A Cooler End To The Summer

While it is not exactly Fall yet, the weather would show us otherwise, as the evenings come sooner and the hot sun becomes more and more forgiving, the time for a nice jacket for cooler evenings has come. However, one cannot just simply dive into their closet and pull out the heavy duty browns and grays that so often populate our Fall wardrobe. Instead we must keep in mind that since it is still summer we should still try and maintain somewhat of a summer look.

Here, for example, the saturated green jacket, blends in well to the grey henley beneath, which leads on to the white pants below. The look ends in the black boots which solidify the look.

Jacket - Abercrombie & Fitch

Henley - Esprite

Pants - Belshka

Boots - Clark's Original Desert Boot

JCrew's Fall Lookbook bears a similar look, with the blending of saturated colors to a white bottom, to a sturdy black or brown pair of shoes/boots. The idea is of warms colors, such as the green, to cooler colors, such as the grey and then white; to bring those to worlds together.

Bands to Live By

In today's modern world, the average person becomes acquainted with thousands of artists, ranging from mediocre bands to one hit wonders. However, every once in a while there are those few that can sweep a generation. Those who have the ability to spell out even the most complicated emotion through their music. These are bands to live by. Now ever individual is welcome to their own personal take on what makes an ideal band, however this is my own personal take which I would highly recommend to anyone.

KEANE

Finding its roots in Battle, East Sussex, England, Keane has risen to popularity ever since their debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004, where it became the second best selling album in England that year. With two new albums released since then and a large number of B-Side tracks, Keane has solidified itself abroad and in the US as a staple of brit-pop. While Keane's more recent songs have featured guitars and more heavy synthesizers, giving the band a pop DuranDuran kind of sound, the band made its foundations on the piano, being backed by drums and the vocals of lead singer Tom Chaplin.
Easily one of the top bands, in my opinion, of the last decade.

COLDPLAY

Formed in London, England in 1997, Coldplay has had a huge degree of commercial success in the US as well as in their home country and around the world. Having been around for well over a decade, the band has released a number of albums, each with the similar makeup of piano and drums, though with the occasional guitar thrown in. Their early style could easily be compared to bands such as Radiohead or Travis, but since then the band has made a name for itself in their own right. From their first album Parachutes to their most recent EP album Prospekt's March, each presents a wonderful array of songs that show the progression of the band, however any of them can be listened to alone and it is inevitable that some will find certain albums more pleasing than others.

RADIOHEAD

Another band from over the pond, Radiohead was formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England in 1985 and is seen by both of the two previous bands as a huge inspiration. Radiohead was ranked in Rollingstone's "Greatest Bands of All Time" as number 73. While each of the albums can stand alone as a testament to the the rock and alternative genres, their third album OK Computer can easily be considered as one of the greatest albums of all time. Songs such as Karma Police became huge successes for the band. While recording this album, the band mentions the late Beatles as having a huge influence on the tracks and the overall album as a whole.


THE KOOKS

England must be on to something, with this being the fourth band on the list from their, being formed in Brighton, East Sussex, England in 2004. A young band in its own right, having only two studio albums, the Kooks are another one of those bands with a rich B-Side catalogue. While most of their tracks deal with lost love and heartache, such as their songs "Do You Still Love Me?" and "When She Was Mine," songs such as "Matchbox" and "Down To The Market" bear a much more upbeat, rhythmic quality to them. With a third studio album on the way, only good things can be seen in the future for this band.


PHOENIX

The first and only band on the list not having its origins in England, Phoenix was instead founded across the channel in Versailles, France in 1999. Phoenix released three studio albums between their founding and 2009 where they received moderate success. However, their fourth studio album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, would see the band take off to new heights as one of the best bands of the year. Singles such as "1901" and "Lisztomania" became indie-rock anthems for millions of people worldwide. Their performance at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco, CA, USA was one of the most attended performances of the two days. With promises of a fourth studio album on the way, the indie youth of not just America, but the world, waits to be "wowed" by the genius that is Phoenix. 

France...

Long Story...Seriously

So far my trip is half way done, so it makes sense to blog about it in two settings I think.

Part One:

French Style

Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the seventeenth century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s. Today, Paris, along with London, Milan, and New York City, is considered one of the world's fashion capitals, and the city is home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses. Historically, many of the world's top designers and fashion houses have been French, including Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Chloé, Hermès, Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent.

While staying here it is inevitable to not be swept away in the fashion consious culture that permeates the south of Europe.

Graduation

Its been a little while, but this last week has been one of the most eventful weeks of my life. We'll begin with graduation itself and skip the final week of school, because despite the amount of fun I had during those final days at Tracy High, they cannot even hold a candle to the fun I've had since leaving through those front doors.

Graduation day was its own beast. We had to be there at 7:30 to prepare for the ceremony, which wouldn't begin until 8:30, so with an hour to go I and my fellow 500 or so other classmates mingled around until finally attempting to form a line. We hadn't exactly practiced getting in line, and it took a while before we were able to do it successfully, which is sad for a bunch of people supposedly graduating from High School.

The whole affair went by smoothly, with thousands of family members cheering as both Bernard and Sheena gave their respective speeches and each and every senior received their diplomas. For so many students, the timing was rather short, as it only lasted about an hour and a half. After which came the chaos of locating loved ones and the photo inevitable photo ops.

Lunch in Pleasenton with both my mother and father was great. It had only happened on one other occasion, when I received my Letterman Jacket, so it was nice having the family together again. Then, once everyone had their own share of hugs and kisses, we parted ways and I returned to Tracy.... to begin the party season and officially start off my summer.

Item: Pea Coats

Ray Ban Aviators - Banana Republic Pea Coat - Ralph Lauren V-Neck - Zara Faded Grey Jeans - Diesel Sneakers

History: Made popular by European sailors since the nineteenth century, Pea coats are characterized by broad lapels, double breasted fronts, often large wooden or metal buttons, and vertical or slash pockets.

The term "pea coat" originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of cloth used, which was called "Pilot cloth", a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side. The cloth was sometimes called P-cloth for the initial letter of the word and the garment made from it was called a p-jacket - later a pea coat.

Style: They are also probably one of the most versatile coats out there. With the ability to be dressed up with a shirt and tie or thrown together with some jeans and a T-shirt, either way one looks at it, the coat epitomizes cooler weather fashion. Another redeeming quality about the pea coat is that they can be found almost anywhere, from cheaper stores such as Old Navy to higher end brands such as Banana Republic or JCrew.

I personally chose one from Banana Republic simply based on the overall fit. The coat itself isn't too flashy, with military straps on the shoulders, and the buttons are not overdone with pictures of anchors and etc. It stands as a black, classic, coat that could just as easily be fitted to work for a formal event as it would to a typical day at school.

Disneyland

Disneyland, the happiest place on earth. Thursday's Grad Night was one of the greatest nights of my high school career. After a near eight hour bus ride to Anaheim, we had finally made it to the place where, supposedly, dreams come true. It began with California Adventure, open exclusively to us high school students. A few friends and I headed off to California Screamin' where we rode two times through. Due to the odd number of people in our group, five, one of us had to ride either solo or with someone we did not know. I was deemed first to ride it out alone, however next to me sat another guy, he was african american and during the ride we would shout out about the ride to one another. At one point I decided to call him Tyron, to which he responded, to my surprise. So Tyron and I rode it out for the remainder of the ride to leave with a bro hug and a hand shake... not a bad way to start off the night. The Toy Story ride next door was hardly a competition as Sheena went up against me...not achieving much. However, I had played the game once before, giving me a slight advantage.

This was followed by soaring over California, where Sheena decided it was probably the greatest ride ever. Tower of Terror was the climax of our stay in California Adventure, where after waiting in an hour long line we decided that, while the ride was awesome, we would not wait in that line again. Our so-called "free food" ended up just being a soda and french fries after the burgers ran out, leaving us all unsatisfied with our dinners.

Disneyland proper was incredible. No scene ever felt so bizarre and out of place then when I was walking down Main Street Disney, with 50 Cent's "Bottles in the Club" blaring from all around us. We rode Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cruise in a huge group, only to fall apart and splinter into multiple groups, each with different desires. While we would eventually meet back up with some of them, my group went off to go on Star Tours and then dance at the techno club in Tomorrow Land. Great times. Tea cups were next, which lead to much delirium as a result with Paulo and I at the wheel. After a a spectacular light show and some Pirates of the Caribbean, we headed out of the park. It was 5:15 or so by the time we had fully exited Disneyland. We walked for what seemed like an eternity, getting lost and whatnot trying to find our buses. Once there we all crashed...until Avatar was put onto the screen to wake us up, for whatever reason. The ride went by fast, despite the 7 or so hours it took to get there.

Summer in Linen

Anyone who has worn linen will tell you the same thing: You cant get much more comfortable, they look great practically with anything, and they're a pain in the ass to iron. Sit anywhere in any position for too long and creases will begin to appear, making the once beautiful garment now look like some kind of rag. Now, when the look is put together and special care has been taken to make sure the outfit remains in tact, a relaxed, effortless look may be obtained.

When wearing linen, colors that coincide with such a color should be used, such as in this case, the linen is a khaki color, therefor white, grey, and other shades of brown were used.

Glasses - Rayban
Shirt - H&M
Linen Shorts - Zara
Shoes - Sperry Top Siders
Bag - Urban Outfitters
Watch - Skagen

Make or Break

So I'm sitting here at my desk completely bewildered by this evening's events, but more than that, about a certain conversation I just had. It was one of those conversations that aren't had all that often, that cut straight to the core of what a person is. This kind of "talk" strips away the armor that is put up to defend one's self against the onslaught of emotion. These kind of conversations usually tend to either make or break individuals and right now I don't really know where I stand. Without going into too much detail, things went rather well. Granted, it wasn't the best it could have potentially been but it could have been far, far, more worse than it ended up. I'm sort of stuck in this limbo where it would be irrational to be upset, but equally irrational to be overjoyed. So, being in such a state, I have resorted to writing about it. Only time will tell if things improve, however time has never been a friend to the person of whom I spoke with. In fact, time has never worked between us, always keeping each other apart from the other. If only there were more time in order to go beyond where I am now, as practically nothing but what could have been. With school wrapping up and summer fast approaching, in two months hopefully I'll have more to write on the subject, but for now adieu.

Macapuno

Its back! Those sport fruits that are harvested, primarily in the Philippines are back at Tuckers in one of the greatest ice-cream flavors in the world. A hurricane had destroyed the crop, restricting me to simply burgundy cherry, not that bad, but still not Macapuno. But now its back and the world is right again.

Black

Simple yet, elegant. Its amazing what one can do when one results to black. Adding a simple plaid tie that uses the same colors as those from the white, black and grey make a solid and complete look. Jack London Square was beautiful on Mother's Day and it made for a great opportunity to get something together. Always remember, it not just about what you wear, but also the context. A nice lunch out is a great fit for something like this.


White Shirt - Zara
Black Vest - Express
Plaid Tie - H&M
Black Jeans - Zara
Sperry Top Siders

Chior Ball

Friday was truly a hectic day. The final practice for the 2010 Tracy High Tennis Team took place in which a doubles tournament was held, mixing the top players with the lower ones. I and Paul took up the number 2 position on the bracket. We ended up winning in each match and eventually the whole tourney. Not a bad way to end the season. After this I now had to rush home in order to change and get ready for Choir Ball. I drove over to Sara's, where the pre-party was taking place, meeting up with old friends and sharing stories.


The dance itself was good, with a live band and a great DJ, the night shaped out to be one of the better of the year. Things got to their best towards the end of the night when I was left alone with my friends, free to dance with whomever I wanted, as the night went on. I didn't get home until around 1:00 and by the time I was actually in bed it was nearly 1:45. A great was to start off the weekend that was shaping out to be one of the greatest of the year. Too bad I was going to have to wake up at 5:00 later that morning... but it was worth it.

Reflection on Mother's Day

Oh Mother's Day... my feelings toward such a holiday are hardly ecstatic. In the 1880s and 1890s there were several attempts to establish a Mother's Day, but they didn't succeed beyond the local level. However, President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday in 1914. The holiday eventually became so highly commercialized that many, including its founder, Anna Jarvis, considered it a "Hallmark Holiday ", i.e. one with an overwhelming commercial purpose. So as many American families spend money on cards, my brother and I decided to share our money instead and simply enjoy the family outing for the day, a trip to Kincaids in Jack London Square, a restaurant that we have gone to now two years in the row. This would result in two near-identical photos...
Lunch went by exceedingly well. As usual, Cameron and I got the same mean as before, which we enjoyed. Why mess with something that works? Beyond that, once lunch had finished and we felt as if we could burst, my brother and I decided to stroll around the urban area, so close to Oakland's port, with a nice view of San Francisco in the distance. Not a bad day for Mother's Day in the least. Once we had gotten back with our Dad we made our way out to Dublin where we attended a rather nice size party in one of the gated communities that overlooks the entire valley. From up there, heated Foosball matches heated up between my step mother and I. It was one heck of an afternoon, we even managed a decent picture in.

Nappa Valley

Got the great chance today to go with friends Sara and Stephanie to visit our old French teacher at his new school. The trip there was...fun. Pizza at Pizzeria Tra Vigne and the entire dinner experience there was great, getting more than my share of it. Talking is always nice with good friends and it had been a while since I had gotten the chance to go out, especially somewhere as far as Napa, for a nice time like that.

The actual reason for going out to Napa, besides the wonderful dinner, was for my friends to speak about their adventures in France back in 2008 where they went on a trip there with the school. The new students in Napa seemed a little bit more experienced with travel than the majority of my friends here in Tracy, but I believe their enthusiasm washed over these new students just the same. The way back was fun and I hope to get the chance to go out there again.