My first bite out of Apple

(Photo Credit -- Apple)

So I'm giving in -- and I've convinced my daddy that it's worth it. I'm buying a 13-inch MacBook Pro for college (and hey, it comes with a free iPod touch!) after owning IBM, Dell, and Toshiba laptops for the past ten years -- all PCs.

Why? Well, first of all, my Toshiba is very heavy and I find it more suitable as a laptop for my little sister to have in her room. She doesn't have to carry books and a laptop across the relatively-vast Columbia campus and potentially New York City, after all. I really need a smaller and lighter laptop.

Second, I'm not a computer programmer and I'm not a gamer. I know my way around computers but I can't build one nor can I write software for one. I'm geeky when it comes to web design and graphics, and Macs have a great interface for my obsessive photo collections.

Third, they're not only sleek and pretty -- they're also relatively environmentally-friendly and made of very durable and sustainable material. And I mean, they look nice while they're at it.

Fourth, new school, new city, new life, new laptop. It all comes together.

Fifth, well, I just got my AP scores today, and I've earned fifteen graduation credits out of a maximum sixteen that I can earn from AP exams. I'm even exempted from the foreign language requirement, but I'm leaning towards taking French anyway. My daddy is pleased, I'm pleased -- and I will treat myself.

So, Mac users: Should I get the three-year Apple Protection Plan? Is it worth it? What are some problems you've had with your Mac?

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Miss Couturable

(Photo Credit -- ColcaSac)

P.S. I will probably purchase the ColcaSac sleeve in Red Delicious to protect the MacBook Pro. It's durable, discreet and not tacky, and made of sustainable hemp. Any other suggestions?

Learn Chinese: easy as 1, 2, 3 (and 4 magazines)

(Photo Credit -- Noel Duan)

China is a country founded on the past and tilted towards the future. Amidst the art deco skyscrapers are sensational ancient palaces and temples in bright colors rivaling those of Missoni prints. All women wear high heels no matter much they have to walk (image is very important over there). Children go to school from 6:00am to 9:00pm in hopes of gaining entrance to the top universities -- for some, it's their only escape to a better future.

My father came from a poor farm village in China, and the question, "Why do all of the children from that village seem so successful nowadays?" was brought up.

My father's friend, also from the same village and now living in Beijing, answered, "Because we were poor and those who have nothing, learn to fight for something." Point noted.

At a local bookstore in Chengdu, Sichuan, I picked up four Chinese fashion magazines: Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, and Madame Figaro -- all Chinese editions of foreign publications.
It was delightful to see that Madame Figaro enclosed a pattern (with explicit permission) for making a frock à la Parisian designer Gaspard Yurkievich -- complete with instructions in Chinese too! I adore this DIY idea and I wish more American magazines had this feature.

The truth is, I didn't embrace my Chinese heritage as a child. I quit Chinese school in middle school, barely scooped up the skills to use chopsticks in high school, had little interest in the Chinese fashion industry (other than sweatshop research and advocacy), and shunned Chinese pop stars (I now embrace Jay Chou -- and his abs -- with all my heart).

So, as I took the taxi back to my room with these four magazines in my hands, I gave myself a summer goal. A real summer goal, by the way -- originally, my only summer goal was to beat all 34 levels of BrickBreaker on my Blackberry (I am only at level 16 right now).

With my giant Chinese-English dictionary by my side, I am going to improve my Chinese language skills by reading these four Chinese fashion magazines. I will not just look at the spreads and advertisements as I usually do -- I will read the articles. I will appreciate Chinese journalism. I will learn to read Chinese beyond menus and street signs and Jay Chou song titles.

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Miss Couturable

P.S. Speaking of foreign languages, what language should I add to my repertoire in college? Currently I speak English, Mandarin-Chinese, and Spanish. Shall I add French? Italian? Swahili?!

Blocked?

I'll be in China from June 20th to July 4th -- and I heard China blocked Blogger (why, oh why).

Until then, you can email me while I try to figure out a way to access Miss Couturable (is there a way?). Please have a beautiful summer wherever you are!

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Miss Couturable

College Applications: The Essays

Junior year, I was told by my darling college counselor to start writing my college application essays over the summer. I had heard far-fetched stories of students who finished all of their essays and short answer responses over the summer and lived carefree lives as seniors for the rest of the year, but instead I chose to write the bulk of my applications during the school year and suffer.

And actually, it wasn't a bad idea. I stressed over my imperfect essays for months, only to finally submit them with three clicks of a mouse and never open up those documents ever again. For those rising seniors who are starting to think about what to write on their college applications, I have a few words of advice (words of wisdom? I'm not so sure about that):

1. You will change as a person throughout the year, so expect your essays to change too. I never thought my priorities would change in six months, but I knew in December that I was not the same person that I was in July. You might think you're getting a headstart by finishing your Common Application essay in July, but you might think the essay wasn't "you" anymore by September. That's okay -- be flexible.
2. Reuse essays whenever you can to save time. I used my Common Application essay for my University of Southern California essay by tweaking the words. Just make sure you're always answering the prompt.
3. Those "Why X School?" essays are a pain, but be sincere anyway. Don't be generic about why you want to attend the school -- be passionate and specific and imagine yourself as a student there. Show them that you belong and will thrive there.
   
4. If you have a college counselor or teacher willing to read your essays, please let them. I had a classmate who didn't allow her college counselor to read a single one of her essays or responses. Even if you choose not to follow your teacher or counselor's advice, take advantage of it if it's available to you! I realized early on that my counselors and teachers could provide me perspectives on my essays that I couldn't see before.
5. Write about a specific moment or event. At least, for private colleges and universities, it's easier to see the "real" you and not a rundown of your achievements if you write about a specific moment that impacted you or shaped you. Everyone likes anecdotes, right?
6. Don't panic if you don't know what to write about. If you experience something this summer that could potentially become a good essay, jot it down in your notebook! Brainstorming and letting the prompt topic sit in your head for a few days do wonders.
7. Don't offend the reader. Taken straight from my college counselor's mouth, don't write about the guns you're going to bring into your dorm room or your support of the Ku Klux Klan (I'm totally exaggerating, but you get the gist).
8. Proofread carefully. Your counselor or teacher or parent or friend or sibling is not your proofreader -- you are. Print out a draft and read over it while marking the mistakes and corrections.
9. After submission, relax and walk away from the computer. Well, you should still open up the submitted application to check for any errors, but don't keep revisiting the document.
   

I had a lot of fun writing the college application essays, but I may just be saying that in rosy retrospection. Good luck, m'dears!

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Miss Couturable

The jeweler of Wonderland

I've been reading a lot of books from my not-so-distant childhood lately, perhaps in a pathetic attempt to recapture the innocence and wonder of an eight-years-old Noel sitting in an eggplant-colored armchair at the Corvallis Public Library. After rereading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, I am once again both disturbed and intrigued by the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter in the alternate reality that Alice finds herself in.

Alidra Alic is a Danish jeweler who takes inspiration from 19th century Romantic paintings and visionary literary works, such as the floral and tea party motifs in her Alice's Adventures in Wonderland collection. The rings in the collection are surreal with their warped shapes and imperfect designs -- interestingly, Alic admits incorporating alcohol as a theme into this collection.

My personal favorite is the "Drink me" teacup ring. Highly impractical, but Wonderland was never meant to make sense anyway.

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Miss Couturable

Hemp is hip

I've seen a few episodes of Project Runway, but I never followed the television show as closely as some people might expect me to. However, I adore the season five winner, Leanne Marshall -- who also writes a fascinating blog about the design process and post-Project Runway life. Apparently she's also from Northern California, used to sketch costumes for her ballet recital, and lived in Oregon for a while! Something in common, no?

Okay, I'm stretching it (Northern California is a big place, after all), but Leanne Marshall is like Vera Wang meets Calvin Klein meets Erin Fetherston meets California supergoddess minus the stereotypical surfing.

(Photo Credit -- Leanne Marshall)

In her Fall 2009 collection, she combines my three favorite colors -- plum, gold, and gray -- with organic and eco-friendly textiles in a delightfully elegant concoction of Old Hollywood glamour. Carefully placed drapes and folds manipulate the soft texture of the fabric in a demure manner -- not too structured but not quite Greco-Roman drapery either. Tailored but not stuffy.

(Photo Credit -- Leanne Marshall)

A hemp organiza and champagne silk taffeta gown? Please tell me you want this as your wedding dress someday too.

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Miss Couturable

Logo for Miss Couturable

Possibly the most relaxed course I have ever taken in my high school career is Graphic Arts -- I spent the majority of the first two weeks drawing squares and circles on Adobe Illustrator. It was a nice way to end my senior year, with a "chill" teacher ("chill" being the only term I can use to describe him) and some new skills under my belt.

I created two slightly different logos for Miss Couturable -- logos that I currently have no use for but may become useful in the future. I am debating whether the bow is too much as a design element.
Which one do you like better?

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Miss Couturable