Fall is Here

Autumn is here, and I'm very excited about it. If spring is about new beginnings, autumn is all about nostalgia and pausing to remember. Crisp mornings lend to long, thoughtful walks. Bright colors lend to bursts of inspiration. Harvest time lends way to all my favorite home-comfort foods like apple pies, pumpkin everything, soup, and piping hot cups of tea over breakfast. I'm not one to get really and truly homesick, but the thought of the season does make me miss the way my mom decorates our house for both Halloween and Thanksgiving and the ways I'd try to convince my dad to light a fire every night, even if it was a warmer November evening. I want to bury myself in cable knit sweaters and fuzzy socks and drink hot cider while reading a good book (in this case Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth) or daydreaming. 

From A Clothes Horse

From Living it Rural

@erincraul

From Sullivan Entertaiment

Keira Knightley in "Begin Again"

 

I remember watching the trailer for this movie on tumblr a while ago, but I forgot about it because it didn't get a whole lot of promotion in the States. However, it was apparently a big thing in Korea, and when I got here I started hearing about it a lot more. So yesterday, while I was still recovering from jetlag and one of those mucus-y sore throats, I decided to give it a go. I'm only about half way through the movie because of spotty internet until I get my own set-up, but I do have to say, my main takeaway is a reminder of why I love Keira Knightley so much! 

I just love everything she's in, whether it was Pirates of the Caribbean or Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. I feel like I've grown up with her from Love Actually  and Bend It Like Beckham, and I'm so excited for how she's grown in her professional career. Another thing I've always loved about her is her effortless style--from the hair, face, clothes, shoes, and more. I feel like her personality and aesthetics hearken back to the old Chanel days (hence her perfection as one of its faces). Begin Again highlights this style perfectly. Yes, she's not Keira Knightley but Gretta. However, I think it's safe to say she wasn't exactly out of place in her wardrobe and style. Here are just some of the wonderful examples of her "boyfriend" style. 

Irene Kim

{via}

The last time I had a girl crush on a model was probably Analeigh Tipton when she was in "America's Next Top Model" or Miranda Kerr right when she was becoming more famous. I usually don't follow model careers all that closely because a) my interest in fashion is always changing and b) I tend to follow stylish people whose body types come closer to mine (at least in height!). However, for fun I started watching this web series called, "K-Style," and I've developed such a style crush on the one host, Irene Kim! I actually think all three hosts are hilarious (and their camera skills are definitely improving episode by episode), but I just found Kim to be so energetic and funny. I think she appeals to my artsy side while the other host, Sarah Kate Watson-Baik, appeals to my jet-set side.

The weird this is, I have no desire to emulate her style or beauty tendencies whatsoever. I think they look fabulous on her, and every picture she just looks so cool, but I know if I tried any of the trends, I'd look atrocious. Watson-Baik's style is actually closer to how I'd dress. But there's some enigmatic about her, and I can't wait for her to get more famous so there's more English articles dedicated her style. She just looks like the girl you wish you could hang out with--whether it's going shopping or drinking or dancing at night! She makes tie-dye hair look cool!

{her twitter & instagram: ireneisgood} 

I follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog for style inspiration...

The Thinnest Woman

Menspiration

Okay, so before I came up with Fitspiration with women because these were bodies I admired and wished myself to have (with reason, of course!). Now this time it's reverse. Men I think about while working out because they're hot and you know all that girl stuff that goes on up in our heads. I mean, if I'm going to work my ass off to try and achieve a hot bod and live a healthy lifestyle, I want my potential future husbands to be the same (even if said potential is a pipe dream). So for this addition, here are five men I think about while working out in the sense that I want to be in a bikini next to them on the beach someday.

1. Nathan Adrian

He's an Olympic swimmer from Washington/California, and I'm convinced he's the love of my life. Based on his twitter and interviews, of course. He's also 1/2 Chinese and over six foot, so I feel like it's destiny, really. Besides the fact that he's completely adorable, he's that kind of hot that makes you wanna drop profanities like some trashy chick from the south (I've been watching way to much "True Blood"!).  

2. T.O.P.

There's a number of Asian men on my list of cute, but T.O.P. (Choi SeungHyun) is hot. Like watch Big Bang videos or his personal videos/shoots, and you'll drool. Dude can pull of blue hair and still be gorgeous. I tried to find good pictures of him with his abs showing, but, I just liked this one better.

3. The Guys from "True Blood"

Like I said, "True Blood" is on the brain. These guys are in shirts here (and it's only three of the bunch on TB), but that's to convince you to watch the show. All of them are super hot. I don't know why I hold a candle for Stephen Moyer (he could be my dad!), but he's pretty hot for an older guy. And c'mon, Alexander Skarsgard! I also learned that Ryan Kwanten is actually Australian, which makes him even hotter than his Louisiana counterpart. And the level of male shirtlessness in this show is rivaled by maybe the amount of blood each person bleeds or drinks per episode.

4. Henry Cavill

Okay, so I totally had a crush on Henry Cavill initially because he played Charles Brandon in "The Tudors," and the story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor is one of my favorites of all times. But the guy is also so hot I want to stare at this picture all day. And he's British. I mean, let's be real. Genetically speaking, I feel he's totally blessed. Plus have you ever seen I Capture the Castle? Yeah. Yeah.

5. Leonardo DiCaprio

You all know how I already feel about Leo. I watched this crappy show one time where the girl was talking about how she would always think of Jack Nicholson as hot no matter how old or fat he got. That's how I feel about Leo. He will be beautiful and gorgeous even if he gains 100 pounds. Gosh, I love him.

Who's on your Menspiration list?

Female Fitspiration

I think my favorite part about reading fitness blogs/books/etc is the cheesy yet fun spin on words they use. Like TIU uses "Booty Call" for your "Wake-Up Call" and, of course, Blogilate's name in and of itself! I just think it's fun, so I titled this post my Fitspiration because this is, as you may have guessed, a post based on famous-ish ladies who inspire me to be healthier and more fit.

1. Anna Paquin

I'm going to eventually write up a post about my newest TV obsession (like I really need more), "True Blood." One of the reasons why I think I like it so much is that I'm a) not a teenager anymore so the appeal of Twilight and Vampire Diaries are just not there for me and b) this show is like the ultimate work out inspiration. I put this on via HBOGo while I'm on the elliptical and the sight of Anna's figure in all her cute clothes/sex scenes/etc makes me look at my own figure and think, "Let's go a little faster..." Also (and this shall be a later post) the men on TB are all sorts of drool worthy, so that's added incentive! I really like these Self pictures, taken a little while ago by now, because they're how I picture myself in a bikini eventually...

2. The TIU Girls

Love. Love. Love. Love. LOVE them. I've been following them off and on for a few years now, knowing that if I just stuck strictly to their plan, I'd achieve what I want in my body and energy levels. Now that I'm getting older, have my own kitchen, and am no longer swimming two-three hours a day, I'm realizing the extent I need to rely on myself to get my body in the healthy state I want it to be. These girls are great, and if you follow the TIU lifestyle, you'll see results. However, I understand eating habits die hard, so it's good to start with their work outs and workout plans. My butt is still sore from their recent booty workout!

3. Olympic Swimmers

As a swimmer-swammer, of course I've grown up with the images of Olympic swimmers in my view. Natalie Coughlin is probably my main girl because she's on the shorter side (pictured in pink), and look at dem abs.

4. Reese Witherspoon

Say what you will about Reese-y now with her saddening/weird arrest, but we all know the world's jaw dropped a little when she made her post-Ryan Phillipe debut in this canary yellow dress. She went from America's sweetheart to straight up hot. I think she really took to exercise and living healthier post-break-up, and this version of RW will always be in my back pocket of fitspiration. Now if only her and Ryan had a chance of getting back together. Cruel Intentions will never be quite the same.

5. Carrie Underwood

Remember when Carrie was that slightly pudgy but not overly so chick that won "American Idol" back when AI was legit? Yeah, she got Hollywood-ified somehow and now she looks great. Her weight loss is always an inspiration to me because, again, she lost weight and she's around my height.

Who are your fitspirations?

Can We Discuss Mindy Kaling?

Okay. Where to start? I first heard of Mindy back in the day when I was watching "The Office" with friends, and one of them pointed Kelly Kapoor out on TV and asked me, "Can you believe she's actually one of the writers of the show?" Now we had just watched Kelly pull of some sort of crazy shenanigans as well as talk in the quick manner in her very girly voice. So no, I couldn't believe she was one of the masterminds of this acclaimed TV comedy. But that's the kind of thing I like--the unexpected like that--, so I forgot about it a while later. I saw her briefly in other movies and whatnot, thought she had some funny one liners, and that was basically it.

Then came "The Mindy Project." I hated the pilot at first (I watch it now with delight...). I watched it and thought, "This chick is giving all us chicks really, freaking bad names! No wonder men like to think we're a little bit crazy because you've got characters like her basing their lives off of romcoms!" I hated that she ruined her ex-boyfriend's wedding; I hated that she was kind of shallow, and I hated that she was so wrapped up in a romcom induced fantasy of her love life. However, I kept watching each week. Like it became one of my shows to watch, and I was slightly (read: really) irritated when Fox had those weeks where it skipped an episode. Also 22 minutes is not long enough for any sitcom. 

And by the time I watched the finale, I was half way through Kaling's autobiography, and I had youtubed quite a number of her interviews. And I realized something. I may have started out hating Mindy because of how she seemed to be, but that hate turned into pure love and idolizing. I freaking LOVE Mindy Kaling. Not only that, but I now look to her as a role model. She's hilarious; she's real; she's a person. 

Let me start from the outside and work my way in. I am not a small girl. Given some poor eating and exercise habits (like maybe living off of peanut m&ms for two days straight...) this last year, I've gained a whopping twenty or so pounds. I'm certifiably chubby, and I just bought a pair of size 12 pants from American Eagle, a brand in which I was a size 6-8 this time last year. I've always been on the bigger side--whether you want to call it boyish, athletic, stout, or chubby-- no one has ever aspired to have my body or whistle at it in a smokin' way. I have fought against the grain way too often, experimenting with diets in high school and going on exercise binges (if you count swimming in that category too...). Mindy makes me feel like this is okay. It's okay that I'm not going to fill out a body con dress the way my twiggy sorority sisters do, but, by golly, I should rock one anyway. Have you seen Mindy in a body con dress? She looks hot. (Cue: Watch the "In the Club" episode) Have you see her rock some good style? Like, I want her clothes. Most of them. Especially on the show!

Okay, working my way in. So the other aspect of Mindy that I admire is her brain. She may have a higher-pitched voice and what appears to be a penchant for celebrity gossip and trashy books/magazines, but girl's got a brain. You don't go to Dartmouth because you half-assed your way through high school. You don't become one of the writers of "The Office" and stay on throughout its run by being mediocre. You don't get a play based on two celeb best friends legitimate praise by just being okay-funny. She knows her field, and she's at the top of it.

Another thing about her that I really admire is her self-awareness. She knows she's not thin; she knows she's not Giselle, and she knows her voice is high-pitched. She knows it's kind of lame that she loves cheesy things. She's knows that she's introverted by nature. But she knows she is who she is whether you like it or not. I love that. She can tease herself, but she can also have confidence.

Guys, I love Mindy Kaling. If I ever meet her one day, I'll probably turn into a stuttering mess because she's like me only more famous, probably more clever, and, obviously, Indian. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is My Soul Mate

Okay, so like a lot of kids who go to small private colleges, I am well aware of the phenomenon that is The Great Gatsby. As an English major, I an also aware of its literary merit whereas I'm quite confident most are more obsessed the the excess party and glamour image portrayed. I'm going to be blatantly honest. I read the book once in high school, circa junior year, and while I liked it, I do not remember it leaving as much an impact on me as I thought it would. I probably need to read it again now (summer reading, perhaps?) now that I have more an appreciation for Fitzgerald's style, but I'll let that be in the future. Currently, I would like to focus on the fact that I definitely went and saw the Baz Luhrmann movie tonight, and I enjoyed every freaking minute of it.

You have to understand Baz's works to appreciate what he did with Gatsby. I personally have a love-hate with Baz. I hated Romeo + Juliet despite loving Leo and Claire. I, however, loved Moulin Rouge  and what he did with the epic feel of Australia. If you go into The Great Gatsby without understanding his over the top way of directing a film, I'm warning you, you. will. be. over. whelmed. And, it's totally okay if you hate his work. You're just going to probably hate this too. I loved this adaption (never saw the other one, though I should...). I thought some parts were a bit awkward--Tobey Macguire's lines were occasionally a little off for example. I thought Carey Mulligan was perfect as Daisy, even though I love Carey and I kind of can't stand Daisy despite her ethereal beauty gig. Oh, and Isla Fisher was such a pleasant surprise as Myrtle (which is an awful name, by the way). I wish she had had a little more screen time! However, the main point of this post is not necessarily about going over GG's plot points. It's Baz, and you're going to love it or hate it. The point of this post is to express why with every movie I see with him, I'm thoroughly convinced Leo Dicaprio and I are soul mates.

And I don't mean this romantically, though if that followed as a result, I wouldn't be averse. No, if you've read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, you'll understand my view. Lena thinks her grandfather is her soul mate-- it's obviously not romantic. That's how I view Leo. I think he's just so interesting. Just from the roles he picks alone, he would be such an interesting person to talk with. You could learn so much from his experience, from his choices, from his life. Apparently he has a frat boy side too what with his occasional partying and affinity for thin, blonde models. He's got to be an onion, and it would be the greatest thing ever to be friends with him! I'm thoroughly convinced that if we ever met and became acquaintances we would totally be close once the star-struck thing wore off.

Okay, enough rambling. This post is born after a week long hell of final papers, and my mind is a little...dazed right now. But does anyone else feel like this with someone else, or am I just the alone weirdo?

Image Sources 1, 2