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My Love Letter to Two Thousand and Eleven,

Saturday, December 31, 2011

goodbye 2011

Dear Two Thousand and Eleven or Twenty Eleven,


It has truly been a memorable year full of excitement, adventures, new experiences, learning experiences, opportunities, meeting people, new discoveries and inspiration and finally, writing my script. I cannot believe a whole year has come and gone and we've reset the year and now it's January 2012. At the end of every year, I like to look back and review the past year in my own life and around the world. I picked up Time: The Year in Review to better remember all the events of 2011.

time: the year in review

Bad stuff first:
January 11Flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro kills 903.
January 14Arab Spring: The Tunisian government falls after a month of increasingly violent protests; President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power.
January 24 – 37 people are killed and more than 180 others wounded in a bombing at Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia.
February 22 - March 14 – Uncertainty over Libyan oil output causes crude oil prices to rise 20% over a two-week period following the Arab Spring,[12] causing the 2011 energy crisis.
March 11 – A 9.1-magnitude[13] earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the east of Japan, killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories. Emergencies are declared at four nuclear power plants affected by the quake.
March 15 – Arab Spring: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain declares a three-month state of emergency as troops from the Gulf Co-operation Council are sent to quell the civil unrest.
March 17 – Arab Spring and the Libyan civil war: The United Nations Security Council votes 10-0 to create a no-fly zone over Libya in response to allegations of government aggression against civilians.
March 19 – Arab Spring and the Libyan civil war: In light of continuing attacks on Libyan rebels by forces in support of leader Muammar Gaddafi,[18] military intervention authorized under UNSCR 1973 begins as French fighter jets make reconnaissance flights over Libya.
April 11 – Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo is arrested in his home in Abidjan by supporters of elected President Alassane Ouattara with support from French forces thereby ending the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis and civil war.
May 22 - A powerful twister hits Joplin, Mo. Deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. since 1947.
June 4 – Chile's Puyehue volcano erupts, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand, Australia and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate.
June 5Arab Spring: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh travels to Saudi Arabia for treatment of an injury sustained during an attack on the presidential palace. Protesters celebrate his transfer of power to his Vice-President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi.
June 12 – Arab Spring: Thousands of Syrians flee to Turkey as Syrian troops lay siege to Jisr ash-Shugur.
July 20 - Goran Hadžić is detained in Serbia, becoming the last of 161 people indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.[30]
The United Nations declares a famine in southern Somalia, the first in over thirty years.
July 22 – 76 people are killed in twin terrorist attacks in Norway after a bombing in the Regjeringskvartalet government center in Oslo and a shooting at a political youth camp on the island of Utøya.
July 31 - In Thailand over 12.8 million people are affected by severe flooding. The World Bank estimates damages at 1,440 billion baht (US$45 billion)[37]. Some areas are still six - feet underwater, and many factory areas remained closed, at the end of the year. 790[38] people are killed, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected.
September 10Zanzibar ferry sinking: The MV Spice Islander I, carrying at least 800 people, sinks off the coast of Zanzibar, killing 240 people.
September 12 – Approximately 100 Kenyans die after a petrol pipeline explodes in Nairobi.
September 19 – With 434 dead, the United Nations launches a $357 million appeal for victims of the 2011 Sindh floods in Pakistan.
October 4 - 2011 Mogadishu bombing: 100[51] people are killed in a car bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu.[52]
The death toll from the flooding of Cambodia's Mekong River and attendant flash floods reaches 207.
October 23 – A magnitude 7.2 Mw earthquake jolted eastern Turkey near the city of Van, killing 604 people, and damaging about 2,200 buildings.
December 16Tropical Storm Washi causes 1,257 flash flood fatalities in the Philippines with 85 people are officially listed as missing.

Good stuff last:
April 29 – An estimated two billion people watch the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London.
May 1 – U.S. President Barack Obama announces that Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda, has been killed during an American military operation in Pakistan.
July 7 – The world's first artificial organ transplant is achieved, using an artificial windpipe coated with stem cells.
July 21Space Shuttle Atlantis lands successfully at Kennedy Space Center after completing STS-135, concluding NASA's space shuttle program.
September 5India and Bangladesh sign a pact to end their 40-year border demarcation dispute.
December 15 – The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Ford, Cy Twombly, Amy Winehouse, Sidney Lumet and other amazing people who made a huge contribution to the world.

It's really hard to enjoy life when you hear all the bad things and events that occurred over the year. It's so easy to be self involved, you don't even realize there's a whole world out there and people are suffering and fighting to survive. It's so easy to be complacent, self indulgent and so involved in our own self inflicted stress and depression - it haunts me. I try not to preoccupy myself too much in my own self involvement and indulgence, because I feel a tremendous amount of guilt. Whenever I have a moment to think, I try to be grateful for everything I have and then I think about what's the meaning of life?:

Life starts at birth (well actually it starts at conception and wink wink) and then our parents (hopefully both) nurse and nurture us and we learn and our brains develop. Then we go to kindergarten, then elementary school, then middle school/secondary school, then high school, then sometimes college and then we get a fancy or pretty useless degree, then some go off to do a Masters, maybe even a PhD and then we work. We work, or search for work, keep searching, keep working, earn some money, not enough money, earn some more money, do three part time jobs just to pay the rent, earn more money, pay taxes, not getting paid enough, pay more taxes, wait for money to come back, live, earn money, work, live, maybe meet someone, that person breaks your heart, cry for months, move on, meet someone else, break their heart, cry some more, live, live, work, work, eventually get married to the wrong person but you don't know at that moment, cry some more, work, earn money, pay taxes, earn just enough for retirement, get retired, wait for death. Death.

I'm really trying to understand the meaning of life. 42. That was easy. No, in all seriousness, I constantly think about the meaning of life, especially after I read about the disasters and civil unrest and the ongoing conflicts and wars. There is so much evil in the world and it numbs me. I don't know how to enjoy life without feeling that guilt. But when I read a book or watch a movie or watch television, I feel that momentary bliss and then I forget and just let go. I want to live life to the fullest and I really want to give back. Hopefully, I will build a life for myself and be able to give back and help others in some little way, because it will help me sleep better at night.

Word of the Year: Tergiversate

A panel of editors, lexicographers and others at Dictionary.com have chosen the Word of the Year for 2011. The word is... Tergiversate. Pronounced "ter-JIV-er-sate", it means “to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.
So we could say that, in 2011, the stock market tergiversated; or that the public tergiversated about Occupy Wall Street.
"We're taking a stand on this choice," Jay Schwartz, Dictionary.com's Head of Content told The Huffington Post. "We think that it's immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much.
"This word encompasses an sense of 'flip flopping' but it also implies a number of other complicating forces. Unlike 'flip flop', 'tergiversate' suggests a lack of intentionality - it's a change in state more out of necessity, as new events happen at great speed, whether in the economy, politics or attitudes."
The word's origins come from the Latin for "to turn one's back". Though not in common usage, it was utilized by The Times of London in August to describe the changing attitudes of stock markets.
According to Schwartz, the team considered other words, including "occupy", "austerity", "jobs" (both the noun and the person), "zugzwang" and "insidious".
However, though they may have tergiversated during their discussions, there will be no more tergiversation on the matter. It's Dictionary.com's Word of The Year 2011.

time person of the year the protester

Person of the Year: "The Protester"

No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.
 

Style Icons and Actresses of the Year: Elle Fanning (Super 8, Twixt, We Bought a Zoo), Kirsten Dunst (this was her year, winning the Best Actress Award at Cannes for Melancholia), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch and Sleeping Beauty), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn), Carey Mulligan (Drive, Shame, The Great Gatsby), Alexa Chung (as usual) and Rooney Mara (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo) and Zooey Deschanel (New Girl).

I hope everyone had a lovely 2011 and now get ready for 2012 and the apocalypse. I feel like with the apocalypse looming, it ups the ante for me. I want to really live outside my comfort zone and be more daring and fearless. I don't have too much holding me back, which is a blessing to me. I feel like I'm so much stronger emotionally and I'm ready to take on 2012. I'm ready to fight for my future. I'm ready to really live.

It's official, I just moved into a new place in Williamsburg. Woo! New year, new place! New hopes and dreams.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012!

Goodbye 2011 and hello 2012!

Much Love,
Avalonne

Tergiversate: Music Mix of 2011

Thursday, December 29, 2011

3 comments:
tergiversate 2011

According to dictionary.com and this Huffington Post article, the word of 2011 is Tergiversate, so I have decided to name my very first and last music mix of 2011 Tergiversate. What does this word even mean? Pronounced "ter-JIV-er-sate", it means “to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.” Additionally, TIME Magazine named The Protester the Person of the Year: No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.
Read more here.

But I digress. Months ago, I had intended to compile songs for a music mix for every month, but as usual, things happened and I never made a single music mix. I love the idea of making music mixes, there is something so romantic and nostalgic about that. It reminds me of old movies, Avenue Q and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (currently reading, thanks to Marissa). Music always springs a sense of nostalgia. A song can spark up a memory of a certain period of your life. I love that feeling of nostalgia, it makes me slightly sad, but happily reminiscent of that time, which has been forever immortalized by a certain song or singer or band. This year has been a great musical discovery for me and I have to greatly credit and thank Scott Vener, the music supervisor of How To Make It In America (lucky him, what a fun job!).

Most of my new music discoveries are from the show and from there, I discovered new bands and songs. To this day, I still haven't jumped onto the Pandora bandwagon and maybe 2012 will be the year. Also, I must credit my new favorite band Jump Into The Gospel for being so amazing - which has led to my new "groupie" phase of music stalking. The last time I truly music stalked was with my favorite favorite band We Are The Physics back in London in 2007. Since then, I never really fell so deeply in love with a band and their music till September 2011. Thanks to Twitter and other methods which led to my discovery of Jump Into The Gospel. Also, I am totally in love with RAC remixes. Amaze.

# 1. Jump Into The Gospel - Humvee Mansion
# 2. Make the Girl Dance - Kill Me
# 3. Holy Ghost! - Hold My Breath
# 4. M83 - Midnight City
# 5. Flight Facilities ft. Giselle - Crave You
# 6. Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
# 7. Avan Lava - It's Never Over
# 8. Seapony - Dreaming
# 9. The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
# 10. Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
# 11. Foster the People - Call It What You Want
# 12. The Knife - Heartbeats
# 13. Miike Snow - Cult Logic
# 14. Lagy Gaga - Bad Kids
# 15. Thieves Like Us - Shyness
# 16. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
# 17. Local Natives - Airplanes
# 18. Beirut - Postcards from Italy
# 19. JayMay - Sea Green, See Blue
# 20. Florence + The Machine - Between Two Lungs

Bonus Tracks:

Sex Bob-Omb - We Are Sex Bob-Omb
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
La Roux - Bulletproof and Colourless Colour

We Are The Physics - Bulimia Sisters

Hope you enjoy this mix. This mix of songs means so much to me and they may be a real mixture of songs, but I guess that's the point of a music mix. Those songs signify my 2011 and it wouldn't have been the same without these incredible songs. Goodbye 2011, thanks for all the memories and music adventures!

Listen to it here.

All I Want for 2012 is...

Monday, December 26, 2011

5 comments:
christmas 2011 wish list



All I really want for 2012 is a few pretty things, but in all seriousness, I don't mind if I never own these things. I do really want the Penfield Kasson Parka to keep me warm and it's work (i.e. set) appropriate. I also really want the Catcher in the Rye Out of Print iPhone case, because my awesome black matte iPhone case is completely busted after dropping it many times at work. Maybe I want the green Cambridge Satchel Classic satchel too.

But what I truly want for 2012 is to make my short film, which I cannot stress enough and to earn some money, so I can become slightly more financially independent. I also really want to work on this feature film (TBA if I get on it), but I'm waiting to hear back and I'm becoming more anxious by the day. After my short film and all, I hope this will lead to my staying in the U.S. All I can do is hope and be optimistic, because at this point, my future is up in the air and it scares me immensely. I really hope that 2012 will be a successful year, because I need to make it happen for myself. Things aren't just going to fall into my lap, I have to go out there and make it happen.

2012 will be my year. I turn 24 next year, which is my golden birthday and I hope this means I'll have a great year ahead of me and I hope everyone has a beautiful and exciting year too. We just have to keep fighting and hustling for our careers, our dreams, our future, our lives. Enjoy the last few days of 2011 everyone! Take care!

Happy Holidays from New York City!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

5 comments:

turban and photography by: inez galvez

Hello World!

This is me wishing everyone a very happy holiday season from the greatest city in the world: New York City. Well, actually, at this very moment in time, I'm sitting in the only Starbucks in Northern Brooklyn, i.e. Greenpoint. What the hell am I doing in a Starbucks, you may ask. Well, I had every intention of going to El Beit on Bedford, but by the time I got there, they would be closing thirty minutes later, so I decided to come to Starbucks instead.

Two hours have passed and I just started to write this post. In the last two hours, I spoke on the phone to my good guy friend Adam, my Dad and then Adam again. I heard some pretty upsetting news about my grandmother and a family friend. My grandma suffered a serious fall yesterday in Hong Kong and she was rushed in the hospital. It saddens me because if I was there, I think I could have prevented the whole thing. But I'll never know. I just felt so helpless when my dad was telling me over the phone. I hope she recovers soon. There were other disheartening news, but I won't go into further detail. I really don't like to think that 2011 has to end on such a bad note. I really hate to think that any year should begin or end on a bad note, because it's a transitional period and everyone deserves a smooth transition.

2011 was an incredible year for me (with all the ups and severe downs) and I hope it was an incredible year for everyone else too. I always like to reflect back on the past year and see what I've managed to achieve in my life. I also like to reflect back on 2011 in world news and events. I shall do that in the next few days. But for now, I just want to express my sincerest thanks to humanity and life. I've been writing in my memoir and I had written that life is a random opportunity and we should be so grateful for this chance to live it. Life is fleeting and life is fragile and soon we will be gone. So we should seize every opportunity or else there is no meaning whatsoever.

I love life. I love the simplicities and complexities of life. I love that life is such a fascinating and mysterious experience and chance. I want to live life to the fullest. My goal for 2012 is to produce and direct my very first short film. I'm going to quote myself in my movie. I hope my dialogue will inspire at least one person. I want my film to be an open dialogue regarding our social economics and human interaction, I want it to be substantial and thought provoking, but not pretentious by any means. I can see how it may and definitely will alienate some people and/or not interest some at all. But I'm fine with that. This film is for myself and for people who understand what my intentions are and it's my love letter to life.

Thank you world for this amazing opportunity. I am grateful every day that I get to experience another day. This very thought does scare the bejesus out of me, but I am eternally thankful. Thank you to life, my family, my friends, readers out there, for being a constant inspiration, for the encouragement and unconditional love and support. To know that I'm not alone is a beautiful motivation for me to keep going, to keep living, to keep fighting, to keep hustling, never ending. Enjoy the rest of 2011. Please take care, be safe, stay healthy, be happy. Happy Holidays, everyone.

Much Love Always,
Avalonne

Before/After

Saturday, December 17, 2011

10 comments:
before
after

After my chaotic, hectic and completely stressful experience with 2nd AD-ing a feature, I was completely drained physically, mentally and emotionally. It was a fucking amazing experience overall, but there were times when I felt like it's the end of the world, but the reality is that there is real shit going on in the world and sometimes making a film is not really that important. Filmmaking is my chosen path in life and I know I will be making my own films, but I have to remind myself that there are more important news in the world and sometimes I have to stop for a second to remember that.

Anyways, by the end of the shoot, I was so burnt out spiritually and emotionally - I was sleep deprived, not eating well, my health was the last thing on my mind. After the film wrapped, I made the decision to just go for it and chop off a year's worth of hair (growing). The first photo indicates how much my hair has grown since January till now. But after 6 p.m. today - Gone. GONE. It feels like all this "weight" has been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally breathe again. Another bizarre reasoning behind this spontaneous decision was that I do everything for myself. I dress the way I do for myself. I cut my hair for myself. I'm all about me now and I don't do anything for men or getting attention from men. 99% of men prefer women with long hair. In that case, chop off my hair, thank you! It's not like short hair on women is unconventional nowadays, but I've always loved short hair and admired my favorite pixie haired ladies: Jean Seberg, Mia Farrow, Twiggy, Michelle Williams, Audrey Tautou, Carey Mulligan, Emily Browning, Agyness Deyn, etc. I've had short hair (again) since 2008, so getting a drastic hair cut isn't a big deal to me. I just want to feel confident and liberated and spontaneous and this is what a simple hair cut can do for a woman. Goodbye hair, see you next time!

The Beginning of the Making of

Friday, December 16, 2011

9 comments:

someday. by avalonne hall is taking a new direction. When I first started my the girl from hk, ldn & sf blog, it was solely for the purpose of documenting my style. After I made the decision to abandon it, I started this blog and my blog became more writing oriented, which I absolutely love. I miss documenting my outfits, because I miss my photo sessions with Caro, but I just love writing and expressing my thoughts, opinions, hopes and dreams.

At the beginning of the year, my blog was going strong. I blogged religiously and frequently, it felt good to have a routine and write regularly. But I got "busier" towards the end of the semester, i.e. I was kind of busy, but mostly just lazy and felt slightly uninspired and unmotivated. Once I graduated, I was still in a demotivated mindset. Even when I moved to New York in June, I still didn't pick it back up and it felt so awful, but I just didn't feel the urge to document anything.

I started again at the beginning of November, because I told myself enough is enough! Granted, I started to get busy from mid July to end of October, so that's why I started blogging again in November, but only for three days. How pathetic is that? So my last week from December 6th to December 15th, I had the MOST STRESSFUL nine days of my life. No exaggeration. Now is the time for me to just let go and release that stress into my writing. I am completely physically, mentally and emotionally stressed out, burnt out and exhausted. I worked on this ultra low budget feature film as the second assistant director. It was one hell of a learning experience. I won't go into too much detail, but I'm glad that I was thrown into this situation and position (I volunteered) and I gained so much experience and I've grown up so much over these past days.

Now I am absolutely confident that I have the mentality, emotional stability and strength, competence, passion and motivation to MAKE MY VERY FIRST SHORT FILM. When I say make I mean write, direct and produce. I already have a first draft and I haven't touched it in three weeks, since I've been so busy, but after tomorrow, I want to do rewrites and work on it. I will lock down a pretty decent draft by the end of the year. My goal from that point is to campaign and raise money for this project. I have confidence in myself that I can sell my idea and raise awareness and peak people's interest. Then when I am raising money, I will be finding crew and I'll try to lock down an actor for the male lead. It's NOW OR NEVER at this point. On December 10th, I "celebrated" my sixth month in New York. I've been here for half a year now! It's shocking how fast time has gone by and I don't know if I've really achieve much since June 2011. What I have achieved:

1. Assistant to an independent producer (July 2011)
2. Art intern on Revenge for Jolly (August 2011)
3. Set intern on Sinister (September - October 2011)
4. Additional Set Production Assistant on The Dark Knight Rises (November 2011)
5. Office PA Intern, then Second Assistant Director on Me, You and Five Bucks (December 2011)

I don't know if that's a lot or not? But I know I have to bust my ass in order to make my film and hopefully work on this feature in February till April. Which means I'll be shooting my short in April, if all goes well. And I need to stop working on movies for free. Note to self: I really need to stop interning. I am so exhausted, but I love it. As tired I am, I have loved every minute of it, because I know I'm gaining the skill sets to be a reliable, efficient and business-minded filmmaker. I always thought I was 100% right brained, but after this second assistant director position experience, I've noticed that I'm pretty left brained too. Since the second assistant director job is completely administrative and not creative. It's good to know that I'm an artist who considers logistics when it comes to making a movie.

I want my blog to be a place where I document my journey of making my short film and making it a reality. I can talk and write about it, but the reality is that it's now or never and I better make it happen. I can't just sit on my ass and be all talk. I have to keep reminding myself that this has to happen, because my future is completely up in the air. I have no idea what's going to happen to me in June 2012 when my OPT expires. I am deathly afraid of not knowing, but all I can do is make a movie that I'm proud of. I want to build working relationships and work with hardworking, dedicated, talented people who love their craft. The reality is that no matter how big a movie is, there is corruption and/or lack of morale and low work ethic, but I want to create a working environment where people have fun and get shit done basically. It's okay to have fun, but work hard and fast. There has to be a balance or else it's not worth it.

How will my short film stand out? Well every film needs a niche right? What's my niche? Honesty. Let's skip all the bullshit and let's be real for once. Fuck Hollywood endings. The boy doesn't get the girl. They don't fall in love. Life goes on. What's our purpose here? What happens in the end?

I am ready to kick start my career. Who's with me?

Happy Anniversary

Thursday, November 3, 2011

happy anniversary

Happy Wedding Anniversary to my parents! They've been married for twenty six years! I would be so lucky if I could be with someone for that many years. I've always respected the idea of marriage, because I think it's rare to find whatever "love" is and feel the absolute urge to spend the rest of your life with that one person. A real marriage is with 100% faithfulness, fidelity, commitment and monogamy. Today, so many marriage end in divorce. We all know the statistic and yet people are getting married and getting divorced just as quickly.

I always thought marriage was sacred and for life. I never had a religious upbringing, my view on marriage is solely from a moral standpoint. In the last week, we've already seen two celebrity couples filing for divorce and I hate to say that one of them is one of my favorite actresses Zooey Deschanel. Everyone has their reasons for divorce, but seriously what does irreconcilable differences mean? I personally feel like I couldn't get married and see myself as a divorcee in the future. I would hope to whatever higher power there is that I would to married for life to this one person. That's just how I feel, but I might just be jinxing it as of this moment. Knock on wood, I meet this person to begin with and then I could continue discussing the potential of marriage.

It's easy for me to say that if I get married, it will be for life, but I absolutely am aware that it is really hard to keep a marriage together. There are so many factors to breaking up a marriage. Time and the possibility of love fading. Love is not enough to keep a marriage afloat. You need willpower and mental strength to fight for the person you married. We are surrounded by temptation and jealousy. Time changes people, sometimes for the better and a lot of the times for the worse. It inspires me to know that my parents have been together for twenty six years. It inspires me to see elderly couples on the street, at the theatre, leaning on each others' shoulders, going to the US Open together. I really hope one day my path will lead me to a long and loving relationship and marriage. But as of now, I am as far as can be from the thought of any of that business, but I'm really happy to be single. And when I say single, I mean no relationships and no dating whatsoever.

Congratulations to my amazing parents! To another 24 years of marriage!

Someday. by Avalonne Hall

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

12 comments:
laundromat

the reinvention of avalonne hall

Reinvention.
To reinvent is to bring back something into existence. This year has been a year of reinvention and bringing back something into my life. Since I moved to New York City, I've felt overwhelmed by the pressure of finding a job and earning money. Rapidly, my blog became less and less of a priority. My thoughts were sitting in a corner collecting dust, as well as my camera. After four months in New York, I am slowly becoming acquainted with the city. Physically, I know where all the neighborhoods are, but I still haven't found my niche yet.

Niche: a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted. It is so important to have a niche, when you're living in a huge city with another eight million people and you feel so small and insignificant? I love New York. I have dreamed of living in New York for such a long time and I am finally living my dream, but as Carrie Bradshaw once said her loneliness is palpable. A small part of me feels this void within me that cannot be fulfilled unless I am really working and earning and spending my own money and being a full fledged adult. I am not fully independent until I can support myself. Meanwhile, I'm trying to find my niche in the city, in terms of neighborhood, habitat, people, activities. Thankfully, I do feel most at home when I'm writing here. This is my home.

This is a place where I can be honest and genuine. I try to be honest and genuine in life also, but this is where I come and be creative. Since I moved to New York, I have been fortunate enough to embark on a few adventures in the world of filmmaking. I was fortunate enough to intern on two feature films. From these two experience, I learned so much about the protocols and politics of the industry. I also met some really great people and I hope we can be friends for a very long time.

Friendships in life can be so transitory, especially New York friendships. You can meet a lot of people and have a lot of friends, but I would personally prefer a small group of close friends and be each others' support systems. Everyone has their different groups of friends from their childhood, high school, college years and then work. It doesn't help that I've lived in four different cities. Nevertheless, I am hoping to build the kind of friendships here in New York that will last and persevere, which will make my time in New York that much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

I still have not decided where I fit in. My biggest issue is that I don't drink. This may come as a shock to a lot of people (because I have caused lots of jaws to drop with that revelation), but I really don't drink. I've gotten into copious debates about why I don't drink and at the end, we always agreed to disagree. I can't say that everyone drinks, but everyone drinks.
Please note: I am not against drinking as such, it's just not my activity. It's your choice, not mine. If someone here doesn't drink, I'd like to know that I'm not alone. I'll dedicate an entire post about this sometime in the near future, so I can clear up my reasons once and for all. Drinking is such a huge part of the New York lifestyle or any lifestyle in general, but I personally can have fun without drinking. When I've revealed to people that I don't drink, the immediate response would be "what do you do for fun then?"

I can have fun. I can have so much fun without a drop of alcohol. It is my goal to document all the fun I can have without alcohol. And the honest truth is that I have the alcoholic tolerance of a child. Alcohol kills the fun for me. I can list out all the fun activities and adventures that I've had since I moved to New York! At the beginning of this year, I said that 2010 was the best year of my life, well now 2011 has been the best year of my life. 2010 was a roller coaster ride of emotions with quite a few downs and now I can safely say that 2011 has been a year of lots of ups and hopefully more ups to come.

On another note, I was told that New York is going to fuck me up. Big city, crazy people, fucked up morals. Well, I'd like to say this in response to that, I love New York and I love my life. I think I'm levelheaded enough to know that I have that kind of self control and discipline that will allow me to remain the same person I am, work hard, achieve my goals and have a fucking awesome time. I HEART YOU, NEW YORK and I hope you heart me back.

Two Thousand and Eleven!

February: Started my new blog http://www.avalonnehall.com/
May: Graduated! Goodbye Academy of Art University. It will be the last time I mention you on my blog ever!
May/June: Went to L.A. with my parents as a graduation trip. L.A. is exactly what I envisioned and it didn't change my previous opinion on it. It was a fun trip, but I couldn't live there.
June 10th, 2011: Moved to New York, New York!!!
July 2nd and 9th: Saw The Normal Heart at the John Golden Theatre and met the lovely Jim Parsons and Simon Helberg!
July: Met up with JT and Dyanna of The SF Style. Had lunch on St. Marks Place, did a mini shoot and went to Trader Joes!
July-August: I'm not at liberty to reveal the name of this movie, but I got to be an art intern on a feature film, which stars one of my favorite actors of all time. Best experience ever! Met some truly amazing people! I will flip out when it comes out and we should all go watch it together!
September: Getting my first ever IMDb credit! Or maybe I can reveal the name of the movie since I am on IMDb now?
September: Fashion Week and Fashion's Night Out at Prada. Discovered Holy Ghost! at Prada's Fashion's Night Out Party. Met up with the lovely Erin of Calivintage, Rebecca of The Clothes Horse, Ashley of Fancy Fine. Sadly, I couldn't make it to the Stylish Picnic, because I was at home walking the Semi Finals match between Roger and Novak and Roger lost :(
September 12th: As an early birthday present from my parents, I got to see the US Open Finals Match, Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal. Four grueling sets with a victorious Novak at the end! I was in absolutely awe walking into the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
September 14th: Saw Bryan Greenberg and Julia Sinclair at the Canal Room. Kind of been in love with Bryan Greenberg since Prime (2005) and started to watch How To Make It In America.
September: Discovered an amazing band Jump into the Gospel and seeing them live four times already. Seen some other awesome bands: CHAPPO, People Get Ready, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Spacecamp, Computer Magic, U.S. Royalty, Datarock. Missed going to live shows!
September: Getting snapped by Kadeem for The Fader in SoHo. Seriously charming description:
The first thing that caught our eye was her courageous combination of bright red pants and yellow socks. After pulling that off, everything else just fell into place—the Katherine Hepburn fit of her trousers, some classic tasseled black and white loafers and an amazing black fedora makes her a modern age Dick Tracy.
September-October:
Worked as a set intern on another feature film, starring an actor that is in one of my favorite romance films ever. Met more awesome people! Played poker with the electrics on my last day on set with sugar packs, because obviously we didn't have chips. It was hilarious! Hopefully, I'll be getting paid work in the near future.
September: New shows like New Girl and 2 Broke Girls came into my life. Seriously, stories of my life. Jessica Day and Max Black are my soul mates!
October: Jenn, one half of the stylish dynamic duo of Clothes Encounters posted up the Style Profile of me. Thanks again Jenn for interviewing me and giving me a chance to be part of Clothes Encounters. It got quite a few views, thanks for watching it. I am so awkward in that video, I've only watched it once and I won't watch it again.
October 24th: Best birthday week ever with Caro, Marissa, Jay, Inez, Sasha! Received birthday macarons from Vicky! Thank you guys for everything!
October: So I did something pretty liberating and spontaneous and I'm pretty proud of myself. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... You will someday. (Hint: where is that quote from??? Ahhhhh think!)
October 31st: Didn't dress up. I had the idea of dressing up as Dolores Haze (Lolita) and then Caro suggested Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Didn't go to the parade. But the funniest thing happened, when I was walking in SoHo and this guy screams, "are you that lady from The Incredibles?" For a second, I had to think Violet? OH EDNA! Haha! I responded, "No this is how I dress normally! You made my day!" You gotta admit that's pretty hilarious. Next year, I have every intention of dressing up as a slutty artichoke (not slutty pumpkin, because artichokes have a special meaning to me). Thanks for the inspiration, How I Met Your Mother!
November 1st: Same blog, reinvented: someday. by avalonne hall
November 1st:
Although, I was going through an unproductive phase, I did manage to start a few new Tumblr blogs to keep me entertained. I had this fun idea that today I would officially start a new Tumblr dedicated to showing the way I dress on set: http://howidressonset.tumblr.com/ I managed to take a few snapshots during the first film I worked on. On the second, I somewhat documented a few days on Twitter, but that's it. This time, I will document every single outfit with the iPhone, fun, fast, simple! 

November: Going to learn to drive and get my license!

Two more months till the end of the year and then hello 2012! Can you believe it? I can't believe that I took another unintentional half year hiatus, but I'm back and I am ready to dedicate myself to my writing again. My goal for the end of the year is to write a feature length screenplay and then make the short film version in the spring. I have so many goals and I have time to make my dreams come true, but now I have to buckle down and make sure I can be the artist and writer I deserve to be.
Now is the time.




the sf style iii
avalonne & ashley
bryan greenberg!
sasha loves HTMIA!
avalonne loves HTMIA!

thank you crossroads!
subway with sasha
charlotte
the fader magazine
birthday macarons!
so retro

retro ladies at the parktimes square!
faux fur weather

XXIII

Monday, October 24, 2011

5 comments:
birthday macarons!

It was kind of my birthday last week, yes, that means I'm another year older. Does that mean I'm a year wiser? I would hope so, because if my looks will end up fading away, I better get a hell of a lot smarter. I can confidently say that I've really come to like the person I am. Admittedly, growing up I wasn't very confident and didn't have much self esteem, especially when I was in elementary school. I was so shy and introverted. But I'm not going to make this post into a sob story, I'm just glad that I'm growing up to be the woman I've always hoped to become. I have so many life goals for myself and if I have an ounce of realism in me, I would know that the chances of me achieving everything on my goal list is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, I am still optimistic that I can be a writer/director and I will be making my own movies in the (near) future. Someday.

I just re-read my birthday post from last year on my old blog. I can't believe a year has come and gone and so much has happened since. I'm actually in New York and sometimes it still baffles me. Sometimes I would be walking in Greenwich Village and I would have to stop and think "where the hell am I?" Yes, yes, I'm in NEW YORK! It's crazy!

This is what I said on 10/24/10: 
This year has been full of surprises, more so than the previous years I've lived. I think if anything this will just continue to escalate and I'll say that about every year. So this is the last day of my twenty first year of my life. You've brought me a great deal of happiness, sorrow and exasperation and I hope you will continue to surprise me with more unexpected adventures and opportunities. Thank you for everything.

Yes indeed, 2011 has been a year of more surprises and unexpected adventures, I cannot begin to explain. Now that I've been in New York for four months, I am starting to feel more fear than ever. My future seems so uncertain at this point, BUT I do have some plans and ideas on how I will continue to stay in the U.S. I make it sound like I'm from some awful country, but the truth is that Hong Kong is just NOT FOR ME. (Hey! It's worth the visit, don't get me wrong) Without trying to generalize everyone in Hong Kong, but a lot of people in Hong Kong just lack creativity. What drives (most of) them is money and consumerism. If I live and work there, I will become a zombie and an unhappy zombie at that. I know that if I plan the last two months of 2011, I know that I will be able to figure out a plan to stay in New York.

My birthday was spent with one of my dearest friends Caro, who coincidentally was visiting from San Francisco. The timing was perfect, because she was in town for a photo expo and other photo related endeavors. She arrived on the 23rd, just in time for my birthday. We went to Central Park to see the trees, but they weren't red, orange and gold yet. We were met by another lovely friend and fellow RFJ! cohort Marissa! We were both sporting hats, looking all retro and awesome! Thank you so much for the birthday card, gifts from Alice's Tea Cup and birthday cookie! I am so grateful to have you as a friend and I look forward to our New York, tea related and film adventures!

I cannot believe Caro's timing! It was completely coincidental and serendipitous. We should have gone to Serendipity III. Caro, Marissa and I met up at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. I had seen that fountain in the movies and wanted to see it for myself. The Boathouse is also by the fountain, which reminds me of the scene in Sex and the City, when Carrie and Big fall into the lake (I love my SATC references). We parted ways with Marissa and said a sorrowful goodbye for now, because she is visiting Texas for a while. Can't wait for her to come back! Caro and I made our way to the Angelika Film Center to see Midnight in Paris, because Caro hadn't seen it yet.

I do love Midnight in Paris, because it's the type of fantasy that I've always had. I love the Twenties and I love Paris. Spoiler alert. I love F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Matisse, Dali. I hope I haven't spoiled too much for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. It's an enjoyable and lighthearted story, but it could be a challenging film if you don't understand the references. We also went to see Drive the next day. It is a very slow movie and it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there were a great deal of Facebook statuses stating that Drive is the best movie of the year. Well in my opinion, I wouldn't necessarily agree, but I did enjoy the soundtrack, the visual style and credits (just like everyone else). That night, I went to Film #2's wrap party in the Meatpacking District. It was so nice to see everyone in a different environment, but admittedly, I think I prefer a work environment to a bar setting. Gosh, I'm weird. Now... next film please! I need to get moneyz! I think that would be the great present of all, if I can work on a film. Fingers crossed.

On Wednesday, we met up with my friend Jay and he surprised me with cupcakes at Spot on St. Mark's Place. Thank you so much for your kindness and friendship! Vicky also sent me birthday macarons! Thank you so much for the pretty and delicious macarons! I am so thankful to have such incredible friends and people in my life. Here we go, year 23 of my life, what surprises will you have in store for me this time?!

More photos to come (to be scanned).

birthday cookie!
retro ladies at the park
birthday cookie!
central park pals
birthday in central park
retro ladies at the park
retro ladies at the park
times square!
adventure with jay and caro

Happy Father's Day

Sunday, June 19, 2011

happy father's day
happy father's day

Happy Father's Day to all the heroic fathers in the world. And to my handsome, always stylish (if I were a guy, I'd dress like him) and ever patient father. I love you.

The Graduate

Friday, May 27, 2011

5 comments:
graduation

Congratulations Class of 2011!

I can't believe it's finally over! The last few weeks have been so overwhelming. I stopped blogging for a month now (so awful), since I had so much to do. The weeks leading up to graduation were consumed with thoughts of what dress to wear?! I know, how deep and profound? But I really wanted to pick a great dress to signify the end of an era. I wanted this dress to make a statement. Okay, I know there's only so much a dress can express, but I've been re-watching Project Runway, so I'm all about the clothes right now.

A few months ago, I read a great article by Refinery29 on What to Wear to Graduation. I absolutely needed some guidance and advice on picking a great dress for this ceremonious event. I was instantly mesmerized by the first dress in the article, this dress was picked for The Future CEO. I just fell in love with the color and the pleats. I knew that this was the dress I wanted to wear as a college graduate. But then I told myself, "hey this is the first dress you've seen, take a look around and maybe you'll find another one." So I looked around ASOS and fell in love with other dresses too, but I knew the bright coral tailored dress with pleats was perfect. Did I make the right choice? I know graduation is all about the cap and gown, but I wanted a bright colored dress!

I wasn't expecting much from the graduation ceremony, all I really wanted was to take photos with my friends. The moment leading up to walking on stage and receiving the fake diploma was quite exciting and then the moment died. After the three hour ceremony, we made our way outside, but I couldn't locate my parents. I got through to Shy and we got a few photos together and then I found my parents. It was a huge mess. There were people everywhere and it was noisy and the buses were trying to drive through a sea of chaos. By the time, I found my parents, Shy had left. I was heartbroken. I'm so glad Jonalyn came to the ceremony and we got a photo together. And before Caro left, we took some photobooth photos.

Congratulations graduates, it's finally over and now to the next chapter of our lives. I hope and want to make it to my friends' graduation next year! Now I can only hope to find a job soon and ultimately find a job that can offer me work sponsorship - that is my ultimate challenge.


graduation
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graduation

Friday the 13th

Friday, May 13, 2011

9 comments:
friday the 13th

One more week till my college days are over. It's hard to believe that everything is really coming to an end. I remember this time last year when I was saying how I can't believe I only have one year left and now I have one week left. Graduation is in two weeks, so I have to decide what dress I want to wear! I still have to work on some finals, so this weekend I'm going to have to buckle down and whip down my final works. Not only have I been preoccupied by the fact that it's nearly over... I feel slightly lost and empty inside - that's why I haven't been blogging much. Generally, I am excited to leave and start anew in New York City, but I can't help but feel lost... empty... uninspired. What a time to feel uninspired, when I'm about to leave San Francisco? I should be cherishing every moment and capturing them, but I just feel so empty.

I've been falling behind my posts and reading blogs, which is causing this wave of negativity, but I will overcome it, because I have to. I have no choice, these are my final weeks in San Francisco and I'm going to enjoy myself. Today is the 13th, which means this time next month I will be in New York. On Tuesday, I handed in my one month notice. I've been selling my clothes at Crossroads and Buffalo to reduce the amount of stuff to ship cross-country. I have to start packing things and tossing out things, so I don't leave it till last minute. My parents will be visiting and attending the graduation ceremony and then we'll be visiting L.A. for three days. I've never been to L.A., but I'm excited to finally see and experience it. We're going to go on the Universal Studio tour and I've always wanted to see the Hollywood sign. How cliche of me?

I guess it's really starting to hit me. I feel trapped between feeling underwhelmed and overwhelmed. I'm feeling everything and nothing at the same time. What saddens me most is saying goodbye to my friends. Of course I'm going to be sad and I might be a wreck when we say goodbye, but I know that it isn't goodbye forever. Because at the beginning of the week, I had this brilliant idea of visiting San Francisco in July. I've applied to 50+ jobs since early April and I haven't heard back from anyone, I'm still applying to jobs and hopefully by the time I get to New York, I can at least get hired to do freelance jobs, so hopefully I'll get some pay and I'll save up and fly to San Francisco. I know this plan really depends on me finding a job and getting paid, but I am confident that I will get a job from Craigslist. Of course my main goal is to find work sponsorship and I will, but for now, I just need to earn some money. Wish me luck!

Hopefully before the semester ends, I can squeeze in some photo shoots with Caro. Sadly, she's leaving early, which saddens me. I hope we can spend some time together before she leaves! I'm going to miss that girl so much. After graduation, my parents and I are going to L.A. on the 29th and coming back on the 1st and Shy leaves on the 31st, which means I'll be saying goodbye to her before she leaves. I really don't want to think about it, but I can't help it. Once classes are over, I'm going to spend some quality time with my friends! I love you guys so much. Must work on finals, catch up on blogs and return comments!

Happy Mother's Day

Sunday, May 8, 2011

happy mother's day
happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day to all the loving and wonderful mothers out there. And to my amazing, beautiful, inspiring and always stylish mother. I love you.