photosynthesis.

Ok,

I had a big revelation when I stepped into my best friend's apartment; immense amount of light is necessary for the soul. I sat on the couch, blanked out, and stayed in that position for the next five days, barely moving, if not washing dishes, drinking wine, or eating what he cooked.

Therefore, I didn't go out much, because 'out' was already inside the room. I absorbed so many sunlight from the windows and doors. I wasn't in need of anything else. Lutz went to his classes and I was turning into a plant.

On the last two days I met Aukje (read: au-kee-ah). Didn't expect to be able to meet someone so inspiring, bright and smart within the ten days I've spent in the Netherlands. I found her to be in the same frequency --if only our communication can be measured in the units of radio waves.

I don't want to overcomplicate my feelings towards this, and I don't need to.
I had a really good break, and so that is all.


Note: Click on the big portrait pictures to enter slideshow mode so you don't have to zoom out.

amsterdam.

For the past four days, I've ran away from the umpteenth snowstorm of New York to the land of bikes and canals.

The first few days weren't so good due to my health, still freshly recovering from a week of fevers and bad throat conditions. But my best friend never ceases to help me out through each day, juggling between taking in everything and chilling it out. On top of all that, the weather's a bit bipolar --either gloomy or sunny, or both at the same day -- but the quality of the Northern light in this city is one of the big reasons I wanted to go back to Europe.

Tomorrow I'll be leaving Amsterdam for another city, and hopefully it'll be way more relaxing for me to catch up with my school works.

I'll post another photo journal soon enough.
Goedemiddag!

ap(ar)t.

Looking back, I am not sure if I have posted any pictures of my current home away from home. Well, if any of you did wonder, since the beginning of my sophomore year I've opted out from dorm life and found a studio apartment to live in. It is in the Chelsea area, right across one of my university's main buildings.

Therefore, I've been living in an unstable solitude for the past five months. First semester became a reflection of a big struggle. My GPA suffered, side projects delayed, but then aside from the bad, I also had fun due to my friends' effort to drag me out of the bed. Thank you, friends.

Here are my favorite nooks and crannies so far. Oh and feel free to come by when you're in town!

obscure.

(This editorial is currently featured at The Fashionisto)

Another test shoot batch from Fly Models Mgt. This one got delayed with the other two batches but I'm currently working on them. Hopefully I'll be able to get to my usual pace in no time.

Rafael Gaidzinski is from Brazil, very sweet, very charming, stern yet solemnly outstanding. He also just got featured in models.com, so you can check his portfolio so far. All the designs are from Peter Do's Fusion 2013 collection --which I have admired for the patterns and the cuts since I saw in on the runway, along with my senior's collection. The metal rings and pendant are all made by Mike McManus, a Brooklyn-based artist that I am also currently helping out.

It is also a memorable shoot because Kenny assisted me with it. Aside from being very helpful that day, we ended up hanging out even more frequently since then. I also assisted with one of her short film shooting and it was amazing to witness how professional our generation could be.

presto: bye polar.

Last week, my best friend in the Netherlands popped an interesting idea. He suggested to post pictures from my new phone because the built-in camera was pretty decent. I have mixed feelings about the whole camera phone evolution, but I thought it through and here I am, writing the first post for this new 'presto' monthly section since the long hiatus!

Entering the second week of Spring semester, it seems like the city will be going back and forth between clear days and snow storms for awhile. Yes, the snow might look so beautiful instead of hazardous, but let me remind you that this is New York. Before you know it all the white snow turned mashed black, and I've lost count of how much yellow snow I encountered per day.

Yet to look up at the sky after the storm, you'll be reminded of how NYC is just another city with a personality of a human being. Sometimes it'll befriend you right in the middle of Union Square and take you to eat the best caramel crêpe in town, and other times it'll not appreciate your effort to cross the icy surface of the street to attend class.