FRINGE INDIE February/March 10
Valentine´s day special issue
#9
The San Valentine’s Issue
Fringe indie Magazine Team Editor In Chief & Art Director: Flavia Martina (http://youcancallmeflanders.blogspot.com) Fashion Columnist: Flavia Martina Beauty Columnist: M. Jimena Perez Music Columnist: Flavia Martina Cinema Columnist: Flavia Martina NY Official Correspondent: Audrey Allure Milan Official Correspondent: Adriana Escarini Contributors in this issue: Gabriella Tramontano, Denise Maciel Roulier. Published by: Flavia Martina FRINGE INDIE MAGAZINE http://www.fringeindiemagazine.com Cover shot production: PH: Gabriella Tramontano http://www.flickr.com/photos/northernstarandthewhiterabbit/ gabriella.tramontano@libero.it
Contact: contact@fringemagazine.tk press@fringemagazine.tk editorial@fringemagazine.tk
IN THIS ISSUE 07 08 16 18 20 22 28 31 32 37 45 46 48 50 52 56
Letter from the editor. The Photographer. The Fever Cadance. K!nk. Myspace Tunes. R.mutt 1917. Sweet Couture. Delance Fashion Community. The Blogger of the moment. The San Valentine’s Special. Music Review. Valentine’s Day. Things to do for Valentine’s Day. Val D’Aosta Dreamming. What is love?. San Valentine’s Confession.
Letter from the Editor For the first time FIM dares to make a special edition. Being a common date in the world, Valentine’s Day has been our inspiration in this issue. Lots of red, lots of love and passion are what you will find page after page. For Valentine’s Day we give you the music, movies and relax. What are you waiting for? Turn the page!. {Flavia Martina} Editor in Chief
-What are your favorite subjects to photograph? I try to find something interesting in everyday’s life. It’s like every single thing have a soul, if you look at it through a camera lens. From sunsets to pencils. From people to candies. I also dedicated a series of shots to gummy bears’ secret life. They can be so funny, and so meaningful too (well, and so delicious when the shooting session ends!) -Do you have any formal training in the art of photography? No training. I could describe myself like a self-taught photographer, if I were a photographer... but I’m not. Expecially if you name “photographer” someone who knows every single thecnique and use all the most expensive equipment. This make you a good photographer, but not an artist. And a photographer also needs to be an artist, in my opinion. What photography would be without imagination? So I just like to capture things around me, express feelings with images, catch a thought with a click. -What inspired your interest in photography? I really can’t remember. I’ve played with my dad old film camera since I was a child. There’s a picture of me - I was about 3 years old - and guess what? I have a camera in my hands! I bought my own first DSLR 3 years ago, and she’s my best friend now. I can’t figure my life without her (and I gave “her” a name, but this definitely sound too childish and silly, so don’t tell it around, okay?) -What continues to inspire you? I guess taking photos is like a drug. When you start you just can’t stop. It may sound ridiculous but when I look at something I try to figure in my mind how could be the best way to catch it in a shot. So I could say my “inspiration” won’t stop as long as my eyes can see.
New York Audrey Allure
The Fever Cadence In addition to last month’s issue of rising stars in New York City, I would like to introduce you all to The Fever Cadence. It is comprised of Wilson Lam (vocal & guitar), Robert Leidner (bass), and Andrew Amoroso (drums & honor). They are a new band that can be described as, “pop/rock, dancy, indie, and even bitchy”, in words of Wilson Lam. I was able to interview Wilson to let you all know more about them:
Q: How did the band form? A: I used to be in another band, The Accomplice Theory, but we broke up and went our separate ways. The drummer, Andrew, and I wanted to start a new project with a new sound. We wanted to do it together and grow this new project. Q: Tell me a little bit about each of you. A: Hmm, let’s see. Let’s start with Andrew. He’s the drummer and the co-founder of the band. I say he represents the “honor” which is an inside joke for us. He’s also flexible as in he’s a good compromiser, and he’s a good listener. Rob is the bass player; He’s just starting to come back into bass playing so he’s willing to get back into his thing and learn. He’s very patient and willing to work. As for myself, I’m very possessive of my music. I’m the songwriter for the band but I’m willing to compromise and collaborate with my band mates. I don’t get the final say of what it’ll sound like but I’ll try to compromise and collaborate as much as possible. Q: What are your inspirations? Who are your idols? A: I try not to listen to music when writing; I basically take it from personal experiences and life. But I do love a lot of “A” bands – you know, bands that usually start with the letter A. Our sound doesn’t relate to their music, but I listen to a lot of pop/rock dance type of music. I love the All American Rejects, Ace Enders. That kinda lighter stuff. Q: Describe what your band sounds like. A: I would say it’s pop/rock, dancy… and bitchy. The material and content
is bitchy; I guess you can say our sound is also bitchy. We were also recently labeled indie. Q: Where do you see this group in 5 years? A: Still together hopefully. We’re still in the beginning process and still forming our band so it’d be nice to have a full band working on more things and getting shows. Hopefully we have a set fan base. Q: Do you guys have a record label or are you unsigned? A: Currently we’re unsigned. Again we’re still in our beginning stage so we’re working on getting a full band to record a demo together. We’ll definitely send them out to indie labels though. Q: Would you ever start your own label? A: If I knew how, I would definitely do it. Q: Whom would you like to do collaborate with in the future? A: All American Rejects. I love Tyson Ritter. I would like to work with anybody, not only in the rock scene. I respect everyone in the music industry. Q: Any shows/gigs coming up? A: Currently no. We’re focusing more on putting together a few songs first. But I would like to mention a name out there – Black Sheep Productions. They helped us get a lot of shows, and they’re currently growing. You should check them out. Q: When did you know you wanted to be a musician? A: When I was in the Accomplice Theory, and it was only recently when I wanted to go further. It was through my personal experiences and things that happened in my life that pushed me to write music and made me want to work harder at it. Q: How does your song writing process work? A: Very messy and unorganized. I’ll just type in lyrics in my phone if I don’t have any pen or paper around. I’m not the type to play around with the guitar. Usually it’ll start with one line and I just work around it and it forms together naturally. Q: What’s the story behind your name, The Fever Cadence? A: I was actually in the shower. I was thinking of various band names and I was singing Eyelash Wishes from the All American Rejects. There’s a line “stretch this song to a fever cadence”. I just thought it sounded like a cool name. [Note: For those too lazy to dictionary.com the word cadence, it means, “balanced, rhythmic flow, as of poetry or orator; the measure or beat of movement, as in dancing or marching”. I think all of you readers can make out what Fever Cadence means from that.] Q: Would you ever consider leaving the band and going off as a solo artist? A: No. I tend to like to hand a band to back me up; it’s comforting. I also have a great relationship with my band mates and sharing the message with people is more satisfying than being up there on the stage by myself. Q: So you’re still in college, what’s your major? A: Psychology – it actually helps me write songs and see other perspectives. I can put myself in other people’s shoes without having to actually experience them. Q: Would you ever transfer to a more focused school for music? A: I wanted to transfer, but it seems selfish. Maybe one day I will and maybe I’ll get a chance to just take some classes. Q: What do you want to be most known for? A: Hmm, music related – to have songs that really speak to people and be really interactive with fans. Non-related – to be the first man to fly. Like legit fly. It’s going to happen. Q: Anything else you want to add & tell the readers? A: Do what you love. Life is not a straight path, so if things don’t go the way you planned, make something good out of that.
To see more and to listen to Fever Cadence check out: http://www.myspace.com/thefevercadence http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheFever-Cadence/259226475478 To check out Black Sheep Productions: http://www.myspace.com/blacksheepnyc http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/New-York-NY/Black-SheepProductions/222042073875?ref=ts
New York Audrey Allure
This brand new artist, K1NK, is joining the music scene and is one to look out for. According to their bio, K1NK Muzik “focuses in producing electronic dance music tracks, ranging from melodic vocal trance to minimal and tech-house.”
How did you get started and get involved into your career? With help of my older brother who is trained as a classical pianist as from the age of 6, we where introduced to the world of synthesizers and from then on the concept of music creation took a completely different twist due to the fact that this added a new dimension to music making; in addition to creating a melody, rhythm and form, sound synthesis gives the artist the opportunity to also create the sound. Listening to these new creations was just the privilege of a few until one fine day, it was decided to create K1nK Muzik by uploading one of the older productions. In a couple of weeks time, the feedback received from numerous people from all around the world was immense. A record deal was offered for our first release and the rest is history ... in the making. What school did you attend? Did you take any classes to help you in this profession? I attended secondary school at Pieta, Malta, but I am now currently attending the University of Malta to further my studies on management and marketing. All classes I took were private lessons such as learning the guitar at the age of five and also the french horn which I gave up after a while. Taking part in various plays, musicals and dramas at school was a custom for me and that’s what made me delve into the production of music. Knowing how to write music and read it made a lot easier for me with today’s technology to produce music. When did you know you wanted to be part of the music industry? I’ve always enjoyed music in my life. I wouldn’t live without it. It’s part of me. Since being very small I was always pressured to do well in school, but I always found time to learn the guitar and take theory lessons. At the age of sixteen I was obsessed in wanting to be part of the music scene, not knowing that just about a year after an opportunity would rise up!
What are your inspirations? Your idols? I get inspired to creating music by the beautiful nature and wildlife we have around us. The happiness, peace and quiet and also the sadness that comes along with it. These emotions are all reflected in my songs. Weirdly enough, that’s what inspires me the most! The two persons that made me want to get out there were: Daft Punk and Eric Prydz. I loved their music, since a very young age. Always running around with their music in my pockets when others where listening to the commercial stuff on the radio hahaa. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Not wanting to sound arrogant or big headed. I see myself as one of the mainstream producers in the music scene in round about five years. I believe that I have what it takes to make it and therefore now that I’ve chose to do this there is no going back for me until I get what I came here for! =] How does your song process work? Very simple really. I’m sad, angry, or happy... sit down on my Imac and switch on my synths and keyboards, and start to let my emotions out through music. The ones that sound good you get to hear, the ones that are ughhh go straight to the trash. I’m a perfectionist hahaaa What are your other interests unrelated to music? Well, I love extreme sports, although I didn’t ever have the chance to try any of them. I like watching the F1 sometimes and play basketball and also my guitar. Hanging out with friends and my girlfriend is something that I wouldn’t overlook no matter what’s going on. I like to spend quality time with the people I love and close to my heart. Cooking is also something I’m into, which I enjoy doing for friends and family, and also travelling!!! I wouldn’t forget that hahaa What do you want to be best known for? I want to be known for my originality and my own style when creating music. A guy that tries to fit in with everyone. Anything you’d like to tell your fans? I’d love to thank all my fans for supporting me and always being there to comment my success positively and negatively. Thanks for being honest and last but not least, a big thanks from my heart..as you are what makes me keep going at it. God Bless you!
You can all join the Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook. com/pages/K1nkMuzik/230127869238?v=wall&ref=ts Also, still wondering exactly who might this artist be? His identity will be released in the summer. Until then, dance along to his heart-pumping music!
We Bring You The Rocking Sounds on Myspace
WOLF & CUB:
LILA DOWNS:
( h t t p : / / w w w. m y s p a c e . com/wolfandcub)
( h t t p : / / w w w. m y s p a c e . com/liladowns)
This group of Australia has a selection of songs defined as rock-electronicindie. All tracks are excellent and worth being heard. FIM Choices: -Hearts -Thousand Cuts (with a bit more rocker sound).
For lovers of folk can not miss this singer who provides material in Spanish and English. With a deep privileged voice conveys adrenaline in her songs. FIM Choice: -Little Man
Buenos Aires Denise Maciel Roulier
R.mutt 1917 *Tell me, how did this great idea started? The idea came from a love- hate towards garbage. From girl I collected garbage objects. In Colombia I had a workshop with 200 broomsticks and 25 televisions collected from the street (Ami). * Do you considered influenced by the movement of recyclable ecofashion? The idea of the environment is something that is present but has nothing to do inherently with that, is an idea that comes off. You may see someone doing similar things and pushes you. Perhaps we feel more daughters of Dada (although generally not knowing because until recently we became conscious of that.) Retraining course also contemporary movements such as bricolage, giving objects a new look and utility. Using the resources that are in front of our eyes and be so consumed to produce things with them. * How is your work, how to define what materials are going to be useful? Our work is based on the pieces we have at our disposal at the time, may be things that friends gave us, things that are in the street, things leftover from filming a short film. There is no such classification, we collect what catches our attention and try not to discard a lot, after the complex part comes while deciding what to do with that, it's pretty particular. * In what places we can find your items or how we acquire it? For now we are not stablished, we were on the flia in Barracas, but we exhibit in parks and squares or concerts or events with friends, organize teas for ladies and gentlemen. We are preparing a blog, we now have a facebook: Erre Mut. * It is very interesting to know what others through away serves you, do you have any person / entity who donates materials? We collect material in our house and street in Once, moreover we have had some donations from friends, obsolete technology is often the number one in the ranking. We are open to donations: erremut@gmail.com * How many people are doing the project? We are Ami (Colombia), D-ani (Argentina) Gabijuana, and Raquel (Mexico). We all met in the field of cinema as we were studying art direction, specifically in that department are discarded many things, is quite anti-eco. And of course Erre always there to lend a hand, he is a Russian immigrant who cooperates significantly in our projects.
Milan Adriana Escarini
Sweets Couture Designer Elena Petraccaro tells us what to wear for Valentine’s Day *How and when was the brand Elena Petraccaro born? The brand EP was founded in 2009 after having developed a very personal fashion concept. Even as a child I collected vintage clothes creating in me a passion for everything to do with vintage and fashion in general. From here I began to investigate the history of costumes and the process of technical tailoring. *What inspires you? My inspiration was born and comes from finding old magazines, photographs, books, clothes and textiles at flea markets which tell stories about the past. Recently, I have experienced a strong creativity which was triggered by the burlesque world, by famous pin ups and by the whole cultural evolution that took place until the late '80s. *What kind of women use EP? They are definitely women with unique tastes, with an attention to detail and who are able to satisfy all of their requirements of uniqueness in the outfit that they wear. *What would you recommend a woman to wear for Valentine's Day? I would recommend she wears a very romantic dress to accentuate her curves and which, thanks to the person who wears it, creates a sort of mystery. *If you had to imagine a story for Valentine's Day, where this would take place, who would the characters be and above all what would they wear? I'd like to recreate the atmosphere that can reconnect to the film with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," accompanied by the notes of Abat-jour (Salome) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoSWbVahm2s
*What are your new projects? I am currently working with a burlesque dancer called Janet Whistle creating new costumes for her act. In the future I hope to continue working in the burlesque world and create clothes especially for the cinema and theatre.
Contacrt email: elenapetraccaro@gmail.com
Buenos Aires Flavia Martina
DelanceFashion Community FIM’s editor in chief spoke with the woman behind this great initiative that is set to be one of internet’s revolutionary websites of 2010. *How did you come up with the idea of creating a fashion community for bloggers and fashion lovers? I always loved fashion as many girls do, and started blogging last year after seeing a lot of other great blogs. I love blogging but sometimes I would miss connecting, getting tips and talking with other bloggers and fashion lovers. So I thought that it would be nice to have a community where we all could share our passion for fashion. *What was the hardest thing during the creation process? Actually finding ways of getting the word out. Fashion is huge on the web, and it’s hard to get spotted. Fortunately many bloggers have embraced the idea, and is already contributing with fantastic content. Currently 1 of every 5 fashion interested people I’ve contacted have been kind enough to sign up. At that pace the Delance Fashion Community will hopefully one day become a place of influence .
the community. Whenever you help out in the forum, start an interest group, upload photo albums and so on you are awarded activity points. The more points you get the higher your rank, and top members qualify for occasional giveaways. *Is Delance so far what you pictured in your head in the beginning? It's always exciting and a bit nerve wrecking when you start something new, but I am overwhelmed that we already have over 300 members in just 2 weeks! And the best thing is to talk with people from all over the world. Seeing how fashionistas dress in Australia, Mexico, Thailand, Poland and pretty much the rest of the world. So I couldn’t be happier.
*Where do you see Delance in the future? Hopefully as a significant source of inspiration and social relation building between thousands of people interested in fashion, style and beauty. Already our users range from long time power fashion *How can a person create an account in bloggers, to newbies just getting started with style and fashion. And that’s what makes it so fun. I’m your site? Basically you create a profile with an alias (we don’t quite astonished as to the skills and quality content disclose personal info), and supply information contributed by members at all levels, and definitely about your fashion, style and beauty related inter- get a lot of inspiration in the community myself. ests, your blog link if you have one etc. It all takes about 2 minutes. Once you have signed up, you can *I’ve heard you are a blogger as well, where start participating in the community straight away. can we find your blog? We try to make video guides whenever possible. Yes I blog about my outfits, latest buys, vintage cloThere’s an introduction video on the front page of thes, DIY and everything in between. You can find me here: blog.delancefashion.com the community, that explains how to get started. *At Delance Fashion Community you can gain points to enter giveaways and get incredible gifts, tell us, how does the giveaways scores work? It really all comes back to you, if you are active in
Visit http://community.delancefashion.com to join.
“THE BLOGGER OF THE MOMENT” Audrey Allure
Buenos Aires Flavia Martina Visit her blog at: http://audreyallure.blogspot.com
The girl who does it all Not only Audrey Allure is our exclusive NYC correspondent but she is a college student, works with Jason Wu and manages a blog about how is to be a fashion student living in the most fashionable city in the world. *When did you decide to start your blog and how was the process? I actually started blogging since middle school, I believe. I remember everyone used to be on Xanga (it was way before the Facebook & Myspace phenomenon), and everyone moved on. During my last years in high school, I joined Uber – which was such a great artistic community and an amazing place to blog & it re-ignited my love for blogging. Unfortunately, it was shut down & I just moved to BlogSpot. Basically, I just post anything that interests me. *When did you realize you liked fashion? I loved fashion since I was very young. For me, art & writing went hand in hand with fashion, so anything related to any of those subjects I was interested in. I am really into expressing, and I love how people use fashion as an outlet of their emotions. *When you created your blog, Did you had in mind what you were going to express on it and what can people find there? No idea at all. I just wanted it to be me. It was basically an outlet for myself; I didn’t think people would actually read my blog. At first it was a place to tell the world about my life, somewhat like an online diary. As my love for art, fashion, literature, food, music, and entertainment grew, I wanted to share my opinions and thoughts on it. *How often do you update it? I used to update occasionally – whenever I had something interesting to share or the time to do it. But now, even though I’m busier than ever, I update everyday (of course, along with the song of the day) and by making myself update everyday, it motivates me more to find something interesting or appreciate something new everyday. *Because you are a pretty busy girl, How do you manage to keep up with your blog and your school work and your job? Haha, it’s tough. Really tough. Let’s just say my Blackberry is my best friend, and sleep & I are strangers. For my blog, I wake up really early in the morning to update and comment back all my lovely readers and I just go on with the rest of my day whether it may be clas-
ses, work, or going out with my friends. I go to sleep late, although at times I do try to go to bed early. But I love the busy, fast-paced life; I guess it just comes natural being a New Yorker. *How would you define your style? My style…hmm, that’s difficult for me to say. I’ve never really set myself into a category of style. I just put on what I like. I truly appreciate all types of styles and many trends, so it’s more of a combination of what I like. *To know you a little bit more, who are your fashion references and icons? Audrey Hepburn, hands down. I was named after her and she is definitely one of my idols; she’s such a classic icon and she knew exactly what her style was & knew how to dress her body, and she definitely wasn’t afraid to be different. I am also in love with the 20s through the 60s. Anything within those decades, I adore. Other than that, I don’t have a particular fashion reference or icon that pertains to my style; but the motto I go by is “Classy, not trashy.” *What was the last thing you bought? The last thing I bought was a bag from Barney’s; although its sole purpose is to fit all my textbooks & still look fashionable for classes. But in terms of garments, I bought a pale rose pink long cardigan from Topshop. *Favorite place to shop online? I’m not much of an online shopper, which is probably a good thing for my wallet’s sake since it is so easy to just buy everything. I usually am a quick shopper anyway so I just like going out to the stores. When I do shop online, it’s only for something cheap that I’m going to use a few times at either GoJane or Wet Seal. *In your blog you also choose your favorite tunes of the day, what can we find in your iPod today? Haha, honestly you can find about ANYTHING – from pop, indie, rap, broadway, jazz, classical, country, etc. When my mom was pregnant with me, she used to play all types of music because someone told her it would make me appreciate all types & genres of music. I believe it came true because I do listen to EVERYTHING. You name it, it’s probably on my iTunes. *What is your best kept secret in fashion (that can be revealed)? Hmm, well if I start to see a run in my stockings, I paint it with clear nail polish to prevent it from ripping or running any further. *What other blogs do you recommend us? Oh there are so many to choose from! I do love everyone’s blogs, but I do have to say I enjoy reading Erika’s Café Fashionista, Sher’s Beneath the Crystal Stars, and Carrie’s Couture Carrie. *Lastly.. who would you like to be the next "Blogger of the Moment"? I couldn’t pick; there are so many that deserve it and there are more that I have yet to discover!
The San Valentine’s Feature
PH Credit: Gabriella Tramontano
Buenos Aires Flavia Martina
Music Review Celebration (Madonna): All Madonna's hits are compiled on this album with two new songs, including "Celebration" with whom Madonna shares the video spotlight with Jesus Luz, her new boyfriend. Perfect retro record to remember old times and move hips a little.
Breakup (Peter Yorn & Scarlette Johansson): Although the title of this album is not very pro-Valentine’s Day, the disc features songs with interesting melodies and decent living for a romantic dinner or for storage in the iPod.
Valentine’s Special 500 days of summer Soundtrack: If you saw the movie sure you fall in love with the music. This disc features romantic, some mellow, songs, perfect for Valentine’s Day. You can find artists like The Smiths, Regina Spektor and Feist.
The Fall (Norah Jones): With a privileged voice, Norah Jones presents this new disc with songs that experiments with new rhythms and a lot of guitar. Ideal for a gift.
Buenos Aires Flavia Martina
Valentine’s Day If on Valentine's Day you are planning a trip to the movies with your better half, the movie to see is: Valentine's Day. This film reminds me of the fantastic "Love Actually", why? Because it presents a compilation of love stories where people find and loose. The director is neither more nor less than Garry Marshall, if that name sounds familiar it’s because he was the director of Pretty Woman. In the cast you can find celebrities including: Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah and Bradley Cooper. Among the teen actors: Taylor Lautner, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift and Carter Jenkins. As you’ll see it’s a movie for all ages.
Milan Adriana Escarini
Things to do for Valentine’s Day 1.
First of all, on the day itself, breakfast in bed with brownies and muffins. 2. The day before make a compilation CD with romantic music for Valentine’s Day. 3. If you can’t go to the cinema, prepare a collection of romantic films, like Love Actually, 500 Days of Summer and Barefoot in the Park. Please, DON’T watch Titanic for the umpteenth time!!! 4. Put your present in a pretty gift box like this one from Blackpio.com. 5. Get your inspiration from old-style Hollywood stars and NOT from Reality TV trash celebrities, please.
Here’s a little playlist to get you started: •Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? By She and Him •Close To Me by The Cure •Microphone by Coconut Records •Love Me Like The World Is Ending by Ben Lee •Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon •Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol •Cruel To Be Kind by Letters to Cleo •Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer
Milan Adriana Escarini
Val d’Aosta dreamming Planning a San Valentine’s Day gethaway? Here’s a list of activities you could do. •The Sleddog Experience Location: Colle San Carlo, between Morjex and La Thuile. When can you do? : You'll be able to drive a sled with 3-4 husky dogs by yourself.
•Ski and Snowboard Location: La Thuile (Italy, but close to France) Why Here?: Because this place has plenty of snow thanks to the geographical location. You can do any kind of sports (like downhill skiing, ice skating, snowblade,etc).
•Relax at the Health Spa Location: Prè Saint Didier
What is this?: This is a place where you can enjoy thermal swimming pools, hydromassage, sauna, turkish bash, etc.
•Special Dinner Location: Restaurante Lo Riondet, La Thuile. Surprising: Because you can drink mulled vine, different fondu of cheese and you arrive on snow plough. Adventuros plus a good dinner
New York Audrey Allure
What is Love? Being inspired by the charming independent film, Paper Heart, starring Michael Cera & Charlyne Yi, I wanted to go and seek the meaning of love as well. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, what better timing to find out. The following quote spoke out to me the most, although after reading and going through everyone’s individual responses, I believe love is indescribable and cannot be simply put into spoken words. "Love anything and your heart will be wring and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket of coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." - C.S. Lewis
I have asked some of my friends, strangers, and even my beautiful blog readers on what their opinion or definition of love was. “I don’t think love can be defined. I think it’s more of an instinct. Some people just know. Haven’t you seen people who only dated a month and got married, and 30-40 years later, they’re still together?” – Alain Hernandez “My definition of love is: being with someone who you can see yourself in the future with and have a peaceful & stress-free life with!” – James Sinclair
“selfless, unconditional acceptance of another person” – Estella Yu “Love : the thing that makes life worth living. Without love; I believe that life has no purpose. Some cynics would disagree, but they would only be fooling themselves. In my heart, I believe, that love is the one true religion. Is does not matter if you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. All that matters is that you love. Purely and truly. With every molecule of your being. That is love.” – Amber Clark (aka Tallulah)
“There's falling in love with a person, then there is falling in “Love is caring for someone and wanlove with the idea of falling in ting good things to come to them even love with a person. Know the diwhen life isn't working out for you. fference.” – Anonymous When caring about somebody else is more important than caring about “The greatest love this world has ever yourself even if its just for a second or seen was displayed 2000+ yrs ago... in if it turns out to be a lifetime.” – Sarah a nutshell God gave his son, Jesus, as Avery you might know him, to die in a cross 2000+ yrs ago, which is why I call it “Love is subjective, like art or the greatest love this world has ever pain. It's ephemeral. And even seen and it's just a matter of time for when it's there, it's ever-chanpeople to experience this love” – Aldo ging. Love yesterday is an annoAltamirano yance today. Love is annoying. People you love can be incredibly “The most beautiful feeling that annoying. I love people, women you can ever imagine.” – O’Style especially. Maybe that's what I'm trying to say." – Christian Areas ”Love is magic.” – Leah “Love grows as people grow together.” ”Love is being able to forgive.” – – Irina Yusupova Shalamova Couture Carrie
“Love; love is what propels us forward and can sometimes hold us back. It's the butterflies in your stomach and the quiet whispers at night.” – Amber “Love is something that happens only once in a while, and if you catch it, hold on to it! Because you'll need it, like a child needs it's mother.” – Denysia “love is a feeling of great affection for someone or something.” – Aimee “Love is that feeling that you can't live without someone, even when you feel you can no longer live with them. It is the greatest contradiction. It is a feeling of sheer agony while at the same time it is bliss. Because of it, we act like animals, but without it, we would not be human.” - Amethyst Moon “Love is when somebody can you laugh even on your worst days.” – Kayla ”Love is spontaneous and when it happens it drives you crazy that you can’t sleep at night.” – Pop Champagne ”Love is all that matters.” – Elise ”Love is indefinable. It’s what keeps you going, breaks you up, keeps you awake at night and sends you off to sleep. Love is amazing and such a powerful emotion.” – Tasha Gregson ”Love is wearing your oldest, saggiest sweatpants while sitting next to him and not caring a tiny little bit.” – Jen ”Love is knowing and trusting the people around you. Waking up knowing you are safe and cherished could be one of the more craved feelings in the world that not everyone can experience.” – Melissa ”Love is a person who can bring meaning to the term. Until you find someone who makes you feel love, it’s only a word.” – Erika Sorrocco ”Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” – Dea ”Love takes away fear.” – JoAnn ”Love is when the thought of not being with each other hurts even more than
whatever issue or conflict that is hurting us.” – Sher ”I think in modern day many people take love for granted, the word is thrown around as if it means nothing. To be honest I find falling in love very hard because I’m constantly scared that someone will use the word love to manipulate me into doing something I don’t want and then leave me shattered to pieces. Yet, what is love? I don’t think you can define it specifically, but when you experience love, it’s being able to not ask questions. It’s knowledge that you can found another human being with whom you can count on at every level no matter where life takes you.” – Ruta ”I think love is allowing others to be themselves and enjoying them in all their differences, quirks, faults, and loveliness.” – Emma Wallace ”Love changes.” – Louise Choee ”Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.” – Vincent Van Gogh – submitted by Adriana Escarini “Love soothes your soul.” – Missy ”Love is…for each other, being there. Love is…always being fair. Love is…to give, always more than one receive. Love is…never to expect, and always to respect! Love is…to love unconditionally, and to forgive without keeping a tally. Love is…what love is.” – Colin ”Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” – William Shakespeare – submitted by Sequins Sparkles ”If one were to stand back far enough it would become clear that everything is love.” – Apparellel ”Love is to sacrifice, anything in your life…simple but truly is.” – Hanny Arianty Gultom
What does love mean to you?
Buenos Aires Flavia Martina
San Valentine’s day confession I was wondering for a while with the same question: what is love? Is it something you can touch or hold in your hands? Is it something you can share or loan to someone? I think I never felt it. Romantic comedies have always been my first movie choice so I know a lot about love and people’s encounters and misfortunes. Since kid my dream was to feel what the lady character was feeling, I was so jealous of what she had and I started that from a young age with “The little Mermaid” or “Cinderella”. I really don’t think it’s safe anymore to show girls those stuff from such an early age, it could misguide them in life; look what happened to me!, still seeking for prince charming. But… What if there is no prince charming at all? I once heard that there is no such thing as “my other half” or “soul mate”, that’s something people invented. Now, at 21 years old, I believe that there is no magic aspect about love, it’s all about hormones and need of companionship. The person you are going to spend your hole life with is not your lover, instead it is your best friend, the one you can count on no matter what, the one you want to tell what happened in your crappy day and the one who really wants to listen to that. I don’t think THE LOVE is the most important thing in a relationship, I believe it’s more THE FRIENDSHIP two people can create and maintain for life. So that’s what San Valentine’s Day is for me, the day to celebrate people standing each other for days, years and even decades.
NEXT ISSUE: APRIL 1ST 2010