Top 10 – A Few of My Favorite Things

Let me tell you, friends, a year of no shopping really does help you figure out your style. You’d think the other way around was what would help, right? It ends up that not shopping is what does it. This past year was one of discovery for me, fashion wise at least. I was able to see what pieces got the most use, and which ones I loved and fit best on me. I made a list with my 10 essential items, and if I could only have those 10 things, I’d probably be a happy girl (albeit one that needs to do laundry almost every day).

1. Boyfriend Blazer
2. Chambray Shirt
3. Black Heels
4. Pleated Skirt
5. Statement Necklace
6. Shirt Dress
7. Leather Jacket
8. Vans
9. Cute Tights
10. Cocktail Ring

Images from Polyvore.com

What are your top 10 essential things? What can’t you live without?

Best Moments of 2012!

Hello, hello! Wow, 2013 is already over a week old, and here I am, finally with two minutes to spare and write something about it. First off, I got recap by saying that 2012 was an AMAZING year. I mean, I’m sure there were sad or dumb things that happened, but they were overwhelmed by all the great things, and I’d like to share a bit of it.

1. I turned 30! And it wasn’t as bad as people made it sound it would be. I might even dare to say that the 30s are the new 20s! Oh goodness, yes, that sounds extremely silly, because 30s are better than your 20s. Sure, in your 20s you’re young, your metabolism is high, your skin tight, and your alcohol tolerance is something to boast about, but the 30s are SO much better. The independence you get, for starters, your own job, your own house, your own car (oh wait, still working on that one because buses are just so much easier and green), your own wardrobe (more on that later), and the paycheck is something to boast about to your 20-year-old self. She definitely did NOT make this much money. But I also love the tranquility this age brings. In my 20s everything was so fast-paced, late nights, intelectual conversations, parties, the constant need to be on motion at all times. It seems I like the tranquility of my 30s better. Dinner parties that end before 10 pm, friends to go have coffee with at all odd hours in the day, good afternoons spent with books, putting puzzles (ahem, legos) together with the boyfriend. This whole “in bed by 10″ is just so much more me.

2. I traveled a lot! I mean, I didn’t go very far, but I stepped outside my state quite a few times this year, and this is something I’ve been dreaming of doing since I started college. It was my goal in life, really, to have a job that would help me afford trips. What else does a girl need besides great travel pictures? And planning for my next trip is always fun, something to look forward to when the days drag. Anyway, to boast about my traveling this year… I started the year by spending 10 days in Florida with the boyfriend, where we visited all my beloved Disney World parks (I was a cast member there for an internship once, and still love the place dearly) and the new Harry Potter theme park within Universal (big nerd, I know). Then not much long after, Mike and I drove the 6 hours to Las Vegas to watch Noel Gallagher in concert. And then there were the long summer months, stretching and lazying around… And when Fall was finally here, a friend and I planned an impromptu Disneyland & South California trip (I call it impromptu because most of my trips take months of careful planning and researching, because I love doing that too), and spend 3 awesome days soaking the sun in California. And to top it off, my most awaited trip of the year: a two-week road trip to Austin, TX! We drove through Southern Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Western Texas, and then stayed a few days in Austin. We had big plans for the way back, but several snowstorm warnings made us just drive as fast as we could back home, so we wouldn’t get stuck somewhere with snow we couldn’t handle (and we still got at least 200 miles of really bad weather we had to drive through).

3. I spent a year without shopping! Yes! If you’ve been visiting me here, you probably already know about my other blog, Occupy the Wardrobe, where me and 4 friends started a year of not shopping in 2012 (to which I was the only one to go through all the way to the end, but I guess Vica was excused by being pregnant…). And it was an eye-opening experience. Not necessarily to my spending habits (which admittedly, are not really bad), but to how stuck creatively I was with my own clothes. So I started 2012 by getting organized, getting rid of anything that I didn’t wear or was just not flattering, and then proceeded to be super stylish in 2012 without buying anything new. Just to show you can be cool without owning the latest trends. But it was hard watching Spring roll by and not being able to buy any colored jeans!!!

4. I learned to sew! And trust me when I say I didn’t think I’d progress this much in a year, but by the end of 2012 I already could tackle complicated projects like dresses and pants. I have a few new items on my wardrobe thanks to my newly acquired skills. And let’s not forget that it’s such a great way to decrease stress. This year I started working on a velvety-ish dress from a Butterick pattern, but I had a bunch of problem and already unstitched and stitched it back on a bunch of times, but I’m intent on making it look the best, so I’ll keep on it. Lately, the hem is giving me trouble, but fixing it shall be easy.

For 2013, I’m starting it light. No hardcore New Year resolutions, just one: to take more pictures. I did terrible in 2012, because I was taking so many pictures of me. But this year I want to go out more and take pictures outside. And I’d like to write more photography tutorials for beginners, little tips and tidbits that I have learned that would help improve the photos of people that are not really into photography, but would like to have their photos look good more often. I had to do so many self portraits this year, I picked up a few new things. Maybe I’ll do that.

Top 10 – High School TV Shows

#1 – The OC

Even though I have other shows I like better than the OC, when we’re taking teen tv shows, in MY opinion, this one is the best. I’ve always loved the crazy plots and silly drama those guys came up with. And I dare you to find a person that didn’t completely fall in love with Seth and Summer, the cutest couple to ever exist on television. The OC had an amazing first season, followed by 3 crappy ones, but the first season alone deserves the title of best teen show of all times.

#2 – Dawson’s Creek

Dawson’s Creek is a classic of television. Those shabby-looking teenagers that spieled dialogues I’m still yet to listen from 15 year olds, were impossible to resist. It was another show which the first season beats all others, even though they shaped up a pretty nice series finale at the end. You cried too, didn’t you?

#3 – Roswell

This one might inhabit only my own lists, because if you’re to seriously analyze this show, you’ll find it wasn’t very special. But since I was an alien freak in the 90s (x-files!), nothing like a show about teenagers that are actually aliens, living in Roswell, NM of all places, to get me excited about catching up on tv when visiting my grandma (she had cable, and all those shows were only on cable in Brazil). Another plus in this show are the actors: Katherine Heigl basically started here, looking nothing like a teenager I’ve ever seen. Colin Hanks also had a recurring character (and a romance with Katherine Heigl’s character). And another one of the protagonists, Maria (played by Majandra Delfino) could sure sing, and was probably one of the funniest characters.

#4 – Veronica Mars

I can’t believe I waited till a few years ago to finally watch Veronica Mars. Thanks to my roommate buying all seasons, I devoured those in just a few weeks. But this show was pure genius, and one of the few I’m really sad for having ended. Veronica is the kind of girl everyone wants to be like (really, if I was that kind of an outcast in high school, my days would have been much more entertaining).

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Top 10 – High School Movies

#1 Clueless - My favorite high school movie for sure, if not one of my favorite movies ever. I can probably quote half of it as I watch it, and I probably have watched it about as many times as The Little Mermaid. At some point in high school, we had re-create a movie scene for my English class (remember that English is not my first language!) and my group chose Clueless. We watched it a couple of time to choose the scenes, and then another couple of times to transcribe them, since we didn’t have the script. I played Tai (Brittany Murphy’s character) and the memorable scene where Tai tells Cher “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” I think I nailed it. I don’t remember what grade I got, but I’m sure it had to be the highest possible. If not, I probably argued my way to it.

#2 Pretty in Pink – A classic! But then, all the movies in this list are classics. But Pretty in Pink stood the test of time… except, of course, for its fashion. But really, I still cry thinking how she customized two beautiful dresses into that pink potato sack. But moving on… Andrew McCarthy? Dreamy. Oh yes, and probably the worst bad boy a teenage girl ever fell in love with. But totally dreamy while doing it. And the best friend, Duckie? Now, there’s the guy who really deserved to win the girl at the end, even if he wasn’t as dreamy.

#3 Mean Girls - It’s the movie I’m watching as I write this post and… it’s pretty genius. So many memorable moments in it, especially in its first 30 minutes: the naive new girl being introduced to the cliques of high school; the Halloween costumes “slut rule;” oh and speaking of rules, all the rules the “plastics” have for being able to sit with them; the super dumb blonde (Amanda Seyfried is fantastic); the “How can I explain Regina George” sequence; the art-of-war-like plan to bring down Regina George… Yes, I could go on. Plus, who never had friends like Regina George? I certainly did, but not as glamourous. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that Tina Fey is in it and she is freaking awesome. “She doesn’t even go here!”

#4 Can’t Buy Me Love – I’m a sucker for movies with great soundtracks, and this one opens up with Beatles. Excuse me? Automatically goes up in the list a few spots. But, regardless of the great music, this movie was one of my favorites growing up, because of the super silly plot. Boy mows lawns for the summer to save up enough money to buy a telescope (nerds rule!), and ends up helping out pretty girl who ruined her mom’s (fantastically tacky white leather) dress to buy a new one, so she doesn’t get in trouble. In exchange, she has to pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks, making him go from nerd to coolest guy in school.

#5 Breakfast Club – This one is on everyone’s top 10. My favorite thing about it, is actually the fact of how many other movies and teen tv shows are inspired by it and reference it somehow in their stories (Dawson’s Creek Season 2 anyone?). It’s a classic for a reason.

#6 Drive me Crazy – How not to go crazy for Melissa Joan Hart? And the almost identical plot to Can’t buy me love but kind of reverse. Oh wait, pretty much the same plot of every teen movie… Pay attention wannabe film makers of the world: if you want a successful teen movie, you have got to include a make over.  And it’s so nice when the make over an already adorable Adrian Grenier? Drive me Crazy might have the plot of a made for tv movie, but right now I need to know when it’s on on tv again because I need to see it stat. The prom scene at the end? Just pure adorableness, especially Melissa’s dark blue dress. Can I have one?

#7 Never Been Kissed – A story of second chances? A nerd girl that gets a chance to go back to school and try to make it work this second time? Heck yeah! Wish I could go back sometimes and show off those kids that treated me like crap some lessons. Of course it wouldn’t work like that since I’m so much wiser and cooler now, and all high schoolers would totally love me. But I love this movie and how everything works out for the Gellers. And Michael Vartan is absolutely adorable in it. Why didn’t I have a teacher like him in high school?

#8 10 Things I hate about you – I’ll be honest and say I did not like this movie the first time I saw it. I didn’t think Heath Ledger’s character was anything cute, and I usually don’t like anything with Julia Stiles in it. BUT on a second and third viewing… it grew on me. All characters and their weirdnesses got to me, and it’s definitely on my top 10 now even though I still think the scene when Heath sings pretty silly (go figure how HSM ended up on my list below, huh?)

#9 High School Musical – Yes, and I am not ashamed! Disney’s High School Musical is meant to be a classic. Singing teenagers that are afraid to be who they really want to be! Romance between the jock and the nerdy girl (who’s actually pretty hot…)

#10 She’s the Man – What a complete stupid movie but… so hilarious. I mean, none of the characters make any sense and none are even likable, but at the same time, it comes up with the funniest comments, and I can’t help but enjoy it. And of course, Tobias from Arrested Development as the director.

I could have kept going. I had other favorites off the list, such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, She’s All That, Assassination of a High School President, A Cinderella Story… Which ones are your favorites?

Top 10 – My Favorite Nail Polishes

Maya - Haley - Lilacism – Eternal Optimist - for Audrey - Recycle
Hot Topic - Cappuccino - Across The Universe - Midnight Affair

It’s no secret I love nail polishes. I have a big collection and I do my own nails every week. I made this list with my all time favorite nail polishes! What are your personal favorites?

Top 10 Reasons I loved Marvel’s The Avengers

So, along with about other thousands of people, I got to see Marvel’s The Avengers on the theaters this weekend. And as the other thousands of people that saw the movie, I loved it! And after Mindy Kaling “threatened” to share her top 10 moments from the movie (but didn’t) I felt like I has the obligation to step up and do my top 10 favorite things from the movie.

01. The Director: Joss Whedon. Yay for Joss! After being a big fan of his two cancelled tv shows (eff Fox!), Dollhouse and Firefly (which, oh how I wish Nathan Fillion had made into this movie as well!), I was really happy when I saw his name associated with this project. Actually, I had NO intention of watching the Avengers till I saw that Joss was directing it.

02. Iron Man’s humor. I’ve always loved Robert Downey Jr, but I think he shines as Iron Man. All the funny moments from the movie are thanks to him.

03. Black Widow. Not even I can resist Scarlett Johansson. She is a favorite among the male crowd, and had some pretty breathtaking scenes in the movie. Who doesn’t love when a girl kicks ass? Plus, fantastic hair I wish I had.

04. Hawkeye’s arms. You know, not something I usually notice. Actually, not something I’ve ever noticed till Agent Barton, aka Hawkeye, shows up with his bow and arrow to create some havoc. Still sighing over those biceps.

05. Pepper Potts. So cute. So cute. Her character is adorable and so huggable. Just the perfect balance for Stark’s eccentric personality.

06. Enver Gjokaj very small appearance as “Young Cop.” I waited the entire movie, but finally by the end, in a very small part, Enver Gjokaj from Dollhouse shows up. Bummer that was such a small part, since he showed in Dollhouse what a fantastic actor he can be. But I guess with a movie this huge and with most of the cast already defined, there was not a lot of parts left for him. Maybe next time?

07. Mark Ruffalo’s graying hair. Another one of my favorite actors, although I still like him better in smaller movies. I felt like he was barely there in this movie, but I guess that was part of the character. But his graying hair was absurdly adorable.

8. Chris Evans. Did any girl went to see this movie for any other reason than Chris Evans? Yup, didn’t think so.

10. All the Eye Candy. Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlet Johansson, Chris Hemsworth… Am I forgetting anyone?

Top 10 – My Favorite Rock Albums

I’ve been in a music kick lately. Which is a funny thing for me to say, since I don’t exactly remember a time when I wasn’t obsessively listening to music and discovering new bands to like. Well, except for lately. It’s been a while since music got me really excited, especially new stuff. Mostly, I’m a girl stuck in the 90s. My favorite bands are all from that era, the golden age of BritPop, Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, The Verve, Travis… I compiled a list of my top 10 rock albums, most of those are from my teen years and I probably listened to them till they had holes in them. This list, is one that I am constantly tweaking and working on as time goes by.

Often, through my life, I go back to those eight 90s albums that really marked a time in my life. A time when I was much more carefree and had all that free time to listen and care so much about rock’n'roll. That sort of time is a luxury lately, one that I usually take advantage of during concerts only. Then I’m back in my element and feeling like a teenager again. Those albums still inspire and move me, in a way that nothing else can.

The only non 90s albums on my list are Jack’s Mannequin and Death Cab for Cutie, the only “new” bands to really get to me lately. Two bands that I think, as the years go by, will still maintain their place in my top 10 albums of all time.

What does your top 10 list look like?