Random thoughts on a Tuesday night

I'm sitting here, doing nothing in particular, listening to Laura Marling, being too hot and uncomfortable. I will turn 22 in an hour, for some reason I absolutely feel nothing. You can't change it anyway. I don't even wish I was younger, but by writing this simple word, I actually wish I was. Younger. I just want to be full of life, full of love, full of plans. I don't know what the future will bring but I beg the sky to bring me something good. 

Still a few days left ...

I only have a few days left before my internship begins and going back to Uni ! I really wish I had more time to do more stuff, I'd like to do so many things such as going to the woods, doing some shopping, seeing friends, watching movies, reading books I haven't started yet... But I unfortunately lack so much time ! Luckily, Internet exists and therefore, I was able to order some stuff online (books, music and makeup), which sort of put me in a better mood. The weather hasn't been very nice and I'm still anxious about the results of the exams (which I think I might have failed) so I definitely needed something to help me forget in the meantime. 

 I bought this sweater at H&M's when I was spending some time in Amsterdam, the H&M is huge there ! I really like H&M's L.O.G.G. brand, it is very comfy and casual, you can wear it with anything and so it is useful. I also bought these shorts which I usually wear with opaque black tights or less opaque tights when the weather is kind. I also bought this fantastic perfume from the Iranian designer Elie Saab. I totally love this designer and what he does ! You should totally check his creations. The dresses he made are fabulous, as he gets a lot inspired by anything floral, and the summer. Also the perfume has a really nice scent, it is very fresh and girly. I love that outfit ! I always try to buy clothes reasonably - even if it is rarely the case - so that I can wear the clothes at any time of the year. For example, I really look forward to wearing these shorts with some New Balances for when I get to head to the United States in July!

I still don't know how people get dressed over there, but I definitely picture myself wearing these shorts, naked legs, colored New Balances, a cap and a sweater ! As far as this peculiar outfit is concerned, I wasn't wearing heels because first, I don't feel very comfortable with heels, I know I need to get used to it because it's definitely a sign of elegance and glamour, but I just enjoy walking with flats too much. Besides I am so clumsy, I'm pretty sure I would fall everywhere and that's actually not what I'm looking for. For now, I was wearing studded ballet flats, that I usually change for loafers or even simple black Keds. totally love Keds!

While I was in Paris, I did some shopping at Muji. If you have never heard of this place, then you should totally go ! They provide simple, minimalistic material and office supplies at a very low price. You can also find some very cute toys, a lot of wooden objects, and they also care a lot about the planet, which is something we have in common. :)

I never go anywhere without my Bobbi Brown lipstick ! I am totally convinced that this is the best makeup brand ever. It reminds me of the makeup that was used in the fifties, because it lasts so long and the smell is very particular. This lipstick has a kind of burgundy tone, with smooth shades of maroon. It makes you glamourous in a jiffy ! I also bought this black eye-liner from Estée Lauder, which lasts a very, very long time - trust me! - and has a perfect line.

I am totally in love with Bio products. My skin is very sensitive so I prefer using natural products to take care of it. I recently found about Sanoflore, a French natural brand which provides a lot of natural products in order to take care of your skin the best way possible, by avoiding chemical stuff. And of course, I am a Nuxe fan forever ! 

I think the room that I would miss the most, if I ever leave, is my bedroom. It's like my whole universe that is locked into a single room. My entire life is there, taking the form of books, little words, letters, music, vinyls, objects again and again. I will remember the best of it. 

Memories from Christmas and daily holiday life.

This year Christmas was very short. Indeed, I was having my exams at the beginning of December and also, I was working at the local mall. This let me a very very few time to enjoy Christmas properly with my family. I totally adore Christmas. I might be twenty-one years old, but I become a kid again when it comes to Christmas. Christmas music, Christmas lights... Everything puts me in an absolute serene and calm mood. I forget all my problems and I enjoy wrapping gifts and baking. I really hope I can enjoy Christmas I bit more this year because one year without Christmas is like a big wide grey sky ! Anyway on December, 25th, we spend the afternoon and evening at my cousin's. I totally adore her since we spent all of our childhood together and she's like a sister to me. She's very crafty and talented, that's why I love going to her place because it's very cosy and her and her husband also have two beautiful cats that fill the room with joy. We ate an absolutely tasty cheesecake with candy, and sipped a delicious hot chocolate in the cutest cup ever ! After unwrapping our gifts (there were so many!) we played many games like Uno or Scrabble together, remembering the old days while the rain - and no snow, unfortunately - was pouring down outside. Although this was a bit short, this was a great Christmas !

Long time no talk !

Hey everybody ! It's been a while since I have written anything on here... I have been very busy partying, working, daydreaming and making awesome plans for this brand new year. I am excited because I can feel the change coming. This very change I have been awaiting for so much time. I feel more ready than ever to make a choice and spend one year of my life in the United States. The question of the place remains undefined, it will likely be a city on the East Coast (Philadelphia, New York or somewhere in New Jersey), because the program I requested takes place only there. I'm still thinking because I'm a West Coast kid so I'd rather prefer spending this year in the Middlewest or in the West, but we'll see. 

I'm in love with the American culture since forever. It has created an undefinable dream in me which I know will never fade away. Like any other country in the world, America has its weaknesses, and I know it tends to decline as countries like China and Brazil are emerging. But the United States will always be the country that dared, the country that dreamed and produced the dream endlessly throughout the years. They created Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. They gave us Steven Spielberg and these fabulous movies that you grew up with. Everything can be said about this country. But nothing about the role that they played in our lives, that they changed forever. 

I still don't know where I'll be located, someone mentioned Philadelphia as I said earlier. I know I would really enjoy living in Philly. That's where everything started. It's a fabulous city with fabulous buildings that shine in the sunset. It's close to New York City and I'm assuming that there must be plenty of things to do there. If I ever choose to go to Philly then I will probably get to study at the University of Pennsylvania (uPenn), which for me will be perfect ! uPenn is one of the most prestigious universities in the USA and it's a part of the Ivy League. Total dream ! 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

So yes, Philadelphia would be perfect ! But I'm still hesitating as I'm a kid of the wild, I love wide spaces and valleys, prairies, woods and nature. My dream destination, to be honest, is Albuquerque (New Mexico). Big blue skies, endless roads, that's really what I'm looking for ! One year may sound a bit long, but who could seriously be tired of waking up every morning in front of a sea of valleys ? You tell me. I am also fascinated by Route 66 since forever, so it would be a good opportunity to visit it and share moments with the locals. In the program (that lasts 12 months), you are allowed to stay another month in order to travel. I could use that one to do this. Plus with American Airlines a ticket from Philly to Albuquerque is only about 200$ ! Let's see if we can make it happen :D 

Somewhere along Route 66, USA 

I think that when you have a dream, you must not let it fade away. It must not only help you going ahead in your everyday life, it IS a part of your life. Don't be afraid to achieve it, life is full of surprises. You'll find another dream to achieve, and so on. That's how you will meet new people, try new experiences, create and share memories. I have this dream since forever. It was born in me naturally. For years and years I have seen people and friends leaving to this promised land where I had never ever been. They would enjoy the places I wanted to go to, and do the exact things I wanted to do. I promised myself that it would soon be my turn. And for once, it sounds like life has kept its promises. 

Lazy Afternoons

It has been almost one month that I am on holidays, and especially, that I won't be going back to college before at least September... I still can't believe it ! I could do so many things, but I can't really choose so I usually end up with doing nothing, which can be really frustrating judging from everything I have and buy ! It's like I'm lost in a huge ocean of books, music, painting, clothes, jewels and the internet. Who could really be courageous enough to choose any of these ? It's really difficult, I can tell.

So, in order to fight against this indecision, I have decided to organize my days, in order to stop waking up and noon and ending the day in front of the telly, ugh. After this, my days will essentially consist in doing some sport, having lunch with friends, cooking more and working on my screenplay. Without forgetting about books, for sure. 

Talking about these, I've recently purchased Jack Kerouac's legendary "On The Road", I had already read it in the past and I must say I was kind of skeptical when I heard they would make a movie about it. After having seen the trailer, I think they essentially applied a contemporary idea of the roadtrip, and I actually don't know if it was what Kerouac meant in his work. Anyway, this is still one of my favorite books ever and I think I'm really going to enjoy reading it again. 

But as the weather down this little french town can be very tricky, any outdoor activity may be compromised ... Then the best solution appears to be watching movies or listening to music, and I have solutions again. I have a lot of DVDs that I've been owning for a while, and as I'm not very keen of downloading movies on the internet, I buy them all. Which explains why I only have a few, because these are classics and I know I'll never get bored of them (American Beauty, Lost In Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind just to quote a few). Though, I got bored of sad and depressive movies which make me cry for nothing, so I preferred choosing funny movies that cheer me up, and in this category, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams are particularly the best ! 

But I won't be watching movies everyday, though. If the weather is okay, I'll certainly be up for a ride with my bike in the countryside or if I'm lazier, I'll stay in my garden that I take care or everyday ! I have recently planted some roses and it gets even more beautiful as it grows ! Luckily my garden will be full of flowers, just like the English cottages :-)

As long as music is concerned, I keep discovering new music everyday thanks to cool online softwares such as Last.fm, or, more recently, Spotify. For the latter, I really think I will get a Premium account as soon as possible. You can almost find everything and it's really great ! Lately, I have been listening a lot  to a brand new girls band named Haim. They made three songs and I don't know if these are only demos or if they are going to release a full album, but it's absolutely stunning. The songs are really funky and energetic, and their voices are very pretty. It really was a nice breakthrough. Plus, you can download them for free on their website here, anyone who likes pop, funky beats and female vocalists will fall in love with Haim's music. Can't wait for more songs ! Listen to "Go Slow" here.

I Know What I Like

Today is actually my birthday and I'm 21 years old ! I kind of feared this day but I knew it would happen anyway so I'm just telling myself that 21 isn't all and after all, the only thing that matters is how old you feel in your head. Right now I'm writing this and it's sunny, I'm listening to Kate Nash's album "My Best Friend Is You" and I'm just really loving it as it describes my life perfectly. I also think that the most important thing ever in someone's life is to know what you want, and to know what you like. I've chosen this as a title because it makes me thing about a song from Huey Lewis & The News and I actually think it's very meaningful ! Indeed, if you don't know what you like then how do you want to go far ? That's what some people usually say, I don't know where I'm going but I hope I go far. I could have done so right after my A-level but at the moment, I regret nothing. I'm going to make something big, at least, try, and if it doesn't work I will never give up. I think you can't really say that "life's a bitch", because life is what you make it ! I like simple things, but however, I have a quite expensive taste too. Which doesn't mean I can't live without it, of course. But overall, I just think that anyone has the power to succeed. Just know what you like, even if you don't know where you're going. By doing what you like you can do nothing but going far.

Feels good already to be 21, let's plan realistic stuff and get them achieved ! x

Can we talk about music ?

Setting up playlists for a birthday can be very tricky. You quite don't know what to play because you don't know how the atmosphere will be like, so you can find yourself with dancing music whereas no one wants to dance or calm music with very excited people. Then how to do ? First of all I've visited many blogs and went to many restaurants and discos in order to see (and listen) what was playing, and how people felt it. And this is how I've found out that calm music encourages discussions and creates a positive, calm and warm atmosphere, whereas rhythmic music would encourage people to dance and also drink, which is not what I intend to do as we'll be drinking way later. Anyway I've managed to gather some good music with very contemporary musicians and bands, but I also kind of felt compelled to include many singers I like, after all, this is my birthday !! 

1. Washed Out - Hold Out
2. Real Estate - Easy
3. Coldplay - Paradise
4. Washed Out - Amor Fati
5. Real Estate - Out of Tune
6. Washed Out - Soft
7. Neon Indian - Polish Girl
8. Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
9. Declan O'Rourke - No Brakes
10. Kate Nash - Birds
11. Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor
12. The Cardigans - My Favorite Game
13. Drake - Headlines
14. Adele - Rolling in the Deep
15. Calvin Harris - Feel So Close
16. Coldplay - Speed of Sound
17. Kate Nash - Foundations 
18. Cut Copy - Saturdays

... and maybe other updates, please feel free to give me some ideas ! ;-) 

New stuff, new events, new perspectives

I feel way better than last week, probably because of the weather that's getting warmer and it makes me happy... I didn't find so much things to do during the holidays, certainly because I've been used to working and revising a lot during the year so I don't really remember what freedom and free time taste like. Instead of ordering new clothes through the Internet, this time I preferred buying new makeup and beauty products because I terribly lack them in my bathroom (or rather, my bedroom because I like to make myself up there). But I couldn't do without some reading so I bought one of my favorites magazines which is called Artravel, it especially deals with design but it's different as it only shows luxurious hotels and houses, and I have to say this is my #1 source of motivation for work =^_^=. But I have to say that buying beauty products and makeup have a very motivational power, you feel ready to do anything ! I also need to plan and organize my birthday that takes place, for the first part, in my house. I've never invited anyone yet and I really hope things will work on. For now, most of the people I have invited said they would come, and I didn't expect it at all so I'm quite happy. I hope they'll enjoy it, as much as the music I'm going to play ! 

Products : 

Nourishing and Hydrating Cream, Mixa

Classic Lip Care, Labello

Black Eye Liner, Reserve Naturelle

Energising Cleansing Mousse, Roc©

Creamy Lipstick, Bobbi Brown

Eye Concealer, Maybelline

Transparent Nail Polish, L'Oréal

Perfumes :

Eau Fraîche de Rochas by Rochas

Parisienne by Yves Saint-Laurent

Zara Rose, by Zara

Other :

Artravel Magazine, Mediterranean Hotels and Design