All-Write: A Gamboa Post

I made a mixed CD.  And I gave it the title "Mostly Upbeat/White People:  A MIXED CD, YO!"
And I was looking at my handwriting, and I thought that the way that I wrote the word "White" looked like the way my mom would write the word "White"


Is that a weird thing to think?  Probably.  But my mom has great writing.  Like, 1st grade teacher handwriting.  Except she does her a's with the extra thing at the top instead of plain and simple.  But somehow her handwriting is upbeat and clear and smiling at you.

I asked my Mom for a writing sample and she wrote a letter about what I am like.  It was cheesy and cute, and this is the edited version.  

Which got me to thinking about the handwriting styles in my family, and how they are so a representation of each of the people.  Por ejemplo:

Adri's handwriting stares back at you through cat-eyes, flirting with you and making you wish you were as stylish as her handwriting.  Adri's writing is the most feminine I think. 

Camille's handwriting is more practical than Adri or my Mom, but it's still got its own swagger.  It's so fitting that Camille sent me a to-do list because she is continuously making them.  In fact, just thinking about her handwriting makes me think of the erasable pen-system that she had all throughout high school for taking notes.  I also like the use of exclamation points to denote importance. 

I can't even look at my handwriting without seeing everyone else's.  Also, I have HANDS DOWN the sloppiest writing of the girls, and when I take the time to write really neatly, it comes out looking like my mom's writing.  I guess that says something about who taught me to write.


I was going to do the boys in my family too, but those ended up being too difficult to get a hold of.  But, well, there you go.

FINGA NAYYALS

For a class I took, we watched a lot of movies.  Specifically Urban films, which I suppose is a film that takes place in a city.  We were supposed to be analyzing the music (it was through the music department) and one of these movies was Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing."  (I will eventually get to the point, bear (bare?) with me).

There's this scene, where Spike Lee is stopping from his pizza delivery job to get some lovin from his Puerto Rican girlfriend and it's blazing blazing hot outside and he takes a piece of ice and rubs it on her neck and says, "Thank God for the neck" and then takes the cube to her lips and is like "Thank God for lips" and wipes it on her thigh and says "Thank God for thighs" and then takes it to her kneecap and I started busting up laughing because among all the sexy body parts Spike Lee chose to bring up the kneecap??!!  And my class got to hear me laugh at something that's not supposed to be funny for about the billionth time.  But of course after that he thanked God for more private body parts (only one movie in the whole class had breasts in it, and I chose to bring it up on my blog), and my inappropriate laughter turned into awkward/nervous laughter because that is how I handle seeing other people's naked bodies and also I have the maturity of a 12 year old when it comes to those sorts of things.

The point of all of this is: Thank God for fingernails.  (Aren't you so glad I took forever to explain the context on that one?)

I spent an inordinately long time painting my fingernails last night.  And I'm not even done.  I would give you a tutorial, but I think you might just get the point if I say wait until the last coat is reaaaaaaalllly dry and use scotch tape and remove it immediately after you paint it.

I messed up about one thousand times, but it's really cool and architectural looking now that it's ish done.

And now, when I go to any of the three meetings I have tomorrow, my respective supervisors will not be wondering why I don't know enough about income tax in California, or why this excel graph looks exactly like the last one, because they will know that it is because I spent literally hours trying to get my fingernails to be "really cool and architectural looking" because working from home is apparently a terrible idea for me.

Which is to say, the work gets done, but only in between coats of fingernail polish.

Le Fashions

Ok, so you, by this point, are like, "Wow, stop talking about your photography class because no one cares."  But this is me ignoring you because I care and this is my blog and don't read it if you don't want to.  (I don't cater to my audience very well, in case you couldn't tell.)

So here's the dealio, I am not a hipster.  And this is not one of those things where someone who is a hipster pretends to not be a hipster.  I am actually not a hipster.  I enjoy listening to top 40.  I read stupid celebrity gossip magazines when I'm in the grocery store because I think they're interesting and mind-numbing.  Although I sometimes shop at thrift stores, for the most part it's Forever 21 and Target for me.  And I own two scarves which I never wear.  Therefore I could never be a hipster.

Now that we've cleared that out, I think photography is super rad.  And so do a lot of hipsters.  In fact, my class, which is made of only probably 13 people, has about 9 hipsters in it (including the professor, who is actually only a grad student).  So every day when I go to the class I feel this tremendous pressure to wear cute clothes, because everyone else is wearing cute clothes that are like artistic and cool and edgy and not at all like the usual jeans + t-shirt from the company you interned at over the summer + Stanford hoodie which = the average Stanford student's wardrobe.

But not only do my clothes have to be cute, they have to send a message.  And the message that I usually try to convey through my clothes when dressing for this photo class is "the reason you don't see value in my photos is because my aesthetic is oh-so-clearly over your head as evidenced by my edgy and different taste in clothes that you think are cool but a little but ugly."  I mean, if a  pictures worth a thousand words, can an outfit be worth (...I'm counting...) 38?  I'm hoping yes.

So yes, I am posting pictures of  my outfits for the last few classes.  Which you will probably (hopefully) think are a little but ugly.  But also cool.  and edgy.  and over-your-head.  Did I really say that?  How pretentious is that?

In any case:

Bright blue pants, turquoise top, fat belly.  I was in a rush that morning.  

Oh and btw's, I made my first print, which you are welcome to think of as complete crap.  While the subject of the photo may suck, I am fairly proud of the printing.  Here is a picture of that picture:

Pictures of pictures look dumb.

Lately:

I am especially bad at giving titles to my posts.

I have the desire to BELT out some music even though I'm pretty sure my neighbors hate it.

I have to goal of making my blog the first thing that comes up when you google search "gigi gems" or "Gigi Gamboa blog".  I don't really know how you do that. (I'm second right now.)

I noticed that how and who are made of the exact same letters.

I figured out how to make it so when I try to go on hulu or facebook during the weekdays it instead goes here.

I have the desire to share with you that I made my very own website. Like a couple of months ago.  It took a really bazillion long time to do, so you should appreciate it a lot because everything (and I mean everything) in there I did by scratch.

I am looking forward to meeting Kevin Bacon this week.  And by meeting I mean I am going to hear him speak and I am going to try harrrd to meet him.  Is it weird that I have a mild Kevin Bacon crush?

I want to revive my Spanish and I don't hate talking to groups of people.  These are not really related.

And a little story because, well quite honestly this post sucks up to this point:

I went to work today and I was capital "B" BORED (I guess all the other letters are capitalized too).  This was just because my boss wasn't there for about the first hour or so. ( I just realized that my bosses could read this and then I had a mini panic attack and decided whether or not to post this but then remembered that my own little brothers don't ready my blog so I'm probably good.  Just in case, I would like to add that I have a great job that is super awesome and that my bosses are the best people in the world.)

Anyways,  I was wishing it were the weekend again, because I got to go to the beach.  But I didn't get lobster-fied as I had hoped because it was sooooo windy that they sand was pelting us and it was painful.  And then I remembered that my friend in Santa Cruz is super awesome because she made a ring for me.  Like on the spot!  It was re-donkulously cool.  Srsly.

Pics:

Once again, on the very very very small chance that my boss reads my blog (you're so cool Ryan!  I want to be just like you when I graduate!), I would like to say that these photos may or may not have been taken during the hour that I was bored at work.  

But the ring, it is le cool, no?  I am obsessed with it so you can tell me if it's not your style and I will not be offended, but it is so unique!  I basically picked two beads that I like and my friend just whipped the thing up by wrapping them in cool wire.  I've been wearing it since I got it because I am in love.  

Is it wrong to love an accessory?  I sure hope not!

(P.S.  The ending to this post is cheeeese.  )

A little flirt never hurt.

Interwebz, meet the new guy who is staying in my room.  He's kind of huge and obnoxious, but I have to house him for the next few days.  His name is Frank:

As in, short for Frankenstein.  Because the lady at the PC repair place called him a monster.  

I'm actually growing quite fond of Frank, I held all 29.2 pounds of him in my arms across a street and up three flights of stairs, and we bonded because of it.  

Let me tell you the story of how Frank and I came to be roommates.  

Yesterday, my computer broke.  Out of nowhere. But luckily, it was just the screen that broke.  When I turn it on, it looks like this:

One stripe.  And I din't drop her or anything (my computer's name is Black Betty).  I love Betty and I would never do anything to hurt her.  

So after waiting overnight to see if something magical would happen, and waking up to realize that the computer fairy is not real, I decided to make phone calls to PC repair places close by.  

I ended up at Kangaroo Mobile for a free diagnostic of the problem with Betty.  Betty has a broken LCD screen.  Which they have to special order and then install, and it is NOT cheap.  

But you guys, it is finals week next week.  And I have to create a website by this Friday, and all of my files are sitting in Betty.  I need her.  This week especially, Betty is sooo important to me.  So I went to kangaroo mobile, and I played the girl.  I batted my eyes, I made extra eye contact, and I was smiley.  

And kangaroo mobile let me have Frank for free.  Yes, he is all mine until a new screen comes in the mail for Betty.  

The guy at kangaroo mobile even carried Frank to my car for me.  So either I am good at smiling, or kangaroo mobile has some good customer service.  As I made the quick drive back to campus, I thought about how things have a way of working out.  And then I had a one girl dance party to Rocketeer in my car to celebrate. (Note to self: that song is going to play REALLY loudly next time I turn on my car.)  

But f'realz.  It's good to be young.  

In other news ( and I know this is not a fashion blog and I am not about the fashion), what do you think of this outfit?

Too many colors?  I actually wore this today, except I wore flats that were more neutral.  But the yellow sweater and the blue shoes and the pink earrings?  I like the bright colorz, but I'm thinking this might be a little too redonk.  Also, over half of these items were obtained from my fashionista older sister.  

Oh and be tee dubs, what are you giving up for lent tomorrow?  I am giving up using my sister's netflix account and the soft serve ice cream that they have in the dining halls and most importantly, I am giving up needless worry. As in when you worry about things that you have no control over.  

Style Shoutout!!

DISCLAIMER:  My phone is lost.   My camera phone sucks.  I don't normally take pictures of myself in the mirror.  Blah.

But I do finally have pictures that were not stolen from the interweb.  And I kind of included a picture of my roommate in there.  (Sorry about that Kelsey.  But now you have an excuse to talk about how you are an acrobat. (BAHAHAHAHA)).  But don't judge me for the cheesy poses and terrible quality.


Anyways, this post is all about my sister Adri, and how her style is rubbing off on me.  Because I'm the one out of my sisters who wears electric colors that are not really in season and crazy prints and things that are just generally busy and over-accessorized.  Adri, on the other hand is more of a classic girl.  She likes stripes and navy blue (navy blue stripes are like the jackpot) and jewelry that is more delicate and feminine.

She actually hand-makes a lot of really cute jewelry.  I lived with her this whole last summer and so she started to rub off on me.  I helped her to make and sell cute things like this:

Isn't it cute?  Well today, my outfit was inspired by Adri's sense of style.

Okay that doesn't really show it off, but I'll try to describe it.  I have on this mustard sweater.  Mustard is probably one of the loudest colors in Adri's closet, and I was never a fan of it until she introduced me to the world of mustard.  And now I looove it.
Underneath the mustard sweater is a navy blue camisole.  Navy blue never goes out of style.
Last but not least are the bright blue earrings, which Adri actually made for me.  I kind of coerced her into it because they're a little bit big to be studs, but I love them and I wear them probably more often than I should.
Here's a close up.

And last but not least, I will add the picture where Kelsey tries and fails to remain hidden after I told her her *ehem* lower half was in the picture:

Mostly I'm laughing at her because she was hiding.  Anyways, my outfit is not over the top and totally cute and simple without being boring.

Cute, huh?