OOTN: Night Out with Friends in Manhattan

Hey everyone! Summer is, unfortunately, wrapping up for me. I go back to college on Sunday (isn't that so crazy!) to start my sophomore year. I am very excited, but also nervous about the new school year. With going back to school, comes lots of goodbyes. Last night, I went out for dinner with my friends; Shannan, Aubrey, and Alexa for a meal at 'Serafina Meatpacking' before we all go back to school. 

My blouse has been seen before on the blog...here when I wore it to Easter, but I love it too much to not wear.

The blouse is from Cue Boutique.

The skirt is from Forever 21 (I just bought it for $15!)

I am wearing sparkly new Adidas Superstars with the outfit to keep it casual.

I told my friends to get in for the Outfit of the Night, in the future I'll make some videos with them for what they're wearing! Shannan and Aubrey have been featured in my latest video: spilling the TEA on our FRESHMAN YEAR| providence college, Boston University, Loyola Maryland

Part 2 of our Q&A will come out soon!

I'm not sure where Shannan's outfit is from, but three out of four of us all opted for sneakers to wear for our dinner.

Chelsea/Meatpacking is such a nice area to take pictures. I am trying to do more outfit of the days, so I loved having the background of the city and the company. 

I'll have so many more videos and blog posts coming out soon!

xx

Christina Madeleine

Second Semester Planning & Schedule

Happy Thursday! I've been getting back into the grind of school, so on Sunday I wasn't able to post, but here I am still on schedule (sticking with posts Sunday and/or Thursday). I've now made it a week and a half into my new semester of college. As you know, my first semester was rather rough (check that out with my posts: " Thoughts and Ramblings of a First Semester College Freshman and Whats Happened to Me in the First Month of College ). Not to dwell too much on my first semester, but I already have such a better feeling about this new semester! I was able to make my schedule myself opposed to last semester where they just gave it to me.

Here's what classes I am taking and what time's (it's slightly hard to wake up at times, but I love it).

Western Civilization (Semester 2 out of 4)
In my previous posts, I've mentioned Development of Western Civilization (or 'Civ' as everyone at Providence College calls it). This course is mandatory for every student to take, which makes the school very unique to others. It's four semesters and this semester is more focused on the Enlightenment and the high middle ages. I am currently reading The Two Lives of Charlemagne and The Song of Roland for this class. My first-semester experience with Civ was very positive, but I changed to a different team of teachers, so I still have to adjust.
My class times are Mondays (8:30am-10:20am), and Tuesday/Thursday (8:30-9:20).
This is my only class on Thursday's! So I have the day free to do work and catch up on all my readings for class.

Intro to Literature
On top of my core curriculum- my college makes us fulfill proficiencies (this course would fulfill an Intensive Writing-1), but I am also taking this course because I definitely needed to take an English class again. I am planning on pursuing a minor in writing, and this course is the first step in doing so. We are currently reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I am so excited to be reading it again, and possibly doing a book review on it. Other books we are planning to read are Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill and Sula by Toni Morrison. We are also doing units on poetry and writing, which I am absolutely excited for!
My class times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays (9:30am-10:20am)

Elementary Italian 101
My father's side of the family is Italian, and my mother's side is Irish-American; so, I've never been completely exposed to the language or culture from Italy before. I have been able to meet and skype with family from Italy, but I finally wanted to be able to learn the language. I love learning languages and I would ultimately one day want to be able to speak Italian, Spanish, and French (which I have no knowledge of ). I've been a bit nervous in class because I want to respond in Spanish, but overall I am excited to be taking a language course again. I've been even contemplating studying abroad in Italy my Junior year of college.
My class times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays (10:30am-11:20am)

Microeconomics 101
Since I am part of the business school (Marketing major!), it's part of the Business core to take both macroeconomics and microeconomics. Last semester, I took macroeconomics and I loved that class, My teacher was so fun, and I found that I could easily comprehend the material. There was even a point in time that I considered changing my major to Economics, but alas I decided to stay in the Business school. Micro is a bit less exciting than macro, but the material is very useful. Economics helps you have a better understanding of political financial decisions and what's overall better for the economy. I recommend taking a basics course, but also Khan Academy and other free websites have great videos about the subject.
My class times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (2:30pm-3:20pm)

Managerial Accounting 
Accounting has been one of my worst struggles in college. Accounting is another requirement to fulfill in the Business school (one semester Financial and one semester Managerial), and it's the hardest subject for me to grasp. My teacher is very helpful (and even make YouTube videos), and he explains everything very clearly, yet when I am on my own I can't seem to do the problems. This is definitely the subject I am going to have to put the most time and effort into. My father also studied Finance and Accounting in college, so he is always a Facetime away.
My class times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (1:30pm-2:20pm)

Data Applications in Business (DAB)
This course is also a requirement for the Business school, and it's to make students proficient in Microsoft word and excel. It's definitely a skill that's worthy to learn.
My class time is Tuesdays 12:30pm-2:15pm


So... my schedule is a bit busy! Last semester, I felt as if I wasted so much time because I wouldn't have my first classes until 10:00 or 10:30 in the morning. Now, I have an 8:30 or 9:30 every day and I've been enjoying my day more. I'll wake up, make a coffee in my Keurig, and then go to breakfast before class. I also find myself planning my schedule a lot more for the week because I have my classes more frequently now. A downside is there are about three days a week where I will have four classes, but it never feels overwhelming.

I've also been making a goal for myself to go to the gym because I am more focused on taking care of myself this semester. I think going 3-5 times a week would be ideal and going to Zumba and Yoga classes, but also using the cardio and strength machines. Last week, I had gone to the gym three times and I already felt better than I had the month I stayed at home. Also, I've been sleeping better because of my hectic days + making time to workout. Although I go to bed between 10:45pm and 11:30pm I still am able to get up and feel awake (except for a few days where you can find me taking a nap in my dorm room between my last class and choir) and stay awake for most of the day with a little help of my water bottle and coffee.

I'm trying my best to achieve my resolutions, and I have the motivation so far.
What are some tips that you have to utilize your day? or to remain/get healthy? How are your resolutions going, if you have any?

Follow my new Instagram for the blog to see my life daily!
https://www.instagram.com/christinaxmadeleine/

xx

Christina Madeleine

A Quick Trip to the Met

Happy Sunday! On January 9, I was back on the Upper East Side and decided to go to one of my favorite places in the world...the Metropolitan Museum of Art! My friend, Aubrey, and I wanted to go there since it had been a while, and we were both heading to college soon (only 45 minutes apart from each other!). If you don't know, I used to go to high school right across the street from the Met, and during that time I've fostered a great love for the museum.

 My favorite exhibits in the museum are the Greek and Roman statues, Temple of Dendur, French & Italian paintings, the American Wing, and the Japanese art. In art history class, I was able to learn about the artists and types of art, and all about the time period, they were created in. A fun fact I learned in high school is that most of the marble statues in the room that I am shown in above are not the original statues, but marble replicas of bronze statues that were melted down in Rome. These marble replicas of Greek statues were recreated by Romans. The original bronze sculptures were created in first to third century B.C, but the marble statues were created between 2-5 century A.D. If you ever come to the Met, I recommend coming to this gallery!

 Of course, you have to take photos by the glass windows in the Temple of Dendur!

One of the rooms used for the Met Gala each year is the Temple of Dendur, so technically speaking, some of your favorite stars have been in this room. I love coming to this exhibit because it's super spacious, and has the real Temple that was from Egypt (you can even walk in it), and a sphinx. You have to walk through the Egyptian section of the Met to get to it, and on one of the walls is the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

 I've been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art probably around 100 times between art history courses, spontaneous visits, bringing foreign friends, and events. Aubrey and I have even realized how accustomed we are to being there that we sometimes forget that we are even in a museum. If you ever catch me there you can most likely hear me talking about how crazy it is that humans made this art, spinning around while talking about how cool history is, or trying to make the security guards laugh or talk to me by saying absurd comments about the art. It's all in good fun though :)

Aubrey and I spent some time in the American Wing (and the cafe within it). I have come to this room so many times, and I still never get tired of it. There is a skylight, so we sat there eating broccoli & cheddar soup (we had a coupon!) from the cafe and talking while within the walls of a beautiful museum. Although I wouldn't recommend always coming to the Met to eat because there are a ton of other places to go in the area, it was a nice treat!

Thanks for reading! There should be another post coming up about other things I did while back home for Winter Break. Have you ever been to the Met? What was your favorite exhibit?

xx

Christina Madeleine

Also! I made a new Instagram just for my blog! So please follow me there to see all the live updates about what I am doing! https://www.instagram.com/christinaxmadeleine/

Dorm Tour *Freshman Year at Providence College*

Hey everyone! With school starting up again soon, I wanted to show you all what my dorm room looks like! As you know, I am currently a freshman and I will be entering my second semester on January 14. I still want to decorate my dorm a bit more, but this is what my roommate and I have.

*sorry that the photos are a bit blurry, I can update this post eventually with more high definition pictures*

The dorm I am in has cork boards already installed so I printed out some photos to put up on it. I also pin notes my friends have given to me, letters, and papers that I for events on campus. My poster is the album cover of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. To the left (where my scarf is hung up), is a small closet that I hang up my clothes in, keep extra towels, tide pods, and shoes. My shelf was $25 from Amazon and I built it myself during Columbus Day Weekend.

On the top shelf, I keep my record player, and a cup cozy. The second shelf I keep a teddy bear that is wearing the 'M' from my high school's name. I keep half my records on that shelf (and the rest at my house). The bottom shelf, which is not shown, has my textbooks and reading books.

There are three girls dorms for freshmen, and I am the only that's all-doubles (meaning I have one roommate). But by default, I am in the smallest dorm and have a twin size bed that's lofted. I have to catapult myself onto the bed or use the radiator to get up on to it.

My comforter: PBTeen

Good Vibes Sign (Blue LED): Bath, Bath, and Beyond

Clothesline for Pictures: Bath, Bath, and Beyond

Maroon Blanket: Either BJ's or Costco

The lighting is very dark in my room, so on weekends, I keep the blue lights from my sign on. I am on the eighth floor, and you can see that my dorm room is blue from the ground. I also keep up a Providence College hockey flag.

Between my roommate and I's beds, we have our mini fridge/freezer and our microwave. We originally had a television, but we got rid of it since we didn't want to block our pretty nice view of Providence. I bought the microwave from Target for around $35. We keep bowls and water bottles on there usually. We keep cups and utensils in the fridge caddy.

I took these pictures right before I left for winter break because I wanted to post up about my dorm before I come back and inevitably make my side a mess. Under my bed, I have two sets of drawers to keep clothes in, baskets for shoes, and then huge gray containers to keep other miscellaneous and extra items. When my roommate and I are actually living in this room (notice my bags are there), we keep boxes of food by the fridge for us to microwave and such. We also have desks that are against our beds that we use the back of as headboards but is very spacious. I don't usually like to do work in the room because I rather work in the student center, great room, or library; but it does come in handy to have a desk.

On my roommate's side, we have more storage that we use for snacks and drinks, and on top of that, we have a set up for our Keurig. This comes in handy for when the Dunkin Donuts on campus is closed, or it's 10 at night and all you want is a cup of tea. My friends on other floors even come to use the coffee machines sometimes if they need caffeine.

Despite dorming in such a small room, I have made this area my space. I like coming back to the room and knowing I can take a nap or just decompress for a bit. One reason, I try to not do work in my dorm is to make it an area I can relax in and not be stressed. I sometimes will study in there, but I don't do homework if I can help it. My roommate and I live really well together and even coordinated our room to have a theme of turquoise, blue, gray, and white.

In the coming semester, I can try to do more of an updated dorm room tour (with better pictures), but thanks for checking out this post!

What is your college dorm room like if you are at college? or what was it like? Did you/do you have more than one roommate? What is your dream dorm room like?

Leave a comment!

xx

Christina Madeleine

Thoughts and Ramblings of a First Semester College Freshman

So...it's been a month since my last update. To me, it's very strange that I haven't updated in that long because I am constantly talking about my blog and thinking of ideas, yet don't write anything. I've decided instead of apologizing in every post, that I will make 2019 my year with 'This Fashion Girl' because, at this point, this blog is part of me.

What's this post about? Well, I have learned a lot in the last 3.5 months of being in college, and have some thoughts and experiences I want to write about.

1. The first two weeks are the absolute worst

In all the movies and stories, you hear about how college is such a magical time from the point of moving into your dorm to graduation. My first day was so stressful starting with finding a bug into my desk to not being able to find half my items. Also, there was a pressure to "go out" that night, and I was so exhausted I just went to bed. My orientation group was not very friendly, and it's funny now because I am very good friends with my leader for activities, but not close with all the initial people I met. I also cried so much during the first two weeks because it felt that everyone found friends so quickly, which is absolutely not the case. There is also a jump from taking high school classes to college classes (different times, and time management), which is hard at first.

2. It's 100% okay to not feel like you fit in 

I say this all the time to my friends here, but I don't feel like I fit a type of mold that the people at my school are. I stand out in different ways (for example I am one of the only people that come from New York City in my grade) or I will wear some eccentric pieces that no one would care about at home, but here people will stare. I also try my hardest in classes (even ones that are slightly boring), and I am very eager to learn, and sometimes it feels like everyone around me hates being in classes. There are times where I feel like I stand out for negative reasons, but I've also met people that like to be creative, and talk about intellectual things, and those people who are "your people" come in time. As long as you love the college you go to, fitting in should never be a worry. People are drawn to those who stand out than those who blend with the crowd.

3. Everyone is struggling, it just might not seem like it 

The worst part of the beginning of college was looking at the social media of my friends from home, and feeling like they are having so much fun...and I wasn't. Everyone posts on social media their new friends, and all the parties they go to, but no one will post all the times they cried, stressed, or homesick.

4.  Some friendships from home are just "high school friendships"

My best friend from home, Bree, said this to me a few weeks ago when I was very upset about how a friend of ours had been treating me since they stepped into college and before. I am not saying ditch your friends from home as soon as you get to college (those are some of the worst types of people), but if a friend from home isn't treating you right; it's okay to let go of them and just keep the memories.

5. You meet people in the weirdest ways

My friend group in college was formed by a bunch of coincidences, and honestly, I can't picture life at PC without them. My childhood friend from pre-school and I reunited this year, and through her, I met two girls who happened to live two dorms down from me (and I didn't even know that until three weeks into the school year), and our group grew to six people. These girls have been my rock for the last few months, and we have gone through some whacky adventures in Rhode Island. I've also met people through getting ready on the floor bathroom, filming videos, and going to Bingo.

6. Taking part in activities that YOU enjoy is a saving grace

The first club I joined when I got to college is a choir. As you know, I sang in my high school choir for four years, and I decided to continue in college. Singing is very important to me, and to have a small community of people I spent two hours a week with sounded like the thing I needed to not be so sad at school. I also joined PCTV (you can check out the tab to see the videos that feature me), and I did that because that's what I wanted to do and be part of. In the next semester, I plan on joining more activities in order to meet more people, and further develop my interests. '

7. Working hard is SO IMPORTANT

College is no time to slack off. In most of my classes, our homework counted for very little and our grades were solely based on group projects and tests. In group projects, you need to pull your wait or your group will be penalized and everyone knows the person in the group that is doing nothing. If you don't understand something, the professor moves on and you need to go to tutoring or office hours. A few posts ago, I talked about how much I didn't like my classes, but when I worked so hard this semester to understand and honestly it hasn't been that bad. Two of my best classes were Macroeconomics and Math when I really thought it would be Western Civ. I felt so defeated in high school and felt as if so many people were smarter than me, but at PC I feel so smart and accomplished. Professors will recognize hard-working students and be more thankful and nice towards the students that seem interested than the ones who look bored.

8. I definitely need to take better care of myself

There were times when I would go to bed at 2am and wake up at 9am for my 10am class, and I honestly hated going to bed that late. I wasn't doing work. I was on my phone. Next semester, I need to go to bed early, eat better, and go to the gym. It's so easy not to workout and makes excuses, but I would waste so much time on my phone when I could've gone to a yoga or Zumba class. I would find excuses to eat dessert at every meal and feel gross later in the day. I have found errors in my ways, and honestly, it's hard to not eat badly when everyone around you is. Also, colleges give out so much free food that might not be the healthiest but is so good (i.e Insomnia cookies and chicken wings).

9. Continue following your passions

I have so many career goals that I want to achieve in my life, but I also have passions outside of my major. I plan on pursuing a writing minor (and possibly economics) with my Marketing major because I love English (can't you tell?). I am working next semester to take classes that not only fulfill my core requirements but also make me want to go to them. I plan on sticking with blogging and posting more because that's what I like to do, and in the long run I know will be worth it.


Thank you so much for following me along this journey of self-growth and education.

Here's a picture of me in Haven Brothers diner at 12:30am.

My outfit:

Skirt- TopShop

Black Tights- H&M

Black Bodysuit - Forever 21

Christmas Hawaiian Shirt- H&M Men

Here's a picture of me and Ailish on our last "free" night before the rest of finals week

xx

Christina Madeleine

Book Review: Love & Gelato

Hey everyone! I can't believe it's been six months since my last book review! My GoodReads goal is to read 25 books this year, and I am only up to four so far this year. Since it's Summer now, I've decided to get back into reading. For my graduation, my friend Eleanor bought me Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch and I was able to read this book in about five days because I was so captivated by it.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. 

My Thoughts:

To sum up the plot in a straightforward sense: Lina's mother dies in the first few pages of the book, but her mother had arranged for her to move to Italy to live with a father she had never met. The plot is more than that because she is given a journal that her mother wrote from when she spent a year in Italy when she was in her twenties. Lina meet Lorenzo (who goes by the name "Ren") who's mother is from Texas, but they live in Italy, and they become friends instantly. She also meets other teenagers from the International School who all have really interesting back stories, but none of them are fully Italian.

One of my problems with the book is that it all takes place within a week. Lina has a breakdown literally everyday about her mother, and she goes on this journey with Lorenzo after only knowing him for a day. Also her father, Howard, is super chill with the fact that the daughter he never met before literally three days before is going off with a boy he doesn't know on a motorcycle around Italy. Lina also causes so much drama for herself and the friend group that existed prior to arrival, and everyone just takes her side. I feel like the plot should've been over a long period of time because nothing too deep happens, and by the end of the book (literally six to seven days) after the beginning, she decides she loves Italy and wants to stay there. My other problem with the book is that the descriptions of the places in Florence seem like someone looked at a picture of Italy and has never went there before. An example is how she describes Florence, "The climb was totally worth it. The view of Florence was just as stunning as my mother had described it, a sea of red rooftops under an unblemished blue sky and soft green hills circling everything like a big happy hug" (pg.194). I don't know about you, but I didn't really get the feel of Florence from that passage or describing something as a hug. 

Lina did absolutely no research on Italy before moving there. An example (pg 166):

Lorenzo: "Hey do you want to get a gelato?"

Lina: "Whats' that?"

Lorenzo: "Gelato. Italian ice cream. The greatest thing that will ever happen to you."

If you're moving to a different country, wouldn't you do a little research on the food and culture. Don't even get me started about how she literally knows none of the sights of Florence, and asks Lorenzo everything.

Overall, I liked the book because it was a cute summer read and it made me want to go Italy (despite the subpar descriptions). I think it was a cute book and I got excited over the romances in the book, but I don't think it was a "literary masterpiece," but I do recommend if you want a light and cute read.

I usually do favorite quotes, but there weren't any that particularly stood out to me. 

xx

Christina Madeleine

Send me book recommendations!! Friend me on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/55538660-christina

Photo Diary: Ski Trip 2018 + the Women's March

Hey everyone! Since January blogging didn't work out so well, I wanted to share some of the things I did in during that month and in the first few days of February. Also, I am reading quite a few books right now, so hopefully I will have some book reviews up soon. Although I haven't been blogging, I've taken a lot of photos.

School Ski Trip to Okemo Resort, Vermont 

Last year, I went on my school's ski trip for the first time. You can read all about that here. Back in December, Nikki and I went skiing at Hunter Mountain in preparation for this year's ski trip. In January, I spent two days in Vermont to ski and just have fun with the girls in my school.

If you are familiar with Okemo Mountain Resort, there's a green run called Sachem, and I had never done a full run before... until this trip! Previously, we've only done runs that are pretty short also known as the Bull Run. After a 15-minute lift ride, we went down such a cool slope, except we were still pretty scared, but falling is half the fun.

              We skied half way down the mountain to a restaurant just to take pictures of the view.

 The conditions on the first day were so bad that I had to buy a face mask to cover my whole body. Not a single part of me was showing. Every time I would talk to someone, I would have to say my name because they couldn't recognize me.

 I use this app called 1SE (one second a day), which compiles a second every day into a video. This was a short clip from the day with some of my friends.

It's not a ski trip without waffles!

The Women's March

In January, I took part in the Women's March in NYC. I loved the idea of #PowerToThePolls because the only way to see real change in the United States is through new representatives, policy change, and legislation. I have to say though, the Women's March in New York was very disappointing because there was no passion. People walked the streets in silence, which would've been good if it were a silent protest, but the Women's March is all about using your voice and empowering people. I was so sad that people cared more about going on there phones than actually making noise and getting messages across.

 We spent hours before the March making signs.

Thank you for reading my blog! I will be back with new posts soon. Also, check out some of the other places I write for here.

Don't forget to leave comments!

OOTD: Thrift Shopping 11/25/17

Hey everyone! A few weeks back, two of my friends and I went thrift shopping in the East Village and Lower East Side of Manhattan. I've always liked the idea of thrift shopping, but I never end up buying many items. There are so many thrift stores in New York, so I am excited to start trying to find more items from these places. On November 25, I went shopping at AuH2O (Goldwater - located 84 E 7th street) and The Monk (located on 97 E 3rd street). I only bought two items, a blue and back flannel jacket and white sunglasses (now known as 'clout goggles' or Kurt Cobain sunglasses). There will definitely be photos of me wearing the sunglasses soon...(possibly on New Year's!).

                                                                             My outfit

                                       Fake Ripped High-waisted Jeans - American Eagle Outfitters

                                       Black and Blue Flannel Jacket  - AuH2O (thrifted for $17)

                                                             Adidas Stan Smith Sneakers

                                                    Long-sleeved black shirt - Forever 21

                          My grandmother had a huge scarf collection, so my pink roses scarf is from her.

Originally Nikki, Marina, and I went into The Cure (a thrift shop located on 111 E 12th street), and it is very nice in there, but the prices aren't really what we were looking for.  We found a fur coat that was over $300, so we decided that this place was a bit too expensive, but they had some very good pieces of clothing. Unfortunately, we weren't willing to pay those prices.

The Cure has very eccentric items of clothing. Unlike other thrift stores, such as L Train Vintage, they have a certain aesthetic of clothing they are trying to upkeep. Many of the pieces have bright patterns on them.

The Cure had everything from home decorations to sandals to ugly Christmas sweaters.

After going to The Cure, my friends and I went to lunch at Wagamama (located on 210 5th Ave).  We all got different orders of ramen. My order was ramen with tofu, sprouts, an omelette, and mushrooms. We also had edamame and a chicken dish for appetizers.

After we finished thrifting, Nikki and I went to ViVi Bubble Tea (located on 5002 5th Ave). This place's bubble tea is so good. We ordered our drinks with cotton candy on it, and there is a whole order on how to drink the bubble tea. I definitely recommend this place!

I hope you enjoyed this post. I plan on doing more posts similar to this because I love doing different activities in New York City. 

Have you ever been thrift shopping? What places where you live do you recommend?

                                                                                xx
                                                                  Christina Madeleine

OOTN: Dinner at Nobu

Hey everyone! I am back for another Sunday post (I know I skipped a week awhile back). Last month, it was my dad's birthday so we went to Nobu for dinner. Despite how hot the weather has previously been in New York City, I wore pants and definitely had to take photos in them. Also, the food at Nobu is so good and I took photos of that too.


Pictures of Food ( I don't know the name of it, but it's very pretty)

 This was a tuna tar tar dish, that my family split between the three of us. The green olive-looking item was actually a small peach.

 I believe this was also a tuna dish, but I am not certain. I loved the display of this dish.

 The lobster dish was absolutely amazing, and once again the presentation was so nice. The lobster corpse was there for show, and we didn't have to do any of the work to eat it ourselves.

 This was an octopus appetizer. I keep describing everything as amazing, but this restaurant is a bit pricey, but 100% worth it.

 Nobu is an Asian Fusion restaurant, and they have everything from sushi to cooked meals.

                                  Mochi!!!! I am absolutely obsessed with this dessert.

 Nobu Downtown is located in the original New York AT&T building, and it was cool to see the old building with such a hip, new restaurant.

My Outfit:
Red Top - Macy's
Pattern Pants - Macy's
Heeled Boots - Thrift Shopped from Buffalo Exchange


I know this was a quick post, but I am back on my posting game. Hope you guys like this insight into my life. Also, we are so close to 70,000 views on this blog (that's crazy!!). 

See you guys with a new post next Sunday (it's a book review!)

                                                                          xx
                                                             Christina Madeleine

Bands and Concerts: June 2016

Hey everyone! Obviously, I have a lot of posts to do considering I didn't update ALL SUMMER (please someone yell at me for that). I am going to call this month basically the month of writing posts that I should have done months ago. In June I went two concerts which were both GA (general admission) and I wanted to share my experience and some pictures. Both concerts were in Manhattan.

June 15:  The Neighbourhood (the NBHD) @ TERMINAL 5
Opening Acts: Kevin Abstract, and MOTHXR

*my pictures for the opening acts are pretty blurry, so I will just write about them*

Kevin Abstract : I previously didn't know who he was because usually indie bands pick groups and singers that aren't super popular to open up for them. I tried to listen to his music beforehand and it's pretty good in my opinion. He sings alone but he has 10-12 people on stage frozen the whole entire set. Some people had bandanas over their faces or wigs, and they were holding roses and flags.
His soundcloud is https://soundcloud.com/kevinabstract and he is also on Spotify.

Mothxr: I couldn't really hear this band very well when I was at the concert because the venue I was at was very loud and super crowded (I'll get to that). If you watched Gossip Girl, Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey) is the main singer of this band.

The Neighbourhood: I love the Neighborhood, and have since 2013. They are one of the few bands I would listen to on repeat when I was in middle school. Their sound has changed a bit since the album I Love You (which contains the song Sweater Weather). One of my favorite songs by them is R.I.P 2 My Youth. If you look at some of past post I have definitely mentioned them before. Jesse Rutherford is one of my favorite people and being super close to him was actually amazing. If you look him up, he's currently dating Devon Lee Carson and their relationship is flawless (get the pun  if your a fan of this band).

About the concert:   This was my second concert at Terminal 5 (my first was was the 1975). This venue holds 3,000 people and it gets super crowded. My friend and I managed to push ourselves about three people away from barricade. The NBHD took so long to come out that people were passing out because everyone is packed together like sardines. If you are within the first five people from barricade, the security guards pour water in your mouth to prevent fainting. It wasn't my first concert, so I have gotten pretty good at being able top push myself to the front of venues with GA, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who want to do it for their first concert. ALSO there were peoples' hair all over me because we were that close. I recommend tying your hair up if you are going to go to a GA concert with over a thousand people. Also, I wore dark eyeliner and it was running down my face by the end of the concert because of the heat.


June 18: Swim Deep @ Webster Hall
Opening Act: Vista Kicks

Vista Kicks: First thing I have to say is that this band is going to be great. They are a group from California made up of four guys. They have a pretty good sound, they have a small album called Chasing Waves and the two songs I really liked from that album are 'Chasing Waves' and 'Mona Lisa'.  After the show my two friends and I got to meet the band and I got their autographs.

Swim Deep: This was my second time seeing Swim Deep live. The first time I saw them was when I saw the 1975 because they were the opening act. After that concert I became obsessed with the band and my favorite songs by them are Soul Trippin, King City, Namaste, and The Sea. They are a British band and have two albums called 'Where the Heaven Are We' and 'Mothers'. To see them, the tickets were only $15. My friend was able to meet Cavan from Swim Deep and take a picture with him, and the three of us were able to meet Tom. There are five people in the band.

About the concert:  This concert took place at the Studio @ Webster Hall. This venue is made up of three parts, there is the 18+ part where Jack Garratt was performing at the time, the club for 21+, and lastly the studio is for 16+. When we walked into the studio we were able to walk right up to the stage and stay front row because it was a very small room with a bar and some space for people to watch the band. In the end, I believe there was about 75 people in the room. It was so relaxed because the crowd was full of good people. After concerts at the studio, you have about an hour to meet the bands that performed and buy merch or just talk to them. I was able to talk to Vista Kicks and they were super cool (afterwards they liked my picture on Instagram, and one of the members followed my friend). I would definitely go see them again because they have a good sound. Swim Deep is definitely going to become more popular, and they give a good show.



Questions: Have you gone to any concerts this Summer or any at all? Who do you want to see perform?

                                                                      xx
                                                         Christina Madeleine