『25 – moonlight vibes -』official release

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moonlight vibes cover

After what feels like forever; my first mixtape is now available!

– click picture to listen on soundcloud –

I want to give a special thanks to my friend, Tawny for her incredible help with the photography for the main visual and to my fiancé and mentor, Anthony for helping guide me through this process and giving much needed insight. Also, thanks to everyone on social media, my friends, and my family for their never ending support. All of you contributed to this and I hope I did you proud.

This mixtape isn’t meant to be a hype tape or an incredible show of skill; but rather something that embodies me and my personality. I love to have those chill vibes with a hint of Sailor Moon and space. I hope that you will find yourself relaxing while listening.

T R A C K L I S T

1.) offonoff – Moon, 12:04am 『PRELUDE』
2.) Seora (설아.) – Moonlight
3.) Lay.bn – Crater
4.) Osshun Gum (최하민) – Dream Girl
5.) Miso – Castles
6.) BLΔNCΘ CVTTY – Kosmos (with K.Vsh)
7.) KREAM – Talking to the Moon『INTERLUDE』
8.) channel 23 – cloud
9.) D2ear – 깨우지 마요 x Gravity (eazy blend)
10.) NiiHWA (니화) – Gravity
11.) Ager – Falling Star (feat. Twlv)
12.) RIPELY(리플리) – i’m in love with you
13.) SAY MA – I FEEL LOVE
14.) 92914 – Moonlight 『POSTLUDE』

Taylor Rae

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where have i been?

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BeFunky Collage

Welp.

Needless to say…it has been a l o n g while since I have last touched this website.

And if you haven’t been here for a while, you may have noticed a lot of things changed.

First things first; where have I been?

I haven’t done anything crazy, I promise. I just needed a break from a few things which included the website. I lost a lot of motivation for it to a point where after I made drastic changes, I just wanted to not look at it for a long time. It was heartbreaking to see Simply Taylor Rae go and replace it with something new…but I was mostly upset because I just didn’t have the creative spark I once did when I was updating the website on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I kind of felt like I failed, I suppose? It was a weird feeling. So, I suppose to answer the question fully; I’ve been working, going to school, focusing on DJ’ing and trying to gain some sort of creativity and drive for the website and the youtube channel.

S E C O N D L Y; what happened to Simply Taylor Rae?

As I said before; I lost all drive for it and didn’t put the effort that I once wished for it. I didn’t want to maintain a site or a blog that I just didn’t have the heart for…so I re-did the site and made it more focused on my DJ’ing events and releases because I know for sure there will be content and it kind of releases me from the creative grasp I was trying to constantly achieve with Simply Taylor Rae. Needless to say, the old posts are still available to view so no worries there. But from here on out; my posts will now contain pictures, videos, and other bits of content from any events I attend, main releases, and behind the scenes here and there of whatever the heck I am doing. I know this will be much different than what I was posting prior…but I hope you all will continue to support me.

And finally; life updates!

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Honestly; I don’t know if there’s much for me today. This past weekend, I celebrated my 25th birthday and let me tell you; that quarter life crisis is already sneaking up on me. I found out around Thanksgiving that I was going to be an aunt to a baby boy. I’m still in school and I’m still working, but life is pretty good so no complaints.

And I think that’s where I am going to leave it for today. Thank you guys for all of the support for the last 5.5 years and I hope I created content that made you smile or you were able to relate to. I hope I will continue to make you smile as I move on forward as a DJ.  Here’s to the future…

Taylor Rae

 

coffee & cats – visiting crumbs & whiskers –

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I’m back from the dead, ya’ll.

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I am truly sorry for my absence these past few months, but I bring with me cats and coffee. You’re welcome.

This past Sunday, my beautiful friend, Tawny and I decided to take a trip up to Georgetown for what we thought would be a tea date, but the place was booked for the rest of the day. SO OUR NEXT BEST OPTION was of course…cats. And with that, here’s a photo look at our visit to the only cat cafe in the DC Metro Area, Crumbs & Whiskers.

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Walking inside, we were immediately greeted with the most gorgeous cat sitting on the counter. I was able to place a drink and macaron order and then we were headed upstairs to meet the many cats that grace the establishment. I immediately thought I was going to die because I typically have severe allergic reactions to cats…however, I did not and all allergies ceased until the next freakin’ day when I was sneezing all day at work.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The cats were all incredibly friendly and there were quite a few that were extra playful. The staff was wonderful and accommodating and answered any questions we had about the cats and how they’re taken care of and such. I even had an inquiry about one of their recent additions, Ru, a three-legged cutie patootie…but unfortunately, the new house we moved into doesn’t allow cats. Otherwise I would’ve walked home with a couple cats.

If you would like to visit Crumbs & Whiskers in Georgetown or in Los Angeles, click here for more information!

Disclaimer: We were not paid nor sponsored by Crumbs & Whiskers for this post. All photos were indeed taken by either me or Tawny with a Canon Rebel SL1 with the Standard Kit 18mm-50mm Lens (because I ain’t that fancy). Please do not re-use, re-post, or anything along those lines.  Thanks for your understanding.

I hope you enjoyed this post and here’s to more posts in the near future!

Thanks for reading~! ❤
With Love,
Taylor Rae

5 years of simply taylor rae

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H O L Y CRAP GUYS.

5 MOTHER FREAKIN’ YEARS.

I CAN’T PROCESS THE EMOTIONS I AM FEELING WITH THIS.

Who honestly would’ve thought this would be happening?! This is just too much for me…and I have so much to say and hopefully I am able to convey my feelings properly through just a post. First off, here’s the top 5 accomplishments over the last 5 years!

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There are days where I feel like in the last 5 years, I haven’t accomplished as much as maybe other bloggers or writers may have but looking back on it now…I feel as though I should be proud of even the little accomplishments.

ACCOMPLISHMENT #1: 32,000+ Total Views & 23,900+ Total Visitors

I remember at some point within my first 3 years of blogging, I was obsessed with views and subscribers to the point where I became frustrated and unmotivated to continue. I then made a decision to NEVER look at my view count and today, for the first time in what feels like years…I looked and I am so so thankful for each view and each visitor. I never would’ve imagined 32k views and 23.9k visitors. You guys are so amazing, each and every one of you.

ACCOMPLISHMENT #2: 175 Posts (not including this one…)

Today, I was looking through my first couples years of blogging and realizing how uninspired and generic a lot of my posts were. I had tried to fit into what maintain bloggers in the area did so I could get “famous” and popular. Needless to say, that’s changed over the last two years. I’ve found myself posting things that interest me or personal projects and it’s become easier to write.

ACCOMPLISHMENT #3: 123 Subscribers!!

To every single subscriber; thank you. Thank you for continuous support of Simply Taylor Rae whether you’ve been a subscriber for a few years or relatively recently…thank you so so much. You guys are honestly wonderful and there are no words to describe how I feel about your support over the years. Thank you.

ACCOMPLISHMENT #4: Sponsored 4 Times!

I admittedly began blogging for the fame and sponsorships, but I was quick to realize that expecting those things from the get-go was unrealistic and awful of me. This was supposed to be a place for me to share tips and personal things and just have fun. Needless to say, I have had a change in perspective since then…but to those who were kind enough to sponsor me; YesStyle, Fanatics, Kabbage, and Museum Hack, thank you for supporting me and my website. You guys are truly awesome.

ACCOMPLISHMENT #5: Five Years Later

Never in my life did I imagine blogging for five years. I have wanted to stop many times. I wanted to give up. But between my family, my fiancé, and my friends along with those who subscribed and visit…you guys kept me going. You’ve encouraged me to keep writing, keep taking pictures, start a YouTube channel, and keep progressing to bigger and better things through Simply Taylor Rae. Speaking of progressing to bigger things…

special announcement

SAY HELLO TO DJ TAYLOR RAE

That’s right!! I have been practicing to become a DJ and I am set to make my debut in 2018! If you have been following my social media accounts; you would probably have known this for about a week or two. I can’t wait to enter this exciting chapter of my life and while I’m no where near a pro yet, I hope one day to make it to the big leagues.

Here are some specific things to address with the DJ announcement;

  • No specific debut date in 2018 yet.
  • I plan on focusing more on Vocaloid EDM, however other genres are not completely out of the question.
  • There will be live streamed mix sets; those will be announced via social media.
  • Mix sets and mixtapes will more than likely be uploaded to SoundCloud and/or YouTube.
  • There will be a page dedicated to DJ Taylor Rae added to the website shortly.

I can’t wait to share my progress and experiences with you all.

future

To be quite honest…I am still unsure of what the future holds for myself as well as the longevity of Simply Taylor Rae. While I hope it can go on forever, I also want to be realistic. At this point, I can’t guarantee a post every week or even every two weeks at this point let alone videos…but I want to try and continue to provide quality content that both I and you, as readers enjoy. I want to try hard to be the very best blogger and DJ I can be as well as a person in general.

Needless to say, thank you guys. You’ve made this 5 year journey worth while. Here’s to another 5 and more. I love you all so much.

Thanks for Reading~! ❤
With Love,
Taylor Rae

a day in maymont – italian & japanese gardens –

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maymount title

Well long time, no see guys!

It’s been about a month and a half I would suppose…whoops. In all honesty, this past Summer seemed so non-stop! I had a class that required me to do 2-3 assignments pretty much every day and it took up a lot of my free time. BUT I’M BACK. With a super long post too, so ya’ll better enjoy it.

Anyways, this past weekend, a darling friend of mine named Tawny and I drove down to Richmond to visit the Maymont Estate specifically because we had read about their Japanese garden. WELP, we finally went down and did a collaborative photo shoot together and today I’m going to show you the pictures. TA-DA.

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And I would call that a wrap! We had taken so many photos..almost 400 I believe and managed to get it down to 129 which was a miracle. Honestly though, these gardens were so gorgeous and there was beautiful weather…it was so perfect. Also a huge thank you to Tawny for being my partner in crime with this photo shoot and getting me out of my comfort zone.

Disclaimer; All photos were indeed taken by either me or Tawny with a Canon Rebel SL1 with the Standard Kit 18mm-50mm Lens (because I ain’t that fancy). Please do not re-use, re-post, or anything along those lines.  Thanks for your understanding.

I’m hoping the next post will be an anniversary geared post, but we shall see. 😉

Until next time guys!!

Thanks for Reading~! ❤
With Love,
Taylor Rae

Hatsune Miku 【Magical Mirai 2016】 Nendroid Review

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Well hello!

It feels like it’s been ages. So many things have happened lately…( ꒪Д꒪)ノ My little sister got married, I ran another 5k, and I’m in the middle of my summer semester at school. It’s been hard finding time to actually relax and work on videos and posts. BUT TA-DA; I MADE IT HAPPEN TODAY.

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Last week, I received a long awaited package in the mail from Good Smile Company. After being delayed around three times, the Magical Mirai 2016 Nendroid has made it home!

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Unboxing this cute patootie was filled with so much anticipation and indescribable weeb noises that I just could not contain myself.  First off, the hair looks flawless and was painted beautifully. I love the modest gradient they achieved because it gives the hair more depth in my opinion. （*’∀’人）♥

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Now, ya’ll know that as much as I love my figures regardless, I am always looking at those T I N Y details because that’s how you know they were made with love. And by God, this Miku was made with a lot of love. Out of the nendroids I have seen and owned, this has some of the prettiest details. The tiny “01” on the gloves and the diamonds on the socks are what really stood out to me. Not to mention ruffles and the ribbons underneath the skirt. Those finer details are well worth the wait because it shows that GSC cares about their product. It makes my heart swell, I tell you what.

Overall, as I said before, this nendroid was worth the delays and worth the money.  I paid about $42 (￥4200) which isn’t awful at all and if you ever get the chance to buy one, DO IT. You will weeb so hard, I guarantee or your money back. Anyways, if you would like to see/hear my weeb and unbox this precious figure, go ahead and watch the video down below!

Anyways that is it for today! I hope you enjoyed today’s post and video; if you have any comments or questions in regards to nendroids or this specific nendroid in general, feel free to leave a comment down below! With that said, have a wonderful week ahead of you and I will see you all next time!

Thanks for Reading~! ❤
With Love,
Taylor Rae

hacking the national art gallery with museum hack

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Howdy folks, how’s it going?

Welp, looks like I took forever to post again. It’s been kind of crazy here at home with my sister’s wedding and summer semester starting back up. But I got ya’ll for this week so there’s that.

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So, a couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a wonderful NY based company called Museum Hack and they were kind enough to offer Anthony and I tickets to one of their Washington D.C. tours at the National Gallery of Art. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse and I am so happy I didn’t.

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For our tour, we had the lovely Molly as our guide. She was so friendly and knowledgable with every piece she’d selected for our tour and anything else we inquired about. Not to mention the secret stash of “art appreciation” (a.k.a. chocolate) she had to keep us going during our two hour tour.

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Our trip began with the Portrait of Ginevra de’Benci in which we were told of her many admirers and the secrets that lie in the back of the painting. It was then I realized that this tour wasn’t going to be your standard tour…Molly immediately proposed a two hour length game where we have to find a new lover for Ginevra using any painting or statue within the gallery. We then proceeded to the selection of beautiful Raphael paintings including the highlighted work, The Alba Madonna.

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Throughout our tour, we learned about scandalous behavior, Napolean’s…little Napolean, ugly children, and even played a good ol’ game of Burn, Buy, Steal. So needless to say, when it came to the end of our tour I was a little sad. Molly asked one final request of us and that was to pose with a statue for a souvenir polaroid to take home. It was sad parting from the tour group and even Anthony, who was at one point skeptical, found himself having such a good time that it didn’t even feel like two hours. I hope at some point, we will have the chance to do this again…and again…and again.

To sum it up; Anthony and I really enjoyed ourselves. We learned so much and had a great time doing so. If you are in the DMV, or even in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, a few other locations, I would highly recommend checking Museum Hack out. They do group tours, bachelorette parties, engagements, and more. If you’re interested in a tour, please check out Museum Hack’s website HERE.  If you are interested in attending the National Gallery of Art, please click HERE for operating hours and more.

museum hack thank you

Thank you all so much for reading and a H U G E thank you to Museum Hack for the incredible opportunity. I absolutely adored my time and will be recommending to all my friends, strangers who aren’t rude to me, and family members I am still in contact with. You have a wonderful group of folks working for you and I just can’t stop gushing about it.

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Anyways, that’s it for today’s post. I hope you all enjoyed and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead of you. Also, my prayers and condolences to the friends and family affected by the tragedy in Manchester last night. My heart goes out to you all.

Thanks for Reading~! ❤
With Love,
Taylor Rae