Tagged with ‘Culture’

I started off this post thinking I would compare all the new E-Reader devices out there….Sony Daily Edition, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad (as an E-Reader), and then I realized that I’ve never really used any of these readers.  ( So if any of the above would like to send me a FREE one, I’m available!)  My second realization was that when it comes down to it, I’m really not going to spend the $500 on a device that hasn’t quite been perfected yet.  I learned that lesson with my first generation iPod.  But I will spend a few dollars to add a reader app to my iPhone.  So here are the top apps to consider:

B&N eReader by Barnes and Noble for iPhone (FREE)

While this app gives you the opportunity to purchase books within the Barnes and Noble library and share these books with friends, the reviews come in that book prices are a bit high.

Kindle by Amazon.com for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (FREE)

This is one of the most popular apps because of the ability to play with font size and color, access to the Amazon bookstore, turn pages, and add notes/highlights. Reviews come in saying there are problems in syncing to other reader devices and you only have book options, no magazines or newspapers.  Also it does not allow you to share books with friends.

eBooks by Kobo HD for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, or Palm Pre (FREE)

It seems like our non-iPhone friends have been neglected in the eReader app world and that’s where Kobo steps in.   Not only is the app available for multiple platforms, after you download your book you are able to read it in other platforms as well, not just the device you downloaded it on.

There are parts of me that are very techie and can find myself browsing through the book selection on my iPhone while standing in line for a latte.  But the other side of me is championing for the survival of the good ole book.  Turning the pages, dog-earing memorable selections, and writing notes in a favorite book will never be forgotten on me.  Here is what I’m currently thumbing through:

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

I can’t precisely say that I’m reading through this book.  The truth is I keep this book in constant contact, often looking up pages, quotes, stories that I find truth in.  How many times have I read this book? About 592?  I always find the answer in Elizabeth Gilbert’s approach of having none of the answers.  I’ve found that this book is extremely dividing amongst people.  They either love it, or hate it.  If you don’t love it, you’re not ready for it.  When you’re ready, you will love it.

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler.  One night stands. Midgets. Vodka. Distasteful humor.  All I can say is that you will laugh your ass off and I warned you.

Food Matters by Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman is and has been the acclaimed writer of “The Minimalist” in The New York Times for the past 11 years.  In this book he focuses on how food plays a major role in our body’s health as well as the earth’s health.  As Mark states on his website,” Food Matters presents a series of easily adaptable strategies—along with meal plans and recipes—for eating sanely, judiciously, and consciously.”

xoxo, Vanesa

My entire life I dreamed of an international life.  I’ve pieced together all the scenarios of how I could live and work in San Sebastian, Paris, Tokyo, or London.  As much as American girls fantasize about life in other parts of the world, there are just as many girls around the world thinking about a life in America.  Here at Campus Confidant we’ve been blessed to have the wonderful help of an exchange student named Nancy.  A former model and currently finishing up a stint at an international school in Santa Barbara, Nancy has given us a beautiful glimpse into the world of a young woman from across the globe.  I’ve asked Nancy to share her thoughts on her experience.  We will miss her dearly when she returns home later this month.

xoxo, Vanesa

Being an exchange student in the USA is a genuine experience, a unique project you know you may not do again before a long time. In my case, after 4 months of living in Santa Barbara, I have definitely changed my way of thinking toward everything I knew before about the world, but especially toward this multi-cultural culture; which is America.

I have never experienced such an extreme, mind-blowing, different, wealthy and amazing way of living, thinking and being.  In contrast to the countries I’ve been to already, in Europe and Belgium, the USA has this power, strength, and potential I’ve never seen before. The American dream I heard about so many times in my history lessons seems to have had a real impact on me.

I think that the USA has always fascinated the “old continent”. Engineers, doctors, ambitious independents, artists, investors, or just ordinary families have been migrating in masses to the United States with the sole purpose of “seeking a better life”.

But why the USA? Why the USA and not China, Africa, Oceania or Russia? The world is so big…After a couple of months spent here I think  I’m getting closer to the answer.  America allows you to realise the craziest dreams you’ve ever had and it can give you the opportunity to travel almost all around the world, by staying in your own motherland.  Nothing is too much and too much is nothing.

Wherever you come from, whatever you are and whatever your convictions might be, as soon as you’ve crossed the American border, you become an American citizen.  And this is exactly what makes it so special.

Even though there were some hard times, having the blues and being homesick, I have never felt so “at home” even though I was abroad.  I had the chance to travel through California and every single place I went there were different people, landscapes, influences, historical backgrounds, concerns, and politics.

The first thing that literally confused me as I arrived was the friendly, laid-back, and open minded way of living people had in California.  A “ Hi, how is it going today?” when you get into a grocery store or a supermarket wouldn’t have been given the slightest in Europe. “Why are you asking such private questions when you don’t even know me? It doesn’t make sense,” we would have said.  But this friendly way of starting a conversation is nothing but an amicable and usual form for saying “Hello”.

Thanks to all these wonderful people I have met, the places I have been, and the things I have learned, the general impression that will always stay in my heart is nothing but positive and my return to the so-called “Land of the free”.

To finish up this article I would like to thank Vanesa for having been one of the first greatest person I met in the US, the one who gave me a quick but pleasant glimpse of the way you work and finally the one who accepted me spontaneously onto the team.

Thank you for having me here,

Nancy

Nancy in Hollywood

Oy! What a crazy week it has been.  Sorry for leaving up the heinous photo of Cinco de Mayo jello shots as your first glimpse on the site.  Ya’ll deserve some pretty so I’m gifting you some Beyonce “Why Don’t You Love Me?”-Video-Vintage-Feel-Goodness for the weekend.  I’m off to a charity event tonight but I’ll be back with a few great surprises next week especially for all my Santa Barbara Campus Confidants.
xoxo, Vanesa

Image from Wikipedia.com

Do I dare file this post under Culture, Food??  I can’t help myself.  Sure this isn’t the classiest post I’m ever going to put out there but we live in a world where a girl named “Snooky” is making way more money than the average working girl.  Plus I went to UCSB where Cinco de Mayo could qualify for official school holiday status, right up there with Halloween.  On top of it I’m a Southern Californian and the public must give props to our neighbors down south through some fiesta fun time.  So here it is, Cinco de Mayo jello shots found on the aptly titled website, www.jello-shots-and-shooters.com, (and here you thought icanhascheezburger.com was the most trivial thing the web had to offer).  Before I continue with the recipes remember DRINK RESPONSIBLY!!!! No one needs to get hurt and no one needs to do the walk of shame in the morning  in 5 inch platforms and a sombrero.

MARGARITA JELLO JIGGLER SHOTS:

Start by pouring 1 1/2 cups of boiling water into a large glass measuring cup. Dissolve 4 packages (3 oz size) of Lime Jello for about 2 minutes. Add 2 oz of Tequila and 1 oz of Triple Sec and 5 oz of cold water and stir well. Pour the liquid directly into a 9 x 13 inch pan and chill until firm (about 3 hours).

The number of servings entirely depends on the size that you cut your jigglers – adjust as needed for your party.

TEQUILA SUNRISE JELLO SHOTS:

Start with a large glass measuring cup and measure 3/4 cup of boiling water. Add 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Next, add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Grenadine and 1/2 cup of Tequila. Stir until completely combined and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

This recipe makes about 10 shots – adjust as needed for your party.

TIJUANA TAXI JELLO SHOTS:

Start with a large glass measuring cup (at least 4 cups in size or bigger if you have it) and measure 2 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 2 packages of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Next, add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Tequila, 1/4 cup of Blue CaracaoTropical Fruit Schnapps. Stir until completely combined and give it a chance to cool before pouring into jello shot cups. and 1/4 cup of

This recipe makes about 18 shots – adjust as needed for your party.

I had the best time at Coachella last year but due to my overwhelming workload I just don’t have the time, energy, or gusto to make it out this year.  I remember it being a long hot day and the appropriate outfit is imperative for survival.  Here are a few of my favorite Coachella outfits found at Elle.com.  To see their entire album click here.

You can’t go wrong with a sweet and breezy long dress to cover your legs while rolling around in the grass.

This girl must have gotten to the festival later in the day.  There is no way a white dress would survive on me during Coachella. Two hours in the dress would be covered in remnants of margarita slushie, ketchup, and pretzel salt.  I’d do my best attempt to pretend it was some type of Pucci-inspired number.

The floppy hat and indigenous accessories take the classic black and white from the club to the desert.

Somewhere out there is a J.Crew catalogue missing a model.

Somewhere out there that High School Musical kid is looking for his girlfriend.

F-I-E-R-C-E!!!!!!  Bold use of color and a total 60′s vibe.  I want to put on Peter Paul and Mary’s “If I had a Hammer” and jam out.  Love this girl.

xoxo,

Vanesa

Don’t judge me.  But yes, I watch American Idol.  In fact I LOVE IT.  I especially loved the showdown between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert.  Adam was everyone’s favorite and of course he got my full support (I can’t deny guyliner and musical theatrics…we’ll get to my love of Simon and Seacrest another time).  But now that Kris Allen has released his debut album I can really see how talented the guy is.  I’ve been jamming out to this song and every word he sings rings louder each time.  Take the time to read the lyrics and see how you can apply it to your life.

Sometimes we fall down and can’t get back up
We’re hiding behind skin that’s too tough
How come we don’t say I love you enough
Till it’s to late, it’s not too late

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won’t come
We could make a feast from these crumbs
And we’re all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you
What would you wish you would’ve done

Yeah… gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution
There’ll no one on the line

Yeah… gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh – like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live – like we’re dying

We never know a good thing till it’s gone
You never see a crash until it’s head on
All those people right when we’re dead wrong
You never know a good thing till it’s gone

Yeah… gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start livin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh – like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying
Live like we’re dying

xoxo,

Vanesa

The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company will be stopping by UCSB’s The Hub for a FREE improv show tomorrow night from 8-10pm.  You get can get more info on the event being thrown by AS Program Board here.  I’ve always admired comedians, especially improv performers, for their ability to think quickly on their feet but also to spread some fun in the world!  I heard the name of this group and instantly said, “Isn’t that a TV show?” Ahhhh yes, my memory serves me well.  The group had their own show on Comedy Central for three seasons from 1998-2000 based off of the popularity of their Chicago and New York theaters and improv workshops.  Even more inspiring is that one of the founding members of this comedy troupe is Amy Poehler of Saturday Night Live – Parks & Recreation – Mean Girls – Baby Momma – fame, a lot of which include one of my other all-time faves, TINA FEY!!!!  Watch the below, and TRY to tell me that smart women can’t be funny:

So I started doing a little digging on Amy Poehler and found out that this woman is one Kick Ass Career Chick.  Along with her popular roles in tv shows and films, she is also part of a project called Smart Girls At The Party with her friends Meredith Walker, a producer,  and Amy Miles, host of PBS’ Lomax: Hound of Music.  Their show airs on ON Networks.com and is a way of inspiring pre-teen girls by showcasing the many talents of the average smart girl next door.  I was absolutely charmed by this show and hear this inner voice in me screaming, “MORE!!!!! MORE of this on TV!!!! MORE of this content for smart girls!!!”  Take a look and spread the word to any lovely young pre-teens you may know.  I think it is absolutely genius:

xoxo,

Vanesa

It’s the first day of April and Spring has finally arrived.  When I think of Spring I think of flowers, beauty, sunny days, cold nights, growth, fertility, and ahhhh yes, SPRING BREAK.  I hope everyone had a joyous break to recharge.  As you can see my last post was in February but I feel ready to finally start fertilizing this garden I call my blog.  I posted the above quote because in all my years of living I’ve FINALLY figured out that there is always spring after a long winter.  Amidst all my complaining and my frustrations, life WILL provide a light at the end of the tunnel.  I guess the important part is to find joy and happiness through the winter, through the spring, through the good, through the bad.  I will work on this…I MUST work on this.  Or else I’m going to end up buying Prozack on the black market and we all know I would rather spend that money on shoes.

I’ve always underestimated the value of the spring break recharge.  This year I finally did it, and I will never, ever, ever scoff at the idea of taking some time to sit by a pool and do absolutely nothing.  Spring took me to the gorgeous locale of Cabo San Lucas.  A two hour flight out of LAX and I felt like I was in a completely different world.  Here are a few of my highlights:

Is this Heaven??? No, my friends.  This is the pool at the Marquis Los Cabos:

Kangaroo Cocktail? Check. Hilarious book by Chelsea Handler? Check. Paradise ahead? Check.

Taken from a speedboat as we set out to go whale watching.

My attempt to eating healthy.  Hopefully this fruit canceled out all the quesadillas:

Now I have two months to work off all of that “rest and relaxation” until summer arrives!

xoxo,

Vanesa

Was there anything better than the last two episodes of Sex and The City?!?!  Carrie whisking away to the fashion Mecca of the world, Paris, living in the Hotel Plaza Athénée and (presumably) eating croissants.  Mr. Big comes to her rescue in his classic suit and Carrie twirling about in a ballerina-esque tulle dress and a white fur stole.  I could wrap those episodes around me like a warm Pottery Barn throw. Ahhhhhh……a girl can dream of dropping everything and jumping on the next flight to Charles De Gaulle right?!?  For a full blown immersion into an appreciation of the French join the UCR French Program and the Department of Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages for the Fifth Annual TournÉes French Film Festival presentation – LIBERTÉ, IDENTITÉ, MODERNITÉ! The film festival will feature French films including a film from last year that I really enjoyed, “The Class”.  Don’t worry, there will be subtitles!

I’ve grabbed the schedule from their website which you can view by clicking here.

February 11-25, 2010
University Village Ultrastar Cinemas
1201 University Avenue, Riverside

Doors open at 6:30 PM
Films at 7:00 PM
General Admission $8.00
Student/Senior Admission $5.00 (with valid ID)

THE CLASS (Entre les murs)

Thursday 11 February

LOVE SONGS (Les chansons d’amour)

Wednesday 17 February

I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime)

Thursday 18 February

THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Les plages d’Agnès)

Wednesday 24 February

THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (La graine et le mulet)

Thursday 25 February

Before you head over to the films get in the mood by……….

Feasting on some macaroons…..

Sipping on a café au lait……

Reading up on Paris……

Taschen’s Paris ($39.99)

Listening to one of MY ALL TIME FAVORITE ALBUMS….

Teri Moïse

au revoir! Vanesa

A few weeks ago the LA post of Babycakes NYC opened up in the Historic Core District of Downtown Los Angeles. New Yorkers, including Gwyneth Paltrow in her GOOP newsletter, have raved about the bakery’s delicious treats that are kosher, vegan, and free of refined sugar, wheat, gluten, soy, casein and eggs. Now the old me would have said, “Well they just took out all the good stuff!” Well I guess that’s where the Babycakes magic kicks in.  According to their online menu,

“BabyCakes NYC is a specialized bakery dedicated to creating high quality, vegan, mostly organic and gluten free confections. Customers can take comfort in the fact that we will never use refined sugar in our baking. Most of our desserts are even sweetened with agave nectar, a low-glycemic syrup. We also proudly use cold-pressed coconut oil. This oil, when taken regularly, is easily digested and high in lauric acid. Studies indicate it can help kill bacteria and yeast, promote healthy heart function, regulate cholesterol levels, fight viral infections and boost metabolism. Please be advised that we do bake with coconut and therefore cannot claim to be nut free. Also, some of our purveyors are not 100% nut free.”

Stepping into the bakery felt like a direct flight to Manhattan. Vintage decor inside the brick building created a sweet, relaxing vibe while employees dressed in pink candy striped outfits happily took orders to the background music of Juvenile’s “Back That Thang Up.” Had I just landed in my own personal Mecca?!?! My red velvet cupcake and English tea cake were moist and delicious. If you hadn’t told me that all the “good stuff” were missing I wouldn’t have noticed or missed them at all. Paired with a warm mint tea and mismatched antique silverware I found myself dancing in delight. A few of the other items on their menu I look forward to trying are:

• A loaf of Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
• Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Yes, there will definitely be a pattern of chocolate)
• Cinnamon Buns
• Macaroons
• Biscuits
• Corn Bread

I really tried not to put their ENTIRE menu because it all looks so wonderful!  Take a stop at their website to find more on their menu, location, blog and a link to follow them on Twitter! And while you’re on Twitter be sure to follow me @VaVaVanesa and @CampusConfidant!

xoxo, Vanesa

On Friday night the “Hope For Haiti Now” Telethon raised a record breaking $58 million.  Like the millions of others that tuned in, seeing the images of Haiti brought me to tears.  I loved seeing all of the performances by so many talented artists and hearing stars like Julia Roberts connect with callers on a real, emotional level.  I made my donation online because I knew that if I got patched through to Reese Witherspoon it would take every ounce of me not to ask what really happened between her and Jake.   Besides the haunting images that were shown I could not get Christina Aguiler’s performance out of my mind this weekend.  I have re-played her performance on YouTube over and over and continue to rave about it to anyone who will listen.  Her voice and passion sent chills down my spine and I am moved every time.  Here it is for all of you to enjoy.  If you didn’t get a chance to donate on Friday you can still do so on the Hope For Haiti Now Website.

Sending all of you peace and love….

xoxo, Vanesa

I heard of this event and instantly loved it!  Two of my favorite things mixed together into a cocktail of fun, food and film, or as ArtPower at UCSD has appropriately named their event, FOOVIES: Lust+Passion+Desire. Wow, this just got a whole lot spicier   The event being held at The Loft tonight will serve up music and food from 7:30-8pm then a showing of the film Dinner Rush at 8 pm.  Now I haven’t seen Dinner Rush so I can’t give you a sales pitch on why you should go out and see it.  But I do know it stars John Corbett and I’m sure there’s some type of “Carrie Bradshaw broke Aiden’s heart twice” obligation that makes me always want to support him.  Also, he charms me over and over again in My Big Fat Greek Wedding every….single….time.  Here’s a breakdown of the film from ArtPower’s site:

When the “star chef” son of proprietor and bookmaker Louis Cropa decides to make changes in the menu of Louis’ hugely popular Italian restaurant, a frenetic evening of comedy is served up to a local police detective, rival gangsters from Queens, and a renowned food nymph. Some things don’t go down so well; other things come up that shouldn’t as the evening boils over with mayhem.
[2001, UK, 98 min.]

My tummy gets all sorts of happy when I read the menu they have planned:

MENU Entrée:Penne with Shrimp and Spicy Tomato Sauce; Antipasto Salad; and Trio of Dips with Assorted Breads. Desserts: Meyer Lemon Pine Nut Tart with Citrus Mascarpone and Ricciarelli Cookies. Wine Choice: An assortment of Italian and Californian wines. Menu subject to change.

Admission price ($26) includes the music, food, and the movie.  Now go on and purchase your ticket here, there will be plenty of nights for you to eat Dominoe’s Delivery.  And while you’re in the Italian spirit go on and play this:

Second, if you’re not old enough to enjoy a glass of vino you can drink some of this:

Vignette Wine Country Soda – Rose’ ($28.50-12pack)

xoxo, Vanesa

The lineup for the Coachella Music Festival was announced today and includes my personal hero, Jay-Z, along with some other favorites of mine—MGMT, She&Him, Gossip, DJ Z Trip, Coheed and Cambria, Thom Yorke and Yo La Tengo!  The blogosphere is a buzz saying the lineup is too much of a mixed bag but I say “who wants a bag full of the same ol stuff?!?!”  Last time I checked, every time I got to take a trip to the Sweet Factory store at the mall my bag always had a feisty variety of Very Cherry Jelly Beans, Sour Patch Kids, German Rasberries, Candy Corn and chocolate-covered gummy bears.

If you plan on going you’ll need to start planning as soon as possible.  Tickets ($269) go on sale January 22nd at 10 am and can be purchased at the Coachella site here. Or you can stop into any of the following locations:

GLASSHOUSE (Record Store)
248 W 2nd St., Pomona, CA
CASH ONLY
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

FINGERPRINTS
4612 E 2nd St, Long Beach, CA
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

EL REY THEATRE
(next door at Cowboys & Turbans)
5515 Wilshire Blvd, LA, CA
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

The TICKETS page of the Coachella site also has information on Tents and RVs but if you’re like me, I’m not really one for camping.  A lot of the bigger hotels sell out fast so check out my post on Palm Springs mini-vacay on a budget. I outlined a lot of great places to stay, eat and shop out in the desert in this post from a few months ago.

Last year when I attended Coachella I had a raucous good time.  It started with a trek down the 10 Freeway which I had actually never driven down, a stop into an Inland Empire El Pollo Loco (where the locals looked at my friend Kate and me as if we were the queens straight out of Too Wong Foo ahem, “Little Latin boy in drag why are you crying?”), a major spillage of a caramel Frappucino all over my dress and check-in to a teeny tiny motel that I could have monkey bar climbed onto the 10 from.  The rest of my Coachella adventure can be explained in a triple-dog-dare that I took on captured in digital photo glory here:

There’s not a lot I can say about that photo.  It explains itself…a lifetime of shame and memories…

xoxo, Vanesa