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What’s Your Audio Aura?

As 2021 comes to an end, Spotify users worldwide begin to get a personalized recap of their year in music with the annual Spotify Wrapped that includes popular highlights such as their top songs, genres, songs they listen to on repeat, and one of the most unique features ever… their audio aura. According to Mashable, “your Audio Aura feature focuses on the mood of the music you listen to”, and “your customized Audio Aura is a vibrant visualisation of your top two moods in 2021. Each Audio Aura is a combination of the auras, or colors that represent these moods.”

Once you view this feature on your screen, you’ll see colors that reflect your musical mood as well as two words that describe the type of music you listen to. Spotify tells me that I gravitate towards “happy” and “wistful” tunes with Tate McRae’s “you broke me first” playing in the background. Other music listeners have varying results based on their personalities and individual tastes in music, from “bold” and “focused” to “calm” and “hopeful”. How about you? What’s your audio aura, and what’s the one tune you can hear in the background as you learn about your musical mood?

Below is a short list of songs out of millions that can be found on a group of Spotify users’ Audio Aura sections based on what I saw on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram and also what my own friends got. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

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Extra Holiday Decor Ideas

Christmas is one week away, and your days must be packed with festive holiday events at restaurants, school, the office, friends’ and families’ houses, and even at your own place. Be it for a celebration or your own personal comfort, a Christmas tree at home complete with decorations can easily bring you that magical holiday vibe. Going simple or all-out is completely up to you. Finished your decorations already? That’s lovely. If you’re still in need of more holiday decors, though, here are some extra ideas you can use for an even more jolly Christmas:

Holiday Records
Got a few holiday albums in your music collection? Your favorite Christmas CDs and vinyls have festive cover arts. Why not place them on a table inside your living room or bedroom to add a bit of a musical flair to your decorations? Once your merry guests stop by for a holiday dinner, that could spark up conversations about all the great Christmas records out there. You can then play some albums on your record player as the soundtrack to your party. Have a holly jolly Christmas!

Shopping Bags and Gift Packages
Been doing lots of Christmas shopping at various Christmas shops and the malls? Your items must have been placed into holiday-themed shopping bags. With illustrations and graphics that pop, those bags look way too festive to be stashed inside your wardrobe. They would make great extra decor materials and can be hung on the wall or displayed at any corner of your home. If you have also collected gifts from family, friends and colleagues, the packages and boxes can also be stored underneath the Christmas tree to add some merriment to your home.

Christmas Cards
All the greeting cards and postcards you’ve received from friends and family members are worthy of being displayed. Adorn your living room with those wonderful cards full of warm wishes for the holiday season.

Magazine Advertisements
Ads get the glam treatment when it comes to the holidays. They look super glossy and inviting. With high quality photography and silver, green and red backgrounds, these promos can be treated as posters. Feel free to rip them out of a print magazine that you own, frame them and put them up on the wall.

Holiday Printouts
Google some Christmas photos and art, from a whimsical snowman to the North Pole. Found a number of favorites? Print them out, and get ready to plaster them along your bedroom wall to add some December magic. Turning them into a collage full of holiday pictures is also doable.

May these ideas give you something extra to be joyous about. Feel free to think up more decorating ideas. Happy holidays! 🙂

Photo Credits: @byrawpixel and @PexelsPhotos

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Cookie and Vanilla Sweaters at Stradivarius

Cookie. Vanilla. Stradivarius’s new sweater duo are two of the store’s newest, delicious Fall/Winter 2018 releases.

The chocolate Cookie and white Vanilla sweaters make a flavorful blend for your wardrobe, adding warmth to your autumn/winter collection.

Here’s the ultimate question: Cookie or vanilla? The best answer would be to own them both. Wonderful, cozy companions for your cafe trips.

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How to Spend Galentine’s Day with Your Friends

Going by traditions, February 14 seems to be made for those in a romantic relationship, but looking at it from a fresh perspective, it can actually be interpreted as a day to celebrate universal love, be it for family members or even pets and best friends. For female companions around the world, Valentine’s Day can easily transform into a Galentine.

Having inserted itself into pop culture dictionary by way of style magazines like Glamour, Galentine marks a significant moment in the lives of metropolitan ladies and ultimately refers to a massive celebration of female solidarity, where girl best friends can gather together and make a toast to their friendship, whether or not they’re in the singles club (well, most of the time they’re single and happy – like me, for example). How they celebrate it is up to them.

Tons of creative ideas can lead to a Galentine’s Day that’s as sweet as sugar. Not sure where to start? Feel free to peek into the list below to help you plan that unforgettable meet-up with your gal pals. Also included are a selection of songs and films (from signature rom-coms to friend-tastic titles) to amp up your evening should you all choose to stay in.

Happy Galentine’s Day!

HOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE

  • Relax at your favorite cafe and have quality time with friends over coffee/hot chocolate/cappuccino/latte/tea. Mouthwatering snacks like pancakes and waffles also await you.
  • Visit an art museum and enjoy all the paintings and installations.
  • Make pasta together and gather around the TV for some DVD and Netflix time.
  • Take a trip to a chocolate factory and shop for lots of chocolates afterwards.
  • Go ice-skating.

FILMS

  • Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2
  • Mary Poppins
  • St Elmo’s Fire
  • Clueless
  • Hugo
  • Sleepless in Seattle
  • Legally Blonde 1 & 2
  • The Help
  • Mona Lisa Smile
  • Toy Story 1 & 2
  • The Artist
  • La La Land
  • Sabrina
  • Enchanted
  • Leap Year
  • Ballerina
  • Midnight in Paris
  • 500 Days of Summer
  • Two Weeks Notice
  • Letters to Juliet
  • The Other Woman
  • Leap Year

SONGS

  • “In the Heart of Every Girl” ~ Elton John
  • “Real Friends” ~ Camila Cabello
  • “A Little Help From My Friends” ~ The Beatles
  • “You’ve Got a Friend a Me” ~ Randy Newman/Michael Buble
  • “One Short Day” ~ from Wicked
  • “I Am Woman” ~ Jordin Sparks
  • “Salute” ~ Little Mix
  • “You’ve Got a Friend” ~ Carole King
  • “Forget You” ~ CeeLo Green
  • “Beautiful Life” ~ Nick Fradiani
  • “A Love That Will Last” ~ Renee Olstead
  • “Smile” ~ Lily Allen

Photo Credit: ElegantNewYork.com

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National Croissant Day 2018

In honor of National Croissant Day, celebrate with your favorite crescent shaped delicacy. With its crisp texture and variety of fillings available at different bakeries and cafes, you can always count on a warm croissant to add a little bit of whimsy to your morning, afternoon and even evening as a post-dinner snack.

Often associated as French specialties with images of a local meandering down the classic, cobblestone streets by the Seine with a delicious croissant in a paper bag and a close view of Musee d’Orsay, croissants’ origins can actually be traced back to Austria in the early 13th century, where they were known as the ‘kipferls’, as mentioned in various bakery sites like Bakers Maison.

These days, croissants tend to get a modern update and can be enjoyed in a wide array of flavors, from classic butter and chocolate to green tea, almond and the recently trending salted egg with cream on the side.

For National Croissant Day, head to your local bakery or cafe to indulge in a croissant or two. Alternatively, you can get them to go for a delightful croissant time at home, perhaps with your favorite tea. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting mushroom slash mozarella and special green tea croissants today at Delico, a cozy little bakery and cafe I happened to stroll past. Feel free to share your favorite croissant or best croissant experience here.

 

 

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Breakfast Tunes

Mornings are made for breakfast.

Starting this January, I’ve made it a habit to rise out of bed by the time the clock strikes 6 if only for the inviting aroma of bread and butter (it’s more of a personal challenge, actually) and so far, I’ve been successful. But no matter what delicacies you start your AM with – croissants, English breakfast tea, muffins, orange juice, buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup, grilled tomatoes, beef sausages, et cetera – light, playful tunes are bound to excite you and set you up for the day.

Let music be a savory treat for your ears. So pick a morning soundtrack and eat, listen and be jolly. No time to assemble your track list? Here are whimsical ideas you can steal for a relaxing musical breakfast. Mix them with your own for a personalized morning playlist.

Enjoy!

  • “”Jolly Holiday” – Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke (from Mary Poppins)
  • “It’s a Good Day” – Peggy Lee
  • “Good Morning” – Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor (from Singin’ in the Rain)
  • ”Isn’t This a Lovely Day” – Ella Fitzgerald
  • ”Boy in a Rock N Roll Band” – The Pierces
  • “Frim Fram Sauce” – Diana Krall
  • ”Chasing Pirates” – Norah Jones
  • “Lulu’s Pie Song” – Sara Bareilles (from Waitress)
  • “It’s a Wonderful World” – Joan Chamorro, Andrea Motis, Bobby Gordon & Sant Andreu Jazz Band
  • ”Mona Lisa” – Nat King Cole
  • “Another Day of Sun” – La La Land Cast (from La La Land)
  • “What a Difference a Day Makes” – Jamie Cullum
  • “A Wink and a Smile” – Harry Connick Jr. (from Sleepless in Seattle)
  • “Wonderful” – Idina Menzel and Joel Grey (from Wicked)
  • “In a World of My Own” – Kathryn Beaumont (from Alice in Wonderland)
  • “White Winter Hymnal” – Birdy
  • ”City Love” – John Mayer
  • “Goody Goody” – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
  • “My Sugar is So Refined” – Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers
  • ”A Spoonful of Sugar” – Julie Andrews (from Mary Poppins)

 

 

 

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#TimesUp at the 75th Golden Globes

Screen Shot 2018-01-10 at 10.31.27 AMOprah Winfrey. Photo Credit: Variety

BLL Ladies copyThe Big Little Lies ladies. Photo Credit: ABC

It’s 2018, and the annual Golden Globe Awards went into its 75th year with a fiery revolution in support of women across all industries, encouraging them to speak up in light of abuse, misrepresentation and all forms of mistreatment. The #TimesUp movement packed a lot of female punch, as stars and public figures – women and men – attended the event all decked in black as a sign of solidarity. Most of the wins and speeches on stage also reflected and acknowledged the need to continue pushing for equal opportunities for females in all aspects of their careers.

Speaking as a screenwriter, I stand by Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Chastain, Zoe Saldana, Natalie Portman, Dwayne Johnson, Ansel Elgort, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Evan Rachel Wood, and many other icons in the fight for lady power. May more opportunities open up for female writers, directors, engineers, coders, entrepreneurs, and other career fields from all backgrounds and from all over the world, for the world of storytelling and the entire workforce should always be diverse.

The 75th Golden Globe Awards presented us with tons of highlights. Feel free to list all your favorite moments. Here are mine:

  • All the Big Little Lies wins (congrats Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern) and the all-girl cast photos.
  • Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Laura Dern in the same room. The Fault in Our Stars nostalgia.
  • Queen Oprah’s all-inspiring, super important speech about hope and an inclusive future as she accepted the Cecille B. Demille award.
  • Both Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor winning brought a little Moulin Rouge magic. Viva Satine and Christian!
  • The Greatest Showman won Best Original Song with “This is Me”.
  • Barbra Streisand’s surprise appearance. I’d personally want Babs to make a triumphant return to film directing and acting. The last feature film she directed and starred in was the lovely Mirror Has Two Faces.
  • Saoirse Ronan and the Lady Bird appreciation. Director Greta Gerwig deserved a nomination for crafting a powerful female-driven film.
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2017 Highlights, 2018 Greetings

It’s here, it’s now, it’s 2018. Well, almost. Before I start my annual New Years Eve movie When Harry Met Sally (been enjoying brunch with some good friends and a cozy family dinner), allow me to present a brief list of my 2017 highlights. You’re welcome to share yours as well.

Happy 2018! 😀 Here’s to another year full of opportunities and adventures for all of us. #DreamBig

FILMS

  • Loving Vincent
  • Baby Driver
  • The Beguiled
  • A United Kingdom
  • Murder on the Orient Express
  • Goodbye Christopher Robin
  • Lady Bird
  • Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  • Coco
  • The Greatest Showman
  • Spiderman: Homecoming
  • Thor: Ragnarok
  • Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle

TV SHOWS

  • Reign: The Final Season
  • The Crown
  • Big Little Lies
  • The Orville

MUSIC

  • What’s That Sound? – Haley Reinhart
  • Baby Driver Soundtrack – Various Artists
  • Anastasia Broadway Soundtrack – Christy Altomare & Cast
  • Meaning of Life – Kelly Clarkson
  • Glory Days: Platinum Edition – Little Mix
  • Robin Hood Soundtrack: Disney Legacy Collection – Various Artists

NOVELS

  • The Last Tudor – Phillipa Gregory
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – J.K. Rowling
  • All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
  • The Land of Stories Series – Chris Colfer
  • Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty
  • The Witches of New York – Ami McKay
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Happy Holidays from Jules!

Screen Shot 2017-12-25 at 8.20.20 PM

Christmastime is finally here. Wishing everyone around the world a warm and cozy winter. May your days be merry and bright. No matter how you spend it – going all out with a festive holiday feast surrounded by all the sparkly decors, a family get-together and quick catch-up with friends (like me) or even a simple Christmas at home – you’re all good. What matters is the spirit of Christmas itself along with acts of kindness, generosity and compassion. The universe will always value those. Happy holidays! Still need a spark of holiday inspiration? Feel free to look up my list.

MOVIES

  • Miracle on 34th Street
  • Look Who’s Talking Now
  • The Polar Express
  • Elf
  • The Holiday
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • The Christmas Cottage
  • It’s a Wonderful Life
  • Mickey’s Christmas Carol
  • Serendipity
  • Peter Pan

RECORDS

  • Ella Fitzgerald – “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas”
  • Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”
  • Michael Buble – “Christmas”
  • Diana Krall – “Christmas Songs”
  • Kristin Chenoweth – “A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas”
  • Idina Menzel – “Holiday Wishes”
  • Kelly Clarkson – “Wrapped in Red”
  • David Archuleta – “Christmas From the Heart”
  • She & Him – “A Very She & Him Christmas” and “Christmas Party”

DESSERTS

  • Classic chocolate chip cookies
  • Warm almond cake
  • Christmas pudding
  • Chocolate lava cake with peanut butter
  • Eggnog
  • Butter biscuits
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