A Day At The Track

I don't live in Kentucky, so no, I did not go to the Kentucky Derby.

But I do live near Saratoga Springs, NY, where the horse racing is also a huge deal.

So I went yesterday with my friends! :D

And of course, WHEN ELSE can you dress like THIS?!

I made this minty green ruffle dress from an old duvet cover I found in our linen closet at home...shh!

I did not make this dress specifically for going to the race track, I swear. I actually made it to practice/learn how to do ruffles (which I am now obsessed with, by the way) with help from THIS.

And the HAT!

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE HAT?!

My friends had fun with the hat :)

I bought the black straw summer hat at a rando department store at the mall.

The flower, which is BIGGER THAN MY HEAD, I actually had. Yes. It was attached to that little pink bag I'm holding. It basically devoured that little pink bag. My mother bought that hideous combination of flower and bag one day on a whim, thinking I'd actually use it. So for almost 3 years I've been WAITING DESPERATELY for something to do with that GIANT-ASS PURPLE ROSE. And finally, I did! :D Yay happy!

I love this hat. LOVE IT.

dress, made by me.

cardigan, H&M.

shoes, Payless.

belt, thrifted.

hat, Boscov's-slash-diy.

bag, random.

watch, NY&Co.

Only a few days left of these Thirty Days of Truths!

Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
No. The only times I've thought about my early death is 1. when I'm scared and paranoid about my life and 2. when I get into a very self-centered and conceited mode and think about how many people would show up at my funeral. hah.

But I have never thought about giving up on life! That's just depressing!

Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?

My friends have always been the best part of my life, and right now is no exception. Everyone always says their friends are the best, so it won't do me much good to say that mine are actually the best - but I mean....they are. Especially now, in summer, when I'm spending time with my high school friends after having been away for a year - it's awesome to have so much love to come home to.

what about y'all!?

love and right triangles,
april

it's finally here!

And by 'it,' I'm referring to two things.

Firstly, my iPhone 4 is finally here!! I am in LOVE. And I need to name it. Suggestions, anyone?

I'm obsessed with it.

NUMBAH TWO:

Back in high school, my best guy friend and I started a blog, which was meant to discuss things like relationships, dating and gender stereotypes from the perspective of a guy (him) and a girl (me). And after a good long run of posts, we stopped due to college applications, senior year fun, and then college. But we've decided to start it again, and we're doing things a little differently. Because he and I obviously don't know everything, we've invited some friends to contribute, so we will have a whole bunch of perspectives.

So check it out!

The Panorama of the Diametrically Opposed

And here's our Facebook Page

(and if any of you want to contribute, feel free!)

And now for the Thirty Days of Truths:

Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.

I wish I taken more risks. Because nothing can be accomplished through inaction. But the good thing is, I still have plenty of life ahead of me to take more risks.

Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)

For anyone who I've lost touch with, this playlist is what I'm loving right now:

Symphonies by Dan Black

Giving Up The Gun by Vampire Weekend

Love the Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna

Billionaire by Travie McCoy

Ali in the Jungle by The Hours

Bang Pop by Free Energy

The Whip by Locksley

Yeah Yeah Yeah by New Politics

California Gurls by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg

Here Comes Your Man by the Pixies

The Mission by Puscifer

Tell 'Em by Sleigh Bells

All highly recommended! :)

Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

I'm still alive today because I'm meant to do great things tomorrow.

love and right triangles,

april!

PS: There are only three days left of the

Etsy Christmas in July sale at ape-z!

intense catching up to do

These shoes make me look short. But I like 'em anyway :)

It's been almost a week since my last post, which means I have 6 days of the Thirty Days of Truths to catch up on! gahhhh

Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
To be honest, I don't read that much. I wish I did. I love going to the library and I always end up getting TONS of books but I never find the time to read them, and then it's time to bring them back to the library! It's a dilemma.

But one book I do adore is Pedro and Me. It's a graphic novel by Judd Winick about his time on one of the first seasons of MTV's The Real World, when one of the cast members, Pedro, was gay and had AIDS, and back when the Real World started, AIDS was a big deal. I mean, it's still a big deal, but back then it was new and no one really knew a lot about what it meant to have AIDS or be HIV positive. I first read it in middle school, and I was just like the people 15 years ago who had no idea what AIDS meant. So for me, it was eye-opening, and I learned a lot, and it made me want to do something to change the world. I still read it over and over to this day; it's one of my favorite books.

Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Gay marriage is a really big, big deal to me. This is the only issue I care about 110%.

GLBT people should be able to get married. End of story.


It is physically impossible for me to understand any other opinion. With other issues, I can at least see from different points of view; I can understand both sides. But with marriage equality, I believe that opponents of it have NO BASIS WHATSOEVER for their arguments against an extremely basic right that all people should have. And it frustrates me to no end that people are so ignorant and our government can't and won't do something to fix this.

[skirt, H&M] [tank, Old Navy] [belt, H&M] [cardigan, H&M] [earrings, gift from Sara!] [ring, F21] [nail polish, Delia's] [shoes, gift from Morrisa!] [sunglasses, St. Mark's Place, NYC]

Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
I am not a religious person, and I never have been. I love the idea of community, so I can see why people attend services to be with other people who have the same spiritual sense.

But for me personally, I have never believed in a God, and I never will. Maybe there's someone out there, God-like, so for now, I'll be agnostic.

For politics, read my letter to the US Government.

(wore this to see Inception! SO GOOD YOU HAVE TO SEE IT)

Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
I used to be such a straight-edge, goody-two-shoe type person. But summer after senior year, that all changed. Hah. I mean, all my friends were so innocent. And then we all just went crazy. I only have a couple friends who are still law-abiding citizens. I'm not saying I'm a drug addict or an alcoholic by any means! But come on, I'm a college student. I've got to have at least a bit of a wild side! :D

[skirt, H&M] [belt, F21] [tee, Gap] [cardigan, H&M] [shoes, Payless]


Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Completely forget about the fight. Most definitely. Car accidents are scary stuff. Fights are trivial.

Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
I don't believe in regret, as long as you learn from your mistakes. Because if you learn from it, then there's a silver lining in every mistake - you become a better person, smarter, more experienced - so maybe the mistake wasn't great, but it's nothing to regret.

love and right triangles,
april

PS: LAST WEEK OF CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE ON ETSY! everything is 25% off until Saturday! :D

plaid is rad

I am currently: eating pasta from a restaurant across the street and drinking a Venti iced coffee at Starbucks. Eat pasta in Starbucks is a little awkward.

And I'm here because I'm about to go to my receptionist job, and I figured I'd get these photos posted before I head out :)

Counting down the days until my last day at that dreadful job :D After tonight, only 3 days left (next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday). CANNOT WAIT.

outfit details:

top, H&M, $5 (!!)

skirt, H&M, $6 (!!)

[yep those two ^ are recent purchases]

shoes, thrifted

sunnies, UO, $10

And now for the 30 days of Truths:

Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.

I could definitely live without cigarettes. The world would certainly be a better place without them. Remember the days when you could smoke in restaurants, and they'd ask "smoking or non-smoking" when they sat you at a table? SO glad that doesn't happen anymore. But still, it's not like it's easy to avoid smelling smoke, especially in cities.

What could you live without?

love and right triangles,

april

flowers for you

Now that I've got paychecks coming in left and right (HURRAH) I've been going shopping WAY TOO MUCH.

It's really not okay. But I did get lots of stuff which I'll be showing you! Starting with Sunday's outfit:

I almost never wear jeans, because I hate shopping for them and they often suffocate me at the waist. But I conceded, and now I'm attempting to build up my denim wardrobe. I got these jeans at The Gap on sale for, like, 13 bucks or something. And I've been living in them. Loooooove it!

Obligatory weird flying pose.

Probably the first rear shot of me you've ever seen.

I got this cropped floral button-down from Delia's, on sale for FIVE dollahzz. YES. Plus, they had that try-on-jeans-get-10-bucks thing, so obvz I tried on jeans (they were ill-fitting) and used that 10 bucks to buy 3 bottles of nail polish:

One color is missing obvz. It's a pretty shade of purple which will make its debut when I'm sick of these blue nails (which may take a while!)

[shirt, Delia's] [tank, Old Navy] [jeans, Gap] [shoes, Target] [earrings, vintage]

I also have almost no time to sew because of all this working, but hopefully I'll be getting some sewing done soon!

And now, the Thirty Days of Truths:

Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)

Dear The Postal Service,

I love you. You are my favorite. You were my gateway into good music. Before you, I listened to bad 90s pop exclusively. And I love me some Britney Spears and Spice Girls, but you are real music. And I want you to come back, because the world needs you. You're too good to be extinct.

With love,

April

Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)

Dear United States Government,

You should not be stupid. We rely on you for our lives and well-being. You can't fuck with our lives. Please try harder. People's lives are more important than mid-term elections and politics. Can you please give us universal health care, marriage equality, and can you please stop sending troops to the Middle East? Can you please stop caring about who's a republican and who's a democrat, because we actually don't care? We just want you to do your jobs.

Thanks.

A concerned citizen,

April

Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.

I cannot live without Target. For a while at school, I didn't know how to get to the nearest Target, and when I figured it out (RIPTA bus! free with my school ID!) I was in HEAVEN. Target is my favorite.

love and right triangles,

april

rainbow-obsessed

I love all colors, and I love rainbows!

dream wardrobe by a2ztuesdays

I want gorgeous dresses in every color;

gorgeous shoes in every color;

and everything in every color! :D

haha but seriously, I want to do a total OVERHAUL of my wardrobe, and only own things that are gorgeous. Nothing crappy, nothing without some sort of detail. This project may take a while.

And I'm a little behind on the Thirty Days of Truths!

Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

My hair. It's because I'm Asian :P

Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.

Hmm. My eyes. It's because I'm Asian :P

ha!

love and right triangles,

april

Etsy Update: Christmas in July Sale!

Etsy is having their annual Christmas in July sale! From July 15th to July 25th, all items in my shop are 25% off. All items have been already marked down, so there's no need for waiting for a refund or entering in a coupon code!

Get get get itttt:

Was $10, Now $7.50

Was $10, Now $7.50

Was $30, Now $22.50

Was $20, Now $15

Was $10, Now $7.50

So go on witchyo' bad self and save some monayyyz!

love and right triangles,

april

PS: LIKE ape-z on Facebook!

ombre nails

I attempted to ombre my nails. It mostly worked? ha, it's a lot harder than it looks!

At the very least, it looks tie-dyed!

No outfit to post today, since I spent the morning feeling exhausted, and the evening starting my new job! And at the new job, dress code is the staff teeshirt and comfy pants or shorts, so no outfits worth photographing. Dressing up for an office job is probably the only thing I will miss about my receptionist job.

And PS: the new job is WONDERFUL!

Day 10 of the Thirty Days of Truths

Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

Damn these are hard. I..don't know. Hmm.

Probably ex-boyfriends. I mean, none of my past relationships have ever ended awfully, and I'm still friends with all of my exes, but I always have a secret thought in the back of my head saying, "what if he was the one?" Which is SO romantic-comedy-wah-wah-wah, but what can I say?

In particular, there's one guy. We dated for a few months, and he was my first love. And you know what they say, first loves never die! ha. But really, it's not that I want to date him again or anything, I just miss what we had. And we are still great friends. Which sometimes makes it harder to forget the past, but it's definitely better than the alternative.

God, I'm such a girl.

love and right triangles,

april!

white and gold

guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat!?!?!

I got another job! One that is FAR more rewarding (working with kids) and not as boring as my current sit-in-an-office-on-the-phone-all-day receptionist job, so I'm off to give them my two weeks notice! HURRAH!!

[hahahha this picture.....]

So this will be known as My Quitting Outfit.

Plenty metallic, plenty bright, and decent enough for this intense muggy weather.

Pretty much built off these earrings, which I almost donated last year because I stopped wearing earrings, but now that I've fallen in love with earrings again, I'm glad I kept them!

[dress, H&M] [tank, Target] [shoes, Bakers] [earrings, Aldo] [belt, thrifted]

And now for the Thirty Days of Truths!

Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

This one makes me super sad and nostalgic, because I miss people super easily, even if I don't really like them all that much. If they were a part of my life because I loved them or because they provided entertainment by being the class clown in 8th grade math class or something, I still miss them.

And going to college has been rough, only because of the many goodbyes I have to say multiple times a year. End of the summer: bye, friends from home! End of the semester: bye, friends from school! End of winter break: bye again, friends from home! End of the semester: bye again, friends from school! I hate it.

There are lots and lots of people I wish I was friends with, but I'm still grateful for the friends I've kept and the friend's I've made.

Once again with me not really answering the questions! I'm so bad at this!

love and right triangles,

april

making investments

I look forward to the day when I can drop a hefty sum of cash on a really great item.

Like these:

(pink, green, purple)

so perfect, so gorgeous, handmade, leather, and on sale for $115.

And she's closing her shop, so it's likely that I'll miss my chance to get one of these! :(

I'm keeping my fingers crossed though, and will probably look at them every day until I can afford one.

Of course, I'd never object to getting one as a gift (hinthint) ;) haha, kidding!

But seriously, they look gorgeous, come in great colors, and would be PERFECTION for toting around my books and laptop during the school year.

And now for Day 8 of the Thirty Days of Truths

Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

I'm always paranoid of being that girl in the TV shows and movies who gets taken advantage of and used, but I have no reason to be. I have the greatest friends, as I said on Day 7.

But thanks to those movies and TV shows (curse you, media), I'm still pretty fearful. 

So my first answer would be: the media.

My second answer would be: my mother. Whew. That is a scary thing to say. My mother made my life hell? Well, last year she did. I don't think I know a single person who didn't absolutely despise their parents during senior year of high school, when all you wanted to do was end high school with a bang, and all your parents wanted you to do was think about college and the future and scholarship applications. But I think my mother and I took that typical senior year parental hatred to a whole new level. Thank god that's over.

Gotta say, these personal questions are scary.

love and right triangles,

april

new york, i love you

New York was a B-L-A-S-T, as always :)

we went to FAO Schwartz;

explored the city nightlife in the East Village;

found a garden!

And saw live music at the South Street Seaport, 

and did lots of shopping and eating, and stayed entirely downtown! We were in the East Village, SoHo, Chelsea, and stayed near Union Square at my friend's NYU summer dorm room at the Brittany Residence Hall. SO MUCH POTENTIAL SHOPPING that I resisted...but I did buy a pair of sunglasses off the street on St. Marks Place, of course. :)

I want to live there so badlyyyyyyy eeeeeee.

And now back to the 30 days of truths

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.

I hope I never have to live on the streets. I'm half kidding, but I'm also sorta serious. I'm extremely concerned about my personal financial situation. Now, I live under the protection of my parents, and if I ever need anything, they can cover it, which I am really thankful for, and lucky to have. And I'm sure that when I am living on my own, they will still help me out when I need it. But I don't want them to. They're already paying a shit-ton of money for my education, and I want to be able to afford everything and support my lifestyle on my own.

I also hope I never have to work a job I hate just for the money. Oh wait, I'm doing that now.

But it's excusable. I'm 19 - working somewhere I loved would be too much to ask for! (sadface) hahaha.

Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Wow. This is intense. I don't know if I can pick a single person! Seriously, I live for everyone I love, and I love a lot of people. My family, my best friends from home, my best friends from school...I live so we can be friends/family forever. I don't have a single best friend - I would consider myself best friends with quite a few people. In fact, I know already that I will never be able to choose a single person to be my maid of honor, so I plan on having all my bridesmaids split the role! Hah, except I really don't plan on getting married any time soon.

So there's my exceedingly lame answer.

ewwwww, 9 hours of work today :(

love and right triangles,

april

knotty

I'm off to NYC in just a few minutes!!

Real quick:

1. what I'm wearing in this unbearable weather (and in the CITY, god i'm going to die)

2. days 4 and 5 (yesterday and today) of the 30 Days of Truths

[dress, refashioned from Target dress] [tank, Old Navy] [shoes, Urban Outfitters] [bracelets, diy] [earrings, vintage, garage sale] [eyes, Victoria's Secret, MAC, Maybelline Great Lash]

Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.

I have like 5 minutes to write this, so I apologize for the rushed-ness!

I have to forgive my mother. Last summer we got into a huge fight which resulted in us not talking for a whole month and the only reason we started talking again is because I got into a car accident 3 hours away from home in the middle of the night, and she and my dad came to the rescue. Our relationship is better now, but still could use some work.

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.

God, I could do a whole week's worth of posts on my life goals! I'm nineteen, and I feel old, but I know I have a LOT of life ahead of me, which is exciting!

Brief list: I want to live in New York City, make and sell things for a living, marry a brown-curly-haired-and-bearded TOMS-wearing nice guy (ha!), own hundreds of shoes, not be perpetually broke, do what I love, and spend time living in Paris, Montreal, London, Madrid, Rome, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, everywhere! Any big city in the world, I want to say I've lived there.

What about you guys!? Leave me some lovin' to read when I get back! (Late late Saturday night!)

lots of love and right triangles,

april