Gaga Concert at el Choliseo!

October 30th, 2012 is officially the best night of my life. I never had so much fun in my life nor have I been so happy.

There have been rumours of Lady Gaga planning to go to Puerto Rico ever since 2009. I remember a girl in my school saying that Lady Gaga was coming to Puerto Rico, but the Puerto Rican Government wasn't going to allow her because she had a penis (ugh...). Another time I heard another rumour was in 2010 or '11 when there was a picture of a fake poster of a Lady Gaga Puerto Rico concert that was using an old picture of her and was supposedly sponsored by Medalla. You could expect that I was very sceptical when it was announced that her concert in Puerto Rico was officially announced. In my mind I was: "No... It can't be true... I have to ask Carolina..." In case you didn't know, Carolina is my Gaga-obsessed friend. She is the biggest little monster I have ever met. She knows absolutely everything about Gaga, so she is my official Gaga source. *SPOILER ALERT* She said yes, it's official. I was in shock, and I HAD to go. When the day of the release of tickets arrived, I rushed like a mother fucker to Ticket Pop to buy the tickets. I got a hold of them until I realised: "Holy shit, I didn't ask my mum for permission to buy the tickets." I ran to her bedroom, and she told me that I had permission. YAAAY!!! I went to Ticket Pop again to buy the arena tickets, until a horrible thing happened: "These tickets are not available".

What.

What.

No.

It can't be.

No.

NO. 

...Until I refreshed the page and bought my ticket. Teehee!

 I have to say that at first I HATED Lady Gaga. I hated her because I hated pop music. In short, it was done mostly out of rebellion. I wanted to shock everyone in my class, 'cause my attitude was: "omgzzz im soo hardcoar gaizzz look at me how diffrent and speshul i am!!!!11!!one!!" Why did I have that attitude? I was bitter because I got kicked out of art school. I got separated from my friends and I was going to enter a rich-kid school. Absolutely hated it. Later on, I realised that that attitude was totally pointless, and that I shouldn't judge people just because they like Katy Perry or they are bathing in money. The same way I hated that everyone judged me for the way I was, I shouldn't judge everyone for the way they were. Slowly, I started liking Gaga, until I found myself listening to her songs every once in a while. I also adored her personality, even though she did a few slip-ups (But hey, nobody's perfect).  After this concert, I lost every doubt I had in her, I adore Gaga.

Now, on with the concert.

I had an arena ticket, so I had to come early, or else I would be in the butt of the audience. I wanted to camp out with my friend Carolina and J.J., however my mother wasn't going to allow me. Then I told her if I could skip school and come at 7:00 a.m., but she responded: "ANDREA, YOU AIN'T SKIPPING NO DAY OF SCHOOL" I left school early, showered, ate and dressed myself in a flash.

My make-up

I arrived at around 3:15 p.m. to the Choliseo, and there was a huuuuge line. "Oh shit", I thought to myself.  Luckily, my friend Luigi was there ever since 11 a.m., so he was almost at the front of the line and he let me cut (God bless his flamboyant little soul). Later on my friend Ana, her little sister, and a friend of hers arrived and waited with us too. While we waited in line, TONS of people took pictures with me, I even appeared on El Nuevo Día's twitter and newspaper!

Twitter Pic. From left to right: Luigi, Ana, Me and Ana's little sister.

Newspaper Pic.

I said hi to my pal Carolina and J.J., Caro was dressed as Gaga in the "Telephone" video, and was going to hand a portrait she drew for Gaga.

I took pictures with some impeccably dressed fans.

God damn it, Ana.

As the hours passed, we waited with anticipation. Gaga songs started playing while we waited in line (sadly, the douche bags would cut the songs in the middle and we would have another hour of silence). It was really hot, so some very generous Little Monsters started handing out free cold coke and cookies to the people waiting in line. I did the make-up for another Little Monster waiting in line and Ana did Luigi's make-up. Time passed by quickly.

The clock hit 6:30, and it was time for the VIP's to enter, and us peasants to run like hell. And by run like hell, I mean squish up against each other. We all stayed squished like sardines until us peasants were allowed to enter. The guard took my ticket and I started run-walking (They were nagging us not to run, pfft, fuck that). I was so happy that I was so close to the stage, after having all that worry that I was going to be at the butt of the audience.

What surprised me though, was how mean some people of the audience were. Some woman started threatening my friend Ana and started up a fight with her, and this girl behind me started yelling at me that my bag "was the size of a human fucking baby". I told her that I couldn't do anything about it, and she said: "then don't bring a fucking bag to a concert". Of course, people don't take consideration when one is wearing a ton of make-up that one needs reapplying, or if one might get dehydrated and need water, or if one needs their wallet. There was a lot of pushing and shoving that ended up us making us more packed than a can of Carmela sausages. Another problem was that EVERYONE WAS DEHYDRATED. The water vendor was not passing through the arena, everyone was begging for water, and nobody was going to move out of their place. This is particularly dangerous, because people can faint out of dehydration. Everyone's backs were hurting, and since I wasn't going to let my feet cramp, I gave my feet a little break from wearing the huge platforms I had. Let me also mention that I was sick and on my days, so I felt like exquisite crap. If a cold epidemic starts in Puerto Rico, it's my fault. Also, I accidentally uncovered some cheaters in one of the pictures I took of the concert, loloops.

I had no idea who the opening acts were until I saw a little box in the corner of the stage that said: "The Darkness". When I saw that little box, I lost my shit. I fucking LOVE The Darkness. I was so surprised they were going to open and I couldn't wait until they came up on stage. The night was officially sealed as the best night of my life. One of my favourite bands performing with Lady Gaga?! This was going to be unforgettable.

The first opening act was Lady Starlight, Gaga's best friend ever since her beginnings.

Um... She was okay. The thing is that many people didn't understand Lady Starlight's concept, because her performance is better suited for a cabaret or alternative club, not a Lady Gaga concert. Many people hated her show, so I felt bad for her because I enjoyed it.

Aww.

Any ways, on with The Darkness. I was so pumped up! When they all stepped on stage, I screamed my lungs out. This was going to be fucking epic.

...And it was! All of the members of The Darkness are great performers. It's quite exhilarating hearing Justin perform those high notes live! He's impressive 'cause he can hit the notes in a soprano middle-high range. Amazing, simply amazing. Justin is a hilarious and very fun front man.  He did crazy tricks on stage like standing on his head and clapping with his legs, and joked around with us, probably trolling us (he told us to start imitating his singing patterns, which is no biggie for me, but for everyone else it was a pain in the ass).The Darkness is definitely one of the most fun and impressive bands I have seen perform live. I'm dying to see them live again. 

Dat Justin Hawkins. 

After the Darkness performed, we waited in anticipation for Gaga. We were all thirsty, tired, and impatient. Gaga's commercial for her perfume got us falsely excited, but we stopped giving a shit about her perfume, we wanted Gaga! The lights turned off, and the audience roared, I admit I spaced out for half a second, so I didn't notice that the curtain fell until I heard the audience losing their shit. 

The Castle

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures of the concert because I was too busy LIVING IT! Gaga is AMAZING live. I was absolutely enchanted. Gaga began with Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) and just by strolling around in that mechanical horse, the audience was going crazy. She then started performing Government Hooker, and had simulated oral sex performed on her, much to the surprise of the many parents bringing their young ones, lol.

There was some political overtones in her performances, and no, it's not the illuminati. Obviously there was the statements about gay marriage, shown by the little interlude where two of her male dancers dress up in a bride and groom attire to trick the guitar-holding priest into marrying them. Once the priest finds out that the couple is a same-sex couple, he backs off showing his repulsion, leaving the couple heartbroken. There was also the feminist statement on how women are treated like meat, showed in "Americano". Gaga and all the dancers are dressed in meat dresses, and Gaga said something about "You all treat women like meat!" or something like that. 

The moment of excitement was when Gaga was calling up people on stage, and to be honest, I really wanted her to call me up. Instead she called up this young man in a wheel chair who seemed to be a bigger fan of Gaga than I was, so he deserved it way more than I did. It was the cutest moment ever! Gaga dedicated the song "Hair" to him and kissed him on the lips, he was so happy, and the whole coliseum was chanting his name. It was the best moment of his life. I cried out of joy for him. You go, dude.   

The encore was a great bonus to the show, and when she called up people on stage again, this time I was determined, so I took off my glasses and started swinging them around like a madwoman. Again, I failed. Aw.  

But who cares? Gaga's concert was performance Nirvana. She had such spectacular dancers, stage, and presence. It was truly a grand night. Not to mention she was opened by The Darkness! It was all like a dream! 

...And the night was indeed very, very gay. As gay as it could be. 

Also, I just HAVE to write this here! Remember my friend Carolina? She was invited on stage on the second night! SQUEEEE!!! Words cannot describe how happy I am for her. Here's the video (skip to 3:49):

 Now, I must command all of you to go to Carolina's twitter and tell her how happy you are for her, and that she is a flawless human being.

That's all folks! Now I have to go to bed, because I am dying right now because of the cold. Toodles!

Camwhoring!

This blog has a lack of pictures of me looking pretty. Let's fix that.

Me in this this year's CTY monster-themed dance party

Me in my Lisbeth Salander phase from last year

Me in this year's CTY 80's-themed dance party

Planning My Halloween Costume

So my friend Sebb-Sebbs and I went to Party City to you know, fuck around. We had an ultimate showdown with the plastic swords, scythes, machetes, knives and swords. I won, obviously. We walked around Party City and we started talking about what Halloween costumes we were going to decide on. We were wandering around the Halloween section until we accidentally fell upon the "Gothic" section (oh God). Besides the shitty accessories and the select few that I thought were cool, we say some tears of blood face tattoos. And then it hit us- let's be Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and Vampire Potter!

Dressing up as Enoby will be an easy task, since I do have most of the clothe described in the fic. I
will surely have a ball with my guy pal Sebby. I have made a polyvore for my outfit based on Chapter 1's outfit. Hopefully, I can convince my mother to let me go to Circotic so I can wear this outfit.

Electric Daisy Carnival 2012

Yo homies, I don't own this picture.  This came from here.  Fo'shizzle.

Despite my eccentric exterior, I've always shied away from partying. Why? Well...

1. I hate drunk people. You have no idea how much I hate being around drunk people, it simply infuriates me.
2. Drugs! Ahhh! Nooo... Nononono. Drugs creep me out. I hate messing around with my perception of reality (and don't you dare come to me with philosophical bullshit about what is reality). Hell, looking at those optical illusions that give you swirly vision sends me screaming out of terror. 
3. Sexual assault and rape. I've heard many stories of people being touched inappropriately, drugged and raped, etc... This was probably my biggest fear seeing as I have faced sexual harassment in the past and I'd hate for that to escalate into something worse. It angers me that many men think that they are entitled to another woman's body just because she's partying or dressed skimpy. Let us have fun, you pigs. 

However, this party was the most fun I've had in a long time! Two of the previous worries did not happen, for I didn't get involved with any drunk people, and I nobody touched me or said anything inappropriate. However I think I saw some people dealing drugs and for the first time in my life I saw a CLOUD OF MARIJUANA . HOLY SHIT. It was so weird! It was like witnessing a behemoth one would hear of in the old stories of our ancestors. Also, a lot of people were smoking legally, which is more ew than marijuana. I find it hard to dance when my breathing is cut short by cigarette smoke. Please, go to the marijuana cloud with the other smokers.

Though the act I wanted to see was Kaskade, he was going to appear at 3 a.m., and me still being under-age with a responsible mother, was allowed to stay until 12. Still the music was GREAT! I danced like CRAZY! You know a party's great when it's raining, you're covered in sweat and you don't care. I'm apalled by the number of people that just wave their hands, shake their heads, fistpump and call it "dancing". Come on! Let loose! Nobody's focusing on how you dance, so go crazy!

Talking about boring people, I've read that EDC is a playground of ravers and Kandi Kids. This made me very giddy, because I know I've made it obvious already, but I LOVE urban tribes, especially the ones that dress crazy. Yet, a lot of people were dressed as if they were going to the beach! There were almost no ravers or Kandi Kids in sight! I also lost count of how many guys were wearing the same "Sex, Drugs and Dubstep" shirt that's sold at Hot Topic. Yet again, it's an electronic fest, one must expect some douche-baggy types of people. Meh. However, this makes me appreciate even more the people that dressed crazy for EDC. I even saw some cyber goths, I think. I remember that guy dressed as a mouse that was only wearing blue underwear. Props to that guy. Props to all the people that dressed fantastic for this year's EDC. No props to anyone that wore Native American gear. Take your cultural-appropriating ass back home.

Here's the story of how my night went:
So my mum knows the guy that organises this whole shindig, and he told me I'd be on "the list", and that I didn't have to buy a ticket. I said "hip, hip, hooray!" and told all of my friends. He said that I had to show my ID, and I didn't have one, so I went and got an official government ID.

My friend who lived in Germany for a year brought me some cyberlox and I was planning to wear them to EDC, I bought some new make-up and I dyed my hair black to match the lox. However, time passed quickly between me dyeing my hair and buying some things because next thing I know, my friend came to pick me up! I did my make-up quickly. I covered 1/4 of my eyebrows and did Spock-brows with dramatic cat-eye and black lipstick. I wore a crop top with a mesh shirt underneath with some faux-leather shorts and fishnets with a garter belt. I accesorised  with a chain-and-lock necklace and a fuzzy little feather purse. I didn't have the time to cut the lox and put them on (Oh, poo). I did this all quickly and rushed down to my friend C, and she wasn't angry at all, God bless her little soul.

We drove all excited because it was our first time going to EDC, and all of our friends were there. We arrived, and took the little golf cart-pool to the pier. We arrive the entrance and I tell the guys there that I'm on the list, my friend shows her ticket and we walk allll the way to the pier. The guys told us that I had to talk to a chick named Andrea. When we arrive, I go to the Andrea chick, I drop the organiser's name and tell her that I'm on the list. "Are you a bartender?" she asks. I reply with "no" and she says that it's the wrong list, because the invited people list was allll the wayyy back in the ticket booth. I grumble, and my friend accompanies me back to the ticket booth. I go to the ticket booth and I tell the lady inside that I'm on the list and she asks me: "Which one?" Then I saw that there were many lists! Oh, goodness! Our organiser friend didn't tell us that there were many lists, much less WHICH list I was in! I guess that I would be in the backstage/staff list, and I'm not on it! So I had to buy the 56$ ticket. I go back to my friend, and guess what, she lost her ticket! She told me that some bastard must have snatched  it from her pocket. The poor girl was crying and calling her mum to pick her up. I didn't think it was fair for me to go because if it weren't for me, she would have been having fun. I offered her my ticket two times, and she refused both offers. She told me that her night was ruined and that she didn't want to go any more. I accompanied her until her mum picked her up. I felt so guilty. If it weren't for me and the stupid "list" bullshit, we wouldn't have gone up and down and have her lost her ticket. I should have told her to go to the party before me so I could get my ticket, instead I had her accompany me and have her lose her ticket.



I walked all the way back because the golf-cartpool was taking too long (stupid tourists that took my place even though I was waiting there before them). Then I found myself upon some other friends of mine and they accompanied me to the entrance. Yay! I wasn't going alone! We held on to each other because there was a LOT of people. I was very pumped up because of the music that was playing while we waited in line. I did get a little worried though, because nobody was checking the metal detectors (what if somebody entered with a gun or a knife?!) As we entered I had to do MORE walking, until we were finally in the party. Our group was waiting for more people, until I found myself with my friend Ana. Then I bid them adieu, and stayed with Ana for the rest of the night.

Let me tell you that majority of EDC is looking for your friends than actual dancing, or at least that was for me because that's what Ana and I were doing most of the night. It was "searching for our friends with a few bouts of dancing". I danced in the AXE cage (also a great tool to look for your friends!), and danced like a fuckin' maniac. A few guys complimented me on my dancing, and being Leo me, those are always welcome. However, I did not like that some douchebag was RECORDING me! I let it pass, because that night was to let all cares go away. But, if you find some cool person dancing, ASK FOR THEIR PERMISSION BEFORE RECORDING THEM. This is part of the book called "Not Being a Dick in Real Life" written by Gudpahrt O'Sosytie. Sheesh.

After dancing and having a good time, we had rest in Circuit Grounds (the building with the big fans), I reunited with my friends and my other friends Sue, whom I met in CTY. Ana and I got a pizza and we left at 12:30, satisfied with our great experience at the Daisy.

I was sooo tired when I got home, I never looked forward to a cold shower so much in my life! And that pretty make-up I did? Ruined! Haha, but I didn't care. I had a great experience and that's all I can say. I look forward to more electronic festivals in the future. I can't wait!

Opinions of things that have happened a long time ago: Damien (Previously known as "Jessi Slaughter")

Once upon a time, there was a boy that once posted a quite controversial video:

...And his name used to be Jessi Slaughter.

At first I absolutely hated this Jessi Slaughter. Her attitude was the most despicable thing I had ever witnessed. She made me so angry and proved to me how our youth was decaying. Questions like "What urged her to say such obscenities?" and "Where were her parents?" ran through my mind as I looked through more of her videos. I later found out she falsely accused two men of rape, and my fury grew even more. I'd never thought such pretentiousness, obscenities, and unpleasantness would come out of a mere 11-year-old girl. I became frustrated with the world. "Why would the Universe give us things like this?" I'd think to myself. Later on, I researched on the internet more about this distasteful girl. I just had to know what caused this.

The results were disheartening. Jessi was in a terrible situation at the time, and the worst had just to come when this video was posted. She was living in an abusive home with drug-addicted parents, and she barely had any friends in school. Her parents would beat her, and basically destroy her emotionally and mentally. The only sanctuary she had within herself was through this persona that (badly) imitated the Scene Queens of MySpace. She wanted to feel known, loved, and appreciated like those girls. She thought they were beautiful, fierce and confident. If she couldn't find that attention at home or at school, she could find it on the internet.

I know this, because I identify with the feeling.

Back when I was a bullied child, I felt lonely and under-appreciated. My parents were never abusive, quite the contrary, but I yearned for the attention and praise from my peers. Since I couldn't receive that, I went to the internet. I made a profile on Deviant Art, and with false confidence I'd write: "Hello Deviant Art! Your Most talented 11-year-old is here!" I would post some traced work, shitty fan-art with nonsensical concepts, my Mary-Sue OC, etc... I was an annoying little shit who always apologized for her drawing because I didn't take "Anime Classes" (pfft), I evaded constructive criticism, I would put on a false mask of confidence and pretended I was the last Coca-Cola of the desert. It was a dark period for me. However, I pulled out and changed my attitude before I could face the merciless wrath of the internet, unlike Jessi.

If one could describe what Jessi faced, "hell" would be least .

Famed 4chan trolls saw her videos and started trolling her videos, send hate messages, death threats, call her phone number, stalk her, etc... Everything was escalating out of control. It all resulted into this video of her having a breakdown:

Of course, the video became hilarious for those who absolutely despised her, which was most of the internet.  Her father became a meme, and her breakdown was taken as a joke. However, this was a prelude to the further chaos she was going to face.

Besides her parents being abusive animals towards her, she held a relationship with a much older man, has gotten pregnant and aborted, attempted suicide multiple times, has gone to mental institutions, has had her nude pictures leaked on the internet, and has jumped from foster home to foster home. Her father has died, and her mother is as emotionally abusive as ever. Jessi's life spiralled downward, and a lot of it was fuelled by the horrid mistreatment coming from the internet.

Jessi even filmed an apology:

Jessi later realised who was her true self: Damien. A boy.  I believe that Damien has realised most of his mistakes, and regrets it. I think he is trying leave it all behind. Yes, I think he has done some stupid shit in the past, including the false rape accusation, which is completely unforgivable. Hell, I even hear he's still doing stupid shit like falsely calling himself "goth" and other things. However, I think we should leave this kid alone and go on with our lives. He has already gone through enough, let the poor kid be.

Time and age and petty little things

Time passes by quickly. In one year I'll be 18, in 2 I'll be 20, in 10 I'll be 27. I wish this would not happen.

Age, death, and being forgotten are my worst fears. Though I am handling not being forgotten, old age and death are two things I cannot change. I do not feel like I have grown up, I feel the same.

I can't believe I have the age to start driving, that my friends are all losing their virginities, that everyone around me is partying and drinking... It is all so queer to me. 

When my friend told me zie lost hir virginity, I had an attack of emotions. I was

 literally crying, laughing, angry and nervous at the same time. It's not that I cared for the loss of hir virginity, it was just so damn strange for me and I did not know how to react. The attack of emotions was more about about these events happening so quickly than about hir.

I do not wish to partake in anything in life yet I do; I wish life would stand still for a second to let me catch my breath.

The concept of age is such a strange thing to me. The concept of death is such a strange thing for me.

I sometimes think about dying, but then I discard the matter because it's not worth it. What am I going to gain? Maybe I just love to be a living suicidal than actually attempting my death. 

Why am I suicidal? I feel lonely. I am ageing. Everyone is better than me. I just feel like staying in bed and doing nothing because sometimes I just don't feel like going out and living. I like being with friends, but they just seem to be enjoying and fulfilling their lives way more than I am. They are prettier, more charismatic, and  everybody loves them. They are accomplishing the dreams I have. Me? I'm just that freaky friend with the weird clothes and singing voice.

It's sad, because I love my friends, but I feel that my jealousy will overcome everything, destroy our friendship, and I will be alone.

If you're reading this: don't worry, I'll never kill myself. I'll die an old woman out of natural causes, like everyone is supposed to. I just, have all these thoughts that I cannot vent to anybody, just myself. There is no purpose telling this to anybody because they can't fix anything. I just have to deal with this for myself. 

Now, returning to blogging: Towa Tei, and why you should listen to him.

Towa Tei. What is you. Seriously. What is you.

In case you don't know who this badass mofo is, he was one of the guys from Dee-Lite. In case you don't know who Dee-Lite is, you might remember this tune:

If you've never heard this tune, God have mercy on your soul. 

However, like many people do in bands, Towa Tei left Dee-Lite because he got sick or somethingbutWHOCARESASDFGHJK HIS SOLO MUSIC IS AMAZING. 

His music ranges from soulful R&B, to experimental Electronica, Poppish sounds, to wtf. He contributed with amazing artists like Kylie Minogue, and his DJ skills are unbeatable. You seriously have to listen to this dude. If you don't, your mum will die. 

Seriously, there are few artists whose work are as varied as his, it's like you're listening a different artist with each song. His style is innovative and fresh and omg why aren't you listening to him yet. 

Towa Tei is boss, yo. Peace.

Songs you have to listen:

The Burning Plain
Wordy (WARNING: The video is very wtf)
GBI (German Bold Italic)
Technova
Time After Time

Aw shit you guys.

As we all know, human beings are not perfect. Even I, the great Andi Sí, fuck up some times. I will be completely honest with you guys:
I started this blog with the purpose that soon I could become cool known for all Puerto Rico: the magnificent Andi, Goth Blogger. However, this is a very foolish thought. Why the fuck was I thinking that? Silly Leo me~! 

This is a stupid reason to start a blog. NEVER EVER DO THAT. OH GOD. NO. I was feeding off views and comments, but when those did not come, I felt less motivated. Then I didn't know what to write. Then I did it when I felt like it, and eventually, I even forgot I had this blog.

So here I am, starting from square one. I will no longer make this blog for others, but for me. You will just so happen to find yourself upon this blog, laugh and agree to the stuff I say, viewing me behind the glass of your computer screen while I, the fish inside the tank, go on with my business.  I evaded political references, cursing, and religion: things that have influenced my life very much. I wish I could talk about about how shitty the government over here is, how angry I feel towards the sexist comments I receive regularly, or just simply my ramblings, short stories, poems and many other things. Stuff that people make me shut up for, or are not suited for tumblr, facebook, or twitter. I want my voice to be written down, so my sorrows, my frustrations, my joys and my fangirling can be noted. I hope you guys understand.

So here, enjoy what is the Life of A Puerto Rican Goth (the real one).

to pull off a Goth outfit

Fact: Goth outfits are hard to pull off. I've seen some pretty bad Goth outfits in my day, and it's really easy to screw up a Goth outfit if one does not know how to coordinate, do their make-up, or use cheap and gaudy items. But once you get the hang of it, you rarely look bad!



1. NO THEMES.


This doesn't go only for Goth, but for any style in general. An outfit shouldn't have a subject repeated more than twice. For example, using an oval-shaped pendant with an oval-shaped bracelet and an oval-shaped headpiece. Another example: using a piano purse with a note-patterned dress and treble-clef shoes. So don't go around wearing a bat necklace with a bat purse, bat shirt, bat earrings, and bat everything. It's like #1: tacky and costume-y

2. A little bit of black, please?


A Goth outfit can have colour, you don't have to go completely black (Especially considering Puerto Rico's hot weather).  But I believe a Goth outfit is not complete without black, even if it's as a small detail. There are 4 levels to the Goth colour coordination spectrum:

Complete black

This coordination is as the name says. It may have 1 tiny detail of colour, like eyeshadow, lipstick, blush or a small accessory like earrings or a ring.

2:1 

This coordination has details of coulour, but black is still predominant. The colours usually reside in the accessories or in a detail in the garment. 

2:2

This  coordination has equal proportion of black and colour. The colours and the black are divided equally amongst the garment and accessories.

1:2
This is a reversed version of 2:1, with the colours being predominant and the black being in the details.

Mostly Colour (A.K.A. Hard to pull off) 

Of all the Goth colour coordinations there are, this one's definitely the hardest. This one is as the name says, with barely any detail of black. The black would reside either on your make-up or on a small, understated accessory. I do not suggest this for Goth fashion beginners. You need a lot of creativity to make a barely-black outfit Goth. But after observing many pictures of Goth festivals, you can make a mostly-colour outfit Goth using what are considered "Goth" items in colour; like corsets, platform boots, dread falls, goggles, fishnets, etc...The way you do your make-up when barely sporting any black is crucial.

3. Make me pretty!

Make-up is essential for a successful Goth outfit. You could be wearing just simply pants and a shirt and look breathtaking if you have nicely done make-up. Now remember: the make-up your favourite Goth model wears could look astonishing on her/him, but look horrendous on you. For example, I remember watching Adora Batbrat's first video tutorial and saying: "Wow! I want to wear make-up like that!"

...Then I tried it on myself. First of all, I have a rounder and fuller face than Adora, not to mention I have big cheeks; so the drawn-on cross didn't look good on me. Second, I've had very few moments that I looked good with black lipstick. This wasn't one of them. And third: I don't have shaved-off brows, which means less space for the dramatic cat-eye. Yeah.

But alas! You have to look for inspiration! Google Image is your friend, deary. Take inspiration from models, or use YouTube! Soon, you'll adopt a style that will suit you and will be unique. And you will look gorgeous.

Also: practice, practice, practice! My God, how many Hot Topic wanderers I've seen with horribly applied eye-liner! You have to start with baby steps when you're Goth. Start simple and progressively get more dramatic on your make-up, or else you will look like a hot mess. I suggest starting off first with a simple black eye shadow with a black eye liner on your water line. And in the privacy of your own bathroom, practice dramatic looks.


Hot mess I commonly see: USING LIQUID EYE LINER OR PENCIL EYE LINER FOR BIG DETAILS! If you're going to do a dramatic cat-eye, don't do it with liquid or pencil liner. Why? Liquid eye liner cracks, and pencil liner is the equivalent of a crayon on your eyes. It gives messy coverage and it looks cheap and ugly. Use liquid and pencil liner for small details only. Liquid should be used for lining your upper lids, while pencil should be used for lining your eyes, lining your water line and making the outline for dramatic designs. NOT YOUR WHOLE EYELID. Instead, use cake liner or gel liner if you're going to fill in your dramatic cat-eye.    

Dramatic cat-eye is the one at the top. Outline with pencil liner, and fill in with either cake or gel liner. The one at the bottom is very easy to pull off. Just add some black eye shadow and intensify it more on your crease. Finish off with lining your eyes.

4. Your skin colour is ALWAYS perfect. 

Pale skin is NOT a Goth must-have. Love your skin colour and embrace it, because you are fucking beautiful. You don't need to be pale to be Goth, you can be fucking purple and be Goth. Goth subculture is open to all ethnicities and skin colours: black, Asian, white, Indian, Native-American, Latinos, Romas, etc... Embrace your skin colour and body the way it is. If some pretentious douchebag tells you otherwise, tell them to fuck off because you're fucking fabulous.

5. Leave the tackiness behind, please. 

"This shit's so fucking goth."

Hey, that design on your right is awesome, right? Perfect for a t-shirt!

*Slaps you*

NO!

ANYTHING that includes dark angels, wolves, dragons, wizards, or whatever else you see on World of Warcraft is an immediate trip to Tacky Town! The only people that wear that are overweight pizza-faced basement dwellers!

6. There is a world beyond Hot Topic.

Hot Topic sucks now. It's not even a resuelve anymore for Goth accessories or clothes. All they have now are Justin Bieber shirts and they play Lady Gaga. Hot Topic is now for...
Normal people.

Forever 21

Here in Puerto Rico there are no Goth stores, but there are vintage stores! In a vintage store, you can find yourself some nice clothing and accessories (and if you have luck, a Goth Rock record or CD!).

The internet is full of wonders. There are a ton of Goth stores on the web that sell beautiful things. If you want something cheap, go on eBay. If you want something beautiful and unique, go to Etsy.

Use your creativity! Ditch the pretentious "I'm so Goth that I only shop at Goth stores because I'm Goth" attitude. I have found a lot of beautiful clothing in Forever 21 and TJ Maxx, like lace shorts, striped shirts and pretty dresses.


7. Steer clear of cheap quality!

If you were thinking to wear this for a Goth festival, God help you.

Clothes made of cheap satin, cheap lace, polyester, and cheap fabric just shows that you really don't know how to dress yourself.

8. Hair is heated, not fried. 


How much do Goths abuse their poor hair! With all the bleaching, dyeing, straightening, teasing, etc, it's easy to look like a scarecrow. Learn to take care of your hair, and keep it silky smooth. For expert Goth tips in maintaining your hair, go here and here.

9. Be creative!

I probably have said this many times already, but it's true! Don't be afraid of trying new things, and soon you will develop your own style!

10. Your inner Goth shouldn't be inner.

Your confidence will make you shine! ...Or dull. Depending on how it is. Confidence is the most important thing not only for the superficiality of clothing, but for everything in life! School, jobs, relationships, the list goes on! Let your confidence shine, because you're awesome! Unless you kick puppies and are a meanie. Then you just suck.

Well that's about it, folks. See you next time~! ♥

LINKS:

Home-made skin bleach

http://www.batgearbeyond.com/ (A great Goth store resource site! You will find there a ton of stores!)

YouTube channels that you should check out:

Satan's Dolly

Adora BatBrat

NosebleedBaby (Not a Goth, but very good "dark" make-up tutorials)

KINGgutterface

SebastianTheGirl

LarsBatula (Hasn't put up a few videos in a while, but it's good make-up tutorials)

NONE OF THE IMAGES BELONG TO ME.

New York City

Before I went to Princeton, I stayed in New York City.

Before landing in NY, I saw this website called newgothcity.com that tells of all of the Goth stores and hotspots there (La Carmina's blog also gives NYC Goth stores and clubs). I printed the map they provided of Gothtown, and marked all the places I wanted to go to.

 The first Goth store we went to was Gothic Renaissance, which is pretty easy to spot due to the huge gargoyle at the entrance. GORGEOUS store. Their clothing looked high quality, they had a very nice variety of clothing and jewellery. The store was gorgeously decorated, and the music they played was very nice. I absolutely loved the clothing, it was gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I cannot stress enough how beautiful the clothing is in this store! However, in terms of service, the employees were a bit gloomy. They would ask me with a sort of bummed tone if I wanted any help. Also, my travelling partner, S, was not in what many consider "Goth" attire... She was wearing some blue jeans with tennis shoes, and she and I noticed that one of the employees stared at her weird due to her ungoth attire. Not very nice! I suggest this clothing store to everyone, but the employees need to be a bit more friendly.

Second store was Enchantments, a witchcraft store or as S referred to: "Una botánica chic". As I entered and quickly turned my head, I saw a tiny shelf in the corner with an inverted pentagram and Satanist paraphernalia. Though this made me cringe a bit, the employees were very friendly people and were always there in case we needed help. It had a wide variety of ingredients for your potions and, of course, the store had the very pleasant smell of incense. There were Ouija boards, many Wicca supplies, and lots and lots of herbs. The look of the store gave out a quite earthy and natural feeling. It felt like those magic stores you see in fantasy films. There was even a gorgeous white cat and another black one that for a moment S and I thought were fake. They were so nice and soft~. And of course, S and I will never forget the fertility candles in shape of penises.

 

The third store was Obscura Antiques and Oddities. How I loved this store! It was indeed odd, with many taxidermied animals and old pictures of strange things! The only problem would be that it was a bit small and cramped, considering that it had quite a concentration of people. But I do suggest this store if you want some good ol' weird furniture and home decor. 

The fourth store was Vampire Freaks. I have heard something along the lines that it was like a second Hot Topic. I completely and utterly disagree. First of all, even though the clothing's beauty and quality does not match up to Gothic Renaissance, it was WAY more pretty and higher quality than Hot Topic's clothing. It was actual Gothic clothing, no Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga t-shirts anywhere. Not a lot of brightly coloured clothing, and there was barely any clothing that would be considered normal or boring. The CD section did not have ANY mainstream music like 3OH!3 or Lil' Wayne. It was pure Goth and Industrial. As for customer service: EXCELLENT! The guy there was very friendly with me and S, he said he visited Puerto Rico and  he loved our cemeteries. He adored how all the headstones went all the way in terms of decoration and size, since NYC has only small tombstones. We chatted with him for a while, and he randomly gave a lot of VF pins! He suggested some nice restaurants that would fit my taste, stores and clubs. THAT is what made me enjoy being in the VF store more than Gothic Renaissance.

The stores I wished I could have visited but couldn't:

Trash and Vaudeville

 

Halloween Adventure

Sadly, I did not have the time to go to all the stores I wanted or go to any parties or clubs. I had to go to Princeton the next day... Still I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel 17. Hotel 17was wonderful. An ideal New York Hotel: it's homey and comfortable, but not too glitzy or expensive. If you're coming to a beautiful city that you're going to spend the whole day exploring, why are you spending so much money on a fancy hotel room?! All you need is a bed and a bathroom, and you're good to go. The staff was very nice and friendly, always there when you need them. Some people get annoyed because of the shared bathrooms, but I don't find it to be a problem, honestly. Since not everyone woke up, peed and bathed at the same time, there was no line to the bathrooms and there was barely any people in the hallways. Though I'm not suggesting that you walk around naked (Unless you're an exhibitionist, then whatever floats your boat).
 
So, in conclusion and cliché, I ♥ New York.

To any of you Goths out there that have gone to New York or live there: do you suggest any other stores? And what clubs and parties do you suggest also?  

A Haven of Neo-Gothic Arquitecture and Intellectual Friends

Uf! I've been gone for almost two months! Like a friend of mine says: "Ooh, rough." 

In case you've been wondering were I've been, I was at... 

 Princeton, New Jersey!

I know that you're probably thinking: "Andi, what the hell does this have to do with Goth culture?" Well, I was staying at Princeton University for a program called Centre for Tainted Youth (CTY). Princeton University is famous for its High Victorian Gothic and Collegiate Gothic Architecture. Once I stepped out of my taxi and feasted upon the dramatic archways, with the statues of  St.George and St. Michael watching over the dormitories. The two dormitories were connected by a bridge, in which you could access by exiting out a window (Which sadly, were closed by some screens. Boys were not allowed to enter girl's dorms and vice-versa for... obvious reasons.) The doors that led to the dormitories were of grandiose size, made from wood and bounded by ornate black metal. The inside of the dorms were nothing special. The walls were painted white, and the floors had some ugly old carpeting. The smell was old and musty, which told stories of the drunken nights, the tears of solitude, the sweat of long nights of mental and physical preparation with no air conditioning, and the moments of passion led by previous residents. Of course, there is nothing that  a little Febreeze and an electric fan can't fix.

Even though I've never entered the chapel during my stay, I observed its captivating exterior, complete with ornate and Neo-Gothic Architecture. I passed by it each time my group went to the library (which was a lot!) The library was also Neo-Gothic and had some Latin phrases carved on the archway. 

Два очень привлекательным россиян. 
Кто не хотел бы заниматься любовью 
с этими двумя?

Besides the architecture, I wish to discuss my experiences in the Centre for Tainted Youth. It was grand. I met some sexy Russians, met again with my contortionist partner, befriended three ravers which consisted of a hot belly button-less Russian, a Mikutard, and a very sexy girl, and I made sisters. The rest of this post will be very not-Goth related. But please bear with me.

Princeton was the Goth CTY, because all of the non-math courses were depressing and were supposed to make you cry and mope around all day. My course was Global Politics, in which we discussed genocide, rape, human rights violations, amongst other depressing topics. We'd go outside and cry under the shades of weeping willows, while I sang Gloomy Sunday.



Ha, just kidding. Although the part about our courses being depressing, and us discussing about human rights violations and the foulness of humanity in general is true, these distressing subjects would be contrasted with amusing activities, in which we would laugh and share with others. These activities would prevent all of us from crying ourselves to sleep, so it's all good. We would play games, draw, and spend 45 minutes watching videos of kittens.


There was so much diversity! People from many states and other countries (including me). Some would come from California or New York, and some would come from as far as Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong! Best of all: nobody judged you, and nobody criticised you. Nobody would come up to me and say: "Oooh, why do you dress like that?!" "Why do you wear so much black?" "You're weird!" Of course, they would ask how did I manage to wear so much black in the heat, and I would just smile and reply: "I'm from Puerto Rico."

There's nothing more beautiful than this.

CTY has a tradition in which in every day in the last week has a theme. These themes were CTY Shirt Thursday, Crossdress Wednesday, Prep Tuesday, and of course, Goth Monday. Sadly, we didn't celebrate all of them, except Crossdress Wednesday. And I was looking forward to Goth day. I: Oh well! Crossdress Wednesday was hilarious. Boys did their make up and put on brassieres. One dressed up as a prostitute, and others were VERY convincing at being girls. But of course, you have a nice day, and somebody has to come and screw it up. We were all fine and dandy until some football players (STEREOTYPICAL HIGH SCHOOL MOVIE, OMG!) apparently had a problem with men wearing skirts. The coach came to the CTY staff to complain, and from what I've heard, he used some very harsh and offensive words. The football players would talk loudly amongst themselves so we could hear them, and they would call us bundles of sticks. The staff told us not to reply to them, or fight, etc, but I'm wasn't going to sit there and take all that crap. I took an indirect way of giving them the middle finger: each time they would pass by, I would grab my nearest lady friend and loudly say: "ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE GAY? I JUST LOOOOVE BEING A HOMOSEXUAL! LIKING PEOPLE OF MY OWN GENDER IS WAAAAY BETTER THAN BEING STUCK INSIDE THE CLOSET!"

We would have dances every Friday, which were the highlight of the week. Most of the girls would prep themselves and get pretty, most of the time not taking in consideration the theme. But who cares. The dances were great. EVEN if they were very ungoth and would play very "normal" artists such as Katy Perry or Soulja Boy (Seriously, not even electronica like Deadmau5 or Kaskade?).  I would show of my dance moves, and so would others. Some were HARDCORE DANCERS, and some, like I, were sexy dancers. I saw grinders, awkward dancers, people who couldn't dance, self-conscious dancers, people who didn't give a fuck, and sexy ravers. ♥

Love. Oh lovelovelove. ♥ In the Centre for Tainted Youth, love was forbidden. But that didn't stop some people from doing "laudry". ;) Amongst CTY's 10 Commandments were: "Thou shall not enter into thy opposite gender's dormitory" and "Thou shall not make out". Breaking of these laws led to expulsion and condemnation to Hell. People would break the second one all the time, and the first one was broken by only ones who had the immense balls and stupidity. Still, it is not always about sex. The majority would just flirt, hold hands and kiss, which was very cute. c: Sadly, a lot of people would feel as third wheels in the middle of these lovefests and thus feeling FOREVAR ALONE. Most see CTY relationships as summer flings or brief romances, but I know of romances that have lasted more than just three weeks... Some were romances that lasted for over a year, or possibly more...  *Fangirl Sigh* ...But of course, when there's love, there is drama. And drama is not good. But I do not want to go into detail of this drama, because then I'll get involved in more drama. You know where I'm going at?

A true portrait of love

But the absolute BEST thing about CTY is: NO. STUPID. PEOPLE!!! Everyone in CTY thinks deeply, they question society, and use their brains. I found poets and musicians, along with some philosophers. I've met people that have gone through the most interesting experiences, and know about many, many things. I could finally hold an educated conversation with somebody that actually uses their brain! It's great... Smart people. Ahh, the great experiences...

Next week's post shall be about my stay in New York. There shall be more Goth related things on that post. But I just wanted to share this with some of you guys. :)