Noel Duan

Route by Route

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:07 -0700

Support Ashley Bush and Raffi Sapire’s exciting new project, in which they’re seeking to travel across the United States to share stories from women like you and me! Yay, Barnard/Columbia graduates doing cool things!

I am lucky to have wonderful people to talk to

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:35:52 -0700

Me: How do you pick yourself up when it seems like society is constructed to not take you seriously?
A: i dunno i havent figured it out yet
but basically i try to find ways to justify myself without society
because society is so much dumber than i am

Routine-less

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:34:00 -0700

I’m about to pull another late-night (school may be out but it’s full-speed ahead doing research!) and I am reminded of how every time I have a painful all-nighter (or semi-nighter), I tell myself it’ll be the last time.

But it never is. And I’m pretty good about time management — I don’t miss deadlines and I am very fond of to-do lists. I once sent an overtly apologetic email to a professor just because I overslept for his morning class. He emailed back, “Who cares? Students sleep through my class all the time. This will not kill you.”

I realized earlier today that my late nights aren’t necessarily happening because I have poor time management skills, but because my life is never consistent. The best summer of sleep I ever got was when I was interning at Vogue and Teen Vogue last year, because I essentially worked a 9-to-5 job. I had a routine and I spent weekends wondering what I was supposed to do with myself. I did a lot of yoga that summer. Also, my professors pull quite a few late nights themselves, and every single entrepreneur I know is constantly working, too.

I should very happy that I have so many exciting things to do, but once 3am comes around, I usually think to myself, “Why do you want to do so much? Can’t you just go to bed?”

But… I don’t know! Maybe I can’t call it a night and roll back into bed. I have a giant research project. I am working on a new blog. I am writing a novel that will probably never be published for many reasons, starting off with I-will-never-finish-it. (Note: I tried to be Hemingway by sitting in a Parisian cafe to write, but it was less bohemian with my laptop.) I need to study more French. I have so many travel plans around the European continent. (FYI, I lost so many pounds in England last weekend, and I’m not talking about the beach body kind.) And that’s only this summer.

On the other hand, maybe I should have picked up a more lucrative hobby, like trading stocks. Or chess. Or boyfriend hunting. (Just kidding. I am really tired. But at least my mother would be pleased about that last one.)

evachen212: it’s wedding season! here’s what I wore to the one...

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:40:30 -0700

evachen212:

it’s wedding season! here’s what I wore to the one I attended in the Cotswolds (gorgeous English countryside) last weekend: Chanel everything & Jennifer Behr headpieces. I know, I know, I’m a lucky duck. it was truly a dream dress: short, tweedy, sparkly, backless—a lot going on and yet (hopefully) still elegant. check out this little video I made about it

I’m not the only one who wants to be Eva Chen when she grows up, right?

townandcountrymag: With a high entry fee, cliquey social events...

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:40:35 -0700

townandcountrymag:

With a high entry fee, cliquey social events and unspoken rituals, it’s no wonder the annual TED conference that was once a geek haven is starting to feel like the most exclusive club in the world.

So are we cool or something now, Silicon Valley?

"Fabulous home theaters are tucked into the basements of plain suburban houses. Bespoke jeans that..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:39:00 -0700

“

Fabulous home theaters are tucked into the basements of plain suburban houses. Bespoke jeans that start at $1,200 can be detected only by a tiny red logo on the button. The hand-painted Italian bicycles that flash across Silicon Valley on Saturday mornings have become the new Ferrari — and only the cognoscenti could imagine that they cost more than $20,000.

[…]

The two counties that make up Silicon Valley have some of the highest concentrations of wealth in the country, and the share of wealthy households is growing, according to the census. Nearly 14 percent of all households in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties earn more than $200,000 a year, just below the 16 percent of households in Manhattan.

Still, one of the parlor games here is the effort by many to distinguish themselves from the much maligned coterie of bankers and other members of the 1 percent in places like New York and Boston. Wingtips and silk ties are rare. Cycling and kite-boarding are preferred over golf.

Bill Gurley, a venture capitalist in Menlo Park, tells what happened when he began working as a Wall Street analyst in Manhattan in 1993, fresh out of business school. A colleague turned his tie over to check the label. “My first day at work,” Mr. Gurley recalled, “I was told to replace all my ties with Hermès and never to wear brown shoes again.”

He did not heed the advice. Nor did he last long on Wall Street. He is a partner now at Benchmark Capital, which recently profited handsomely from Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram.

”

- Somini Sengupta, “Reticent Rich: Preferred Style in Silicon Valley,” The New York Times

Someone should write a Gossip Girl-esque novel about my hometown. I nominate my high school for the backdrop. (Just kidding.)

"Our most successful cover was the millennium issue - which didn’t have anyone on it, but acted..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:21:51 -0700

“Our most successful cover was the millennium issue - which didn’t have anyone on it, but acted like a mirror so you could see your own reflection!”

- Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue

jumiyori: My bra for EDC 2012, designed by the...

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:36:34 -0700

jumiyori:

My bra for EDC 2012, designed by the awesome Framptastic Inc. I don’t care what ya’ll think, I’m in love with this babe.

I really need to get myself to a music festival before I get too old and I can no longer justify wearing something like this.

Spent the weekend visiting friends at the University of Oxford,...

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:38:05 -0700

Spent the weekend visiting friends at the University of Oxford, where I finally put my Missoni ballgown skirt into use for a formal event. (Faces blurred because I didn’t ask for permission to publish faces.) Much gratitude to Madame Paulette on the Upper East Side for shortening the skirt for me (you know it’s a good place when they can tell you which season your skirt is from), although I still had to wear six-inch heels.

Two things I realized this weekend, when I wasn’t trying to keep up with the Brits at the pubs (trying is the key word) or eating scones and Cadbury chocolates:

I really want to apply to Oxford for postgraduate studies. Dream school. And yes, it’s frustrating when people tell me I shouldn’t pursue further education. If you have the opportunity, why not learn more if you have the thirst for knowledge?
I’m really lucky to be close to my friends from high school. To the high school graduates of 2012: You may grow apart from some of your high school friends (and that’s okay), but you might also find yourself halfway across the world with some other high school friends, getting dressed up like it’s prom again (and that’s okay, too). Whatever. Four years later, it’s still fun and worth the tripping in heels.

"You can be stylish and powerful, too. That’s Michelle’s advice."

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:09:23 -0700

“You can be stylish and powerful, too. That’s Michelle’s advice.”

- President Barack Obama at Barnard College 2012 commencement

"My first piece of advice is this: Don’t just get involved—fight for your seat at the table...."

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:01:00 -0700

“My first piece of advice is this: Don’t just get involved—fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, at the head of the table.”

- President Barack Obama at Barnard College 2012 commencement

Afternoon tea at the Grand Café in Oxford! (Taken with...

Sun, 13 May 2012 09:51:47 -0700

Afternoon tea at the Grand Café in Oxford! (Taken with instagram)

Pierre Hermé macarons straight from Paris for my friends!...

Sun, 13 May 2012 07:13:51 -0700

Pierre Hermé macarons straight from Paris for my friends! (Taken with Instagram at Oxford University)

define-space: i really admire the design for these stairs and...

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:27:13 -0700

define-space:

i really admire the design for these stairs and how they incorporate a wheelchair access ramp. in a world were barrier free design is essential to living a full and happy life, its amazing to see landscape architect Cornelia Oberlander has taken literal steps to design stairs AROUND a ramp, instead of the other way around.

teenvogue: Finals week style tip: Trade your sweats in for silk...

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:09:08 -0700

teenvogue:

Finals week style tip: Trade your sweats in for silk pants - which are just as comfy but infinitely more stylish! Check out more college student street-style here »

Good luck with finals, everyone!

Teen Vogue snapped some Columbia/Barnard/NYU students (including...

Sat, 05 May 2012 09:14:00 -0700

Teen Vogue snapped some Columbia/Barnard/NYU students (including moi!) for their final exams week college street style story! Personally, I’m craving Colby Jordan’s Isabel Marant sneakers (such a Parisian staple!) and Morgan Fletcher’s pastel jeans (she’s also one of the most amazing people I’ve met at school). Click here to see why I’m so lucky to be surrounded by peers who inspire me both intellectually and sartorially. Next finals season, I’m putting away the Lululemon yoga pants for good. And can someone please teach me how to make a top knot with my hair?

"I have so many lives to live!"

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:36:47 -0700

Remark from one of my favorite graduating seniors, who I chatted with briefly as I wrote my final paper of the semester. (It got done. It always gets done.)

I submitted one fall internship application this week. Just one that I really want. And if I don’t get it, I’ll live — there are so many lives to live, after all.

Last Friday night, I landed in New York, hoping to get some...

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:04:45 -0700

Last Friday night, I landed in New York, hoping to get some sleep after two weeks of final assignments. Instead, my friends dragged me out, and my sleepless night became a haze of too-sweet margaritas, liqueur-filled chocolates and sketchy carbohydrates to soak up the night. All while wearing a cashmere crop top, a pair of silk pajama pants, $20 loafers and a temporary “tramp stamp” of a grizzly bear.

Today, I finally finished my last paper, booked my train tickets to London/Oxford and booked my plane tickets to the Amalfi Coast (Capri and Sorrento). Hi, summer.

This passport is getting more use than ever before.

How to Make a Better Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Thu, 03 May 2012 05:38:56 -0700

How to Make a Better Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich:

nataleiigh:

A must-read!!

Sitting on the floor in JFK airport, trying to charge my...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:13:27 -0700

Sitting on the floor in JFK airport, trying to charge my laptop.

It took me 21 years to realize that there is always a window of opportunity open when another door closes.

In a matter of three days, I think my entire “plan” for life changed.

Well, I’m scared. It’s about time, I guess.