INTERLUDE: TEFF, THE DON x POLKA-DOTTIE

- [16-11-11] - It happened -- right as I was coveted by retrospective thought which guided me to seek solace in my collective on lookbook, I realised I failed to post this set of photos. In that moment, I bit the inner bottom lip to punish what bit of absent-mindedness may have caused such a mistake. Then, I realised I had take the photos shortly prior to having formatted my memory card wrong during a photo-shoot, which resulted in the loss of every single file I had on it. As fate would have it, 97% of it was restored, free of damage. One of which being the photo of my neat, little Oxfords. Well, a year later, here is what I believe was intended to be the thirty-something installation to my sub-segment titled, Campus-Cool. Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.35 x SOCIALLY-SATIRICAL

[5-3-12] - It has been my greatest delight and plight to be an introverted extrovert. Incredibly paradoxical, yes. I thrive on moments spent within myself, yet I am open to establishing an effortless unification with others. When I find goodness and wholeness and Love in someone or no-one at all, my aim is to never part with it. The thing is that it must flow naturally, like water and grow gradually, like Nature. I have expressed this many times, but I always feel the need to reiterate each time someone wonders the purpose of my sudden absence or leave from their circle or realm of existence. The behavior is inherent; it's not as though I have much say over it. Can it be manipulated? Yes. But that goes against my principles. It would require me to feign a sense of excitement by simply being in whomever's presence. And, that I don't condone, nor do I practice. I am not in the least bit apologetic about it, either. These photographs were taken towards the conclusion of last semester by my good-friend, Ashley. It was right about those crucial last-couple-of-weeks. Y'know - the moment between panicking simply 'cause you fervent slacking has caught up with you and relaxation 'cause all of the hard work invested from start, to finish, has inevitably paid off. I am proud to state I was with the latter. Which, believe it or not, has been a bit of a rare occasion. I am a procrastinator and it ails almost as much as you can imagine. If you can help it, avoid procrastinating. Conversely, if you can't, still - avoid it. Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.34 x MENACING MUSTARD

[26-4-12] - Menacing in the sense that it haunts me. I recall a certain period, just some weeks ago, I subconsciously wore the colour mustard for an entire week. I didn't notice until I began reviewing the photos taken over that time and colour stood boldly and tauntingly in its consistency. Ah! I love the colour; don't get me wrong. I see it as a safe tone for folks, much like myself, who loathe and dread the colour yellow.

On a more menacing side of things, my friend who took these, failed to tell me my blazer was crookedly-placed on my shoulders. There's nothing I dislike more than a flaw in proportion; drives my slight OCD up the wall. It makes for a sour sight. It's just simply unpleasant. And, I don't like it. Ha! Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.33 x SPRING-SPRUNG

[29-3-12] - Wow, can barely believe this segment has reached 33 volumes; that's sort of cool, I suppose.

Yeah, so about the outfit. As revealed by the date, this was taken two days after Spring solstice; the weather was at its absolute best and I felt possessed by the need to reflect that in colours, so to speak.

A 1000 WORDS x SERIAL-KILLER CHIC

[9-3-12] - These were taken by my twin, Buch over Spring break. Prior to its eruption into the sphere of trends, I had a strong liking for velvet and suede textures. I am a sort of a texture connoisseur. I am probably more drawn to texture than I am colour.

I bought this maroon dress a few weeks prior to Spring break and was literally overly excited to wear it. I'm rarely excited about garments like that, honestly. It's a couple sizes bigger, but that's what makes it incredibly fun. Peace

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.32 x HYMN DE POLKA

[17-4-12] - I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about pairing a polka dot top and bottom, but the two colours were overly complementary and mood-fitting. Yeah, that's all I have. Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.31 x TEAL-BLOODED

[15-3-12] - It was the first day back to school from a fun-filled spring break and I still longed to vacate. The weather was taking a turn for the better, yet still strewn with remnants of a dull winter. I can not express enough or in greater magnitudes, how much I love Autumn and Spring. When the temperature is seated at a cool 60-72 tops, I am at ease.

The weather was great. I was clothed in one of my favourite colours, teal and armed with one of August Wilson's most distinguished plays, "Fences" - great play, by the way; I recommend it. Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.30 x ADORNED THORNS

[27-3-12] - Let's see, what to say? How can I go about telling tales about this day? Whoa, I certainly had no intentions of rhyming there; slip-of-tongue. Well, it was Spring Solstice, so I suppose that's grand. In fact, that is grand - the first day of Spring; my second favorite season.
The title of this post, "adorned thorns" has its origin in the constellation of my current thoughts. The title, as you may have assessed, is paradoxical in nature; representative of much more than the operating premise of Man. This is a topic I've delved deep with some friends, but I'd rather not divulge the content of said dialogue; entirely too much and too deep for a post that is only meant to serve as a presentation of the outfit, worn on the 27th of March. So, yeah, I digress. Peace.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.29 x CITRIC ACID

[25-4-12] - I initially constructed this outfit for a self-shoot, but I, too, opted to have my friend take some full-body shots for me the following day. I'll include the shots I took under the jump!

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.28 x BOUNDLESS, LIMITLESS

[24-4-12] - I recently purchased a new lens - 50mm f/1.8 which means I just inherited a brand-new challenge. See, the lens is equipped with both manual and auto-focus capabilities, but it's manual for my camera's model. Eh. No sweat; I've come close to mastering self-shoots which was most important to me. I realized I haven't been doing that as much lately, but that's all about to change. After all, that is what my blog is/was built on - self-portraits.

I painted my nails a pastel peach (by Revlon), accented with olive-green metallic tips this past Monday night and I have since then been marveling at the contrast between both textures. See, I have a thing for textures.

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.27 x CULTIVATE CULTURE

[2-2-12] --Something madly, yet tastefully rebellious about wearing a leather skirt and destroyed tights. The 2nd of February had been an unusually warm day in its warmth and vast ray of sunshine. But then again, this past Winter. as I and many others may have mentioned, had been peculiar. I think that's partly what made it enjoyable; never did wallow in the lonely air, orchestrated by the season nor did I have to sacrifice Spring break due to snow days. However I must admit that I did miss the sight of snow. Like, I am deeply bothered by that one, measly snowfall. I've worn an outfit similar to this with the exception of the leather skirt and camo jacket.

[=♥

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.26 x DISSIPATION OF LOVE

[30-12-11] - It had to be one of the coldest days of the winter. Which is a rare thing to say given the unusual nature of this past Winter. Prior to heading to the park where this was taken, we heavily underestimated the severity of the cold, brutal wind. You see, I was back in my home in Upstate, New York. Funny enough, I bribed my baby brother with a heap of pancakes to take these pictures, but after a while, he was willing to give up his end of the bargain and I was, too. I did my best not to look cold. I did bloody well, yeah?

[=♥

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.25 x SHAPE-SHIFT

[14-2-12] - St.Valentine's Day.
I recall waking up and entertaining thoughts of incorporating the seasonal nuances of pink or red, but immediately felt overcame by distaste. "It is a commonality," I thought to myself. Besides, I have grown to reject the commercialised design to most holidays. The ritualistic buying of the flowers, candy, jewelry and other materialistic gestures is borderline sickening. Materialism has assumed an ominous status in most Western cultures, namely North America seemingly, and it is painfully evident on holidays such as these. People forget it is a Saint's day -- a Holy day. I suppose it is still Holy in the sense that it celebrates Love and Love is a religion in itself - an art of God. Do not get me wrong, I Love that it is centered on Love, but as always, Love, like most religions, is thoroughly abused by its practitioners.

[=♥

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.24 x CHORUS OF COLOUR

[23-2-12]
I most recently vowed to return to the poetic side of things. My Love for writing has its origin in my niche for story-telling. It came to evolve and as did my work, acquiring sort of a symphonic, poetic accent, then onto journal-writing. I can write in a poetic manner, but can't seem to develop things further from then on. I usually want for a poem to be as lofty as any prose or any disposition I am capable for producing. Perhaps, it doesn't have to be that design. Perhaps, I can create my own. Who knows? But, I digress.
I started a poem titled, "Chorus of colours" yesterday which is what prompted me to title this post as such. Also, 'cause of the vividness of this orange; the mere sight of it overwhelms me greatly. It's just...so much fun!

In case you've ever wondered, my writing-style is similar to that of a sculptor's; I gather a thick herd of words, then begin to carve at it. When the poem is close to completion, I may share it on here or save it for my book. I say "close to completion" 'cause in my eyes, art is never complete.

[=♥

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.23 x CHORUS OF EXPRESSIONISM

[4-1-11] I come from a generation of individuals who disdain the notion that struggle dictates fortune. A people who want their fortune and want it in the most expedited method possible. A generation overly populated with individuals who desperately wish to seem. Nowadays, a beautiful someone regards themselves as a model, someone in possession of a camera regards themselves as a photographer; the list is endless. With the growth of this behaviour, comes a dramatic depletion in the overall appeal of art and its actual practitioners - artists. We are evolving, yet dissolving. Titles that once held merit now seem mere. All these events have prompted me to denounce these now frivolities and assume one title: the expressionist. I am not a photographer, nor am I poet, nor am I writer, nor am I philosopher, I am an expressionist. I have various means in which I assert my artistic prowess.

-I actually posted these photographs on the day they were taken, but came across them last night and decided to redo it. Different edit, different mood, different message. Peace.

[=♥

CAMPUS-COOL VOL.22 x ERODED LOVE-DOMAIN

[15-12-11]
I initially intended for my Look-book titles to be parallel with that of its corresponding blog-post, but failed here seeing as I already titled a post "C'est mon temps".

I got into photography as another means of expression, as well as my indisputable Love for self-portraits. That's seemingly what awarded my work/blog popularity from the get-go. However, I've been looking into the directorial aspect of photography as well, hence, why I have had others photographing me since mid-2011. It's an interesting thing. I know how particular I can be when I am behind the lens. I have learned that I can be thrice that when directing someone else - someone else that is void of any knowledge photography-wise. I anticipate every aspect of each photograph--every detail; the angle - will it make me seem too short? Or perhaps, mak me appear disproportional? What aspect of my surroundings do I want to include in the frame, the depth of field and so on. Anyone who has ever had the displeasure of photographing me professedly finds it as agonising as it is enriching.

[=♥