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Friday, April 29, 2011

Fashion Friday: Say Yes to the Dress



So, it seems that everybody around us is infected with royal wedding fever.

Somehow, Bever and I are not as affected but with all of the speculation regarding the details of Catherine Middleton's wedding dress, we got to thinking of all of our favorite wedding dresses worn by famous brides and gathered them.

We included fictional characters and as well as living people.

We love that all of these brides wore dresses that reflected their personal style.


Here are famous brides who looked gorgeous on their wedding day.


First, the fictional characters:


Padme Amidala, Star Wars
portrayed by Natalie Portman


Sophie Sheridan, Mamma Mia! (2008)
portrayed by Amanda Seyfried


Jennifer Cavaleri, Love Story (1970)
portrayed by Ali MacGraw


Juliet Capulet, Love of a Lifetime spread in Vogue (December 2008)
portrayed by Coco Rocha


Living People:

Mimi Farina


Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire


Dolores Guinness


Audrey Hepburn


Pattie Boyd



Linda McCartney


Bianca Jagger



Milla Jovovich


Marilyn Monroe


Jackie O.



Princess Grace Kelly



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tuesday Tastings: Quick & Easy Appetizers

Today, Los Angeles Pierce College's radio station KPCRadio.com celebrated one year of broadcasting. Mel is the Communications Director of KPCRadio.com and for the first anniversary she was designated the task of providing appetizers for guests.

We tried to accomplish this feat hoping to find simple yet inexpensive recipes.

After resorting to a few quick searches on the web we decided on making deviled eggs, individual jello cups, a scallion spread for crackers, a platter of croissant sandwiches, sparkling lemonade and purchased a vegetable platter.


The sparkling lemonade combined sparkling apple cider, club soda, lemonade concentrate, slices of lemonade and ice.


Water crackers with a spread are an easy option. Mel chopped scallions and mixed them into cream cheese. We found that after a couple hours of refrigeration the scallion flavor set into the cream cheese and the spread was more flavorful. This was quite good and really simple with just two ingredients!

We boiled eggs, sliced them in half, took out the yellow middle and mixed it in a bowl with a few other ingredients. Not very difficult to make at all.


Jello is definitely one of the most inexpensive desserts one could make. It really doesn't require much work. You just let it sit in the refrigerator.

We made the jello in disposable cups in order to avoid a messy situation and also strive for a tasteful presentation.

Funny thing is, we had never made jello. We learned quickly through trial and error. Initially, we made a sheet of blue colored jello hoping to create flower cutouts with a cookie cutter. This did not turn out at all as planned. The flowers immediately fell apart.

In hopes of creating something presentable we cut strawberries and attempted to shape them into flowers. We were able to achieve this. It took three layers of the same flavored jello for the strawberries to set (if you completely cover the pieces, they will float to the top and you won't have a flower).

In order to have the strawberries in the center of the cup we poured a layer of jello that filled about half of the cup. After that solidified, about 3 hours later we put the cut strawberry pieces in the cups and poured enough jello to partly cover the strawberries. We let that second layer solidify. Later, we were able to add a third and final layer that completely covered the strawberries.

The cups were topped off with whipped cream.




Monday, April 25, 2011

Music Monday: Save The Last Dance For Me


Love is in the air!

In lieu of the upcoming royal wedding it seems only befitting for me to create a list of songs that are perfect options for a newlywed couple's first dance and of course commemorate love!

This week, I compiled a list of lovey dovey songs bound to give anyone a tooth ache. Many of the songs are not entirely conventional, however their messages of relationships, life, and love are sure to bring anyone over.

It's probably a bit obvious that I'm a sucker for boy bands from the 90s.

1. A Whole New World by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga
2. Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows
3. All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar
4. All My Life by KC & JoJo
5. All You Need Is Love by The Beatles
6. Amazed by Lonestar
7. And I Love Her by The Beatles
8. Angel by Shaggy
9. Annie’s Song by John Denver
10. Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches
11. As Long As You Love Me by Backstreet Boys
12. Baby I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton
13. Baby I Need Your Lovin by The Four Tops
14. Beauty And The Beast by Angela Lansbury
15. Because Of You by 98 Degrees
16. Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
17. Besame Mucho by Andrea Bocelli
18. Big Escape by Pearly Gate Music
19. Bless The Broken Road by Rascall Flats
20. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
21. Bubbly by Colbie Caillat
22. Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka
23. Can’t Fight This Feeling by Reo Speedwagon
24. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
25. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
26. Crazier by Taylor Swift
27. Dream A Little Dream Of Me by
28. Dreams by The Cranberries
29. Earth Angel by The Penguins
30. Eight Days A Week by The Beatles
31. Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
32. Everlong by Foo Fighters
33. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police
34. First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes
35. Flowers In The Window by Travis
36. Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra
37. For You I Will by Teddy Geiger
38. Forever by Chris Brown
39. Forever And For Always by Shania Twain
40. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You by NSYNC
41. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
42. Hallelujah by Lenard Cohen
43. Hanging On A Moment by Lifehouse
44. Happy Together by The Turtles
45. Heaven by Bryan Adams
46. Hero by Enrique Iglesias
47. Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
48. Hooked On A Feeling by B. J. Thomas
49. How Can I Tell You by Cat Stevens
50. How The Day Sounds by Greg Laswell
51. I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees
52. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith
53. I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher
54. I’m Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves
55. Say Hey (I Love You) [feat. Cherine Anderson] by Michael Franti & Spearhead
56. I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
57. I’ll Be by Edwin McCain
58. I’ll Never Find Another You by The Seekers
59. I’ll Stand By You by The Pretenders
60. I’m A Believer by The Monkees
61. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
62. (I’ve Had The) Time of My Life by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
63. Inamorata by Dean Martin
64. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
65. Islands In The Stream by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
66. It Takes Two by Donny & Marie
67. Jungle Drum by Emiliana Toririni
68. Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars
69. Kick In The Head by Dean Martin
70. Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer
71. Kiss The Girl by Samuel E. Wright
72. L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole
73. Lean On Me by Al Green
74. Let It Be Me by The Everly Brothers
75. Lookin For Love by Johnny Lee
76. Lovebug by Jonas Brothers
77. Love Grows Wild by Dierks Bently
78. Love Song by the Cure
79. Love Story by Taylor Swift
80. Lovers Concerto by The Toys
81. Lucky by Jason Mraz
82. Mine by Taylor Swift
83. Moon River by Andy Williams
84. More Than A Woman by Bee Gees
85. My Girl by The Temptations
86. My Love Will Follow You by Dierks Bentley
87. Naturally by Selena Gomez & The Scene
88. Never Had Nobody Like You by M. Ward feat. Zooey Deschanel
89. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by The Beatles
90. Only Fools Rush In by Elvis Presley
91. Only Hope by Mandy Moore
92. Only You by The Platters
93. Pop Rocks And Coke By Green Day
94. Put Your Head On My Shoulder by The Platters
95. Redundant by Green Day
96. Sea Of Love by Cat Power
97. She’s Always A Woman by Billy Joel
98. She’s So High by Tal Bachman
99. Sheila by Tommy Roe
100. So This Is Love by Woods and Mike Douglas
101. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
102. Such Great Heights by Iron and Wine
103. Sugar Sugar by The Archies
104. Sunshine After The Rain by 98 Degrees
105. Susanne by Weezer
106. Sweeter Than This by Katie Herzig
107. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
108. That Changes Everything by John Michael Montgomery
109. The One by Backstreet Boys
110. The Only Exception by Paramore
111. The Story by Brandi Carlile
112. The Tree by Blitzen Trapper feat. Alela Diane
113. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
114. The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift
115. This I Promise You by NSYNC
116. Till I Kissed You by The Everly Brothers
117. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
118. Top Of The World by The Carpenters
119. True by Ryan Cabrera
120. True Colors by Phil Collins
121. Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden
122. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
123. Unforgettable by Nat King Cole
124. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!
125. We Belong Together by Gavin Degraw
126. When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge
127. When I’m With You by Best Coast
128. Wherever You Will Go by The Calling
129. White Turquoise by Jonathan Wilson
130. Wonderwall by Oasis
131. Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner
132. You And Me by Lifehouse
133. You Are The Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
134. (You Drive Me) Crazy by Britney Spears
135. You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins
136. You’re Still The One by Shania Twain
137. You’re the Inspiration by Chicago
138. You’ve Got A Friend by James Taylor
139. Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn, & John
140. Your Man by Josh Turner
141. Your Song by Elton John

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tuesday Tastings: Elementary My Dear


I few weeks back, we volunteered to work the polls for the city elections. It was a pretty uneventful day. I hadn't eaten breakfast in the morning, before heading out because I'm usually never up so early. Though I wasn't in a foul mood because I made a quick morning coffee run, I wasn't the best company.

The elections took place in the auditorium of a local elementary school. I'd never even heard of the school prior to election day.

As teacher's began to pour in and breakfast was being prepared for the students in the adjoining cafeteria, our team began deliberating what we would eat.

It was a topic of great interest to each of us.

The cafeteria workers then informed us that we could purchase food from the cafeteria. Though this may seem very strange, we became completely thrilled at this notion.

We purchased our breakfast and honestly couldn't be any happier. The cardboard food tray, plastic cereal bowls, mini milk cartons, and juice boxes brought us a whiff of nostalgia. LAUSD cafeteria food is notorious for being repulsive but I hadn't eaten school food since my days in Middle School.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my breakfast.

When breakfast was over, we counted down the minutes until lunch was ready. As far as school food, our lunch did not disappoint. The broccoli was severely dry and flavorless, the packaged grapes were apparently not edible, the burger buns were stiff as a board and the chicken patty was nice and bland. I couldn't be happier.

The hot sauce was exactly as I remembered it. Amazing!


With all this said, I definitely would not want to eat this on a daily basis, however, it was nice to hit up memory lane.

I was remise however, for not having been given a spork, napkin and straw packet.

Pop Art

As mentioned in an earlier post, I created a pop art piece in accordance to Danto's modern day approach to defining art.

Pop art in part refers to conventional American imagery found in popular culture which stipulates consumer items as manipulative, powerful, and symbolic. These items are subsequently embedded with power that affect entire lifestyles and patterns of mere human routine.
Artists of this style, put an emphasis on objects that have been mass produced in our modern day society. By this, the artist demonstrates the impact these simple items have on our lives.

The following are additional pop art pieces created by classmates around the same time I made my own:





My pop art



Monday, April 11, 2011

LACMA: One Of My Favorite Places On Earth


"I can't get enough of Chris Burden's Urban Light exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art [LACMA]. The installation features 202 cast-iron vintage 1920s streetlights collected mostly from all over L.A., and it feels like a forest of light that is leading you to a temple. I love how it reflects the life of the city, while at the same time capturing the idea of the museum as a temple of art, culture, and enlightenment. And LACMA gets bonus points for having the streetlights be powered by solar energy."

—Arianna Huffington, pundit and co-founder, The Huffington Post

5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile; 323-857-6000

Melody Mondays: The Cowboy In Me



I find that people who claim to be open to all musical genres, end up saying something like "I listen to a little bit of everything. Oh, except for country."

A lot of people I know have a tendency of largely dismissing country music. Why?

Although Mel and I have a preference for indie music and oldies, we are partial to all types of music in varying degrees. I listen to anything from punk to classical, to anything that gets stuck in my head (however annoying it may be) and am pretty fond of country.

This fondness evolved over a span of several years, back when my elder brother was living in Northern California. I spent a lot of time there and eventually acquired the love of country that he had developed.

One of my favorite albums to date is John Michael Montgomery's, "Letters From Home". Initially, I was hooked to the tittle song, however, after listening to the entire album, I loved everything about it. The tittle song, "Letters From Home" is a heartfelt song describing a soldier away at war whose letters from loved ones keep him going on. It's bitter sweat really, but very beautiful.
Though my favorite song in the album tends to fluctuate, depending on the stage in my life, as of now my favorite is "Good Ground". "Good Ground" is a beautiful song about building a home and growing up.

The album has great continuity but at the same time has diverse themes.

This album is honestly a precious jewel among jewels. It rings powerful and true to human experiences. Something like this is difficult to find these days.

Montgomery's voice is pretty great and very manly if I do say so myself.


Friday, April 8, 2011

Fashion Friday: Oh Gucci Bag...

Who doesn't surf the web when they really should be working on something else?

I frequently get distracted from studying or just get plain bored and can't keep my mind on my coursework. Obviously, not a good thing.

Recently, during one of my sidetracks, when I should have been doing an assignment, I found love.

Among a hefty number of bags I was viewing, I came upon this Gucci 'handmade' large top handle bag with woven web detail! Once I laid my eyes on it, I knew that it was the one. It was love at first sight. Seriously, it was a bells chiming/string quartet symphony playing worthy moment.

Where do I begin? This bag has a classic look. When I look at it, I instantly recall Princess Grace Kelly and the famous Hermes Kelly bag named in her honor. The belt and lock closure complete with a leather key holder and tag are very much a la Kelly. This most definitely sets off the classic timeless look. Unlike the iconic Kelly bag, this Gucci bag has double handles more reminiscent of the Hermes Birkin bag. That's just the beginning.

The bag gains it's overall immediate inspiration from a distant bohemian ambiance. This is what makes me love it even more. The bag was created utilizing dark brown hand-stained leather along with antique gold hardware. This gives it a wonderful rustic look. Just the way I like it! The interior contains a beautiful suede lining and its double handles are hand woven with a 3.5" drop. The woven web detail is gorgeous and greatly adds onto the bohemian vibe.

This arm accessory says, "That girl's got expensive taste."

The color is exquisite, the size is ideal, the look is classic chic, it screams bohemian; and that's why I love it oh so much!

At $5300, the price tag is pretty steep but hey, a girl can dream.

It is remarkable how these drastically differing styles are blended together in complete unison and complement each other in such a perfectly harmonious manner. The proof can be seen below:




Oh, Gucci bag, you're more than anything I thought I ever wanted in a bag.
I wish you the best & hope you are happy with someone else.


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Tuesday Tastings: Top 10 Favorite Chocolates

Several of these chocolates that can be purchased in Grocery Markets and taste pretty amazing!

1. Perugina Baci
I first tried these when I was at a gas station somewhere between Rome and Florence on recommendation of an Italian woman. I'm not sure if this is true but according to this woman, when I man wants to propose to a woman he presents her with Baci.
"Baci" means kiss in Italian. These small pieces come wrapped in either a box, tube, or bag of various sizes. Once opened, each piece contains a multilingual love note.
What other chocolate tells you of love?
Besides having adorable packaging they are extremely delicious! They are made of dark chocolate with hazelnut filling and each contain a whole hazelnut.
I have a soft spot for hazelnuts.
These can be difficult to come around but I find that they are usually stocked at Cost Plus World Market.

2. Godiva Hazelnut Praline Truffle
I worked at Godiva for a short term and during that time I got very much acquainted with their chocolate which is pretty spectacular. While they do carry various excellent truffles, I have to say that this is the best one.
These are traditional Belgian praline truffles made of milk chocolate and coated in bits of toffee-coated hazelnut pieces. These can be pricey at $48 a pound but are definitely worth it.

3. Ferrero Rocher
Ferrero Rocher may be a bit cliche but that doesn't stop it from being delicious. There's something so simple yet genius about these small pieces of heaven. I'm not the biggest fan of milk chocolate but every time I bite into a Ferrero Rocher, I am forced to reconsider.

Perhaps it once was the food of the gods and is now being enjoyed by us mere mortals.

4. Milka Milk Chocolate Confection With Hazelnuts
I remember a high school friend once telling me that she loved Milka and she really wanted a bar but couldn't find it anywhere. Sometime later I stumbled upon Milka while I was shopping at Cost Plus World Market.
Milka makes several different bars and after trying most of them I concluded that this was the best one. This Milka chocolate bar is made of smooth German alpine chocolate with hazelnuts throughout.
Nowadays these bars can be found in practically any market. It's pretty amazing stuff.

5. Ritter Sport, Milk Chocolate With Whole Hazelnuts
Ritter Sport makes so many different kinds of chocolate bars and while I haven't gotten around to trying them all, this is my personal favorite as of yet.
This Ritter bar is made of German milk chocolate with whole roasted hazelnuts.

Put simply it's, "quality in a square."

6. Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit Chocolate
I ended up trying this bar when I was on a Target run, they didn't have the whole hazelnut Ritter Sport bars in stock so, I decided to buy this one as an alternative.
I was skeptical at first but the woman paying ahead of me at the cash register told me that it was amazing and that I had to get it. She said she used to eat them sporadically while she was pregnant. Since she insisted I had to try them, I did.
Needless to say, she did not let me down.
This Ritter bar is basically a wonderful butter biscuit covered in milk chocolate. Yum!

7. Godiva Dark Chocolate Truffle Gems
I got around to trying these while working at Godiva. These gems were some of my favorite Godiva pieces because of their sheer simplicity and amazing taste! The truffles come individually wrapped and are made of dark chocolate with a creamy dark chocolate ganache filling. Sheer genius.

8. Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate
My brothers brought Mel and I heaps of Milka bars (contained in cute cow cases) when they returned from their ventures in Kosovo. I must say that this alpine milk chocolate is divine.

9. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses With Almonds
Kisses are so plain and ordinary but that's no reason to count them out, they remain a small bundle of joy. While I do not eat them frequently, when I do, I love leaving the kiss in my mouth until it melts. The almond is an added bonus.

Ah. Plain deliciousness.

10. Twix
I'm still not too sure if this is the right choice but the number 10 spot goes to Twix. For the sake of not having another chocolate piece with hazelnuts, I've opted for Twix.

While Twix isn't necessarily the chocolate bar that I always reach out and grab right before paying at the cash register, it is pretty good.

I'm not even the biggest fan of caramel but there's something about the crunchy combination of chocolate, caramel, and a biscuit that always gets to me.