Lazuli

To further perpetuate the "spring holiday" spirit, I thought I'd recreate the awkward family dinner atmosphere right here on my blog. Because I, like your distant relatives, haven't made an appearance in your life in months. You'll be playing the role of: the inappropriate grandparent, the creepy overly-friendly uncle, the cooler than you/less cooler than you cousin, and the seemingly endearing and "normal" aunt. You can then proceed to drill me with questions pertaining to school, my personal life, etc...

Q: Where have you been the last couple of months?
A: My absence was most likely due to a conglomeration of 1. My unforgivable laziness, 2. Standardized Testing/School, 3. Work, 4. My unforgivable laziness, 5. Work, 6. My blossoming social life (I've learned that venturing outside of your room once in a while, won't actually kill you).

Q: Are you going to prom? PROM? PROOOOOOMMMMM?
A: Nope. My hatred for public embarrassment, in combination with my lack of dancing abilities have led me to the conclusion that I would have hated Prom. I've still yet to live down the horror that was my grade 8 dance. Every once in a while someone will reenact my dance moves circa 2008, in which apparently I resembled a limp palm tree. As an alternative, a couple of friends and I are going into the city where we can participate in our own equally as fulfilling ~ shenanigans ~.

Q: What are your summer plans?
A: Possibly visiting up North, and out West. Specifically, Canada, California, and Boston.

-END HYPOTHETICAL DINNER Q&A-

This weekend, my family and I took a trip up to Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan. As my luck would have it, today was the opening day of the Brooklyn Flea Market, which I mentioned before in this post. If it's old, used, and doesn't reek of moth balls and must, chances are... I'll buy it. Though my family left empty handed, I ended up buying a pair of shorts. The best part about these type of events is watching the crowds of people. I've never seen a more impressive display of facial hair, than in Brooklyn, New York.

I purchased quite a bit of things, but I'll cover that in tomorrow's post. Somehow before the weekend's up, I need to fit in three blog posts. I have to make up for lost time, so wish me god speed.

Once you've met someone you never really forget them

Alas, my winter break has finally come to an end. It was short, bittersweet, and reminiscent of my vacation last year in which my family drove twenty-two hours straight into Florida. For some reason I'm stuck in this pessimistic mindset of thinking that "it was better last year." Even though come Christmas time I always wind up doing the same thing. This break like most went by way too fast. It's the same awful feeling you get after you finish a really good book. At first there's that feeling of accomplishment, but then you realize that the book's over and you're not sure what to do with your life. For those who repel any form of reading, I suppose you could equate the feeling to finishing a movie, or tv series... You catch my drift. Though I was presented with a vast array of opportunities, I decided to take the route of doing as little as humanly possible.

Going to New York with my father was probably the most climactic thing to have happened. I basically spent too much money and got hit on by the creepy subway dwellers. You know, the usual. While walking in Soho these two women passed me and quite loudly made the remark of "What exactly is she wearing?" Perhaps if I had been in Idaho I would have taken some offense, but for someone to question another's clothing choice in New York City? That's a compliment.

Sometime after returning from the city... I came down with a terrible cold. Instead of lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself (my favorite pastime), I went to the Gym. Haha. You Leah, are Hilarious with a capital H. No seriously, my mother signed my entire family up for a Gym membership and I being the wonderful daughter I am agreed to go with her. I'm not trying to sell myself as some intense body-builder. I just go for the Pilates classes. It's not too painful of an experience... After all I am the youngest member in the room by about forty years. If that's not a motivator, I don't know what is. Other than that, I actually have been lying in my bed and drowning in my own misery. I lied earlier, but on top of that I went on a bit of a Hayao Miyazaki binge and watched Spirited Away for what seems like the hundredth time. I strongly advise that if you have any time before school starts to watch this movie and in the holiday spirit I'll even provide you with the links.

D U B B E D
S U B B E D

You are a tourist (part 2)

The last and final installment of "You are a tourist" ironically turns out to be the very first place I started out (because remember... for some reason I thought it was a good idea to write about my trip in non-sequential order). I'm so abstract. So if we rewind a weeks time then we should end up in Scarsdale, New York.

The drive from Pennslyvania to New York was no easy feat. If it's one thing I've learned it's that you should never trust your GPS. Printable mapquest directions, though dated are always reliable. If I had a dollar for every time my father swore at the GPS system I'd have front row tickets to see Death Cab this August. Though thankfully I had prepared a playlist to help ease the overbearing car ride. Three extraneously long hours later... we arrived at Miwa's house.

There's no denying the irresistible charm that these pictures exude. The amount of attractiveness Miwa and I possess is without a doubt... turning you on. I think we had just walked home in the rain prior to this picture being taken. So I completely understand if "a strain of lust was unleashed by the sight of our soaked bodies". Hoho. Oh cheesy vimeo videos... Anyways we walked to town, had lunch, and wandered around a bit before it started drizzling. I particularly enjoyed when Miwa flipped off a bunch of prepubescent boys riding in the backseat of a car. They were about twelve, or thirteen, and shouting really gross and vulgar things at passerbys. So it's raining. Miwa and I are huddled underneath an awning. It's cold. I'm eating frozen yogurt. These kids are making sexual gestures at us, and Miwa's giving them the middle finger. I wouldn't even have to be there to know that it paints a pretty funny picture.

And the winner of the cutest room goes to Miwa. I felt like I was walking into the Sanrio store every time I opened the door. For the rest of the time being we played the guitar (or I attempted to...), played various "Escape" games, had a wonderful dinner, and went to bed. Sidenote; Miwa's actually lucky to be alive... BECAUSE SHE OR YOU KEPT HITTING ME. With soft objects yes... but I will get you. Did I sound intimidating? It's probably hard to take someone who's only 5'0 seriously with weak threats like that, BUT MARK MY WORD. In all seriousness, if you are reading this I had a really (insert non cliche positive adjective) time. You can't imagine how much I appreciated your family's hospitality. By that I mean that I'm happy your mother didn't call Dateline, and Chris Hanson wasn't in your kitchen greeting me with a "why don't you have a seat over there". So out of all of my online internet friends, I'm glad I got a chance to stay with you.

You are a tourist (part 3)

Last stop Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When I tell you that this place was swarming with hipsters, that is no exaggeration. Clad in collared shirts and vintage eye wear, this group of people takes their thrifting very seriously. I was beyond overwhelmed. The flea market boasting over sixty tents, I had no idea where to begin.

Who doesn't like a little entertainment? After checking out the Brooklyn clientele I was seriously questioning why my residence is in Pennslyvania. The pictures hardly do this place justice, but I can safely say that Williamsburg is home to some of the most attractive people I HAVE EVER SEEN. There were too many inter-racial couples to go unnoticed. I swear EVERYONE had an Asian girlfriend, or maybe that was just my wistful thinking... It was like Micheal Cera's life in Paper Heart. There's no reason to get my hopes up because if I had a pie chart to represent all the men who have hit on me it would look like this.

At this particular moment if I could have wished for anything, it would have been a bottomless bag. I wanted to buy everything in sight. Curse my empty wallet and less than sturdy suitcase. I did manage to pick up two records, a Polaroid camera, and a pair of shorts. I have no idea what one of the records is. I THOUGHT I was buying one by Billie Holiday, but it turns out that the record was in the wrong casing. THAT'S FINE. OKAY. The other one I purchased is by The Who.

All pictures were taken by me; Canon T1i 50 MM Lens

Walking back to the subway station we passed a lot of open cafe's and restaurants. The last time I ventured to Brooklyn, it seemed really dead and uneventful. I think I was just in the wrong part of town because there's actually a lot to do here. Join me on a hypothetical date. We can sip red wine over the faint but audible sounds of the guitar. We can discuss fine literature, and independent films. It'll be the most pretentious date you've never been on. I'll explore more next time. My father and I had to hurry back to Penn Station to catch our 5:00 train back to Pennslyvania. My flickr apologizes for its projectile vomit all over your computer screen. Because I didn't want to lag your browser TOO BAD... the rest of the pictures can be seen here.

You are a tourist (part 1)

And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born then, it's time to go. And you find your destination with so many different places to call home.

Welcome to the three part series of Occasionally Leah... that I like to call "Braving the streets of New York with one lone can of pepper spray" or "I feel 100% more Asian / Jewish while in Scarsdale". One would assume that I would start this series in sequential order. 1. Scarsdale > 2. Soho > 3. Brooklyn, but just to shake things up around here I thought I'd start with number two.

I warn you in advance. Your internet browser is going to want to commit suicide after loading all these pictures. My most sincere apologies (unless you use Internet Explorer).

My train left this morning at 9:17, which meant I arrived at Grand Central roughly around 10:00. Miwa if you're reading this, sorry for the abrupt goodbye (come visit me). AND THE TICKET WAS DOUBLE THE PRICE ON THE TRAIN. Who knew... Anyways the day started off pretty slow as stores and whatnot don't open until 11:00. Here's a tip for anyone traveling to the city; don't look like a tourist, don't look lost, and absolutely DO NOT PULL OUT A MAP OR DIRECTIONS. Unless of course getting raped/mugged is your thing. Some people are into that... To say that I looked pretty lost would be the understatement of the year. I knew where I WANTED to be, but as I mentioned before everything was shut down. "On the outside looking in" that was me. It must have been a pretty pathetic sight seeing me ogle at all the inviting clothing in the window displays because someone working in the store would always shoot me a pitiful look. Alas after what seemed like hours UNIQLO opened up. Uniqlo's a Japanese run company that sells both Men and Woman's clothing. Their "Barbie" collection had just come out, hence the pictures. I was five years old again.

From that point on it was pretty smooth sailing. I wandered into a couple boutiques, and bought some really nice things. I remember my parents giving me a credit card before I left. They said something about "emergency... situations", but that information's all fuzzy to me. I believe I spent one hundred dollars in Soho. It's going to be such a funny story when my parents get the monthly credit card bill.

Around 12:35-40 I took the subway back to Grand Central. I was paranoid because I had to meet my father by 1:00, and as my luck would have it... I was on the wrong subway. Mine was going downtown... and by using your deductive reasoning skills I think you know what one I should have taken. I took that subway to the last stop, and thankfully it turned around taking me in my desired direction. Because "MOST PEOPLE" tend to get off when the intercom goes "this is the very last stop", I had an entire car to myself. If you've ever been to New York, you would know that an "empty subway car" is unheard of. This was the defining moment of my trip where I thought I was going to die. This is it. A pedophile is going to waltz right in this unattended subway, abduct me, and no one would even be there to witness it . It's been real...

Thankfully I made it back exactly at 1:00. I met up with my father, and we set off for Brooklyn (which in its entirety is its own post). Until then~

Concert Envy

Did you miss me? No? Okay. Sorry I haven't been as "active" as I've normally been. I would say upcoming finals are the reason for the lacking posts, but... it's really just my laziness. I thought I'd spare you the blog post on how I managed to down a jar of nutella in one sitting. My life... THIS DOESN'T SOUND REPETITIVE OR ANYTHING.
I promise that after this weekend I'll have quality posts once again. I'll be heading up to Scarsdale New York on Saturday where I'll be staying with Miwa. Let the fun times begin... and on Sunday my mother and I are going around the City. I'm taking her to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. OH YES.

The Flea has expanded to a new site on the Williamsburg waterfront. Located between North 6th and North 7th Streets just south of East River State Park, the Sunday Flea features the same mix of vintage, antique, handmade, and food vendors as Fort Greene, with a gorgeous skyline view to boot.

You can't honestly tell me that doesn't sound like the time of your life. Who doesn't find the idea of browsing through a bunch of deceased people's clothing appealing... Also if you happen to be in the market for a vintage typewriter or some records you've come to the right place. I have no shame in saying that I am a collector of vintage electronics aka "OLD STUFF". I have no idea what I'm going to do with the 1950 radio transmitter I bought the other day... IT WILL BE OF USE TO ME SOMEDAY. I'm going to be swimming in a sea of hipsters Sunday. I bet if I wore my thick rimmed glasses I'd fit right in...

It's basically summer, and to me summer translates to concerts. I can't claim that I've been to too many shows, but the few ones I have... have been amazing. I saw Weezer last month with Fun, and Panic at the Disco. While that WAS fantastic... it doesn't nearly compare with seeing Tokyo Police Club in January. Dave Monks, forget about our 9 year age difference. Be with me. I can satisfy you in ways you didn't even think were possible.

TOKYO POLICE CLUB - Wait Up (Boots of Danger) from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Amplified: Tokyo Police Club from Amplified on Vimeo.

Winking is sleezy, but it turns me on

I'm always playing this game with myself. The "let's see how long I can go without starting my homework game". I bet most of you are familiar with it? The rules are as follows; go as long as you can without doing your homework, you score bonus points if you start the assignment the day it's due. I am such a winner. Some days I seriously question how I'm going to survive once I reach college... Other than this English paper that's been looming over my head for weeks, I've been good. It's been a solid weekend. My friends and I went about town last night where we practiced our A+ high quality winking skills. Don't laugh. Winking is an art that can only be perfected through copious amounts of practice and observation. I for one am a winking connoisseur. Yes because the ability to blink one of your eyes in a suggestive manner is certainly something to brag about... Unfortunately I wasn't able to put my skill to the test last night, because I lack both the self confidence and courage. Besides I get heat flashes and my heart starts palpitating at the thought of the conversation that might ensue after the "initial wink". It could range from "hey little girl, get in my pants" or "you are insanely creepy, stop doing that with your face", "are you okay? I thought for a moment you were undergoing a seizure". Those are all conversations I do not wish to have because they are all far too awkward and uncomfortable even for me.

If I'm lucky the next two weeks should go by quickly. Us Americans have a holiday in commemoration of all the people who have lost their lives in war. I think the core meaning of Memorial Day gets lost in translation... because somewhere along the lines Memorial Day translates into "BEACH, THREE DAY WEEKEND, NO SCHOOL LOL, SALES". I'm not here to knock those people, because I am as guilty as charged. I just think a little acknowledgement would be nice. Either that weekend or the following weekend I hope to travel up to New York. I'll most likely see Miwa again, and may possibly even stay with her for a night. WORDS CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW MUCH THIS EXCITES ME, AND NO NOT SEXUALLY. I have no idea what we'll be doing, but it'll probably involve a lot of Pinkberry and Metro tickets.

Also your requests have been answered. Here's another downloadable playlist. You can pretend that I'm an attractive male teenager and that this is a mixed-tape with a collection of songs that remind me of you. These songs all convey hidden meanings that explain my un-dying love. Clearly I watch too many movies... but we can all dream yes? "BROTIP"; Mixed Cd's never go out of style. Make a girl one, you're percentage of rejection will decrease exponentially.

Polar Bears in Central Park

Yesterday was a blast. The weather was perfect and New York was wonderful as always. Knowing the kind of person I am the last place you'd expect to find me would be the zoo, but LOW AND BEHOLD Miwa and I started our day off in the Central Park Zoo. Unfortunately all the exotic and cool animals decided to be assholes and stayed nestled away in their caves. Everyone kept on crowding around the Polar Bear exhibit, trying to rouse the bear out of his slumber. He wasn't having any of that and continued to sleep. I don't blame him. Having screaming little children tap away at my face, or having someone flash their camera constantly in my eyes doesn't sound the most appealing. Welp, at least we saw ducks and penguins.

Onward bound to Soho. Soho might possibly be my favorite part of the city. In my opinion at least... it has the best clothing stores and amazing food. Incidentally it is also the most expensive district. Every time I go to New York I make sure to hit Topshop. It's a British company so there aren't too many here in the US. Miwa and I mainly just walk through the store crying over the ridiculously over priced clothing. $120.00 for strawberry print pants. Oh no big deal.

(All pictures were taken by me; Canon 500D, 50mm)

Then we proceeded to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I swear I felt my intelligence level increase just by being in that building. You just sound so refined and sophisticated, "Oh where are you girls going?" "Oh you know just the 'Met'" (insert hair flip). They have a beautiful impressionist gallery. We saw paintings by Renoir, Courbet, Bastida, and Degas my absolute favorite. Then we headed over to the modern art. You would hear comments like "I could do that!", "That reminds me of something my five year old son could paint" quite frequently in that section... Oh Jackson Pollock, what a guy. I really enjoyed the photography gallery. Landscape with Houses and Decide Who You Are were my favorite compositions from that collection. The first picture is actually a photograph of module houses Casebere crafted. The lighting was so perfect and realistic. The second image was composed of primarily text "Courier New" specifically. How hipster. Well actually as it was made prior to the invention of computers I think it's safe to say that the text was from an actual type writer.

We finished our day at Grand Central Station. We walked a total 50 blocks that day. Are you impressed yet? THAT IS THE EQUIVALENT TO THE EXERCISE I GET IN A YEAR, well apart from when I shovel my driveway or something. Needless to say I had as much energy in my body as the polar bear at the zoo.

Marching Bands of Manhattan

I love New York. There's nothing quite like the atmosphere and feel of this city. My love for New York is so strong that I want to make it publicly clear and blatantly obvious that I in fact "LOVE NEW YORK". I love it almost enough to wear an I ♥ NY tee-shirt, but then I would end up looking like a tourist... HAHA. Which goes against everything I believe in.
Things I have learned over time

• Forget everything you once knew about manners and etiquette.
• If you accidentally stumble into someone while braving the New York streets an obligatory apology is not required.
• If you are of the female gender... you will get hit on. Hey! I'm not promising anything spectacular, but if you have a face and two legs it's bound to happen. Last year an Asian shoe salesmen kept trying to convince me to go back to his home country with him, where he could make me a queen. OKAY THERE BUDDY.
• You will never go without coffee or a steady supply of caffeine. There is honestly a Starbucks every twenty feet. It makes sense. How else are you expected to survive "the city that never sleeps"?