Diane Matcheck, The Sacrifice

It's been a while since I actually finished reading a book. I mean it's already late April of 2010, and the last book I read cover to cover was back in January? I'm sincerely amazed by how fast the time goes by. I actually finished reading this book Saturday night but I've only remembered to blog about it today at work.

Diane Matcheck's The Sacrifice is a young adult fiction piece, and this is actually the second time reading this book. I read it the first time when I was around 13, and the only thing I remembered about the book almost ten years later was that it had made me cry.

Spring Feminine

This post is so very belated, but I figured it was better late than never.

So I finally, finally got myself a white caridigan. It's the Loft ruffle front caridgan. This picture really does not do it justice. I saw it in the store and just knew I had to have it. It wasn't even on sale. (I hardly ever buy anything for the retail price.) I am very content with this purchase.

I've been thinking of buying a watch, but it really was never high up on my list because I had a functioning watch, as beat up as it was. Again it was another in-store love affair. I saw this Skagen beauty on sale at Nordstrom for less than $60 and couldn't pass up a good deal. I'm scared of wearing it too much for fear of junking it up. The texture of the leather straps is absolutely amazing!

On another note, I ordered new straps for my other beat up Skagen watch. I really appreciate Skagen's asthetic. It's minimal with surprising details - just my kind of style.

Spring Leather

I've been meaning to get a new work bag and a pair of leather flats for the longest time and I finally got them. Just in time for spring!

Although I love black leather I think it's too harsh for spring. I got the Sak Iris in Twilight, and it looks much better in person. Online vendors stuff the bags too much in their pictures. I don't think I would have gotten it if I hadn't seen it in-store. It's got the the convertible handle thing which i think is great. I've always wanted that feature. Frankly, I am so digging navy. It's my black for warmer weather.

These shoes from J.Crew are really just too cute. I would have thought there would have been a greater selection of nudie pink flats, but surprisingly that's not the case. Suffice to say I liked these the best. I think there's a bit of synthetic happiness being worked in my head. I like them despite the gratuitous toe cleavage and slight toe jamming.

Work Wardrobe Additions for Spring 2010

Work Wardrobe Additions for Spring 2010 by j-han featuring French Connection tops

So I've had spring shopping on my mind, and this set is just an example of the types and styles of things that I've been wanting.

1. Embellished Whitish Cardigan - I keep thinking "investment pieces" and I figure a white cardigan should be a staple of every woman's wardrobe. Surprisingly, I don't have one yet although I've been meaning to get one. I think this is the perfect opportunity to get one for myself. Of course, just any old cardigan would be too boring. I'm looking for feminine details like rhinestones, beads, sequins, frills and bows!

2. Voluminous Bottoms - I'm thinking of both skirts and shorts. I would very much like to wear shorts to work. The longer length, I think, makes shorts office friendly. As for a skirt... lace is a nice detail for spring! Or perhaps a flower print~

3. Reptile Pumps - I've been meaning to get some black work pumps. It's another one of those staples that every woman should have. And of course I just can't live with the boring basics so I'm thinking texture. I really love reptile. I'm just a fan of animal prints in general. I guess this would fit into that category.

4. Nudie Pink Ballet Flats - I've had "leather flats" on my shopping list for the longest time, but I haven't really found any that have been catching my eye. That's probably because I've been looking for black flats. I guess I'm just not a fan of black flats. On the other hand, I love nude tone flats - light pink to beige. I'm not sure exactly what about it, but perhaps it's the illusion of no shoes...

I will be on the prowl for these items in the coming weeks. I hope it'll be warmer so I can actually get the feel for spring.

Kenneth Cole Tote of the Town French Purse (Black Reptile)

I forgot to mentioned that I got my wallet, finally, in the mail on Monday.

It is quite lovely. The detailing is fabulous. You should really see the patterning on this leather. It's very lux, and I always think patent leather can easily look trashy. It is not so with this wallet.

It's very much bulkier than my previous wallet, but I'll get used to it. I guess the bulk is because the gajillion card slots. I guess I'd rather have more than not enough, but it's still pretty ridiculous. And the coin pocket is smack dab right in the middle. It makes it very difficult to get the change out, and I do have 85 cents (two quarters, three dimes, and a nickle), a flattened penny from the zoo, and a tiny decorative penny in there. I might need to access those at some point... maybe.

I'm glad I finally have a new wallet. I wonder how long I can live with this one :D

It's like I'm a ninja.

Durarara!!

Durarara!! I am absolutely enamored by this series. It just resonates with me on so many levels.

At face value Durarara!! is about a 15-year-old boy Ryugamine Mikado who at the insistence of his long-time best friend Kida Masaomi moves from a small town to the big city in order to attend high school in Ikebukuro,Tokyo. The story naturally revolves around people that he meets and the things that happen in the big city.

But of course it’s so much more than that.

In essence it is a character-oriented series where the city itself is as much of a character as any. And, of course, I'm a sucker for character-driven dramas. From what I can tell so far the characters are diverse and fairly multi-faceted. They do hold rather polarized traits that make them stereotypes to a certain extent, but it's that extremeness that makes them interesting as characters in an anime where the boundaries of reality can be push, pulled, bent and stretched at will. At the same time each character is seeded at the core with his or her own struggles associated with the human condition that makes them believable.

Of all the characters I am particularly drawn to one Orihara Izaya, a sociopath. It is a fact that I am captivated by his psychopathic persona that works purely for his own gain. But I've always loved such fictional sociopaths characterized by superior intellect, easy charm, sharp wit, and physical prowess. I often imagine that operating outside the influence of emotions and social conventions such as morals would be so liberating.

The show touches on a lot of issues and prompts a lot of questions, and none of them have easy answers. It explores the nature of reality and questions perception and alludes to the subjectivity of experience. It presents this idea of opposites (light/dark, good/bad, life/death, etc) time and time again and exposes the dualistic nature of existence. It illustrates a person's struggle with identity and self-realization and purpose and meaning. It asks the role of technology in society and the deterioration of quality of human interaction. I could go on... but maybe I'm over thinking it. I'm making meaning out of nothing, but it resonates with me regardless of whether or not they meant it to. They probably did.

In any case...

The storytelling and the pacing of the series is engaging. It's not quite linear, there are a lot of parallel plots and action sequences. There is always more to the story than you first realize. Through each iterative retelling there is a new layer of detail and it makes the whole experience richer and complex.

At it's heart Durarara!! is a shonen series. The predominately male cast and conflict oriented plots are indicative of that fact. The fight sequences are well executed and the women tastefully sexualized. But what I've loved most about the shonen genre is the boy's club camaraderie aspect of it all. It's a highly romanticized concept of male-bonding that as a girl seems mysterious and alluring.

As a final note, the show is humorous. Case in point, check out the circle lenses on the girl in the middle. That is social commentary at its best.

Winter Chairs

I find it amazing how the design of a place can evolve so naturally with the seasons. And while form is necessarily second to function, it is so easy to see the aesthetic of the form follow the utility of the function.