side. I think my brain's going to explode. Of course, I would not wear it in this exact same fashion (I have to admit, it takes fashion cojones that I don't have...yet), but I am pleased to see that there is someone else rocking the tartan. And! That this someone is feature on The Sartorialist. I'm not saying that the Sart is the be all and end all of the fashion world, but, it's a pretty good place to be!

I'm so excited!

Oh, and where did I find my tartan? At the Salvation Army for less than .50...amazing. And it's a real tartan too.

Yay!

ETA: Apologies for the large image...I clicked the small option, but this is what showed up! Also, this picture is property of Scott Schuman, the beloved Sartorialist. Long may he photograph!

Chupacabras will rule the world!

So you've heard plenty of the famous (or perhaps infamous) Chupacabra shirt. Here it is, finally, an action shot.

Our model, Tovi, is sporting his shirt all the way over in the States. I got the shirt for me after he started harassing Damian and me about it.

So there we go. Slowly, but surely, the Chupacabras will conquer the world!

Gee, thanks.

So my friend, the great priest of the Cthulthu worship has thrown me under the bus. I have to drum up a 15 minute presentation for a literature festival tomorrow. Wee. On one hand, it's pretty awesome that he went said that I should be the next choice. On the other, dammit, I already have enough shit to do! So you can add that to my already lengthy to-do list.

Luckily, I have an old paper that I am going to edit and rework for this purpose. Extensively rework. And also, make a presentation, just in case! Guh.

I think it's funny that this can be construed as whining. Which in a way, it is. Because, man, I've got a lot of work to do. But I also deeply appreciate this opportunity and I know my friend did it because he thinks I am good enough to do this, which is a great honor.

Anyway, back to work. Will update with pics of a feather fascinator I scored recently!

I <3 Carbs.

For those of you who don't know me, I have some sort of...tempestuous love affair with bread. I cannot resist it. If you put a basket of bread in front of me, it will disappear. Truly.

But a lot of people say that that's impossible. That I'm exaggerating. Well, I beg to differ! And I have proof that my obsession with bread/carbs goes far back. Very far back. Can you handle it?

Bam!


I'm probably 2-3 years old in this picture. And I already have that "just try to get the bread away from me, TRY" look. Heh.

That was unexpected.

I made a student cry.

I can't believe that.

I'm not proud of that (well, sort of...), but it happened.

The student had committed plagiarism and I had given him an F on the assignment. I expected him to question the grade, per usual, but he was a bit more sassy than usual. He gave me attitude! After blatantly committing plagiarism, he had the audacity of questioning the grade. So I gave it to him straight: I told him that had he paid attention in class and read the text, he would not be in this situation. The conversation carried on for a good ten minutes or so, and I noticed that his face was getting red. I thought, "oh shit, this guy is getting pissed." But then I saw that his eyes were watering. Obviously, I was shocked, but I had to maintain my composure and reaffirm the punishment. I told him that he had a chance to make up for the grade with the rest of the assignments in class, but he had a zero in this one.

*still can't believe it*

In other news, my car almost drowned in a flood. Yay. Yay for Colegio and bad campus layout!

I am distracting you!

Sorry for the radio silence people (hm, I feel like I've said that before...). I've been under a pile of essays and oh my God, the things kids write these days. Other than that, took Damian to the airport. Which means Stella is sort of bummed out for the next two weeks. However, I think I'll be so busy, there is a very high possibility I will have hardly any time to think. I have to finish drafting up proposals, send said proposals, work on other projects, work on my thesis, and correct more papers. Among other things. I should make a list. In fact, I'm going to do that right now.

To-do list:
-work out
-finish grading papers
-show students their cumulative grade up to now
-finish first chapter
-finish and send proposals
-work on Cobi shirt
-work on English Major design
-work on Chupacabra '08 design
-not lose my mind
-clean room
-hang out with friends
-take dresses/jacket to tailor
-do TA and professor observations
-work on TADS portfolio
-do thrift shopping
-harass Damian about leaving me alone here

Ah, shit.

In an attempt to distract you (is it working?) from the quiet, I present to you with a picture of my darling precious adorable dog Maya, one of the house pack. Can you resist that face? Those puppy dog eyes? Can you? I can't. Not when combined with a sheep plushie. Normally, I wouldn't show pictures of my dogs (yes, I am that paranoid), but this one is too cute to hide.


Until the next post then!

National Geographic lust continues...

Continuing my adventures into the HG shop, these bangles also cater to my obsession with brights and patterns. Aren't they gorgeous? Made in Kashmir, they're 5 for $28.00, which I think is a pretty okay price.

Interested? Go here to purchase.

(Oh, and this is definitely going to my Christmas wishlist...)

And the Christmas wishlist begins!

So I caught a glimpse of the National Geographic catalog at the boy's house and I fell in love with this bag. I can't help it. Suede (and not the Project Runway kind) seems to be one of my weak points. Along with green and any animal that is exorbitantly cute. Another sartorial weakness of mine is anything that is boldly colored or patterned. And I think this bag fills up plenty of requisites.

Isn't it gorgeous?

$85.00 at the National Geographic store! (Click.)

Serenity now?

I am going to calm down, attempt to get some rest, and hopefully I'll feel better later. I hate the fact that I'm quoting Seinfeld (I've barely seen the show, and from what I've seen, it has no appeal to me). There's a "but even more so" clause to this, but I don't want to discuss it here.

In the meantime, I'm digging this Gap top. Yes, I am distracting myself with pretty things. But I am scared that, indeed, this top may be too country. A little bit too Becky Mae? (Not that I'm purchasing it. At $48, it may be too steep for me...)

(Yes, I'm cheap. Well, no, I'm not cheap. I just like inexpensive purchases most of the time.)

Triumphant return!

Apparently the PRTC read my last post full of fury and decided to get their asses her. Pronto.

And they called this morning at around 8:30 and decided to fix my internet! Good job. If I had cookies, I'd give you some, PRTC. Now don't let this happen again.

It turns out that some loons that were supposed to have been fixing the internet actually changed the codes for almost an entire neighborhood. The attendant told us that this was the fourth house he was fixing an internet/phone problem for.

(Notice how internet comes first? I don't care much for phones. They ring at inconvenient times. Like when you're in the bathroom.)

So our problem was caused by the very company. Way to go PRTC!

Now if you excuse me, I will go get ready to go to school.

PRTC I despise you.

Regular blogging has been interrupted due to the dickness that is the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. More to come on that later, I guess.

When I'm not leeching internet in the plaza, listening to NIN.

Grar.

Oh, and I just miss my holy grail bag on eBay. Due to lack of internet.

PRTC, you bitch.

Later.

Building an outfit.

(Warning: Lots of pictures.)

I had the intention of chronicling my work wardrobe this semester. Unfortunately, as you can see, I have failed miserably at that. However, I decided to do a post today since I was wearing a particularly loud piece of wardrobe. By Puerto Rican standards anyway, it seems.

So here we go. A step-by-step outfit creation post. Of course, outfits don't always flow this easily. Sometimes it takes 17 shirts, 12 pants, 5 shoes, and one change of undergarments later.

Oops, you didn't need to know that last part?

Anyway, here they are. The pants. Or as mom thinks, the crazy pants. Because they are so loud I can be seen from another planet. Neat!





Next step: adding a top. I decided to add a simple white top because, honestly, the focus of this outfits are the cosmic pants.







Almost done! Now, to cover myself up because I am the example of public decency, I put on a vest with some pins on it. And I cannot resist saying that the pins are half "do it yourself" because they were earrings and I just popped off the earring part and stuck a pin on it. Wee!


To finish it up, add some nice accessories and shoes, and, bam! You've got a work appropriate outfit! (Well, it all depends on where you work...)








Finished outfit:


So yes. Hope you have enjoyed this graphics-heavy post. If you are male, my apologies. Please do not kill yourself due to fashion overload.

Before I forget, the Mayagüez Salvation Army is having a half-off sale. Guess who went bonkers? Uh-huh. I mean, it's already cheap. And now it's cheaper?!

Count me in.

I'll tell you all about that jaunt later. Right now, I'm tired and it feels as if my eyeballs will ooze out. Have a good night everyone!

Boots: the obsession continues.

Now, most people (either of the parental or male persuasion) think that I have enough shoes. But, when it comes to boots, there can never be enough. Right now, there's no other way of saying it: I'm totally slobbering over these. My God, not only do they cater to my obsession with boots, but with high boots. And they're flat! And leather! And, from what I've read, they are actually slim in the calf!

To top it off, they're riding boots.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, I'm obsessed with horse riding. I've always wanted to do it, but I never had the chance. Nor did my parents encourage it: mom thought I was going to fall off the horse and injure myself and my father considered it unhealthy for my scoliosis. Wee.

Anyway, if they weren't so expensive, I would get them in a split second. Oh well. Maybe I can save up for Christmas and order these? Meanwhile, guess I'll just put the website on my favorites and check it repeatedly. And drool. Drool!

If anyone is interested, here's the link: click me (you know you want to!)!

You need more Cho!

Have I done this before? Have I spoken about the comedienne wonder that is Margaret Cho? No? Then I will, I must! Enlighten you to the path of funny.

Well, I think she's funny anyway.

I like Margaret Cho because not only is she progressive (gender & minority rights, among other things), she is transgressive (honestly, she goes where other people don't go). And she is damn funny.

So here you go, a YouTube video from one of her stand-up comedy tours. The first one is from Assassin. The second one is from Revolution.

Warning! Not for people who lack an open-mind!

200th post!

I thought this post was going to be monumental, all-encompassing, a celebration of my 200 posts here and my two years or so at my blogspot address.

Yet, no.

This is for you, Vivi. To show you we are stuck under some sort of gigantic and everlasting rain-producing cloud. (Or series of clouds.)




And guess what? It rained the day after that! And the one after. And it's raining today as well. WOO!

I spoke to Keyla yesterday and she told me that we're supposed to have even more rain this week. Sweet merciful weather lords...

Anyway, happy 200th post!

(Though perhaps I should be disappointed in myself? I mean, over two years and only 200 posts? I've got to step it up, people....Step it up!)

Chupacabras and pirates and more.

Warning, picture heavy post...

So here are other highlights of the birthday loot. First, the flapper hat. Remember that I'd been kvelling over the blue hat from Forever 21. So Damian got it for me. Here it is, just hanging out with an empty candy bag that Damian gave me too. Well, he gave it to me with candy. I devoured the contents. Note how it is the small candy, not the big one. Somebody trying to tell me something? (What is that? You're just trying to stop me from getting adult onset diabetes? Oh.)


Here it is, on my head. The hair is decidedly non-flapper, but I still think I can make it work with dark red lipstick, no?


Keyla gave me this insanely awesome pirate nutcracker. In the name of Pete & Pete, it's great. Here it is, accompanied by a duckie bean bag that Damian also gave me.


And to round up the lot, here is something that I featured in my Chupacabras round-up! Chupacabras pins! Damian picked these up for me too.


These weren't all the presents, but I just wanted to show you the most particularly peculiar and curious. I loved all my presents and want to thank everyone for them!

A very happy birthday to me.

A very belated birthday post...

So my birthday began as so many other days have begun on the island lately: with skies that have nothing to envy of London. Still, I had harassed a number of friends (sadly, I forgot to invite some people, I apologize!) last minute so we could meet at a beloved haunt, Tapatío. I'd like to think that it was the promise of friends together that lured people there, but it very well could've been the the good food and yummy margaritas. I'll delude myself into thinking that you people love me!

Anyway.

We got there and not fifteen minutes later it started raining. Damn. I could've sworn Snoopy was going to get out of the car, slap me twice across the face, and then say, "happy damn birthday, bitch" for making her go out in that rain. Fortunately, my face remains intact. Margaritas were had, too much food was consumed, and we spoke too much of a certain professor's scrotal area.

Oh shit, overshare? Moving on...

Thanks to all of you guys who were able to make it! I had a great time. I'm already plotting how to make monthly get-togethers or such. Because, sadly, we've all become thesis-writing losers that have no life. (Well, most of us.)

After gorging myself on delicious Mexican food for lunch, dinner was to be Chinese. DUMPLINGS, PEOPLE. DUMPLINGS! Ever since my good friend Gloria introduced me to them, it's some sort of inescapable vice. So of course, I made sure we went to a Chinese restaurant that had some. So that's where my parents, Damian, and I went. And once again, I ate too much. But I left some space, for at home, I had this waiting for me:


A cake. With a sheep on it. Awesome. For those of you who don't know, I have some sort of obsession with sheep. I think they're too cute. So I requested a cake with sheep on it. And parents delivered. Sweet. Also, Damian would very much like it if I showed you the following picture:


Why was I smiling so much? Because I'd just received these bad boys.


The boots look black, but they're actually dark brown, like in the picture. I haven't worn them yet, I don't want them to get ruined with the rain. So I'm saving them for a colder, decidedly not so wet occasion.

I've got some other pretty awesome stuff on my birthday (CHUPACABRA! PIRATES!), but I'll save those for tomorrow. I'm beat. I have to work on my students' grades and my thesis. Am facing a conundrum regarding deletion of a possible subtopic. Suck.

Again, thanks to everyone who came to my last-minute birthday lunch and to all the well-wishers.

'Till next time!

Softies.

If I ever get pregnant, I need to get one of these:
I think this is one of those nesting behaviors people talk about. I would probably end up making plushies for the baby. Big penguin and owl plushies. And a baby chick dressed as a pirate.

Anyway.

If you are going through a nesting phase yourself, here's the link:

Click.