Tagged: blogger
Thrive to be a Man With Character
“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”—Malcolm S. Forbes.
Outer Beauty
New York city is defined by millions of yellow taxis and large crowds. Some people say that this city is full of arrogant assholes. Some people even say that they deserve to carry such pretension merely because they survive thrive in such a hard beautiful city. I say that New York city is full of millions of individuals, each with his own unique story. And here, New York to me, as a person, is defined by the men and women who laid on the tiny grass of Central Park at night, taxi drivers who refused to charge me any fees, poets with their vintage typewriters drafting a poem for $0.25, restaurants with Japanese toilets that caused a few giggles (and screams) among girls and pool places where good friends hang out. She is strong, fun, flexible.
I am sitting on a lounge chair of the Square booth after cruising Project New York. I admit – I love PoolTradeShow, where designers and artists display new items specifically for the boutique market. And I am amazed that I found a company, Solid Threads, that make “clothing with character.” As Brian Carr, founder of Solid Threads, told me his story, I was pleasantly surprised – a clothing company that cares about character. One by one, I am finding, speaking with, being connected to, individuals whom not only have the strength to build companies from scratch, they carry the strength that change the world around them – beyond the successful companies that they have built. And that is truly awesome.
The tees speak for themselves – buy one at http://www.solidthreads.com. Wear one with a pair of jeans or khakis and you’re set!
Inner Beauty
Project New York features clothing, accessories and shoes for men. Beyond physical beauty, men with character are sexy because of the following:
1. Men with Character Do What is Right. Character is who you are when no one is looking. Men who have character choose to do the right thing even when no one is looking. He is not perfect and he does not always choose the correct course of action. However, he makes things right. He makes a commitment and follows through with it. He thrives to be a better man.
2. Men with Character are Courageous. He has fears. In fact, he is afraid of many things. However, he has the courage to respond to fear. When he is afraid of his emotions (which he has bottled up), he is not afraid to face it – to feel the pain, to experience it, to walk toward his emotions. When he wants to run away, he marches toward resolution – working with another individual, diminishing problems instead of allowing problems to destroy relationships (whatever type it is).
3. Men with Character are Humble. He has the confidence and courage to be vulnerable – He does not need to be always right, first and the best, and he could and would admit it when he is wrong. They could step aside, observe their past actions and say that they’ve made mistakes. And such mistakes are what make us human, what make us stronger, grow a little bit deeper.
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2014, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Buy an Item; Save the World
“To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind.” — Pearl S. Buck
Outer Beauty + Inner Beauty
As a consumer, I attempt to shop consciously. I purposefully avoid spending money at companies that exploit and/or violate the human rights of mankind to make a dime. Thus, I was happy to meet a number of social entrepreneurs at Magic Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada whom have started something that matters – and allow you to save the world, one item at a time.
I truly believe that their products will allow you to show your outer beauty, as you will feel wonderful wearing their comfortable, beautiful creations, while, at the same time, empower your inner beauty to shine, as you are saving the world just by purchasing their products – by choosing to be part of something that matters.
1. José Alejandro Flores, Founder & Jimmy Flores, Marketing, VOS Flips.
José and Jimmy both intended to attend a panel on social media at Magic Marketplace, where we accidentally met. Thinking that they were from the Silicon Valley, I asked, “Are you from San Jose?” No, they are not from San Jose! From Texas and with the motto of “afford to care,” VOS Flips creates soft and comfortable flip-flops made out of genuine rubber from Hevea Brasiliensis (natural rubber trees in Guatemala).
VOS Flips allows you, the consumer, to change the world, to care about the world around you, to make your world a better place. In fact, VOS means “you” throughout Central and South Africa. Thus, you are empowered to make a difference – by simply purchasing a pair of flip-flop.
VOS Flips saves the world not only by aligning with the United Nation Global Compact in its business practices, but it also cares by building on site schools in its sourcing community, providing educational supplies, establishing its first health clinic and of course, making sure everyone’s feet is happy.
(Source, VOS Flips, providing school supplies).
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(Source, VOS Flips, educating children in the community)
2. Christian and Steven Cremer, Founders, B Frog.
I asked Christian and Steven the meaning behind “B Frog” when I first met the brothers at Magic Marketplace. In the Mayan culture, frogs are a symbol of good luck. Therefore, “B Frog” means “Be Lucky.” I was lucky to have gained deeper insights into the company, as Christian perfectly arranged the positioning of each piece of clothing for a photograph, proudly displaying his creation.
Because the brothers desire to mix contemporary designs with traditional textiles and fabrics from around the world, they launched first with traditional Mayan handmade textiles as they were born and raised in Guatemala. And the apparels are nice. I would wear a B Frog polo with dashes of the colorful and silky fabric of the Mayan culture in the pocket details – for work or for play. And I would be proud that by purchasing this polo shirt, I am vicariously giving back to the community, as Christian and Steven were inspired to care after reading “Start Something that Matters” by TOMS’ founder, Blake Mycoskie.
With a motto of “You Buy We Give,” B Frog provides fifteen (15) meals to children in need for every product sold. And the company provides the meals directly to the children in Guatemala, a country where one of every two children under the age of six suffers from chronic malnutrition, one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world. It implements a School Feeding Program that delivers meals with high nutritional value along with training and supervision for its staff. It asks us to “B Caring!”
(Polo and Bag – B Frog)
(Christian at its B Frog Booth, Magic Marketplace)
(Source: B Frog, Christian and Steven in B Frog shirts, providing meals to children)
(Source: B Frog, Christian and Steven in B Frog shirts, with the children in the community)
3. Steven Weinreb, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Civic Duty.
The sneakers at Civic Duty stood out among millions of shoes at Magic Marketplace crying for attention. Not only are they cool, they are made out of Tyvek – a lightweight, waterproof and recyclable material. I carefully studied a pair of the Civic Duty sneakers: comfortable, light and durable.
But beyond the shoes is a man who cares about the world we live in. I could sense Steven’s passion as our conversation led to a discussion on the pursuit of the things we love. Every year, Civic Duty, with a motto of “conspire to inspire,” designs an exclusive shoe for an American social cause and donates 100% of its profits to the charity.
(Sneakers – Civic Duty)
(Steven at the Civic Duty Booth at Magic Marketplace)
(This year, Civic Duty donates 100% of the profits from the sale of this pair of shoes to Common Ground Relief)
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Relax and Be Carefree
(Coromandel Satin Pajama Set – Natori, Jamie Heart Pajama Set – Three J NYC, Cotton Sleepshirt – Charter Club, Fresh Lagoon Muscle Top and Plaid Pajama Pants – Jenni Pajamas, The Pink Lady 3D Bow Tank and Printed Pant Set – Hello Kitty Intimates)
“The only way to true happiness is to live in the moment and let the future unfold on its own.” – Author unknown.
Outer Beauty
To relax at home, wear comfortable pajamas that are soft and loose. Avoid purchasing crisp materials that you would need to iron before each wear. Choose satin or cotton. I love satin pajama sets because they are always comfortable and kind to the skin. I also love cotton pajama sets in brighter color because color makes me happy. Find pajamas that you love and go forth and shine!
Inner Beauty
The sky is light blue today. I could hear the sounds of wind, branches pulling and pushing against the window. A sparrow thrives to stand on the edge of the skylight, occasionally putting its weight against the glass, occasionally flapping its wings. The light from the sun turns golden. Beautiful, it is.
For a long, long time, I did not remember what it is like to be carefree. I would wake up, check my cell phone and take a business call before sun rises. I would drive to work without a minute to breathe and pray only in the car facing traffic. I would work, meetings after meetings, e-mails after e-mails, and analysis after analysis. Sometimes lunch did not begin until 3 or 4pm, and work did not end until pass midnight. And there were obligations, household chores and a list of to-dos for tomorrow with a deadline of yesterday. My pursuit of perfection, I discovered, was not the answer to happiness.
Only when I re-learned how to relax and be carefree did I begin to enjoy each minute of my life without worry.
1. Live one day at a time. Make it your policy to live your life day by day. If you are in a relationship, refrain from thinking (or fantasizing) about tomorrow, which creates an awkward clip of instant relationship in your mind that scares your partner away – just be grateful that you are with your partner for the day. If you are searching for the perfect man or woman, refrain from obsessing about possibilities of (or with) such men or women that you have forgotten to enjoy your time with yourself, your friends or your family. If you are looking for opportunities, take steps to send out your resume, improve your interviewing skills and find something you love – and then let go and enjoy the moment.
2. Allow yourself to be. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer in Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life recommends that you let go of any labeling, defending or judging and allow yourself to be. Focus on your inner self and trust your instincts. Dale Carnegie in How to Stop Worrying and Start Living teaches us a) to treat unjust criticism as compliments because nobody kicks a dead dog, b) use an umbrella to keep unjust criticisms from running into our necks and c) embrace constructive criticisms from ourselves and others. Thus, allow yourself to be without judging yourself, without allowing judgment from others to affect you. Let your hair down, Carnegie advises. Allow yourself to be.
3. Allocate your time. One lesson I learned from Benjamin Franklin in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is his allocation of time for the day, which has helped me manage my time efficiently and effectively. I would sit down the night before and program the agenda for tomorrow. I would allocate the number of hours I would spend tomorrow for each task. For example, if I decide to work for 10 hours, exercise for 2 hours, pay a bill for 30 minutes and wipe the kitchen sink for 30 minutes tomorrow, I would mark these tasks on my calendar. If I had to study for a history exam tomorrow, I would allocate an hour to learn each sub-topic, making sure I know the interplay between each topic (and sub-topic) and understand the significance of each event. If I did not get to each task (or each subject), I let it be. This method of allocating time not only helped me earned A’s in my classes and allowed me to work, volunteer and attend school at the same time; it has also helped me be worry free.
4. Cultivate positive thoughts. I am generally a positive person, so it is naturally easier for me to be positive. However, there are times when I want to (and need to) cultivate positive thoughts, especially when a challenge is bigger and beyond my control or when a person I interact with is more negative than I am accustomed to. It is in these situations when I had to purposefully modify my thoughts, for we become our thoughts. When I think about finding a parking space within the next five minutes, I find a parking space within the next five minutes. If I doubt about finding any parking space at all, I wouldn’t be able to find a parking space. Thus, I believe cultivating a positive outlook on life not only attracts positivity – it allows you to relax and be carefree.
5. Expect nothing in return, even gratitude. To be carefree, let go of any expectation from anyone. Love and give generously without expecting anything back. This is one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned. I had a best friend whom I loved. I would do anything for her and I expected the same. However, one day she decided not to be my friend (via instant messenger). I was devastated and sat in a random, empty church for serenity, seeking understanding from God. Years later, we became friends again. Again, despite our differences and values, I gave – I paid for dinner when she had no money, accompanied her to places when she needed a companion and loaned her money whenever she needed it. And again, she decided not to be my friend (via text). Instead of feeling devastated, however, I felt a sense of relief, because I no longer expected anything from her. Instead, I sent her love and light. In the process, I learned the definition of unconditional love. Apply this concept to your partner – Love and give generously to him or her and expect absolutely nothing in return, not even a thank you. You will be happier.
6. Be thankful. Let go of any sense of entitlement, resentment of the past and worries of tomorrow. Be grateful for the things that you are blessed with. Today, I am thankful that I could see the beautiful blue sky, the golden rays of light through the skylight, the sparrow standing on the edge of the window, the leaves and branches dancing back and forth in accordance with the sound and rhythm of the wind. I am thankful for having the ability to drive, to type, to feel, to experience, to live, to breathe. And I am thankful for family and friends whom love and choose to spend time with me (and accept me for who I am). I am grateful for the ability to change, for changes, the ability to create memories, for memories, for the ability to hope, for hopes. Be thankful every day.
7. Have faith in God or Your Higher Power. If you believe in God or a Higher Power, release the need to handle and resolve all of your problems, troubles and challenges by yourself – ask, rely and believe that God or Your Higher Power would help you! Pray for wisdom and guidance every day. Find the courage from something greater than yourself and trust that you are not alone. Do the best you could, let go and let God, Your Higher Power or the universe takes care of the how. And in the meantime, relax, be carefree and act cheerful – for the rest of today, one day at a time.
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Expand Your Mind:
Greet with Openness and a Warm “Hi!”
(L’Absolu Rouge BX: 230 Rendez-Vous – Lancome, L’Absolu Rouge BX: 151 Rouge Mythique – Lancome, L’Absolu Rouge BX: 251 Brun Prodige – Lancome, L’Absolu Rouge BX: 173 Rouge Preciosa – Lancome, Le Lipstique LipColouring Stick with Brush – Lancome, Rouge Pur Couture – 32: Pourpre Carmin – Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pur Couture – 35: Rouge Vernis – Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pur Couture – 4: Rouge Vermillion – Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pur Couture – 14: Rouge Feu – Yves Saint Laurent)
“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!” — John Muir.
Outer Beauty
Last year in December, I was tasked with the challenge to find a red lipstick to match my natural golden skin tone for a holiday party. I walked into Macy’s with a friend and an old Lancome lipstick (Rouge) hoping that it would still be carried by the retailer. “Hi! I am looking for this lipstick in Rouge,” I asked the counter salesperson with a smile. She responded kindly with a few alternatives to an out-of-stock item.
From my experience, I told her that red (meaning, pure red or candy apple red) does not look flattering on women with golden complexion; however, darker shades of red such as plum, maroon or raisin colored lipstick look sleek, sophisticated and fabulous (deep red also matches the dark color of my eyes). Thus, we I played with various shades of red lipsticks until I am fully satisfied and happy. I purchased a beautiful tube of dark red by Lancome.
Since I chose to go bold with a red lipstick, I balanced the overall look with shimmery gold-ish natural eye shadow and black eyeliner and mascara (because gold brings out the natural beauty in women with natural golden skin tone). I received many compliments throughout the night for the lipstick and the dress (which I purchased in Auckland, New Zealand).
And I learned something new — Besides putting your finger in your mouth to keep lipstick off your teeth, applying vaseline on your teeth before applying lipstick also prevents lipstick from sticking on them!
Find your favorite shade of red and shine!
Inner Beauty
With your favorite shade of red lipstick (or whatever shade you love or even no lipstick at all), you are more than ready to meet people, make new friends, network with other professionals or hang out with your friends! Nicholas Boothman in “How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less” recommends an “Open – Eye – Beam – ‘Hi!’ – Lean” approach in greeting people.
1. Open. Cultivate an attitude of openness – You are interested. You are cheerful. And You are helpful. Face your body toward the other person. Put away your technology and give this person your undivided attention.
2. Eye. Look the other person in his or her eyes. It conveys that you are confident and it allows you to sense the feelings of the other person by seeing the windows of his or her soul.
3. Beam. Smile, girls! and show off your beautiful lips (and/or lipsticks)! Share your contentment, happiness, joy and excitement. You love yourself so much that you couldn’t help but smile!
4. Say “Hi!”. Hello! What’s Up?! Hey! OH MY GOD! Yo! Greet the other person with your favorite hello. Identify yourself. Be pleasant.
5. Lean. Lean subtly toward the other person. Synchronize with the other person by matching his body language, tone of voice and words. Show that you are interested in the other person. Listen to the other person’s interests and stories. Ask open-ended questions. You will create fantabulous rapport!
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Expand Your Mind:
Simplify and Organize Your Life
(Cabinet – Room & Board, End Table – Room & Board, Jars – Crate & Barrel, Flower table arrangement vase – LSA)
“Live simply so others may simply live.” – Mother Teresa.
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993.
“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris.
Orderly Organize Things
Earlier this year, I spent an enormous amount of time organizing my home. It was organized prior. However, I wanted to conduct a thorough “walk through” of everything I own to ensure that each item in my home is something I love, is functional or is beautiful. I decided to focus on one room at a time. Thus, I started with the closet. Before I put clothes away, I thought through where each type of clothing would live. Each item, hence, lives in its home accordingly.
I organized my clothing by occasion. My walk-in closet contains my shirts, trousers and skirts for work. My armoires house my coats and jackets. Dresses for special occasions live in the closet in one of the other rooms. Focusing on one area at a time, I tried on every piece of clothing and made a decision to either a) keep the item, b) fix the item, c) sell the item or d) donate the item.
For clothes that are in dressers, empty the space first. Thus, I took all the dresses out of all the drawers of a dresser, tried on every single piece and sorted accordingly. For those pieces I decided to keep, I folded and placed them on an empty space where I could spread the dresses I chose to keep by color and then by material. After I finished grouping all the dresses, I put them in their home, by color and material, respectively. I did the same when organizing my sweaters, jeans, shorts, t-shirts and the rest of my closet.
I use beautiful bowls to display jewelry where I could see them as I find the panoply of earrings, necklaces and bracelets both aesthetically pretty and functionally useful. For drawers in the bathroom, I use bamboo dividers to organize beauty products. From time to time, I check their inventory, which is helpful, as I would not purchase lotions from Bath & Body or Victoria’s Secret if I still have a supply of them.
Small bookcases and clear boxes serve as excellent homes to shoes! because they will be easier to find, they will be organized and preserved neatly and they will not require lots of real estate.
It feels good! every time I finish organizing a room!
Inner Beauty
In this information age when instant gratification (and impatience) have become part of our culture, we are constantly overloaded with things to do, statuses to update, people to see, photos to upload and challenges to work through. It has become more important than ever to simplify our lives.
1. Clear your mind. Let go of any negative emotions, every single pieces of anger, frustration, bitterness, jealousy, envy and hate. Let go of any bad memories including any grudges, nightmares or horror in your mind’s eyes. Let go of any worries of the future. Take negativity out of your mind by doing the following: praying to God or your Higher Power, meditating and releasing your need to control, journaling your feelings, listening to the whisper of waves or the rhythm of rain, or hiking a lake or forrest. Afterwards, take action. Take action to resolve any conflicts that resulted in any negative emotions. Take action to learn about yourself and others so situations do not repeat. Take action to forgive and forget so the past does not paralyze you or adversely affect your future. Take action to build a healthier, more loving relationship, even if it requires you to look hard at yourself, take responsibility for your mistakes, provide yourself with tremendous self-compassion and give a sincere apology to another human being.
2. Eliminate negativity in your speech. Besides clearing your mind, watch your speech. Understand when you must speak naturally, when you must think before you speak and when you must not speak at all. When you are in stressful situations, when you are angry or when you face confrontations, you may say things that you do not mean or that you will regret later. Furthermore, gossips, criticisms and abuses will add negativity to your mind, not to mention the hurts that they cause to the target of such speech. Therefore, if you have such tendencies, admit, study and change the habit. Thrive to resolve conflicts. Be congruent in your tone of voice, message and body language. Ensure your content is positive, appropriate, accurate, necessary and prompt. And look forward to deeper, more authentic relationships!
3. Say “No” to unnecessary tasks and commitments. Give priority to those tasks and commitments that are urgent, add value to your life or allow you to spend quality time with those you love. Say “No” to and decline any offers that do not bring any joy or value to you. To manage all of my tasks, I consider each task’s importance, urgency and amount of effort required to complete the task. Then, I prioritize. The highest priority goes to a task with high importance, high urgency and the least amount of effort. I use beautiful “To-do” lists to create and remind myself what I want to do for the day. When I was in college, I planned my week by the hour. To prepare for finals, I broke down a topic by subtopics and allocated an hour or two for each subtopic one or two days before a final. I’ve gotten straight A’s for semesters using this method! After making a list, finally and most importantly, I take action. Now, I could cross this off my list! Mission accomplished.
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Use Your Courage to Follow Your Heart
(Dress – Free People, Shoes – Cole Haan, Necklace – Nordstrom)
Photo by Raj.
“And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005.
Outer Beauty
A knit dress is usually flattering because it fits your body perfectly. Good tailoring and a proper fit could emphasize a person’s most attractive features. Here, I am wearing a red knit dress by Free People, one of my favorite brands. The knit in this dress is not too thick or too thin – just perfect. To match the dress, I am wearing a red necklace made of crystals by Nordstrom.
I love this pair of nude heels by Cole Haan with Nike Air technology as it is made for comfortable walking.
Inner Beauty
Courage is the ability to face fear, danger, difficulty, uncertainty or intimidation. In other words, one chooses to act regardless of one’s fear.
1. Leave your job if you are unhappy. If you are unhappy with your job but you are afraid of uncertainty and a lack of financial security, first be assertive by asking for more responsibilities or a raise and begin searching for a better opportunity. Find an opportunity that aligns with your personal values. You may be a lot happier as a result! If you are looking into a career change, begin research into the new career now. Take small steps to reach your goal until you are fully there. You will demystify the process and will become more confident as you step closer to your goal and and your dream.
2. Have courageous conversations. No relationships are going to be perfect and thus, resolving conflicts will be imperative throughout life. Personally, I prefer deep meaningful relationships over shallow ones, and in order to have deep meaningful relationships that last, one must maintain them. Instead of cutting people you love out of your life, openly and honestly discuss these conflicts, put yourself in their shoes and find resolutions to the conflicts so they will not repeat in the future. Most importantly, while having courageous conversations, remember the big picture – you want to maintain and deepen the relationship out of and with love.
3. Face your fears head on. I am afraid of heights. Thus, I was not thrilled to go zip lining in Costa Rica. However, I faced my natural fear of heights by first admitting that I was afraid. In conversations, I told people that I was afraid of heights and asked for advice that may help me face my fear. Some people told me that they were afraid too but after zip lining a few times, they loved it. “Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad!” I thought. In addition, I considered other aspects of zip lining that may alleviate my fear such as safety wires and additional precautions that the company uses, encouragement from tour guides and written experiences of other people whom were also afraid of heights. Knowledge is power, and I had fun zip lining in Costa Rica despite my fear of heights!
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Spring Arrives With a Smile
(Dress – Lucca Couture from UO, Shoes – HK by Heidi Klum, Bag – Furla)
Photo by Larry.
I am excited that Spring is here!
Outer Beauty
I adore florals, and with Spring comes beautiful cherry blossoms and uplifting colors. Here, I am wearing a floral dress by Lucca Couture that I purchased from Urban Outfitters. I love the V-neck neckline and how the dress flares out gracefully from the waist. It is a simple dress; yet, it is gorgeous!
Not only is Project Runway one of my favorite shows but I also love Heidi Klum‘s shoes! This pair of nude heels fits me perfectly and I could wear it with anything!
To add a pop of colors, I am wearing a convertible bag from Furla, which is one of my accidental wanderlust while strolling the alleys of Chianti during a wine tour of Tuscany. The man who sold this bag to me carried an abundance of warmth. We spoke of the electronics in San Francisco and of course the leather finds in Italy. He listened attentively, wore patience and shared stories with laughter. Sold!
Inner Beauty
By being a warm person, you are showing others that you like them, enjoy being with them and/or are pleased with their accomplishments.
1. Provide a natural smile to convey and invite positive emotions! Sometimes, I smile to random people and I am amazed how many people just smile back! And it makes the day more positive.
2. Show interest in others by paying attention to what they are saying and feeling. Listen to their words with consideration of their body language. Instead of being interesting, be interested in others! They matter.
3. When others are feeling down, encourage them! by writing encouraging notes or using words of endearment. You have the power to positively influence others! and their lives!
Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.
Stars in the Daylight
(Top – Ann Ferriday, Coat – BCBG, Denim –Kate Spade, Bag – Prada, Clutch – BCBG, Pumps – Cole Haan, Scarf – Tolani)
Photographs by Raj.
Outer Beauty
Even with a little wind today, the sun arises just to take a peek at every smile. I am excited to be wearing some of my favorite pieces today. I treasure the dreamy top full of stars by Ann Ferriday, which makes me feel happy and confident without fail every single time! The denim by Kate Spade is comfortable and hugs my body perfectly.
I love the Mary Jane by Cole Haan, which I could walk miles and miles in because it incorporates Nike Air Technology. Recently, my favorite jacket is this BCBG coat – it looks like a dress! and outlines my body magnificently. And because I lust for the exploration of the world, this Tolani scarf reminds me of new cultures and new experiences.
The Prada bag is a gift for myself when I explored Rome, Florence and Venice (Italy) – I have fond memories of Renaissance and medieval architecture, manicured hills and grand gondola. And lastly, this pair of gold earrings comes from a recent trip to Santa Barbara – I could spend hours and hours appreciating art along the beach! and it is quite special.
Inner Beauty
Two of my nephew’s passions are fish and cars. When he was 1.5 years old, I took him to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and he would match the fish with the fish on the laminated sheet. He even fed his goldfish with milk, which sadly killed them. He was devastated as he would cry if he saw fish freshly caught in the sink to be prepared for dinner. Today, he could tell a salmon from a bass. He considers a marine biologist as one of his possible careers.
And his other passion is cars. When he was four, he beat every single adult at a party playing Need for Speed, even one of the engineers who built the game. Needless to say, when I recently purchased Need for Speed: Most Wanted for him, he beat the game only in a few hours, including winning a tournament. Thus, instead of watching a movie at the theater, I spent quality time with him by watching Top Gear on television, with him commenting on each car, its speed and features. This nine year old is passionate!
A while ago, I have a hope to create this blog simply because I love fashion, which is one of my hidden passions. And I envision fashion to be true to ourselves, if you will. We could allow our inner beauty to shine. Loving something and taking the action to do it are two different things, and here’s what I inspired me to birth this star:
1. Focus on your most important things first. I was working on a few projects and volunteering activities for others, and a friend mentioned that one should work on your most important things first. I considered his feedback, allocated time and took action to create this blog after months of thinking about it! Thus, this hope becomes a reality.
2. Ask for help. I am very grateful that a few of my friends are happy to take photographs of me. I am appreciative of their time and help.
3. Do the things you love. When I was five, I wanted to be a writer. Growing up, I have designed my share of dresses and have helped family and friends shop. I love fashion, style, the perfect cut. I would never imagine I could combine the two – writing about what I love – and being happy doing so!
This blog is thus dedicated to my nephew, whose passions for fish and cars have inspired me to go after my own.
Have a beautiful day! And let your inner beauty shine!
© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.