An End for a New Beginning Part 2: Dearest Reader, Thank You. THE FINAL POST.

Diana's dress: Emily and Fin

Dearest Reader,

As the sun sets a bit sooner each day, I am reminded that a new season is imminent. My summer break ends in less than a week, which sadly means...this is our final Letrendary post. Concluding Letrendary is bittersweet--bitter to be moving on from something Diana and I have put so much time and care towards but even more sweet to be proud of something we've created entirely on our own. 

I remember Diana texting me in the beginning of December and asking whether I'd be interested in collaborating and creating a fashion blog with her. I'm pretty sure I responded with an immediate YES. Her photography skills plus my enthusiasm for fashion plus both of our passions for writing made it a clear yes. However, I did have my own personal doubts in the beginning. I knew that starting this blog would make me more vulnerable--vulnerable for people to judge me. I was afraid of what people would think about me writing about my style and posting pictures of myself. I was worried about "putting myself out there." But once Diana and I were a few posts in, I realized that our readers could tell that our passion and content were genuine. Judgment became an irrelevant concern because I was doing something I loved. 

I've learned so many little things from this blog--just simple things from formatting a blog post to planning out a creative theme for each post to collaborating on a regular basis with Diana. But aside from many of these kinds of lessons, my greatest takeaway from Letrendary is my realization of this: I love sharing my thoughts and stories. There is something so surreal and meaningful about sharing my passions on a local and global scale. Having readers from countries like Ukraine, Romania, and Israel serves as a reminder that we truly are all interconnected and that our words and actions matter. They matter because every one of us has the capability to make a difference in this world. 

Style, fashion, culture, and writing constantly inspire and captivate my curiosity. It's really got me thinking that if I could do anything in the world, I'd be on a team of culture and travel photojournalists who created their own human rights organization and shares their experiences on a website haha. Wouldn't that be so awesome? I want to experience living alongside people who are in completely different realities and share their stories--especially those in dark places that are so desperate for light in their lives. I'm sharing this because my core passions and this far-fetched idea of mine derives a lot from my love for Letrendary, and that is something I am truly, truly thankful for.

I hope several or even just one of the past 47 posts have inspired or spoke to you in a deeper way. I feel very, very blessed to have been able to write, share, and connect with you these past 21 months. It's been an adventurous experience, and what's so awesome is that this really is an end for a new beginning. We are all just beginning to unravel and understand the millions of wonders in this universe. We are all just starting to recognize and comprehend the profoundness in even the simplicity around us. Wherever your interests or passions may lie, I really encourage you to go after them. Step outside of your comfort zone. I hope that this letter serves as a reminder that the possibilities ahead of you are LITERALLY limitless. And it's okay if you aren't really sure what your interests or passions are yet. All I can say is to keep searching and seeking. An open-mind and hungry heart never fails in guiding you to discover something you love.

With sincere gratitude and joy,

Dorothy

As a sentimental last before I leave, Diana and I went out for dinner in Claremont. Here are some shots from our night out!

Diana got a smoothie at Podge's and that's me waiting for Diana's smoothie to be made LOL.

Grid Tank: Lush // Boyfriend Jeans: American Eagle // Sandals: Birkenstocks

 After having the same 2 bags I featured in alllll the Letrendary posts (technically 1 bag because I lost one of them) for the past 2 years, I FINALLYYY got a new bag. Yay! Isn't the burgundy color so beautiful? It's perfect for all the seasons, but especially Christmas!

Striped Sweater: ZARA

Italian is the way to go, am i right? I came to this restaurant (Aruffo's) after graduation with a bunch of family and friends and we really enjoyed it, so I brought Diana here. Twas a success again!

Diana and I love I Like Pie. So, of course. Pie. Coconut Cream so on point!

Thanks for following us on our adventures, dearest Reader. You're quite literally the best and we love you so much. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you.





P.S. Diana here- just wanted to say a few quick sentences. It's been such an exhilarating journey to push myself creatively for every Letrendary post. Long time readers know that I like to add a bit of warmth and magic into all of my photos, so I hope that as you read the blog, you can see the love I stenciled into every pixel--my own version of paragraphs stringed by pigments and glued by shadows. I don't write much on this blog (all of my writings are filed under the Diana tag, so yes, there are only a few posts) but I hope that you can see my journey too, more subtly, through these photos of Dorothy and through her wonderful words. Doro and I will both be doing different blog-esque things soon, and perhaps we'll edit this post later to reflect that. But until then, I refuse to say sayonara. I know we will meet again, one way or another.

I leave you with a quote from my astronomy textbook:

"Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.

'But romance was there,' I remonstrated."

-Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four, 1890

Find romance in the coldest of corners and heart in the deadliest of places. Chase the sky into the ocean. Sink with the indigo of dawn, then yank down the sky as you rise with the sun. No one can change the world alone, but you alone can change your world. And that's just about as powerful and as mesmerizing as anything out there. Don't be obsessed with happiness--I'd rather you fascinated, choked-up with appreciation, scouring for meaning in your days. Happiness is elusive, but being interested? That you can surely do. So be interested and rock the world.

P.P.S. Thank you to the two random people who took the photo of Doro and me for us. :D

(626)-7/4-2016

Happy 4th of July! Today we're having a fusion post of our time last night at the 626 Night Market and a quick fashion guide on how to put together a patriotic (and stylish!) outfit. Enjoy!

This was my (Diana)'s third time at the Night Market and fourth time at Santa Anita Park, but it was Dorothy's first time to both, so hopefully this post will cover enough perspectives to give both veterans of the 626 and first-timers some valuable information. 

I began with a potato swirl ($5), garlic and parmesan flavored. There was actually way more potato than I expected. I also got two Chinese lamb skewers, which were some of my favorite things from my childhood. At $2 a skewer, though, I think it's way more expensive than it should be. I'm going back to China in two weeks and I can get 5 of these suckers for $2 there. 

(By the way... YES I dyed my hair. Going briefly off topic, but oh my gosh!!! I'm so excited about this hair. I've wanted purple hair since I was a kid so this really was a dream come true. Hair done by the incredible Jeffrey Robert at Kut Haus Claremont.)

My first tip: Avoid drinking stuff until you get thirsty because there's going to be a LOT of food you want to eat, so if you fill your stomach up with liquids first, you're not going to be able to try as many different things. 

To get some spice into my system, I began by eating a curry bowl by Lazy Bear. It's so cute!!! You can get a chicken curry bowl ($9) or a crab stir-fried curry bowl ($10), and it comes with rice shaped like a bear with seaweed for eyes! Is it overpriced? Heck yeah. But everything at this Night Market is overpriced, so if you're going to pay for overpriced food, I think you should at least get ones in cute packaging. 

Dorothy:

I couldn't resist getting a lobster roll...and yes I'm aware this is an ASIAN night market LOL. I was low-key disappointed because I was comparing it to the bombbb lobster roll I had in Boston. Also, $13 lobster roll = sad wallet.

This was a bacon, avocado roll that was $4. They also had a poke and bulgogi one. I wish I got the $11 'boat' that is made up of the 3 rolls instead of the lobster roll. Oh well, at least this was tasty! 

Tip: The longest lines aren't necessarily the best. Just get whatever you think looks tasty!

Dorothy and I then shared a bowl of Thai Rolled Ice Cream from Rolling Ice. The flavors all looked really good, but in the end we decided on the Bangkok Special ($7), which was Thai Iced Tea-flavored ice cream with whipped cream, mochi, and french toast crunch cereal on top. It was a bit too sweet for me but I still liked it! 

Tip: Definitely share a bowl of rolled ice cream. There's so much in just one bowl!

By this point I was feeling quite thirsty, so I decided to get a lychee slushie from Squidies ($8). The line was SO long, but apparently later in the evening it gets even longer. Was it worth $8? Nah. It comes in this super cute lightbulb container completed with a twisted straw and a small lightbulb that lights up in different colors for a keychain accessory, BUT the lychee slushie itself isn't anything extraordinary. But like I said: everything at the 626 is overpriced, so if you're going to get something, might as well get something cool. Luckily, we arrived at 4:15 PM before it got really crowded, so the cool stuff didn't all have hour-long lines.

Tip: Get there early. Not only will you have a better chance of getting good stuff before it sells out, but you'll also deal with shorter lines and more flavor choices! 

Also, another tip!

Don't wait in line for the women's bathroom by one of the entrances. The line can get more than half-an-hour-long. There are bathrooms inside the horse-bidding building that very few people go to, so they're faster and cleaner!

Then we just checked out different vendors at the Market. Some of them sold some really cute stuff. There was this terrarium shop that had the most vibrant flowers I've ever seen, but... I forgot to take a picture. Classic. Here are some pictures that I did take:

Unfortunately, I have no idea what this shop is called. These signs would be such cute dorm room decorations though!

This booth was by Essyli

I bought this infinity ring with two little rhinestones on the side for $10. This is literally the first ring that I've ever bought and owned so... I think it's worth it. Bought it as a reminder to myself that "we are infinite." ^.^

If you missed this weekend's 626 Night Market, no worries because there will be 3 more! The next one is July 22-24, then August 5-7, and then Sept 2-4. The OC Night Market, which is basically the same thing, is August 26-28.

These Alex & Ani bracelets are huge right now, especially in California. I really like the two that I have because they hold a significance. The first one I got has a Stanford charm and the second has a compass charm. On the back of the compass, there are three words: Direction, Objective, and Transition. When I saw this bracelet, I was really drawn to how the words really describe the current season of my life.

In the spirit of 4th of July, of course I had to wear some red, white, and blue! You can't see in these pictures, but I wore my striped, blue espadrilles to match the striped, red tank top I was wearing. To balance out the stripes, I chose the rest of my outfit to be plain solids. The denim vest complemented the denim shorts. I made sure my shorts were white and not blue because that would have clashed with the blue vest.

Denim Vest: American Eagle / Denim Shorts: Lucky Brand Jeans / Striped, red top is from Korea!

Now for some fun facts about the 4th of July that you may or may not know! :D (If you didn't know, the 4th of July is celebrated because it's the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, signaling the separation of the United States of America from Britain, but as you will see below, even this story is disputed.)

• On July 4, 1783, Princeton received a letter from the Continental Congress confirming that the town would be the new home of the U.S. government (Yes, Princeton's Nassau Hall was once upon a time the home of the Continental Congress. #TigerPride)
• Thomas Jefferson changed the wording of the Declaration of Independence from "the pursuit of property" to "the pursuit of happiness"
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. (James Monroe also died on July 4th, and Calvin Coolidge, another President, was born on July 4.)
• America’s independence from Great Britain was actually declared by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776
• Only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 — John Hancock and Charles Thompson. Most delegates signed the document on August 2nd, and some waited even longer to sign. The names on the document were not made public until January, 1777!
• Congress declared July 4th as an official holiday in 1870 as part of a bill to officially recognize other holidays, Christmas being one of them
• More people live in the city of Los Angeles today than lived in the U.S.A. in 1776
• An estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed on July 4th, and I will be adding to that statistic today :P

So go out there and eat a hot dog (or the vegetarian/vegan equivalent) today if you are an American! 

Happy 4th of July!*

*For our international readers, we hope you have a wonderful Monday/Tuesday (depending on time zone) :) 

Travel Diary #5: A Bite of the Big Apple / NYC

Hello everyone, hope you're all having a relaxed, fun-filled summer! Just last week and the week before, I was in New York to spend time with my cousin and one of my best friends Keely! It was my third time back in the city and definitely the best visit thus far. While I did a few touristy things like Times Square, I spent the majority of my time walking around in different neighborhoods, using the subway, and of course, eating all sorts of amazzingg food. If you've never been, it's definitely worth a visit. Maybe this could come in handy for you in the future! Who knows? 

New York is exhausting. There's so much going on at all times--whether it be visually, mentally, or physically from walking miles everyday. The pace of life is very different from California. Space is cramped together, which means restaurants are small, nearly every person lives in an apartment, and it is constantly loud from people and cars on all corners. Another thing I noted was the plethora of smaller businesses in New York. Chain food is so much more common in California in comparison. But as a result of that, everything in general is slightly more expensive in New York. Anyway, those were a few takeaways from my trip. I think I began warming up to the lifestyle by the end of my trip. Living in New York would not be easy. Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy these pictures and my short blurbs. Get ready because this will be a long one!

The highlight of my trip was seeing two of my close friends Keely and Julia! Julia came down from Massachusetts for a day. Our day of the three of us consisted of walking around the city, eating pizza, slurpees, and tacos, and playing Cards Against Humanity. There isn't ever a dull moment with these girls!

PLACES:

Here are my three favorite places from my trip!

1. Coney Island

 Keely looking supa' cute in her eyelet top and overalls.

My first full day in New York was spent with Keely at Coney Island!!! Coney is basically an open amusement park next to the beach. It might not be anywhere close to Six Flags and Newport, but I really loved how the rides were just steps away from the sand. Keely and I had tons of fun on the crazy rides, ranging from the carousel to the Soarin' Eagle (which we low-key died on). We walked along the beach, went into multiple photo booths before finding a functioning one, and paid 25 cents to get a fortune card from a shady machine of a grandma...which turned out to be creepily accurate. All of this to say...Coney makes for a very memorable day. And of course, we had to get a hot dog from Nathan's! 

2. MET & MOMA

FYI, we did MET and MOMA on different days because the MET is so large and tiring...there was no way we were going to do both. 

While we were looking through the fashion exhibit, Keely brought up a really interesting question of what draws the line between 'art' and 'ready-to-wear' in fashion. It poses other questions like: Are there qualifications for fashion to be considered art? In what ways does individual style influence where that line is drawn?

MET Fashion Exhibit: Manus x Machina

"It explores this ongoing dichotomy, in which hand and machine are presented as discordant tools in the creative process, and questions the relationship and distinction between haute couture and ready-to-wear."

That Dior dress though *heart-eye emoji*. Dior is probably my favorite couture designer--such elegance ahhhh!!! It was such a lucky coincidence that Keely and I decided to go to the MET on the day of her mom's first MET tour, which of course we joined. The tour was stellar!

3. UN

General Assembly (largest organ of the UN) 

UN Declaration of Human Rights/Peacekeeping operations (Blue Helmets)

UN Security Council, UN Economic and Social Council

The tour totally reminded me of the time I was the representative of Chile for the Security Council in Model UN. Good times, good times.

Sculpture/pieces from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

I was pretty impressed with how thorough the UN tour was. I was able to sit in several rooms and go through a great portion of the building. It was very different from what I had imagined. I pictured the UN to be a serious environment full of prominent global leaders on my right and left along with ongoing discussions and meetings. There definitely were diplomats and meetings, but the UN as a whole had a much more lax environment with many tourists and visitors, which I found surprising in a positive way.

TO DO:

Here are my favorites from my to-do list!

1. Watch a Broadway show

I spent most of my nights with my cousin Mina! I lived in her apartment which is in Park Slope, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. On that Friday, we went to see The Crucible starring the academy award nominated actress Saoirse Ronan! I studied the play in IB English, so it was pretty surreal getting to see it in person.

2. Picnic at Central Park

Central Park is huge and all of its various spots look completely different from one another. Keely and I spent a good two hours eating over-priced sandwiches, taking pictures, and talking nonsense.

3. Shakespeare In the Park

Right after our picnic, we went to see Shakespeare in the Park, which is completely free by the way. The production was of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew made up by an entirely female cast. I got a good laugh out of the Trump pageant take on it.

4. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Mina and I walked all the way from Park Slope to Manhattan!

5. Times Square at night

Mina and I walked from Rockefeller Center over to Times Square. Nothing too special, but I mean, you gotta do it at some point.

6. Get off at Grand Central Station

Grand Central basically has every subway line, so it's easy to get there. It's right in the heart of Manhattan!

FOOD (the most important)

Shake Shack

Shake Shack is essentially the In-n-Out of the East. I accidentally got the 'shroom burger my first time, which doesn't have meat. I went and got the original right before heading to the airport. I'd give it a 4/5.

Cafe Zaiya's Green Tea/Black Sesame Soft Serve

This was high-key my favorite thing I ate. I had it on my first and last day! I wish they had these soft-serve flavors in Cali (and Keely's face says it all).

Sundae & Cones

If you want me to be completely honest, I only went there because of Yelp. I wanted to see what the hype was about. I got a scoop of Taro and Lavender! It was really creamy, soft ice cream, but Cafe Zaiya still has my heart. I think I was just annoyed by how over-priced it was ($8).

Ippudo

I'm not the world's largest ramen fan, sooo it was great but not amazing. Same reason I went to Sundae & Cones...Yelp made me do it. I spent $17 on this since I left a tip, which is pricey for a bowl of ramen by itself.

Colson Patisserie

My morning pick-me-up! I think it's safe to say that I enjoyed small pastries and snacks more than meals. This waffle was sooo bomb. Why don't they have this where I live?!

Omar's Kitchen

I don't eat Mediterranean food often, so this was a treat. The hummus, pita bread, salad, and lamb was all savory and tasty. The best part about Mediterranean is that it's pretty healthy. Fresh food! I got this with Mina right before we went to see The Crucible.

Momofuku Milk Bar 

Keely, a lover of cold weather, was a trooper for walking in the heat with me to get this. It's cereal milk flavor soft serve, which turned out to be so so accurate. The ice cream legitimately tastes like left-over milk after you finish all the cereal from your bowl. The cookies and crack pie are also really good but totally overpriced.

Juliana's Pizza

Right before walking the Brooklyn Bridge, my cousin and I stopped for some New York pizza! It was pretty good but I would have preferred more veggies on it.

Momosan

Ramen is ramen.

Breads Bakery

(I got this from Google because I didn't take a pic of mine)

Chocolate. Rugelach. Oh. My. Goodness. YAS.

Central Park / Midtown

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Flatiron Building / Shopping on 5th Ave. and the Empire State Building in the back

Washington Square Park & NYU / A park near the UN / Park Slope, Brooklyn

 

I didn't think I would, but I miss New York. My time there made me realize how quiet it is where I live in comparison. Silence doesn't exist in the Big Apple. It can be both a good and bad thing.

To Mina, thank you for letting me crash at your place for a week and showing me around. Can't wait for you to come back and see me in the Bay this fall! To Julia, our time together was too short, but I couldn't be happier to have seen you before you head off to Providence! I'll see you soon <3. And lastly to Keely, so much love for you!!!! I wouldn't fly across the country for many people, but for you, yes of course! Make sure to come visit me.

I'm sure I'll be back soon, New York. I'm truly lucky to have had such a memorable adventure!