The Minimalist's Guide to Jewelry

My everyday jewelry look consists of four basic pieces, all of the same color (choose either gold or silver based on your personal preference): a watch (Peugeot), bracelet (Alex and Ani), earrings (n/a), and necklace (n/a). I don't really like wearing rings, but they're certainly an option for your basic look. 

All of these pieces were actually given to me. That isn't to say that I wear every piece of jewelry ever given to me. These have just conveniently made themselves into my everyday look. 

1 My dad gave me this watch. It was a gift from his workplace for being a loyal employee. Because the watch was too big for my wrist, I actually had to get it cut, but it only cost $5 at a pop-up store at my local mall. If a watch is the only thing you'll be wearing on your wrist, then you might as well go for a nicer one for your minimalist look. The same advice applies for all these pieces because the minimalist's guide is all about quality over quantity. Just make sure it goes well with the rest of your jewelry. 

2 My friends/roommates gave me this bracelet for my 22nd birthday. I really like how each Alex and Ani charm bracelet has a different meaning and cause (20% of the proceeds from this bracelet have gone/will go to Women & Infants Hospital). Here's the description of this bracelet courtesy of Alex and Ani's website:

A celebration of the female spirit, the Lotus Blossom is a symbol of beauty, strength, and grace. The strong stem's connection to the flower represents an eternal, unbreakable bond between two people. Spiritually enlightening and divinely beautiful, the Lotus Blossom Charm reminds us that our relationships and shared hearts are the key to happiness.

I don't know if my friends chose this bracelet because of its description or not, but I think it suits me. I never wore bracelets before, but this one is simplistic and goes well with my watch and the rest of my minimalist jewelry. Look for a bracelet/watch or bracelet/bracelet combination in matching colors for you minimalist look.   

3 These earrings are actually the original ones from my first, well second, ear piercing. My first piercings closed after I stopped wearing earrings after an irritation from fake earrings (it hurt too much to put in earrings). Because these earrings are real, I can wear them every day without them bothering me. Look for gold, silver, or combination ball stud or regular gold, diamond, or combination stud earrings for your minimalist look.

4 This necklace was a gift from my aunt (my dad's brother's wife) in Vietnam. My sister has a similar one. Unfortunately, our aunt passed away from cancer a few years after our visit to Vietnam in 2002, but her memory still lives on through our necklaces. Look for an 18" or 20" chain with a simple pendant in either gold or silver or a combination of both (there are diamond studs in each of the petals and in the center of the flower of my necklace) for your minimalist look (the chain should be the same color as your pendant).

Maybe one day I'll add a ring to my everyday jewelry look, and maybe it'll have a sentimental meaning too i.e. a wedding band lmao. JK I can get a gold class ring. #strongindependentwomanwhodontneednoman 

How to Look Good While Cheering on Your Favorite Team

Today I’m featuring three looks found in my summer look book. They’re outfits I like to wear on game day when I’m not actually at the game, to show school spirit, because let’s be real, oversized t-shirts aren’t really stylish. Now these outfits are UVA themed, but these style tips can work with any college or athletic team.

For my first look, I’ve paired a fitted v-neck T in one of my team's colors with a pair of shorts in another one of my team’s colors. The heathered orange color makes the outfit versatile and not just something I can wear on game day. I've also tucked in my shirt for a more fitted look. 

For my second look, I incorporated my team's colors using an accessory and the main component of my outfit, my shirt. The white pants neutralize the look and hide my loyalty when needed. E.g. when my team is embarrassing itself on national television. In my previous look, I didn’t need a statement necklace because the v-neck provided enough definition for my outfit, but for this look, a statement necklace is needed to define an otherwise plain shirt.

Lastly, I paired a dress in one of my team's colors with a cardigan in another team color. The red and orange pattern on this dress gives the outfit an added dimension (and once again makes it more versatile and less obvious that I'm rooting for UVA), which wouldn’t be present or possible in a plain orange dress.

And if you’re looking for a more casual, yet stylish outfit for the game, look for a more fitted t-shirt in the kid’s or women's section of the university bookstore. For example, I have a white v-neck tee with VIRGINIA printed across the front of the shirt and a long-sleeved navy Virginia t-shirt from the women’s section of the UVA bookstore.  

Now you're ready to cheer on your favorite team on Saturdays: Go Hoos!

P.S. At UVA, it’s actually a tradition for guys in ties and girls in pearls to dress up for football games. However, no one dresses up for basketball games, so the good ole t-shirt and jeans combo is totally fine and socially acceptable at UVA basketball games.

Summer Lookbook

Authenticity

"It’s no coincidence that the aesthetic of 1989 is that of the Polaroid: a technology that, in its contemporary manifestation, connotes thick feelings of authenticity, immediacy, and wistful nostalgia not unlike Instagram’s own filters. Look closer, though, and the Polaroid, while tangible, is still just an overexposed image, flattering vis-à-vis its limited technological capacity to show the fullness of the moment. From far away, a Polaroid can communicate bold strokes of fun, bliss, friendship. But get closer, and you see it’s flimsy, unclear, and impossible to replicate."

Source: Buzzfeed

The Secret Life of The Vietnamese Woman: Religion

July 2007, the last time I went to a Buddhist temple (my parents' faces are blacked out because they don't want to be on the Internet)

Introduction

There are two main religions in Vietnam: Catholicism and Buddhism. Catholicism is mostly found in the North, and Buddhism is mostly found in the South. However, most Vietnamese people who self-identify as Buddhist on American questionnaires aren't actually Buddhist. There are some really religious Buddhists that actually go to temple and stuff, but for the most part, Vietnamese "Buddhists" don't really know much about the religion and practice more of a folk religion composing of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancestor worship, etc.

Praying 

The "Buddhist" version of praying is offering food and incense to the Buddha and other Buddhist gods at temples or at home. Most Vietnamese Buddhists have a Buddha at home, and more often than not, it is the laughing Buddha. Buddha is vegan, so we only offer fruit, tea, and water to him. After lighting the incense, we put our hands in praying motion and motion three times, whilst reciting the prayer in our head. To take food off the altar, we also do the same. In addition to worshipping the Buddha, Vietnamese "Buddhists" also pray to their ancestors, more specifically their parents. These shrines face the front of the house so that the ancestor spirits can come through the front door. Thanks to modern technology, Vietnamese "Buddhists" can now use electric incense instead of wooden incense. Vietnamese "Buddhists" usually recognize their ancestors or the Buddha on weddings, a baby's first month (Đầy Tháng) and birthday, the Lunar New Year (Tết), funerals (đám ma), and death anniversaries (đám giỗ).

A Higher Being

Vietnamese "Buddhists" also believe in a higher being called God or trời, so when you hear people say "Trời ơi!," they're actually saying "Oh God!," a common expression used by all Vietnamese, not just "Buddhists."

Catholicism

Vietnamese "Buddhists" also think Vietnamese Catholics sound like they're rapping when they're reading the Bible.

Dear White People

Dear White People (WP) and supporters of WP,

If you were offended by my video, then you should be offended by Justin Simien's title, Dear White People.

I'm sorry for offending you, but that was never my intent at all. My video was intended as satire: Asian people really don't have anything white people don't.

I'm sorry for stereotyping you, but I'm tired of having to clarify and defend myself all the time because when I and millions of angry minorities (E.g. Azealia Banks) say "white people," we're not talking about you personally; we're talking about the white patriarchy. We know all white people aren't the same because we would find it deeply offensive if you thought the same about our people.

Now you're probably thinking: "You didn't use white people in that way in your video," and you're right, I didn't. I used white people as an "other" to Asians, the main subject matter of my video. Like I said in my director's commentary, the title is very misleading. However, I'd still like to address this issue because I feel like white people still don't get it.

Using the term "white people" to describe white patriarchy might not be politically correct, but being politically correct isn't going to end racism in America. Ending racism in America requires white people and yes, all white people, not the just the white patriarchy, to recognize that they have white privilege, inaccessible to millions of non-whites.

White privilege means "whiteness" is the norm. Anything else is different. Thus, while white stereotypes are offensive to the white individual, they aren't racist because racism is "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." White people have never been denied anything because of the color of their skin because they have defined themselves as the superior race without any opposition and by setting the norm.

Looking at the latter part of this definition, I can see why people thought I was being racist because it looked like I was saying Asian people were more superior than white people. However, I started the video by saying, "Aside from white privilege..." for a reason. With that opening statement alone, I acknowledged who the true "superior race" is, and like always, white people failed to take notice of that and made it about their feelings instead-now that's what I call a white privilege-and accused me of making a faulty argument when that wasn't even my argument to begin with.

I now realize that it was my own fault for bringing white people to the video in the first place (my point would have gotten through a lot better without the comparison), but I did want people to know about white privilege and without the controversy and anger due to this video, I would have never gotten to speak to you more on this topic, so thank you white people, for actually helping a minority today.

XOXO,
Sassy Girl

21 Thoughts We Had While Watching Season 6 Episode 10 of Pretty Little Liars

1. BOO THIS OPENING SUCKS
2. Aria is stupid.
3. Why is no one questioning Mona? She's got all this intel and no one wants to know where she got it from?
4. Totally thought that was Rhyss lying on the floor instead of Jason.
5. What the fuck is going on?
6. This finale sucks.
7. Finally Sara is useful.
8. Sara is Charles.
9. It's Cece!
10. I called this transgender plot a month ago. #nailedit
11. No, not Mrs. Cavanaugh!
12. Huh? Bethany turned on her?! #bitch
13. These kids... 
14. What!? She dated her own brother? #gross
15. Aww that's cute that Spencer cares for Toby
16. OH MY GOD THIS SARA PLOT IS PERFECT (in that she serves an actual purpose in the show now instead of being this big character that no body likes)
17. Emily's the biggest dum dum of them all to be honest.
18. Seriously, I. Marlene King?! Anothing effing question?!
19. Why did A even want to end the game anyways? The more I think about it, the more I have problems with this finale.
20. I CAN'T WITH THIS SHOW
21. At least we'll get to see Wren again. *heart eyes emoji*