Rhino Love

Look at the little friend I brought home with me from Anthropology today:

I can't decide what wall he will live on, but I saw him and knew he was meant to live with me! If you are as obsessed with safari animals as I am go check out Anthropology, they have a ton of other cool animal busts including a giraffe and an elephant! 

Obsessions

This summer has been a hodge-podge of work, spending time with friends, planning/shopping for my room redecoration, and some relaxing time at the pool and beach.  These are the few things I don't leave home without, regardless of where I'm going. The sun glasses are an obvious necessity for summer, and I'm loving Essie's geranium nail polish for my toes! The Laura Mercier lip stuff is a cross between a lip balm and a lipstick, the first coat comes on shear but you can layer it on for a more opaque look (one layer is perfect for the pool and multiple layers are perfect for the evening!). Plus its SPF 20 so my lips are protected from the sun. I received the two bracelets as a gift and I haven't taken them off since. I've been wearing them layered on my right hand, and I love the sound they make when my hand moves. I have to say I feel pretty glamourous wearing them to the pool, and once again they transition perfectly into evening!

Ponytails and Heat

The east coast is having at heat wave! It reached 114 today with the heat index! So what's a girl to do when it's to hot to go outside? Go to the mall of course! 

While shopping at Anthropology I found the cutest hair ties by a company called Emi-Jay. I saw them and thought "I deserve a treat for beating the heat, and a pony tail is the most practical way to keep your head cool in the summer, really I don't want these hair ties, I need them" (I have a shopping problem, I know).

And I have to say I am super impressed with them. They come in really lovely colors, don't pull or snag your hair, and have a bit more class than your basic hair ties. I googled them when I got home and found out that the company was started by two teenagers from LA, even more impressive! 

They have a ton of different colors and styles (they even have silk bows, another thing to add to the wish list), and are made in the USA. And,  Jennifer Aniston likes them so we know they are really cool! 

So go check out their website, I promise its the best $12 you will spend in 100 degree weather! 

http://www.emi-jay.com/

Hot, Hot, Hot

Its just too hot in NJ, too hot to do anything, too hot to move. The heat index is into the triple digits and it was just miserable. But now I'm done with the complaining, because I'm going to the beach on Saturday! There is nothing better than being at the beach on a hot day! I'm hoping these lovely images will cool me off!

And, although the Jersey Shore looks nothing like any of these beaches I still can't stop thinking of jumping into the cool atlantic! 

Long Day

Let me preface this post with the fact that this is where I want to be right now...

Today felt more like two or three days, not just one! I think it all started with oversleeping, and ended with me realizing how much junk I have to organize in my room! I was cleaning for over an hour and haven't even made a dent in the mess (it might have something to do with not reallllly unpacking from college yet). Originally I had a post about the 798 Art District in China planned for today, but I'm just way to tired to write complete sentences. So instead I'm going to cop out and just post a bunch of pretty pictures, because looking at lovely things really does cheer you up!

images via pretty stuff, amber interiors, and pinterest 

New Bedroom

I've been toying with the idea of redecorating my bedroom for a while, now that its summer I finally have the time! The latest issue of Lonny featured an apartment that captured everything I want in my new room! I love the cool grey walls and details that make the apartment feel cozy and homey.

I'm obsessed with the photo on the far right over the bed, I've decided to order a 20x24 print of it to hang over my bed!

All photos from Lonny

The Porcelain Unicorn

I just had to share this! This video is the winner of a global film making competition, there were only two rules: there could only be two lines of dialogue and the entries could not be longer than three minutes. Its incredible what kind of story can be told in only three minutes! If you only do one thing this weekend (besides seeing Harry Potter of course) check out this short film, its truly beautiful.

http://www.porcelainunicorn.com/

China part two: The Great Wall

Words cannot describe how surreal it is to see the Great Wall. This sight is so iconic and I had seen it so many times in pictures that to see it up close and actually walk on it was unbelievable. I think the words that kept running though my head were"I'm on the great wall of china, no way I'm on the flipping Great Wall of CHINA!".

One of the things that made the day at the Great Wall so special was that we rode horses up to the wall. Something I didn't think about before getting on a horse to take to me the Great Wall: it's kind of built on a mountain, meaning I was literally riding a horse up a rocky mountain trail (actually trail would be using the word incorrectly, we kind of just rode through a forest and hoped the horses knew where they were going). Regardless of the fear for my life, the ride up was pretty cool and definitely an original way to see the Great Wall for the first time. I don't think I've ever been happier to see a national Chinese landmark than I was to see the Great Wall. 

One of the benefits of riding the horses up was that we got to visit a more secluded section of the wall that wasn't as touristy. When Bill Clinton visited China as President he actually visited our part of the wall while Ronald Reagan visited the more touristy area during his visit. The views were spectacular, and walking along stones that were built by sheer manpower in the 5th century(!) was unbelievable! 

To make the day even more fun, we all bought tickets to toboggan down to the bottom of the wall. The toboggans were theses little plastic things with wheels and the course was a winding metal slide that ran down the mountain side. Oh man was it fun! You could control your speed, so naturally I was speeding down, I had to keep slowing down so I wouldn't hit the person in front of me. (I really wish I had some pictures from this experience)! After our ride down we decided that we really wanted to ride down again, and we wanted to experience more of the Great Wall. So we took a gondola back up the wall, this was a far less terrifying way to get up to the Great Wall and afforded some pretty spectacular views. (Seriously though, I couldn't recommend the horse ride enough. It was super fun and original.)

We walked quite a bit on our second time on the wall, but man was it fun! My friends and I had fun touring the Ming dynasty guard towers (Mia I'm looking at you), and the stairs at the Great Wall were better than any stair master. 

This experience was unreal. All it takes to make you feel incredibly small and human is to stand on the Great Wall looking over at the towns and mountains in the distance.

On a completely unrelated note, Harry Potter is out today. I could not be more excited to see it! The kids I babysit for showed me this hilarious Harry Potter trailer, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MahTKZDHXaA

China part one: the old summer palace

As promised I'm finally posting about China. Yes, I'm still jet lagged (good morning 6 am, haven't seen you in a while). One of my favorite places in China was the Old Summer Palace, where the Emperor and his court would spend the summers. It was in Beijing, but as opposed to the Forbidden City (don't worry I'll be posting about that too), there are  tons of trees and shade to cool you down in the summer heat. 

These grounds were filled with large gothic style stone buildings, but unfortunately the entire grounds were burned and destroyed by the French and British during the Opium wars.

 What's left is a hauntingly beautiful park overgrown with greenery and destroyed stone buildings. The grounds are unbelievable gorgeous and the ruins are a reminder of times gone by. I loved touring and seeing all the old architecture and how the stone has weathered time.

We spent about half a day there which was plenty of time to explore. This place is huge! My guide book had a map (that was more confusing than helpful), but I would recommend starting at the South entrance and just wandering from there. We found a really cool stone"maze", that was kind of like a labyrinth. At the center was a beautiful stone gazebo that was absolutely beautiful!

About an hour into touring the Old Summer Palace we stumble upon a lake, where for some ridiculously cheap price you can take a boat to the other side of the grounds. 

This was definitely one of the more fun boat rides I've ever taken. The driver took us across the lake that fed into a small river. We road along the river and under some really beautiful ancient chinese bridges. 

The ride took us though parts of the palace grounds that were pretty empty. It was so easy to picture how the grounds looked when they were new, I almost expected to see an emperor wandering through the grounds as we floated by! About halfway through our ride we reached a stopping point and had to switch boats. 

The second half of the ride was definitely less peaceful, it felt like we were taking a tour of Disney land. While the first part lead us through the ancient grounds and allowed us to see different ruins and other parts of the ancient palce, the second part was full of giant multi-colored wire and fabric sculptures that were part of the 90th anniversary of communism that's currently being celebrated in China. 

While the new crazy-colored sculptures were fun to see, they were definitely a departure from the regal ruins we had just left. 

All in all the Old Summer Palace was so much fun. The old grounds and ruins and the boat ride were definitely the highlights of the day for me! Stay tuned for tomorrows post about The Great Wall. I'll leave you with a few more pictures I have from the day.