ONE // Summer solstice

How’s everyone’s summers going so far? We’re a good way through it, so I hope Mother Nature has settled down and gotten the memo wherever you are. I’m completely taken by these vibes. I knew I had to include this post in my roundup as soon as I saw the paper lanterns. Going to a lantern festival has been on my bucket list for forever; I never considered that I could light one and float it away from my own yard! I still want to do it at a festival though. It must be so magical seeing all those paper lanterns floating off into the sky together. Brb, I need to go rewatch Tangled and try not to think about the fact that I’m in my house and not in the Kingdom of Corona. Although tbh I’m probably better off in the safety of my house than wandering a magical kingdom because I have the worst sense of direction. I’m home isn’t so bad; all you need are indoor plants and speckled tableware. Lol I’m Mother Gothel-ing myself.

TWO // Cold noodle summer salad with salmon

I love simple recipes that only require me to mix things up. The sauce is so easy and I already have all the ingredients in my kitchen, which means I won’t even need to go grocery shopping! I can make a huge batch and then ration it out for the rest of the week, and I won’t even need to microwave it! Live simple, my friends. Another easy recipe are these sun-dried tomato and basil pinwheels, which I like to add an egg to if I’m feeling fancy (and if I’m not running late for work). And of course, there are a ton of desserts on my radar, but I’m too lazy to make them this summer, though I’ll be sure to try out a few once I move into my new apartment at the start of the school year and have my kitchen all set up: green tea matcha coconut ice-cream, mango creamsicle milkshake, London fog vanilla cake x caramelized potato chips, toasted sesame and sweetened condensed milk bundt cake, pecan peaches, and Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding. Also, how cool is the concept of this cafe? I already know I’d be the ultimate cafe leech there if it were located in my city. Also, if you’re in London, please check out Tombo for me and I will live vicariously through you (pokē and matcha bar waaaat).

THREE // Flowers on her hair

Honestly I love all of Corina’s designs and illustrations. I need to come up with more original ways to express my enthusiasm for her work besides commenting “omg love this!” on all her blog posts, even though omg I really do love them all. Have you checked out her shop yet? My favourites are the marble cube candles. Another great visual inspiration of a similar theme is this editorial photoshoot that Nicole Warne worked on with Dolce & Gabbana. The story behind the concept of the shoot was too perfect (does this girl even live in real life??), and my favourite photo was the second one.

FOUR // When you realize your blog sucks

This blog post was a breath of fresh air and a great reminder. It totally resonated with me, and when she talked about wanting to be more professional with her blog, I thought she was talking directly to me; the whole reason I switched to WordPress was because I wanted to be more professional, and I explained more about it when I announced Brunch at Audrey’s 2.0, but it’s also so important to me to remember who I was and who I still am. After reading her blog post, I went back to my archives to see what kind of stuff I wrote about when I was first starting out with this whole blogging thing. And when I say I went back to my archives, I mean I went back to my first blog posts on Tumblr, which I’m not going to conveniently link right here in this sentence as to not encourage you to check out those embarrassing posts though my social links are all at the footer of my blog. I don’t know if those posts would mean anything to you, but for me, it was like time travel. The posts were so specific and detailed all the stupid little things that amused me. For the record, they still do. I Snapchatted old pictures and excerpts from my blog posts to my high school buddies–“remember when…?” Back then, I didn’t give a rat’s ass about “staying in my lane,” the length of my blog posts, or even good writing for that matter. That said, I do think that those tips warrant consideration, though they shouldn’t dictate your creativity.

FIVE // Let’s chat! Our first date & proposal!

Lately I’ve been completely obsessed with the blog Love Taza. The block of text I always comment is kind of embarrassing; they’re not even really constructive or anything, but at least they’re supportive? The blog makes me so happy because I can feel the love that goes into everything about it, and it was cool to see that in another dimension with this chatty vlog.

What has been your favourite read of the week?

PS: 09. 08. 07. 06. 05. 04. 03. 02. 01.

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ONE // The lost photo collective

I love this concept. It’s Carrie’s “new project to save photos from the depths of random external hard disks and make sure they see the light of day.” One reason I love blogging is because it’s a way for me to organize my photos and memories. I take so many photos thinking that they’ll be great for memory-keeping, but I never go back to them and I never print them out to frame or paste into scrapbooks. So I share them here on the blog. But even then, I still have so many more photos dusting away in digital space. Occasionally when I need to free up space on my phone, I’ll scroll up my camera roll and rediscover old pictures and all the memories that come with them. The Lost Photo Collective seems like a more proactive way to unearth these moments. I do think I’ll try to adopt this blog series some time in the future, but for now I have some other ideas boiling that I’d like to organize first.

TWO // Inside our airstream

In anticipation of my new apartment, I have a new appreciation for interior design. The majority of my text messages with Kat (my future roomie) are now just pictures of beautiful interiors we find on Pinterest. Anyways, it’s amazing how Sarah has furnished the inside of her little space and especially inspiring because Kat and I will be squeezing ourselves into a large one-bedroom apartment. We’re just college students; we don’t need much. Other inspiring spaces to check out are Izzy’s office and Kate’s dressing area.

THREE // Coffee Room, Prague

You know I love myself a good coffee shop. Just two weeks ago I shared about my visit to United by Blue‘s warehouse sale at their flagship store in Philly, mentioning their mission statement that promises that for every product sold, United by Blue removes one pound of trash from our world’s oceans and waterways. Who wouldn’t be for it? Coffee Room also incorporates conscious living into their concept and are involved in the Water for Cameroon project, in which the organization grows a tree for every 20CZK spent at Coffee Room. They are also unique in the fact that they have a unique food menu, which is not something you usually find at a coffee shop; a unique array of coffees perhaps, but not necessarily of food. Speaking of food, some delicious recipes I’ve found around the web are DIY floral macarons, 5 ingredient strawberry rose tarts, Hong Kong curry fish balls over ramen, and matcha Portuguese egg tarts.

FOUR // Just show up

At the end of my recap of sophomore year, I mentioned my plans for the summer. I said that “there were a few hiccups with communication so the job I ended up getting wasn’t the one that I initially applied for, but I’m excited nonetheless!” The hiccup was this: Originally I had applied to help my professor with his research with accessible text input. He got back to me and said that he’d given that job to a junior/rising senior, as the research experience would provide a good foundation for his senior thesis, which was a fair call, so instead what my professor had in mind for me was to help out with research a bit, but mostly work in the lab with technical stuff, which I was also all for. A few days later he got back to me and said that a department meeting had brought to light that they were hoping that the student they were looking for to fill that role would be a student living on Haverford’s campus, which I was not. He apologized for his miscommunication but assured me that he was excited to work with me and would help me secure a technical campus job this summer (which has turned out to be working as a Digital Scholar at Haverford’s library). He said he was excited to work with me because he remembered how persistent I was in trying to get into his Intro to Computer Science class. The class was capped so I audited it for four weeks with no promise that I would ever be officially admitted into the class, though thank goodness I eventually was. I did nothing more but show up every time. And he told me that that was the kind of person he was excited to work with. He said that there are tons of smart people out there, but this kind of drive inspires him. I hope he keeps that in mind when he’s grading my final exam. I also hope that I keep this in mind when my computer science studies get more challenging.

FIVE // Ice is slippery

The Intro to Data Structures final was rough. We finished it, or as much of it as we could within the class period, and then somberly headed to lunch. As if that wasn’t enough to dampen our mood, it was gross and raining out. The conversation at our table kept veering toward the negative even though we kept trying to pull it back up but to no avail. So because our words were failing us, we sought happiness by looking up funny online videos to watch together, and this one was my favourite. My abs got well and sore from all the laughing. Shout out to Rose for sharing this gem with us!

What has been your favourite read of the week?

PS: 08. 07. 06. 05. 04. 03. 02. 01.

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ONE // New in portfolio: Elie Saab

How awesome is it work with Elie Saab? I can only imagine. It makes me so happy to see fellow bloggers making such great things. Everything from the black and white photography to the embellished bridal gown to the logo design is so creatively inspiring. In this oversaturated industry of blogging, I always get excited when I find something that stands apart and creatively rejuvenates me. There’s lots of great content to go around, but sometimes you need to do a little something extra. Don’t just wait for inspiration. Become it. Even when you feel like no one is listening, be the lighthouse; beam out light and love. And while we’re on the topic of love, can we celebrate their one year? Their love story is like out of a movie. It kind of reminds me of One Day, but a happier version.

TWO // Teach girls bravery not perfection

My latest form of productive procrastination has been watching TED Talks. Ironically, I was watching Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator by Tim Urban and telling Kat about it when she recommended me to watch this one by Reshma Saujani, the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. I was especially interested in the topic of this TED Talk after having attended the Philly Women in Tech Summit two weeks ago. I definitely related to what she said about girls being socialized to be perfect rather than brave. There have been many times when I would be self-conscious or afraid or ashamed to show teachers or classmates my work in progress because I wasn’t confident with what I was producing, so much so that I’d rather show them nothing. Even now I still struggle with this. In fact, it’s often why I prefer to study for things alone rather than in groups. I wish that I had watched this TED Talk earlier, but it’s still not too late. It was really curious for me to see how lowly rated the video was on YouTube though, since I personally responded so positively to it. What do you think about it?

THREE // Hong Kong bubble egg waffle recipe

Julia showed me a place to get egg waffles in Philly’s Chinatown and it instantly became a part of my Chinatown ritual: oolong bubble milk tea from Kungfu Tea, Asian pastries from KC’s Pastries, restock on sesame soup powder, noodles from Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle House if it’s lunchtime, toasted coconut and sesame egg waffles from Yummy Yummy, and more bubble tea. Food at Chinatown is so hearty and affordable, but it adds up, especially if you go ham like I do. I should probably eat at the campus dining halls more than I do (or don’t) and/or make some food on my own. These bubble tea oatmeal and London fog cupcake recipes look pretty good… I can survive on a diet of sweets, right?

FOUR // You snooze, you win

Sleep is productivity! And I don’t just say that to be #relatable; I mean it! With finals coming up, it’s especially important to practice self-care and study efficiently. Taking a nap is a much better way to take a break than aimlessly scrolling down Facebook or starting another TV show on Netflix. After a nap, (ideally) you’re reenergized and refocused, which is the optimum state to be in when there is work to do. The last few weeks before the end of term can be highly stressful, so here’s a mini-guide to not being frustrated all the time. If you need more helpful resources, check out this post from my archive!

FIVE // WOOF

This video is slightly terrifying and not exactly my aesthetic but wonderful all the same.

How has your week been?

PS: 07. 06. 05. 04. 03. 02. 01.

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ONE // Crème brûlée topped cinnamon rolls

If that isn’t enough for you, try the naturally sweet dark chocolate coconut bites, rose flavored rock candy, and 26 foods even more fun on a stick. And after you’ve made your delicious food, well, you gotta take a picture! Otherwise it’s not official, duh 😉 Try these food styling and photography tips. If you want good food without having to make it yourself, go out for Pressed Juicery Freeze. The freeze is “pretty much exactly what you’d expect from their cold-pressed juice line — nutrient-dense, small batch, vegan — only blended to a fro-yo like consistency, creating the perfect summer treat.” What you eat can change the world. If this kid doesn’t convince you of it, I don’t know who will. Of course, it won’t be easy, but you’re not alone! Here are some honest thoughts about going vegan.

TWO // You’re probably type A-minus

Are you a type A personality? Or more like a type A-minus? Whatever you are, say it loud and proud and believe in the power of I Am. Tell others that you’re proud of them too! Maybe what you need is balance. Maybe all you need is to come to terms with the contradictions in your life. Maybe you’re in a funk you need to get out of. Maybe you need to find your zen. Maybe you need to create a vision board. Try different things, because trying is always worth it.

THREE // How I design a full brand and website in just two weeks

Many of you probably already have your own blog, and many of the rest of you are probably thinking about starting one. You might have waited until summer to do it, as you have more time now than you have during the school year. That’s what I did anyway (I originally launched my blog on Tumblr on September 30 and relaunched my blog on Blogspot on August 14). And you can do it too, starting right now! Don’t be afraid to promote yourself; someone’s gotta tell someone about your blog! I wouldn’t recommend getting into blogging solely for the money, but you shouldn’t be ashamed of making money either; you put hard work into it, so you should get something out of it. Something I didn’t know when I first started was that working with sponsors isn’t the only way to make a living as a blogger. I didn’t have to worry much about it (and still don’t) because I don’t accept any sponsorships or advertisements, but I’m open to collaborations. I’m a big believer of focusing on your own work, writing your own posts, doing your own photography. To get you started, here’s a manual mode cheat sheet. I personally don’t like using stock photos, but if you’re not focusing on photography, try stocksy.

FOUR // DIY rose pink hair + braid

As I mentioned in my summer bucket list, I really want to dye my hair and pierce my ears. I fell in love with this rose pink hair as soon as I saw it, but I’m not sure if I can pull it off. Honestly at this point I don’t even care. You don’t know until you try it! If it ends up looking horrendous, I’ll just hide it in a ponytail or hat or something. I just want to knowww. Anyways, in other fashion and beauty news: how to sound like you’ve been going to couture shows all week, smooth summer legs, items for tired eyes, concealer hacks, reshaping brows, triple bun half updo, and Laura Mercier bath honey in golden honey musk review. Also check out this interesting reason for saying no to “flattering” clothes.

FIVE // Want waterproof books? Support Bibliobath

I’ve dreamed about waterproof books since forever, and now it’s real! After acquiring several books on my iPad, I’m finally back in the rhythm of reading habitually and have finished four books this week: The Best of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, and I’ve just finished Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson this morning. Next up is The Maze Runner by James Dashner! Now I’m only two books behind my 2015 Reading Challenge. Add me on Goodreads to stay updated! I will also be posting “book reviews” (more like quote hoards) on the blog. Need book recs? Check out all 339 books referenced in Gilmore Girls.

UNRELATED // Just finished making pancakes with my little/tall brother Danny, like one minute ago! The last pancake was the most circular and so beautiful, but we love pancakes of all shapes and sizes! (on my Snapchat story @auderoylin.)

BONUS // F*ck that: a guided meditation.
THIS IS HILARIOUS AND HAS MADE MY WEEK.

How has your week been?

PS: 06. 05. 04. 03. 02. 01.

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