keith & i

Anyone who knows me knows that I love love Keith Haring. LOVE! I've been in love with his work since I was a little boy. So, for this past Xmas, a good friend of mine gave me a t-shirt from the Uniqlo X Keith Haring collection. Opening her gift and discovering it was a Keith Haring item put the biggest smile on my face. 

Shirt: Uniqlo X Keith Haring
Pants: H&M Joggers
Watch: American Apparel by Casio
Hat: Obey Clothing

BLUE MONDAY

It may not be Monday anymore, but these pictures were taken then. Because blue is my favorite color, I wanted to feature it in my first blog post of the year.

Walking the streets of West Oakland provided the perfect setting for some great shots!

West Oakland may get a bad rep, but I love my Oakland! <3

Yes, I decided to change pants midway through the shoot. But the black pants went better with the outfit. One can simply not go wrong with black. ... And let me just say, that changing between skinny jeans in the backseat of a car is no easy feat! #thestruggleisreal

West Oakland has some rad graffiti. Can't wait to keep exploring as the year continues.

The following blue graffiti piece is my favorite. I could not stop smiling after I spotted it. It has so many of my favorite things: blue, geometric shapes, triangles, blue, black, and blue!!! :-)

In love with that mural!!!!

Shirt: Gap
Pants: Levi's 510 ... the most comfortable and form-fitting jeans I own.
Shoes: Nike Flex Run 2014
Sunnies: Banana Republic

All photographs taken by Mily V.

This one goes out to all my Kylie fans! <3

INTRODUCING | raury

Though he may have just graduated high school, Raury is talented beyond his years. 18-year-old,  (that's right 18! What were you doing at 18?) Raury hails from East Atlanta and is featured on the new Hunger Games: Mockingjay Soundtrack Pt. 1. His track "Lost Souls" is good. Really good. Thank you, Lorde for noticing his talent. However, don't let that think you have him figured out. He writes, sings, raps, and produces music with various genre influences. He is definitely an artist to watch. Just listen to everything he has done and is capable of doing.

SBTRKT features Raury on his track "Higher." His rhymes flow very smoothly.



Last, but certainly not least, is "Cigarette Song." This is by far one of my favorite tracks by him.

And that hat! Nice!

I would not be surprised if he ended up on the Coachella lineup for 2015. The boy has style, talent, and political/philosophical convictions.

color-coded happiness | san diego pt. 1

After celebrating an eventful PRIDE weekend in SF, my friends and I decided to take it easy for the 4th of July weekend by flying down to San Diego to relax under the sun.  

While walking through La Jolla, we spotted this beautiful wall. We could not resist its charm, and therefore stopped for a brief photo session using the wall as the background.

What you see is the outfit I flew in -- wearing my go-to short shorts from Oakland, I was ready for the warmer times that lay ahead in San Diego.

I have to say these are some of my favorite photographs. Thank you, Kat. The way the colors pop in every picture is quite striking. I don't usually smile for pictures, but I could not resist doing so with such a playful background. Hence, I titled this photo series as Color-Coded Happiness.  :-)

19 years later // still dreaming of you, selena

Photo by Blanca Charolet. Nov. 1994

Today marks the 19th anniversary of Selena's death. On March 31, 1995, rising tejano singer Selena was tragically murdered by the former president of her fan club. But 19 years later, Selena is still remembered, still missed, and still relevant.

When I was growing up in the 1990s, my mother used to play her music all the time around the house. In fact, she still does. Whenever I visit home, you can find us singing and dancing along to Selena's voice. But it's always so bittersweet. Just as we get in the groove of one of her songs, we are quickly reminded that her promising life and talent were cut short. 

From her daring fashion choices to her musical style, Selena was ahead of her time.

So, let us look back at the talent that was Selena. 

As a pop-cumbia-rap fusion, "Techno cumbia" is a perfect example of how her sound would mix genres to produce something innovative, youthful, and artistic. And the music video even features her iconic purple cut-out dress! Enjoy.

Crop tops, anyone? Oh Selena, I'm still waiting for someone to make my heart go "Bidi bidi bom bom."

And this fan-favorite released posthumously in the summer of 1995.



Here's a video montage of her (with a little bit of JLo as Selena) set to "I could fall in love."

Lastly, a video blending various of her live performances of "Como la flor."


Rest in peace, Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Gone too soon, but remembered always. 
 
What is your favorite Selena song? Or better yet: what are your favorite Selena songs?