Fashion Icon: Taylor Swift

Days left: 39

The truth of the matter is that I am beginning to grow a little restless to leave home. Being with my parents for eighteen years and being apart from them for the maximum five days relatively ensues a sheltered lifestyle and while I am not suddenly anxious to have the typical college life experience, I do want to go out in the world and experience it. However, when I look at my room and see the familiar vista, it aches me deeply to have to think that in a matter of weeks, all of it is going to be packed away in boxes and moved to another country.

Taylor Swift. Who doesn't love Taylor Swift? She is the type of person with whom I can picture myself being friends. She has similar tastes in fashion with me, a simple girl, and enviable success. Yet, amidst of all the fame, she has still managed to remain grounded. The style of her music is not particularly my favorite (country and pop); but her lyrics make it all worthwhile. She sings about boys, friends, things that didn't happen but could of/should of/would of. Plus, she is kind of renowned for her hair. That is certainly an interesting attribute to associate her with, but hey, in the words of Elvis, to emulate someone is the best kind of flattery, and I'm not going to lie, with a closet like Taylor's, who wouldn't want to emulate her?

While staying true to her glittery self, she beings to show her chops at burgeoning fashion icon

Delving into what would now be her red-carpet favorite: (ironically) red

While the night's activities will remain in infamy, her dress will certainly be remembered, hopefully shadowing that night's, er, "awards"

I really like the '20s feel of this dress. It's just blinged out enough not to be Halloween costume but awesome enough that if it served as a costume, it would definitely win.

She has the perfect going-out style.

Purple is my favorite color and the hue does wonders for Taylor

She does have a girly style, but it's not the annoyingly girly style that screams that she doesn't like to her hair or nails dirty. It's feminine and flirty

This dress is amazing

She looked like a goddess at the Oscars after party. That dress is divine

While the bodice annoys me, I like pairing of a jewel tone dress with gold heels.

Sheer perfection. The perfect fall outfit to still look hot amidst the cool weather

This is so retro, so '70s Americana that I am in awe of its amazingness

I love all her coats

And her bags

 Her wardrobe is to die for

Only she can take a gauzy white dress with pink heels, a saddle bag, and a gray cardigan and make it stylish enough to wear in town without looking condescending

I wish I had her clothes

This is probably one of my favorite outfits for many reasons. 1) I have the exact same shoes; 2) the striped tee is flawless; 3) her bag is amazing; and 4) the overall outfit is reminiscent of classic Parisian nautical style and it's just perfect

This dress is amazing. The cut, the color, everything.

Taylor, why are you so cool?

This is really cute, especially as a spring outfit to wear at the mall or grocery shopping. Or for just looking fabulous

Praire girl meets American superstar

It is my goal to have that Ralph Lauren bag if it's the last thing I do

I've always been enamoured by teal dresses. They're flashy enough without attracting attention

The moment when the fashion world saw her as Taylor: Modern Teen Fashion Icon

The lace dress is amazing

Seriously. When in Paris, you dress like Parisians and then one up them

Those shoes are immaculate

Only she can wear yellow without looking sickly

I thought her "Mine" music video was absolutely amazing because of the Old Hollywood moment with the girl tied on the train tracks and with the '20s Flapper style at the end when the video comes to a close

 There are no words

This is also my favorite outfit because the dress is beautiful and her heels complete the outfit.

All in all, I think it's safe to say that Taylor will remain on our radar for quite some time

SOAR-ing Adventures

Yeah, the title is overused. But hey, I find it quite fitting as I had many adventures in Virginia that is worth sharing. Here is a small excerpt of my time in Virginia at Regent University. Enjoy!

You should know that by this point, a few friends and I ditched the movie at orientation (Despicable Me--while it is highly comical and could watch all the time, I have seen that movie till the cows come home. I could recite it automatically; I couldn't handle watching the same movie twice in one day.) and opted for a stroll along the beach. That's right; you have permission to be jealous.

To whom are following or reading this, from now on, in addition to my regular posts (it's summer; I therefore have more time on my hands), I will add a little journey entry to commemorate my summer and the fact that in 40 days, I am moving to university! EEK! So, I decided to go a little crazy and not only post every day but also add a little sugar and spice to posts. Oui? Oui!!

Time to SOAR!

Hello everyone! Please pardon my tardiness; with school ending and summer beginning, there was a massive load of things to accomplish before I can truly sit down and relax and enjoy the sunshine and the last few months before heading off to university. Speaking of which...I attended summer orientation at my university this past week and being temporarily verbose, it was freaking amazing! I am attending Regent University in August to obtain a bachelor in psychology. I was aware of the school long before I applied but I seriously didn't want to just "try" the school out; I really want to experience it. Also, I didn't want to apply to Regent and then a few months later decide that it's just not for me. I took in account that while financial matters are not factoring my decision to attend here, I considered the amount of money my parents put in this school so I wanted to not only honor them but also honor the place where I will attend for the next 4 years. While thinking of prospective universities and colleges, I asked the Lord where He wanted me to go to university and where He wanted to learn academically while growing spiritually. For me, apart from the spiritual growth amidst the campus, I truly yearned for a school that prided itself on academic rigor  and student life. Thus, Regent was the place!


June 23-24 was the second orientation for oncoming students for the graduating class of 2015. If I needed another confirmation that this was the place God wanted me to go, this was it. What I was truly amazed was the passion. Everyone is so passionate about God and how the education is Christ-centered and honoring. The faculty prays and blesses that the time spent would honor God and bless His name. The students are equally passionate about giving their best to Him and that they accomplish what they have been sent to do. Regent's motto is Christian leadership to change the world. In a seminar, the dean emphasized three points: 1) One must have character if he wishes to succeed in life; 2) That one will not be afraid to challenge and subvert the world's system of normalcy; and 3) That one will make a difference. From this, I gathered that Regent prides on being a Christian with integrity, character, and honesty (which is something I find is slowly diminishing and veering towards extinction) and that every student has been given an assignment and at Regent, it's one the places where one will be able to grow and set out to fulfill his destiny. I was absolutely impressed with the reputation of the school (hard school to get into, great academic success, wonderful student and campus life, etc.) that made me even more excited to go here in the fall. The leaders illuminated that Regent is not just any university; it's a school where the Holy Spirit abides on campus and that there is incessant spiritual growth. While the number of the school is relatively small in comparison to other colleges, there is one aspect to consider: Regent is not just a community, it's a family, and I found that particularly refreshing. 


The students (from what I've witnessed) truly have the light of Christ in them. My orientation leader says that she prays over every assignment before hanging it in because she wants to give God the best. I found that so inspiring! The faculty and administration staff kept emphasizing that while Regent is a school, it's also a place where the Holy Spirit hovers and there is a sense of difference. And you know what? I felt it the moment I stepped on campus. There is something different about Regent. I thought it was nearly impossible to find a school where Christ is the center of everything, where academics is difficult, challenging, and rewarding, where student life is interactive, proactive, and engaging, where the professors have the Holy Spirit flowing through their knowledge, and where other students desire to please the Lord in their school work just as I did was a school that existed only in mind and was not manifested in this earth. But God is so good; He brought me to a place where I made my request known and I bequeath everything I do to Him. he completely excelled my expectations and I am so thrilled to go here in less than two months. The people I've met, the things I've seen is only a glimpse of what I'll experience. One of the things I found particularly fascinating is that on every corner (literally!) there is a church. I know that growing closer to Jesus won't be a problem nor a conundrum as there are Chapel, unChapel, and church services all over campus (and not to mention all over the town!).


I had no doubt that where God lead me is a place that will bring much fruit. In Proverbs, it says the Lord will direct my path and He will add no sorrow to it. It's very true, dear readers, as I not only had deep and profound peace regarding this whole matter, but He has also been equipping me with everything I'll need to not only develop my relationship with Jesus, but also to have lasting friendships. On that token, the people that I've meet, conversed, and tackled with is a warm reminder that I am going to be with these people for the next four years (and hopefully much more than that) and that I am surrounded by people who love Jesus, desire to honor and bless Him, and want to be raised a leader of Christ to change the world. Seeing, experiencing, and hearing all of this only makes me want it to be August 17th and be in the Regent community. I truly cannot wait to start my college life.


(If you're wondering why the font is lime, it's because I was on the lime team at SOAR--Summer Orientation Advising & Registration--and the lime team rules!) I will post SOAR pictures soon!

Summer!

Looking at pictures that captivate the essence of summer (fun, romance, boys, beach, water!, sun) makes me want summer to arrive already.

(These photos above are not mine and I take no credit for it. In fact, they were taken by the lovely talented photographer, Sam Parent. You should check her out: samantha erin photography)

I suddenly have the insatiable urge to visit California, Bali, Hawaii, Greece...sigh.