Recycled (he)Art

I've always had an appreciation for artists who can create beautiful things, especially when they can take seemingly ordinary or useless things and transform them into a creative piece that most people would never think of doing. Today I stumbled upon the creative work of Nick Gentry who uses recycled floppy disks, cassettes, VHS tapes and Polaroids to create his art.

Here is an excerpt on the concept of his work:
"As media is rapidly absorbed into the World Wide Web, the physical media formats of the past have been deemed obsolete. This represents a big shift away from real world objects, driving towards a human existence that is ultimately governed by countless intangible data files."

Given that electronic items are usually deemed cold and incapable of sentiment, Gentry is able to evoke wonderment by telling a story through the creation of a life using paint and inanimate objects. Each of his characters manifest an eerie persona that leaves the viewer wishing to know more. There is gracefulness, yet intensity to Gentry's work. Some of the poses--from the positioning of arms, to the elongated curve of a neck, to a set jaw line--Gentry seems well-attuned to the elegance of a body.

For me, investing in a piece of art work is like choosing a pet; it's a fixture that's going to be around for a while. Some pieces are meant to blend into the decor of the room, becoming a simple decoration, while others demand attention, daring every passerby to steal a glance. Gentry's work is the kind of curious art that I would hang from a pure white wall, letting it and only it speak for the entire room.

Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

"Pity the poor in spirit who know neither the enchantment nor the beauty of language."

I just finished a wonderful novel by French author, Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It was an intellectual, bordering philosophical read that often had me questioning my own ways of life. Barbery's words stimulate the mind. She is able to take a single, often overlooked concept, and lift a transparent veil in order for the reader to perceive it in a different way. There was one short chapter in particular that I read over again just because the concept was so simplistically brilliant. It was about the beauty of sliding doors and how it is much more thoughtful of space than traditional swinging doors that destroy the unity of a space.

"When movement has been banished from a nature that seeks its continuity, when it becomes renegade and remarkable by virtue of its very discontinuity, it attains the level of aesthetic creation. Because art is life, playing to other rhythms."

I don't want to give anything away, but the over-arching message of the novel is to try to be a less self-consumed, perceptive human being in order to really get to know others. It's also a novel about how looks can be deceiving. The two main characters are a fifty four year old woman, Renee, and a twelve year old girl, Paloma, who are extremely intelligent but try to hide it from others. Although there are parts in the novel that are rather melancholy, like the fact that the twelve year old wants to commit suicide because she can't stand her elitist family and has no one she can really be herself around, there are other uplifting moments that inspire hope. It's hard to imagine having many profound thoughts racing through your head everyday and not being able to share your feelings and insights. But the beauty of this novel is that just when Paloma thinks there is no other way she can go on living her life, an unexpected door opens and she realizes that she, in fact, is not alone in the world. Sometimes it takes a really long time to find out what/who you need, but once it's found it all becomes worth the wait and you feel more appreciative of what you have.


I don't recommend this book to anyone who wants a fluffy, light novel. It does require a bit of thinking, not only because the rich use of vocabulary but also because there are a lot of French references to places/history/etc. that I did not know. The brief summary on the back cover of the novel does not do it justice. It was when I was almost half way in The Elegance of the Hedgehog that it finally clicked and I began really connecting with the novel and its characters. This is a novel that I would definitely consider re-reading in the future. If anything, this book reminded me not to underestimate someone simply based on their profession, age, or looks, and to take in my surroundings each and every day. As the title suggests, a "hedgehog" may look rough on the outside but may be a beautiful creature underneath all of the spikes.

My novel rating: 4.5/5 stars

You're Right, Chivalry is Dead

I literally laughed out loud today when I read a blog on Yahoo about a guy who took his girlfriend to a Houston Astros game and ducked when a foul ball came towards his girl, letting her get hit instead. I watched the video and at least it was only her arm, not face, that got hit, but still her boy leaped out of his seat leaving her to fend for herself. Only after the damage was done did he come back grinning while holding the foul ball to see if she was okay. Haha, this is just another example of how big of a tool some guys can be.

Beau Monde Style for Glamorous Gossip Girl

I was having a serious fashiongasm while checking out InStyle.com the other day. I went through dozens upon dozens of Gossip Girl wardrobe photos from the "Get the Look" section. Out of all the characters, my style is most like Blair's--polished and put-together. I like Serena's wardrobe as well but it's not my personal style. She wears more provocative dresses, but hey, she has the body to pull it off, so I say go for it. Blair dresses a bit more conservatively but all of her outfits are still enviously cute and stylish. I think her sophisticated style carries an essence of respectability that may be attributed to Blair's capability to command a room with confidence.

After looking at the noted outfits from each of the seasons, I've decided that the third season was definitely not my favorite. I miss Blair's headbands! She loses the hair accessories as a sign of maturing and letting go of her "queen bee" ways as she enters college, but I think that the hairbands were an essential part of her outfits that really made them stand out. Most of the headbands Blair wears throughout the show are by hair accessory guru Jennifer Behr.

Although the character is only supposed to be in her late teens, she definitely dresses sophisticated with a little "Blair flair" as I'd like to call it. For example, another notable trend of Blair's is to wear tights under articles that one normally wouldn't, like tights with shorts or an orange pair of tights with a fancy dress seen in the picture on the left. The surprising thing is that she can actually pull it off.

Looking at all of the pictures of fabulous clothing made me ache to go shopping. InStyle is launching a new site theinstyleboutique.com in mid-August, so I'm curious to see what kind of goods will be offered. Also, season 4 of Gossip Girl will be starting this Fall on CW tv. Can't wait!