Mmm I love me some San Fran.

Oh, the city. I didn't think I'd fall as hard as I did.. I mean, it is San Francisco..Everyone loves it and who couldn't? It's got the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, China Town, Fisherman's Wharf... I really could go on...But I won't because in between all those sights and destinations, in the cracks of the trolley tracks, in the not-so-great alley ways, there is a little something more. San Francisco, for me at least, has an this magical air about it, an air of fullness. Fullness? You ask... No, it wasn't a typo. I mean Fullness by so much to do and see and eat and smell and and and ... yes fullness. San Francisco has a constant heartbeat, a constant life about it at any hour.



Maybe it's just my easily distracted self, but I dont think i'd ever, ever, ever get bored in San Francisco. I wish I could live there. No, scratch that, I am going to live there. One Day :]..

Transformers...

Best. movie. ever.

Getty Villa

Museums are by far my most favorite type of learning experience. Who wouldn't love to learn about something thousands of years old with it standing right in front of you? Pictures in books simply do not compare. It's extraordinary to think that the little object surrounded by glass right before your eyes was made in 100 B.C... I really can't wrap my head around it and I find it fascinating.

I'm taking an Art History class this summer to finish up my associates degree and one requirement for the course was to visit a museum.. The course explores the ancient world to European Gothic so I chose to visit The Getty Villa in Malibu for it's focus on Ancient Greece, Rome and the Etruscan cultures- the exact ones I will be studying throughout the course.

On Friday June 25th, my friend Chris and I hopped in my car and headed towards Malibu; a fancy little beach town about an hours drive from my house and less than twenty minutes from LA. It was an absolute gorgeous day and we made perfect timing for our twelve o'clock reservation. We drove up the museum's cobblestone drive which replicates the Roman roads made up of large irregular shaped stones. We parked and made the walk towards the museum by walking up 96 marble steps to a plateaued walkway looking over the museum and it's grounds.

The Getty Villa is a sight to behold. It is modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The Getty Villa's architecture is based on this as well as many other elements found in ancient Roman houses and towns. Before even entering the museum, you are awed by its beautiful columns, intricate ceilings and glorious marble floors.


Once inside, you get a taste of the true Roman villa. The Atrium, herb garden, both inner and outer peristyles are breathtaking, let alone the precious artifacts housed within them.


The museum begins at the Atrium, the main public room in a Roman house. From here you can enter different rooms arranged by collections and themes.

The first room we entered was for the Gods and Goddesses.
In the center of the room, a goddess, perhaps Aphrodite, the goddess of erotic love and beauty, stood looking over the room. Although the statue is missing key female elements like hair, the drapery folding to the contours of the body definitely suggest a female figure of great beauty.


Another great artifact was in this room, The Marbury hall Zeus. This was one of my favorite statues; it commanded an audience and demanded respect. This statue is Roman and was made in Italy out of marble around 1-100 AD.

Other rooms were dedicated to Monster and Deities; The Temple of Herakles; Mythological Heroes; Stories of the Trojan War; and Dionysos and the Theater.

We made our way throughout the two levels and many rooms of the museum taking lots of pictures and enjoying the afternoon. I definitely recommend visiting The Getty Villa whenever you have the next chance to drive up to LA and have a great day.

Gypsy Lounge Sounds

Just returned from a night out with the boys Jyosh and Chris...
On this fine Thursday evening we headed to the Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest to see my friend/co-worker's band -The Union Line play... and they were fantastic. On top of great music, the crowd was enthralling. Everywhere I looked, gorgeous Indie guys and gals bobbed their heads to the fine tunes. The Union Line dedicated their set to Michael Jackson [rip].. which brings me to that news: Holy crap. MJ died. gone. The king of pop. I'm shocked and saddened at the idea of the hand that wore the white glove and the feet that moved so well will forever be gone.


To continue on with the music, Janu and the Whalesharks played after the Union Line. I had previously never heard of them until tonight and I think it's safe to say that i'll be rockin out to them in my car tomorrow afternoon. They're amazing and inspiring. I love discovering new bands!


Speaking of new artists... DRAKE is the next big thing.
Yeah there's 'Best I Ever Had', a hit-single for sure buttt... 'Little Bit' is an absolute gorgeous mix of beats and sounds as with the rest of the cd. Have a listen [if you can find ittt]


x0x

Summer sums up the good life

Summerrr. It's finally here.
[well, officially that is. it's June 21st, baby!]
Who knows what it'll bring in its sunny grip? Good memories, laughs, adventures,
"remember-that-one-time" stories, drama, tears; the good, the bad and the uglies. .
Life experiences that I can't wait to share with every one that I love. For some reason, summer is magical. Everyone's a kid again. Everyone has just escaped the more stressful, focused part of the year and now it's time to hit the beach, take a deep breath of salty ocean air and remember the most important things in life: family. friends. memories..

I have a feeling this is going to be a great summer.
This last year has been a trying one. I've learned so much from so many different things- be it from people and finding out that sometimes friendship is a front {that sometimes, the term 'friend' is used too lightly: a true friend will call when you disappear for a week. I now know who those people are and I resoundingly love them for it} People have taught me that you have to put yourself first (you are not a doormat!) and that sometimes love just isn't enough. My heart has been tattered, i'll admit it. I foolishly let it get thrown about as if it wasn't the most important thing in the world, but for me, love is everything. I'm a -hopeful- romantic. I forever wish for that fairytale ending and if I can't get it where I'm currently at, then it's time to move on.

You just have to be true to yourself & If it lands you in hell, well, at least now you know.

On Love.

What do you do when the one you love doesn't love you back?
I've come to many conclusions but the only answer//explanation I could accept would be to cut your losses & hope. Yes; cut your losses and move on ... and still hope (not hope for them to eventually love you too but hope that they eventually come around and realize how stupid they were to not love you back. Call it bad timing on their part, call it selfish, call it whatever you want but it's their loss. period. You must believe and know that you're the best chance at happiness and love for someone else out there. When they finally come around to wanting you, you're gone and have found your one person that makes you happyhappy. That one person who puts that ridiculous smile on your face when you're driving alone in your car. (yes the person in the lane next to you thinks you're insane but who the hell cares?! you're in love.) I can't wait for my moment. For the time when I look back and say I could never have loved him the way I love my {insert name here} now. That's when i'll be grinning in my car rockin out to all the songs that remind me of the one that loves me back just as much, if not more than I love them.

everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there…to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again.

Talk to people whom you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.