MUSIC MONDAY 5

Hi everybody!  Welcome back to another Music Monday!  As always, I hope you had a relaxing, stress-free weekend.  The holidays are upon us!  I was never really a fan of Christmas, but I love the joy and happiness that Christmas music brings people.  One of my favorite memories with my family is when we were riding in the car and we stumbled upon a Christmas station on the radio (keep in mind that this was in July) and we sang all the way to the beach!  Christmas music has a very special place in my heart.

Today's Music Monday comes from the group Pentatonix.  Pentatonix is a 5-person a capella group that started in Texas.  They originally started on YouTube, posting a capella covers of popular music.  Their channel blew up, and they kind of became famous overnight.  They have 6 studio albums out, three of which are Christmas music.

I really like Pentatonix because they have a really interesting, unique sound.  Also, being a choir girl myself, I like to hear the different styles and tones they use to create their music. Here's Pentatonix's cover of "Little Drummer Boy."

xoxo Leena

LIVING DOLLS

For the December/January 2015 issue of Vogue Italia, photographer Giampaolo Sgura staged models Magdalena Frackowiak and Elisabeth Erm as living dolls.

The shot involved a giant box, decorated with the luxury items associated with the brand.  The coolest part, though, is how the photography team designed each box to reflect the brand.

Take Chanel for example.  Aside from the model, the eyes are drawn to the classic, icon Chanel Number 5 perfume.  I mean, what could be more Chanel?  Even cuter are the sunglasses and quilted bags the brand has become known for.

 The Louis Vuitton doll reminds me very much of my mother.  She is blond, and would wear a pink powersuit in a heart beat. What's great about this set up is the emphasis on the shoes and luggage, and the monogram background.  Louis Vuitton is all about leather and this display knows it!

Do you like photoshoots like this?  Would you ever buy a real designer doll?

xoxo Leena

MUSIC MONDAY 4

Hi everyone!  I hope your weekend was as restful as mine.  I swear, I didn't move off the couch once (except to get my phone or computer charger lol)  Anyways, it's Monday, and that means Music Monday!  I honestly love writing these posts.  Music is such a big part of my life and I love sharing it with y'all.

As some of you may know, I fulfilled one of my bucket list items and saw the Black Keys live on Thursday!  I went with my friends Merryn and Kevin, and my boyfriend Carson.  The show was in Philips Arena, which is pretty massive (18,250 people!!) and we had floor tickets.  It was pretty amazing to be in a venue that big surrounded by people who loved the same kind of music as me!  

For those of you who are unfamiliar (or sort of unfamiliar) with the Black Keys, they are a rock duo formed in Akrin, Ohio in 2001.  Their music is pretty well-known.  Most people would at least recognize "Gold on the Ceiling," "Lonely Boy," or "Tighten Up."

The group has been nominated for 12 Grammys and have won 7 of those 12.  I think that's a pretty good record.

My personal favorite of their songs is "Little Black Submarines," which has been used in an episode of Criminal Minds (my favorite show!).  It's also got this super cool remix with Kanye West and other rappers.  It's a great song with meaningful lyrics.  Although it starts out slow, it kicks up pretty quick.

xoxo Leena

LOVE YOURSELF THE WAY YOUR MOTHER LOVED YOUR BABY FEET

It's that time of year again.  Yes, the holidays, but also the time for worrying about weight, body image, dieting, and lingerie.  Sound familiar?  Yes, I'm referencing the infamous Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Every year, Victoria's Secret puts on a televised fashion show of outrageous lingerie, worn by "perfect" models.  Last year, the company spent a reported $10 million (not including the 3 million dollar diamond covered bra worn by Miranda Kerr.) And every year, girls of all ages huddle around their televisions, eating their feelings and killing their self esteem, watching these waif-ish models strut down the catwalk.


Every year, girls sit in front of their televisions, regretting what they ate for dinner.  Promising themselves that they will go to the gym every day.  Researching new diet plans. Notice how there were no body-love comments while girls watched these 6' models walk half-naked.  I understand the appeal of the show, but it pains me that the show causes so many negative body-related emotions among women. 

The average American woman is 5'3.8" tall, with a waist of 37" and a weight of 166.5.  In contrast, the average model is at least 5'8", with a waist of 25" and a weight of 110.  This raises the question: will we ever see a "normal" model walk the Victoria's Secret runway?

I damn well hope so.

I also find it interesting that they picked Taylor Swift to perform.  Isn't it funny that they pick a girl who also has model-like proportions? I think it is because they know that no normal artist (say, Meghan Trainor?) could ever look normal next to the models.

What do you think?  How did you feel about the show?

xoxo Leena

MY CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

So Christmas is right around the corner (excitement) and everyone I know is putting together Christmas lists to give their parents/boyfriends/whoever else, so I decided to make my own.  Now I've never been a big Christmas fan (too busy and overhyped) but I love getting gifts just as much as the next person!

1. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera $100

Not only are these cameras the cutest things I've ever seen, they also print onto adorable Polaroid style paper.  I always love seeing people's Moleskines with these kinds of Polaroids taped or glued in.  I love how they are portable memories.

2. YRU Qozmo

I've always been a fan of platform shoes.  Being a small 5'5", I'm always looking for a way to appear taller, or actually be taller.  These are certainly a hard piece to wear, but I feel that you can really just wear them like you would wear normal running shoes minus the running. They would be great with shorts or pants, but I feel like I'll be wearing them mostly with skirts and dresses. 

3. Moleskine Notebook 

Like I said before, I really love looking at peoples' Moleskines to see their sketches, memories, and thoughts.  I've decided that I would like to try my hand at journaling and sketching in a notebook like a Moleskine.  I'm really excited to bring it to Paris and London with me over spring break!

That's just about everything I can think of!  What do yall want for Christmas?

xoxo Leena

MUSIC MONDAY 3

Hi everybody!  Hope your weekend was great!  I went to a Weezer show with my friend Merryn on Saturday. I had the most amazing time.  The show was at the Tabernacle, a renovated church in Atlanta.  When I first bought the tickets, I was really surprised that they would play an event that small.  The Tabernacle only holds about 2,500 people, and for a band as big as Weezer, that's pretty rare.  Regardless, I had the most amazing time.

For those of you who don't know Weezer, they are a band formed in Los Angeles in 1992. They would be categorized as alternative rock, however, I feel that they defy classification. Their almost-garage sound and unedited vocals make for a real, raw vibe.  

For those of you familiar with Weezer, or at least one song, you probably have heard "Beverly Hills" from The Red Album (All of Weezer's albums are self-titled, so fans differentiate based on the color of the background.).  "Beverly Hills" was the group's first to reach the Billboard Top 10.  

While I do love "Beverly Hills," I feel that it's one that everyone knows.  Not that it's a bad thing.  I really love all of their music (which is probably why I spent so much buying their tickets.)  Without further ado, here's Weezer's "Buddy Holly" from The Blue Album.

xoxo Leena

THE WEEZER EXPERIENCE

On Saturday, my friend Merryn and I went to a Weezer show.  Although we had to wait outside the venue in the freezing cold, we had a really great time.  For those of you who know me personally, you know that I live for live shows.  I literally sat in class on my laptop waiting for the tickets to go on sale.  Needless to say, I didn't do very well on the next test.

My first picture of the night was a selfie from Marta.  For those of you who don't live in or around Atlanta, Marta is like the Subway.  It's a big underground train system.  Although I rarely take Marta, it's really useful for concerts or places with limited parking.  

Our Marta experience was pretty funny.  My parents were nervous to let me drive all the way to the venue, and the SEC Championship was in town, so we decided on Marta.  My mom sat us down and literally mapped out where we were going to walk to get to the venue. We ended up getting hopelessly lost.  After aimlessly wandering the streets of (sketchy) downtown Atlanta, we popped into a hotel to figure out where to go.

Once we got to the venue, we had to wait outside for around 45 minutes.  The temperature was around 43.  Thankfully, I was wearing leggings and a jacket.  Poor Merryn was wearing a skirt!  Waiting in line was actually pretty fun because we met new people, got free Redbull (yum!), and saw one of my ex-boyfriends (which wasn't as awkward as it sounds.) The Ferris Wheel in the background is a fairly new Atlanta addition.  We liked joking around and taking funny pictures with it.

The show itself was really fun!  At first, the band came out one by one and performed a song acoustically.  They then performed my favorite all time Weezer song, "Buddy Holly", which was probably the most exciting moment of my life.  We danced and sag at the top of our lungs.  Then, the black curtain behind them dropped, they changed clothes, and picked up electric instruments.  We danced our ways through their entire new album.  It was so much fun!

At the end of the night, we had a really great time.  I was a little disappointed because they didn't play "Beverly Hills", "Say It Ain't  So", or "Undone (The Sweater Song)".  Overall though, it was great.

Do y'all like going to live shows?

xoxo Leena

DECEMBER WISHLIST

        

With Christmas party season around the corner, I need some new clothes to wear to those parties!  I have seen so many girls wearing black jeans with holes like the ones in the first picture.  Even though they would look completely different on me than on the model, I think they would be a great addition to my closet.  The Doc Marten's oxfords are shoes that I have been lusting after for over a year now.  Last year for Christmas, I got my Doc Martens combat boots, and I really love how comfortable they are.  I think the oxfords would be great to wear on an everyday basis.  The dresses are both able to be dressed up and dressed down.  I would wear them to shows (I have two coming up) and also to parties.  I think they are super cute and serve different purposes.

xoxo Leena