locks [of] love

<3

JUSTsmile

A few visual reminders that the best way to live your life is [with a smile on your face] LIFE IS GOOD.

I love the drawings and [light]hearted animated Korean characters I see spread throughout the city. You're allowed [even encouraged] to draw on the walls of restaurants, bars, bathrooms.... you name it! When you start taking yourself too seriously. Stop. Sometimes you just need to dress up in big colorful robes and velvet hats and stand in the middle of a busy street. [and smile]

::surround yourself with people who make you smile::

<3

inflate[your]world

"Once upon a time when the world was just a pancake--fears would arise that if you went too far you'd fall....But with the passage of time it all became more of a ball--We're as sure of that as we all once were, when the world was flat."- dave matthews band

I have always considered myself someone who appreciates the world and all it has to offer-- but the more I see and experience [over] here... I can't help but realize I still have so much to learn about the world! Not that I ever thought that I knew all there is to know, or even close to this. But there are a myriad of things I need to learn about that I don't even know exist yet! How can you do this?! It's almost stressful how much there is to see and do... especially in the amount of time we have. The only way I see this happening is to push the envelope and get out there even further.

My [beautiful] friend and I have been having a lot of "did you ever imagine this" type of conversations since my arrival... and the answer to almost all of these conversations-- is NO WAY! Who would have thought that two girls from south Orange County would find each other in the city of love [aka San Francisco] and years later find themselves jumping off cliffs in the Philippines, or wandering the neon streets of Seoul at 5 a.m. in search of the best kebab stand??  I would like to think that I would have ventured to Korea on my own at some point during my life. But I can’t say for sure this is true, because I can’t say that it was on my “to do” list of countries. And I LOVE it here- I won’t even come close to seeing everything I’ve added to my city sights list since first arriving. The thought of missing out on all my Korean experiences is so upsetting—and has really opened my mind to a new way of thinking. Never [ever] say never!

Even knowing that I have an adventurous spirit--I never imagined all that I would see and realize during this trip. Another cliché that turns out to be very true! You learn the most about yourself and your surroundings when you jump completely outside of your comfort zone. I am so thankful to have someone like my fabulous big sister who has made this journey possible. I admire her fire, fearlessness [or ability to face her fears] and thirst for life.

Last night our world was opened up yet again with a new [cinematic] experience! We had the pleasure of seeing our first [4D] movie in Seoul-- the latest chapter in the Resident Evil series. Neither of us had seen any of the previous installments, but it turned out to be one of the coolest movies ever! Besides the movie actually being pretty good and filled with extremely attractive people, as audience members you literally feel like you're apart of the movie. We were shot, splashed by water/blood, chilled by cold winds, blinded by explosions, stabbed, shot, dropped out of a plane....etc. Entering a zombie flick was a bit stressful, but so very exciting! I find myself entering many new dimensions and loving every minute of it.

[old cafe] in seoul's mountains

ariel's [island]- boracay

true [korean]fashion

inflate your [knowledge]

[enjoy the moment]

<3



seoul is DELICIOUS!

I LOVE seoul! The city is filled with such life... and I am doing as much as I can to soak up even the smallest portion of its brilliance. It's a visual overload!!! I successfully attempted to venture off on my own today and had a wonderful time [sticking out like a sore thumb] and experiencing some of the Seoul's history and culture. My favorite Korean word so far- mashisoyo: which means delicious. So far this best describes my experience...

SEOUL[food]

SEOUL[searching]

SEOUL[sister]

SEOUL[mate]

<3

[live in an] ART-ful world

A walk with me down the street can take much longer than one might think! I pretty much always have a camera in my purse, and thanks to my trusty iphone--even when I forget my "real" camera I'm still able to capture quality photos. My best friend always jokes with me and tells me I can see anything in an "artful" way. Then she usually follows by calling me something like hippie butterfly child--especially after I paused for [a good] 20 minutes to take photos of bark patterns on a tree when we were running late for a movie. What can I say?  The world inspires me.... and I am somewhat of a hippie butterfly child! [without getting into art theory] The thing I love about photography the most is that it allows me to use my eye/perspective & camera to record the world and its natural [and sometimes unnatural] beauty. The world is my canvas. 

I had a good conversation this morning with a friend and a little-known Manhattan Beach street artist (or local legend depending on how you see it)  that inspired me to dig through my photos and put up a few pictures I've taken of STREET ART on random walks over the past few years. STREET art doesn't just see the world as a canvas.... but actually USES it as a canvas.

Melrose Street, Los Angeles CA

London, England

Nob Hill, San Francisco CA

Nob Hill, San Francisco CA

"the strand" Hermosa Beach, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Delores Park, San Francisco CA

Venice Beach, CA

Hells Kitchen, NYC

"with love from the world to you"

<3

laborDAY

I finally got the chance to use the freshBASIL from my garden! I'm celebrating labor day [today ]with my fantastic friends in Manhattan Beach-- I decided to make caprese skewers with fresh heirloom tomatoes. An easy fusion of the loved Italian appetizer. I plan to wash it down with an ice cold FAT [weisel] WEASEL beer. What an incredible name!! I miss hosting parties at my cute hermosa beach casa.... but enjoy living vicariously through others!  Happy Labor DAY!

::indulge::

<3

[purrr]MEOW

baby obsession with my new shoes. [thank you graduation gift cards] i knew i went to college for something

[steve madden]

[trouvé]

FALL in [<3 in] california 

missROSE

My newest craft venture came from an idea I got during a shopping excursion through a place I frequent to A) torture myself  B) scavenge the sale room  C) seek inspiration/ideas. AKA- Anthropologie. I took the idea and ran with it! I am now making headbands out of fabric strips I took from my aunts sewing box (thanks auntie!). Mostly fabric scraps from Halloween costumes she has made for me and my cousins over the years.... but there are a few other projects mixed in...curtains, pillows, dresses... etc. RECYCLE! 

the anthro original:

 my take on the recycled rose:

for a rose of your own

haileefleming@gmail.com 

<3

the space in-BETWEEN

I cannot come to grips with the fact that summer is officially over! Where did the time go!? The fact that we had one of the strangest summers in (my) history as a so-californian probably played a large factor in the oh-so fast version of my favorite time of year. Luckily I was able to send off summer and kick off fall in a near perfect fashion. 

My last night of summer was spent with my fabulous father at the Green Day show. They played at Verizon Amphitheater (formerly known as Irvine Meadows) on a glorious summer night. The weather and company could not have been more perfect. I would have to say that this show made my top 3 list of live performances hands down-- and I've been to many many many shows. AFI opened and re-inspired my fascination with studs and sequins. And Green Day played (for a solid three hours) and re-inspired my Billy Joe Armstrong love affair. He had the crowd on their feet from the first to last note played. I danced, laughed, sang, jumped, clapped and shook my punk rock head all over the place. Frreaking fan-tastic! When the show was coming to a close I looked at my dad and told him I didn't think that an encore was even possible. Honestly that's how good their set was. But Green Day continued to far exceed my expecations and came on to play my absolute favorite song "Jesus of Suburbia"-- and finally closed the show with an acoustic set of "Time of Your Life" and "Wake me UP when September Ends". This may become a new tradition for me and pops... along with hockey games that is! 

:: WE ARE THE WAITING::

"you are the only one holding yourself back"-bja