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i hope you all get to spend this holiday with the people you love, in a place that brings you happiness!
much love,
natasha // softlyy
much love,
natasha // softlyy
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sing to me softly
29 October 2008 @ 07:13 am
there's snow outside.
like, actual thick, stay on the ground snow.
snow.
IT'S STILL OCTOBER DAMMIT.
27 October 2008 @ 11:17 pm
i've been feeling terrible lately (i've been having migraines for about a week straight now), stressed and just overall not in a good mood.
but.
i know that in life you have to focus on the positive if you want positive things to happen.
& when i think about it, things aren't really that bad.
here are some things that make me smile these days
random acts of kindness
receiving hugs for no particular reason
hugging others
buss drivers who wait for you when they see you running to catch the buss
compliments
people who hold the door for you when you're carrying 10 pounds worth of old yearbooks
blue skies [even if they're not real]
it's getting increasingly cold here in oslo, so cold that for the past few weeks I've worn the same coat and Woolford tights I wore last february! it's also getting increasingly gray and rainy. somedays it feels like I haven't seen the sun for months at a time, that it's constantly cloudy instead.
so, i've been scouring fotologue for pictures of blue skies, because i'm beginning to worry i might not see them for real until next spring...!
reconnecting
last month an old classmate of mine, from second grade, uploaded our class picture onto facebook. so many people that I hadn't spoken to for so many years were suddenly popping up, commenting on the picture!
I started chatting with one of them who I haven't seen since we graduated from junior high and we ended up planning a reunion for all the girls from our old class!
said reunion was so. much. fun. we all got tipsy and laughed so much over how silly we used to be.
epik high & SCANDAL♥
my favorite new group, a korean alternative hip-hop group. their mini album LOVESCREAM has some of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard. just take a listen to 1분 1초 (1 Minute, 1 Second) such a stunning song! (other faves; love love love, fan & breakdown)
SCANDAL is an all girl rock band from osaka, japan and they are absolutely awesome. i haven't been listening to rock for a while now (jpop/kpop owns my soul) but these girls can't be ignored. their first major single is DOLL
so nyeo shi dae
i can't begin to express how happy this group makes me♥ their new tv show FACTORY GIRL is hilarious, and the fact that they'll be releasing a new album soon is making me count down the days.
smiling
this video makes my heart flutter.
i'll try to keep these things in mind when things get bad. i have sat's this saturday (haven't practiced for math at all) plus and extended essay due monday that is nowhere near done.
but still.
^ - ^
what are things that make you smile these days?
♥
08 August 2008 @ 11:31 am
summer vacation will soon be over, and my vacation so far has been wonderful~! I'm now on my last week (school starts monday aug.18) and I'm spending it in Chamonix, France, with my grandmother. it' must sound dull to most people, but I love being in the French alps - the nature is beautiful and the air is so clean, and Chamonix is a great town, a perfect mix of old fashioned lumber houses and stores selling high fashion clothes (we have our own Chanel store).
I'm playing tennis the next couple of days, to get my technique back. I used to play so much when I was little, but now I'm so out of practice~ I want to keep playing when I get back to Oslo too! it's fast becoming my favorite sport again.
right now, the weather is rather bad (cloudy and cold, looks like rain might come later in the afternoon). but it's perfect, because my grandmother and I have dedicated the day to the Beijing Olympics! it must sound super nerdy, but I L.O.V.E. the Olympics. the whole spirit of sportmanship that they represent is something I really admire, and I love watching the different competitions, especially gymnastics~ (one of my childhood dreams was to be a gymnast♥)
I'm really excited for the opening ceremony today too. I'm betting it will be absolutely amazing, from all the reports I've seen on the news. especially the fireworks, since that's one of China's specialties. I hope they preform the theme for the games this year, that would be so incredible to see~!
♥
12 July 2008 @ 10:16 pm
Leah's new album will be out in 5 weeks and I for one am really looking forward to it!♡ ( I'll defiitely be pre-ordering this~ ) the title is sooo cute and Leah looks adorable in the promo shoot↑. plus, two of the songs will be "rock" songs, which will be a fun change~
「 Communication!!! 」
Leah Dizon
リア・ディゾン
2008.8.20 Release
tracklist
1 ♪ Step into my world
2 ♪ Love Paradox
3 ♪ LOVE SWEET CANDY
4 ♪ Without a good-bye
5 ♪ Vanilla
6 ♪ Nothin' to Lose
7 ♪ Lost at Sea
8 ♪ Communication!!!
9 ♪ Not Too Bad
10 ♪ BxKxRxxx
11 ♪ Under The Same Sky
12 ♪ Thank you
</i>
oooh, also, I read OLIVIA might have a new mini album ( in september I think? ) I hope it's for real this time because I lover her music so much♡
much love sweeties♥!
10 July 2008 @ 07:55 pm
( I took this picture ↑ when I was in paris last summer; I think the eiffel tower is one of the most amazing buildings in the world♡ )
arrived safe & sound at Paris' ORLY airport yesterday, and am now writing you from my uncle's place in the ⑰th arrondissement!
yesterday evening was spent on Champs-Élysées, where almost everything is open at least until midnight. so I did late night shopping at Sephora and the Virgin Megastore ( I found Azumi 1&2 on DVD! )
since my cousin is working on weekdays this summer, I spent better half of the morning and early afternoon wandering Paris on my own ( listening to my playlist! ). the weather today was amazing, and sooo hot, but I made sue to make the most of it because it's supposed to rain tomorrow!☂
pretty early in the day I took the metro, line ①, to the Gare de Lyon to go to the Baby, the Stars Shine Bright boutique. though I'm not really a lolita or anything, I absolutely adore the clothes ( I have two Baby skirts ) and I've wanted to go to the Paris store ever since last summer! ( I left Paris, I think, two days before it opened last summer~ )
my heart was beating really fast as I got the boutique. it's just the cutest little place ever~!♡ they had a few pieces I hadn't seen on the website, but I didn't buy any clothes ( they're like, three times the yen price! ). I did buy a cellphone charm from Novala Takemoto's line, I think, and the Paris' boutique's "exclusive" bracelet.
I aslo had a breif chat with the store girl, Yui~!♡ she was absolutely adorable, and let me take pictures inside the store!
also, long story, but, I had noticed a picture of some cute item and asked her if they had it in store, and then she showed me a little further down that the date was there ( in japanese ) and before she could translate for me, I recognized the kanji and translated. so, naturally she asked if knew japanese, and I told her how I'm trying to learn and that I only new basic things.
I ended up introducing myself to her in japanese, and she did the same~♡ and then we chatted for a bit in a strange mix of english, french and the occasional tourist phrasebook japanese!
so yes, the trip to Baby was definitely worth almost getting lost!
tihi, yeah, I wasn't carrying a proper map with me today, so at several times was I completely confused as to where I was! from Baby I took a bus, meaning to go to the Louvre, but they were doing construction work on the roads so I ended up somewhere else ( still not sure where ), though a very trendy shopping street!
so from there I walked on, somehow ending up on a street with only japanese restaurants! I decided to sit down and have lunch, and thank goodness for that because the restaurant had the nearest metro station listed on their buisness card and I was finally able to navigate myself back home. ( and I also ate some delicious yakitori, so it was well worth it~ )
after my cousin came home from work, we decided to go to Citadium and later les Printemps to have a look around. Citadium is super cool and trendy, and especially for young people, though perhaps with a little more for the guys than the girls. les Printemps however, is very high-end where you can find everything from Marc Jacobs to Chanel, be it make-up, jewelry or clothes.
amazingly enough, I actually bought things today! I'm an awful shopper, and usually never buy things, even if I really like them, and always end up regretting it! so the fact that I today managed to buy 4 onepieces and 6 tops is somewhat frightening. I wonder if I'll regret any of it tomorrow?
( well, I know that at least two of the onepieces were must-haves! chiffon dresses, one star print and one flora from a brand called Yumi. I loved them the second I saw them! )
oooh, also, I cut my hair the other day~!
( snip snip snip! )
much love sweeties♥!
08 July 2008 @ 12:51 am
I'm heading to Paris in under 48 hours to spend a couple of days with my cousin who lives there ( & to do plenty of shopping! ). I'm actually almost done packing, but more importantly I'm working on a playlist for my trip!
I'm the kind of girl who is absolutely addicted to her iPod - seriously, I never go anywhere without it - & i love making playlist for various occasions; whether it's a birthday mix for a friend or a soundtrack for when I'm cooking. ( I think this stems from my deep love of fanmixes - I love finding songs that fit different situations! )
my theme for my Paris soundtrack is summer and feeling sexy&confident!
ＰＡＲＩＳ ♪ｐｌａｙｌｉｓｔ
♪ 中丸雄一 // Nakamaru Yuichi; SMACK [ i love this song to pieces♥♥♥ ]
♪ 倖田來未 // Koda Kumi; WIND
♪ 後藤真希 // Goto Maki; ガラスのパンプス ( glass no pumps )
♪ 倖田來未 // Koda Kumi; Lady Go!
♪安室奈美恵 // Amuro Namie; Sexy Girl
♪ORANGE RANGE; イケナイ太陽 ( ikenai taiyou ) [ i've been rewatching Hana-Kimi. this is such a great summer song! ]
♪Justin Timberlake; Damn Girl
♪安室奈美恵 // Amuro Namie; WANT ME, WANT ME
♪원더걸스 // Wonder Girls; Bad Boy [ this song has been on constant replay the past few days. wonder girls♥♥♥ ]
♪;
it's not done yet~ so if anyone has suggestions for songs, i'd love suggestions!
much love sweeties♥!
Current Music: lady go ♪ koda kumi
07 July 2008 @ 09:14 pm
came back yesterday from a week's stay at my friend's place in sweden~ I spent an entire week lying on the pier in front of her house, just soaking up the sun & catching up with my reading! I read 『south of the border, west of the sun』 and started on 『norwegian wood』, both by Murakami Haruki.
『south of the border, west of the sun』was a truly truly amazing read! Murakami has such a beautiful way of writing, and his characters are so fascinating. Hajime, the man the story revolves around, is brutally honest and an exceptionally realistic character, so much so that you almost forget it's a work of fiction. Shimamoto-san, his childhood friend and love, on the other hand, is secretive and fleeting; the ending left me wanting to know so much more about her.
“Have you heard of the illness hysteria siberiana?”.
“No.”
“l read this somewhere a long time ago. Maybe in junior high. I can’t for the life of me recall what book I read it in. Anyway, it affects farmers living in Siberia. Try to imagine this. You’re a farmer, living all alone on the Siberian tundra. Day after day you plough your fields. As far as the eye can see, nothing. To the north, the horizon, to the east, the horizon, to the south, to the west, more of the same. Every morning, when the sun rises in the east, you go out to work in your fields. When it’s directly overhead, you take a break for lunch. When it sinks, in the west, you go home to sleep.”
“Not exactly the lifestyle of an Aoyama bar owner.”
“Hardly!” She smiled and inclined her head ever so slightly. “Anyway, that cycle continues, year after year.”
“But in Siberia they don’t work in the fields in winter.”
“They rest in the winter,” she said. “In the winter they stay at home and do indoor work. When spring comes, they go out into the fields again. You’re that farmer. Imagine it.”
“OK,” I said.
“And then something inside you dies.”
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Something. Day after day you watch the sun rise in the east, pass across the sky, then sink in the west, and something breaks inside you and dies. You throw your plough aside and, your head completely empty of thought, you begin walking toward the west. Heading toward a land that lies west of the sun. Like someone possessed, you walk on, day after day, not eating or drinking, until you collapse on the ground and die. That’s hysteria siberiana.”
I tried to conjure up the picture of a Siberian farmer lying dead on the ground.
“But what is there, west of the sun?” I asked.
She shook her head again. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Or maybe something."
the book isn't particularly long either, my Vintage paperback version was only 180 or so pages. so, if your looking for something to read this summer, this is definitely worth your time.
much love sweeties, & i hope you're all enjoying your summer so far!
♥
27 June 2008 @ 12:17 pm
