reversing a little bit...

___I feel like I've lost my voice a bit. I haven't really, truly been excited about anything I've written this whole year (thanks to the life draining forces of senior year), and I feel...blah. I was reading over my old blogs (Modern Dreamer and Inner & Outer Beauty), and it felt like revisiting old friends. Modern Dreamer was an experiment in blogging: me trying to see what sparked comments and what didn't (short posts vs long posts, pictures vs words, fashion vs photography), and Inner & Outer Beauty was like visiting a best friend who made me laugh and sympathize all at once. I can see why Inner & Outer Beauty was a lot more popular than Modern Dreamer...

___I miss being so candid on my blog. I don't really know what exactly I've been doing with The Shoe Corner, but lately I've been going heavy on the pictures and light on the words like I was doing with Modern Dreamer. And it stopped being something enjoyable and became something compulsory. I started worrying about gearing it towards fashion and personal style (which, let's face it, I'm not eccentric or creative enough to become the next Sea of Shoes or Cherry Blossom Girl), and my actual writing was almost like a reiteration of the pictures.

___So, if you've actually been following along with this weird rambling, I'm basically making some changes with my posting. I don't think I'll sound quite as cheesy as I did on Inner & Outer Beauty, but it was fun telling my funny, bitching stories with people. I always knew I'd keep this blog pretty open in terms of subject matter (fashion, beauty, randomness, photography, whatever), and I don't want to get caught up in wondering how to make this blog, which is supposed to a little escape for me, into some kind of business. I'd like to rediscover the voice I was close to finding before life got in the way, and I hope you'll bear with the verbosity that will inevitably ensue until I do. (Don't worry, I'm going to try and keep the pretty pictures going.)

P.S. In case you're wondering why a picture of candy is accompanying a post about me making changes it's because I am still going to try and make sure mainly my photography or the pictures I've captured (from videos or something like that) are used, and this picture was the only fairly new picture I had on my computer!

so nyuh shi dae

___No secret, my interest in all things Asian-related grows every day. My latest love (well not exactly latest, as they were the first Korean song I ever heard actually...)? The nine-member girl group Girls' Generation (or So Nyu Shi Dae/SNSD), signed to the same entertainment company as my main loves, Super Junior. From their leader Taeyon to the maknae Seohyun, I think they're just so adorable and extremely dedicated to their group! And I do find it unfair how much criticism they undergo because I've seen some of the anti-videos, and while a few points made me go "Ooh... mistake" most of it was just harping.
___But that discussion is neither here nor there. These shots are from their first Photobook, and I loved the photographs so much I had to share!

See more here.

new purchases

___Thought I'd share some new things I've purchased and managed to photograph decently enough! These are a few things from my last three trips to the mall with my sister, Nick and Alex.

1. Urban Outfitters Cloche Hat
{Seriously my justification? "I'll be the girl with the pink hat on campus"}

2. Simply Vera Wang Wedges
{I've had my eye on these forever, so when AClosetFashionista posted they were finally on sale for super cheap, I knew it was time to grab them!}

3. This sweater vest from Urban Outfitters.

5. This black skirt from H&M.

___And just so you don't think I shopped with clothes in mind: On these trips I always purchased an Instant Korean Phrasebook, Spanish Grammar book, and I just bought all my textbooks for college!

a little shopping trip

___Not for me though! I went shopping with my friend Nick to help him improve his wardrobe now that he's out of the closet! (Though I did get a little something for myself at H&M!) I picked him out some nice shirts that were still him and yet a bit nicer than his normal "geek" combo. And of course, going shopping with a photographer is always a chance to get nice outfit shot. Though it was a tad awkward taking pictures in a mall....

___This outfit is my comfy, go-to kind of outfit. And since it was raining, the long sleeves and flannel were perfect. {Shirt-Heritage1981, Shorts-DIY cut offs, Sandals-Cynthia Vincent for Target, Necklace-Beach, Belt-Kohls, Toes-Orly Green with Envy}

By the way, though I'm late: Happy August!

hairstyles...

___So, I've tried something a bit different with my hair for the first time since probably some point in the winter! Ninety percent of the time I leave my hair to do it's own thing. Back when I was on break from swimming, I curled it basically every day. And when I did swim, I usually let it air dry (to prevent any further damage) to its frizzy state or I threw it all up in a bun and pinned my bangs back. My goal this year is to try different hairstyles that keep my hair out of my face, and manage to look a little better than the average hanging there hair. This style is a favorite, and if I wasn't going off to work after, I would've taken the time to curl it. Here's the how-to-video here! I discovered it when I was looking for pictures of the hairstyle I wanted to get.