Fashion Hunt: White Jeans Black Side Stripe

Aria From Pretty Little Liars
Photo Does Not Belong to Me

After seeing Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars rock the white pants with black stripe down the side, I have been obsessed with finding a pair for myself. I've been searching for a couple of weeks both in-store and online to find the perfect dupe. I even went to the Rag & Bone sample sale yesterday but the only pants I found had a black leather front with a white back for $250. Unfortunately, even though the original price of the pants was around $600, this was much too steep for my budget! After I came home, I was determined this time to get my hands on a pair so I scoured the internet last night. Today, I went to the Barneys NY Co-Op in SoHo and my research paid off! I was able to score the Rag & Bone White Side Stripe Jeans on sale for $79! Of course, this was still a bit expensive for me but I believe the original price was ~$200. I was glad that I didn't buy the pants online because I believe you need to try these on in-store to find the perfect size. I am usually a size 27, but had to size up to a 28. I believe Rag & Bone pants usually run small and sometimes are true to size. I know that others like me may be trying to get in on this trend so I will post my fashion research below. I wish you good luck on your own fashion hunt!

Macy's ($34.00) 

Notes: White Front, Black Back, Junior Sizing

BDG ($68.00)

Notes: Buy Through Urban Outfitters, High Rise, 5 Pockets

Barneys (Rag & Bone - $79.00 Sale)

Notes: Runs Small So You Might Want to Size Up, Black Stripe is Thicker, No Front Pockets

Free People ($98.00)

Notes: Buy Through Shop Bop, Unbleached Cotton, Black Stripe is Thin/Flap-Like

Net-A-Porter (Rag & Bone - $140.00 Sale)

Notes: I Believe Same Pair as From Barneys, Runs Small So You Might Want to Size Up, Black Stripe is Thicker, No Front Pockets

Hudson ($198.00)

Notes: Color is Bone White, Pants Cropped, Black Stripe is Thin

Strange & Memorable NYC Interactions

Diabetic Encounters with Ignorance

Setting - 3:30 AM @ Pizza Shop 

(After scarfing down a HUGE delicious pizza.)

Me: Wait up guys! I have to do my shot. 

(I pull out my pouch and draw my insulin.)

Security Guard #1: Hey Hey! Sorry but you can't do that shit here.

Me: Wait huh?

(I proceed to give myself my shot.)

Security Guard #2: Yo! Yo! You can't do that here.

Friend: Dude chill out...she's diabetic.

Security Guards: Huh? (With blank expressions.)

Do You Want to Model?

Setting - 4:30 PM Best Buy 

Old European Man: Excuse me, do you speak Italian?

Me: Huh? Uhh...no sorry. (I think...dude...I clearly am Asian...what are the chances I speak Italian?!)

Old European Man: Are you an artist?

Me: Wait huh? No...why would you think that?

Old European Man: I like what you are wearing. Do you always dress like this?

Me: Oh this is very casual for me, I just got kicked out of my building because there was a fire alarm. (I think...I probably look hung over, I definitely have not combed my hair, I'm wearing a Hollister sweater, athletic shorts, and rainbow flip flops. What is this guy thinking?)

Old European Man: Oh I like it! What do you study?

Me: Nursing.

Old European Man: I'm a designer for BCBG. Do you wear BCBG?

Me: I buy scarves from them? (At this point...I'm like...is this really happening right now?)

Old European Man: Oh the scarves? I design BCBG dresses.

Me: Oh that's cool!

Old European Man: Have you ever thought about modeling? Can I give you my card?

Me: No, not really? (I'm thinking "Oh cool definitely, but this is probably not real and you're trying to abduct me because I'm 5' 4'' athletic-ish build and dressed in pajamas right now.")

Old European Man: Oh why not? How old are you?

Me: Sorry I just never have? (Lying.) I'm 22.

Old European Man: Really?! You look so young. You look 17!

Me: Oh haha I get that a lot.

Old European Man: Oh okay it was nice talking to you. (Begins to walk away.)

Me: (I think..."Am I too old to be abducted?! Did I just miss my chance at becoming a model?! Haha") 

Ninth Week of Nursing School

November 15th, 2012

Dear Life’s Curve Balls,

            I don't understand how it is possible for so many problems to occur in just a few days. My mood has completely plummeted. Not only am I sick with a runny/stuffy nose, sneezing, headache, and sinus congestion, but on top of that I had to study for Pathophysiology. I ended up attending my integrative seminar on Tuesday morning, but ended up skipping the rest of my classes so I could get some rest and gather energy to study for the test. I'm just glad I wasn’t sick on Monday because missing off campus clinical would have been bad. After trying to sleep off my illness on Tuesday and Wednesday, I ended up staying up all of last night to cram as much as I could. I don't know how I did on the exam, but considering the circumstances I hope I get at least get a B.

            On top of that, it's my time of the month, I lost my microSD card that contained the majority of my Europe trip pictures on it, and my current living conditions are absolutely disgusting. I could have easily have tolerated these little problems individually, but it just felt like everything piled up all at once. It being my time of the month, of course my emotions were running wild. The fact I lost my microSD card made me extremely depressed because I am a person that likes to hold on to happy memories and my trip to Europe this summer with my mom was very important to me. As for my living conditions, my apartment mate is a slob and I keep having to clean up after her. It's ridiculous because I clean the bathroom and kitchen every few days and she still manages to make a mess within hours. I want to move out because feel so uncomfortable in my apartment; I feel like I'm living like a homeless person. Like a big baby, I ended up calling my parents to spill my guts to them.

Please Stop Coming At Me,

Clos3tGirlyGirl

Eighth Week of Nursing School

November 12^th, 2012

Dear New Clinical Site,

            Today I had to wake up early to make the trek to uptown New York for my new clinical placement since the hospital I was previously assigned to was evacuated during Hurricane Sandy. I didn’t think getting there was going to be a problem, but I ended up getting lost along the way and was bit late even though I left my place 1.5 hours before I was supposed to be there. This made me worried for what might happen if I am placed out of Manhattan in the upcoming semesters. I heard from other students that the new location was a nursing home facility. Since I had previously worked as a nurse aide in California, I was kind of disappointed that our new clinical location was not a hospital because I wanted more exposure to the hospital setting. Once I arrived I found the facility was a lot nicer than other nursing homes I had worked at. Unfortunately, my opinions changed as the day progressed and I will explain in a little bit.

            My clinical group ended up being placed on a floor where the majority of the residents could perform their activities of daily living and required little help from us. I was glad that we were not assigned specific residents to attend to because this gave me a chance to get to know a variety of personalities. Just like my previous nursing home experiences, I knew I could become to some of the residents I talked to. This makes me wonder if I want to work in geriatrics because I don’t know if I could handle if one of the residents I become attached to passes away.

            Now to talk about why my opinion changed on the nursing home. Although the facility was nicer, more spacious, and clean, the employees were definitely lacking in quantity and quality. Our clinical instructor ended up reporting an employee for taunting one of the residents. What had happened was that after lunch time ended and the cafeteria was being cleaned up, a resident became very upset with the nutritional employee because the nutritional employee was not professional at all. The nutritional employee continued to taunt and joke around with the aggravated resident, and the resident became more and more agitated. Another reason I became distraught was that when a continent resident needed to go to the restroom, there were no PCTs on the floor and when they were summoned over the intercom they just took their sweet time and didn't end up helping the resident until a good 10 minutes. The lack of professionalism shown by the staff is not acceptable.

            On a more positive note, I did meet nice residents and each had her own special personality. One resident with dementia was truly a very nice lady but was also very defensive due to cultural differences. I realized that this particular resident was very focused on racial discrimination because she had mentioned several times about how "Blacks" were overrun by the "Whites" and also that I had "oriental eyes" and if I had lived in the south back in her day I would be overrun as well. Although I felt awkward about responding to her racial defensiveness, I felt like it was an essential lesson learned on how to deal with cultural competency situations. In addition to the conversations I had with the residents, I enjoyed the time our clinical group spent covering current events and holding an exercise circle. The happy expressions on the residents' faces is evidence that socialization events are essential to create a tight knit community, encourage social interaction, and create a comfortable environment for the residents to live in.

Until Next Time,

Clos3tGirlyGirl

Seventh Week of Nursing School

 November 8^th, 2012

Dear Horribly Stressful Nursing Catch-Up Week,

            After Hurricane Sandy hit last week, most of my exams, evaluations, and assignments were pushed back a week. Unfortunately, for some reason my Adult and Elder on campus Simulation evaluation was not pushed back. This completely threw me off track studying-wise and emotionally. To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing but I broke down after reading the professor’s email. I didn't expect to still have the simulation evaluation because open simulation was cancelled for the week leaving me no chance to practice the scenarios. The only time I had to practice the scenarios was two hours before my scheduled testing time. I had not attended any of the previous open simulation slots because I was expecting to practice the Wednesday and Friday of the week of Hurricane Sandy. After getting a pep talk from my fellow nursing students and a few hours later, I managed to regain composure and convince myself that everything was going to turn out fine in the end. Going into the evaluation, I was pretty certain I was going to have to remediate. With my luck, I ended up with the Anthony Cunningham case and did not pass because I exceeded the time limit. The scenario called for a dressing change and medication administration. Sounds easy enough, but it was difficult to accomplish the nursing orders within 15 minutes when I was a bundle of nerves, paying close attention to make sure I didn't miss any steps or break the sterile field, and never acted the scenario out fully by myself. I also feel that the grading was very subjective depending on which clinical instructor was overseeing the evaluation because each clinical instructor taught the skills differently, had different expectations, and focused on different aspects of the skills. All in all, what I learned from this experience is to prepare for the worst and to not wait until the last minute to go to open simulation.

            Sadly, failing the A&E simulation evaluation sent me on a downward spiral. The past weekend I found it extremely difficult to concentrate fully on studying for my Health Assessment and Promotion midterm which was the day after. Not only could I not concentrate, but I could not sleep because I was so anxious. I came out of my HAP midterm feeling not very good about it. I'm pretty sure I missed at least 7 problems and I hope I got at least a B-. I feel like I studied for this test wrong because it was the first time I decided to focus my attention on the reading. If I had just stuck to my usual study habits of focusing on the slides, I know I could have performed much better. Again, lesson learned. Don't change your study habits when your study habits aren't broke.

Until Next Week,
Clos3tGirlyGirl

Sixth Week of Nursing School

October 29^th, 2012

Dear Hurricane Sandy,

My sixth week of nursing school is nonexistent. This is the week of Hurricane Sandy. School has been cancelled Monday, Tuesday, and the school hasn't decided whether or not classes will be cancelled as well. Is this a blessing in disguise, is the world giving me time to catch my breath? Or is this a horrible nightmare? The "perfect storm" has made me miss my off campus Adult and Elderly midterm evaluation and my Health Assessment and Promotion midterm exam as well. If there aren't classes Wednesday, I will be missing my HAP Simulation evaluation too. From the looks of it, all exams will be pushed back to next week and then I will be in deep, deep trouble. Next week, I was supposed to have my A&E on campus evaluation and second Pathophysiology exam. The combination of this and next week's exams is going to be killer. I may be relaxed right now, but I am trembling at the thought of what is to come next week.

            Currently, I am sitting in the 12th floor hall way because the power went out about 45 minutes ago. The resident assistants told us that the generator is probably only going to last us another 45 minutes. Internet access was disconnected soon after the power outage and my phone only has service at random places on the floor. Since there isn't much nursing for me to talk about this week, I guess I'll talk about something that happened that extremely bothered me. About ten minutes after the power outage and right after the resident assistants warned us about how the generator will last, a group of students decided it would be a good idea to take the elevator down to the third floor for finger sandwiches and scones. I could not for the life of me wrap my mind around how young and stupid these kids were. Besides the fact that we should be conserving energy, the power outage means that these kids could have been stuck in the elevator. I'm only a few years older those kids, and I am greatly disturbed over how immature they are.

Goodbye Hurricane Sandy,

Clos3tGirlyGirl