Thursday, October 13, 2011

Stack of Books and No Time to Read

I currently have 20 books and 1 DVD movie checked out from the library. I am only really reading one of those books, it's called "Goodnight Tweetheart." It's a very entertaining conversation between a man and a woman chatting on Twitter. I am on chapter 12 out of 16 so far. A serious turn of events is happening now in this chapter and definitely is encouraging me to read on! I am wondering now if this couple will ever meet or what is going to happen to them?

The movie I have to watch is "Megamind." It's just something to watch, in my opinion. For the most part, I think it will be funny since Will Ferrell is starring as the super villain.

As for the other books that I have, most of them are either about creating graphic novels/comics or selling on eBay. I have a few other miscellaneous titles as well. My purpose for getting the comic and eBay related books is because I want to write a comic book and also sell on eBay. But in no way, are these two relating to each other. They are two totally different ideas that I want to create.

Also, adding to the list of ambitious ideas, I am preparing to launch a women's clothing collection by next Autumn/Winter 2012! There are 18 pieces in the collection so far without any editing. The following pieces are: 4 long dresses, 4 short dresses, 1 romper, 3 tops, 1 pair of shorts, 1 capri pant, 1 pair of leggings, 1 skirt, 1 sweater, and 1 jacket.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Recipe: Picnic Caviar

Great Summer Recipe! This vegetarian recipe is low in calories and fat and it is high in protein and fiber.


Photobucket
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 gloves garlic (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounce can white cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears of corn, boiled and cut
2-3 bell peppers, red/yellow/orange, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
Mix together vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, oregano, and basil in a large bowl.
Add beans, corn, bell pepper, onion, and cilantro. Finish the salad with salt and pepper.

Option: You can add other spices such as tarragon and/or mint.

Pair this dish with a grain such as quinoa or millet for a healthy balanced meal.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pasadena Chalk & Music Festival

Yesterday, I went to this event and it was so much fun! I walked around Old Town Pasadena and saw the Chalk Festival and various DJs & bands playing. Mustafa & I also ate some dinner &dessert at the Corner Bakery Cafe. The highlight of the event for me was the B Side Players. I also liked DJ Stomach Punch, Looking For Trouble Band, and Rocky Duwani Band. I stopped by to visit my friend Christina who started & owns the Majestical Roof Boutique. She has really cool items for sale.

Check it out: Pasadena Chalk & Music Festival Photos & Videos

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Forgotten Ones

I was just thinking over time how I've met people and exchanged phone numbers or email addresses and nothing has transpired between us. There are so many people that I've met and never contacted nor they have contacted me. And I was just thinking, why don't I just delete their numbers in my cell phone or delete those email addresses in my email accounts? I almost have some sort of nostalgic feeling for those times that I've met the people and favor the possibility of connecting with new people if I feel the need to. Why is it that others feel so obligated to ask for my  contact information and never bother to respond? Why are people so compelled to feel the need to connect with others and then not follow through? I just don't understand this. 


I really want to change this behavior in myself. I want to feel good about meeting people and exchanging information and actually follow through with further contact. Or just not exchange information and feel okay with this as well. I want to have strong convictions in my own belief system. I want to only connect with the people whom I really did make a strong connection with and be strong with the ones I didn't and say so to them. Does this situation really need to be politically correct? Do I really need to lie to others or not be my real self just to seek approval of others? No, absolutely not!


And really, how many times do I need to keep asking others if they want to get together before they say yes to an opportunity? Once, twice, three times? Come on, enough already. The correct term in this case is "dicking around." Stop saying oh I can't but do continue to ask me. Yeah right, and then one day I will be ever so delighted that you'll answer yes and hang out with me? Oh please, life is too short for this kind of torture. There are so many people to connect with. 


So yes, these are the forgotten ones I am speaking of. The ones I've met and never called, or met and hung out only a few times, or met and hung out for years and lost touch with...so many kinds of forgotten ones. One yearbook line I always thought was so cheesy is "Keep in Touch." Yeah right, who really does keep in touch? It's almost impossible with today's world. Or is it? Sometimes I wonder if I really can make the time or I just don't want to. Perhaps, it's not high on my priority list. 


I know for a fact that my family doesn't consider me high on their lists. I hardly ever receive calls from them. I used to call them all from time to time and see how they're doing. And sometimes when I called, their response was very sharp and short as if they really don't want to talk to me. Ouch, this is so harsh! My own flesh and blood, what did I ever do to you to make you spite me? 


The only time I seem to speak to them is when I go back home to visit and this is becoming a rare event for me as I get older. I just don't see the value in these relationships anymore. Do they really care? What if I died today? How long would it take them to find out? I know for a fact that they wouldn't call so my guess is there would be some paperwork that states my parents' names and then they would be notified of my death. That is the only way. Sad, but true. Such is life. 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Feel the Feelings

Why is it that people feel the need to hold in their feelings? I am struggling with this today. It's almost like we should just be robots and go through the motions without any feeling. Well, I guess today I don't want to hold in any feelings. Today, I feel sad and depressed. Not sure why I feel so reluctant to say this but I do. When you tell others something other than, "I'm feeling fine," it's almost like losing the approval of others. People don't want to associate with someone who is sad, hurting, or depressed, so put on a happy face for all to see! 


This is not so for me today, I have a right to have other feelings besides happiness. It seems strange that people dwell on finding happiness, but do we really know the meaning of happiness? And how could we know what happiness is like if we are never allowed to feel sadness? 


To be able to experience life fully, I think one must be able to experience all feelings without regret or remorse. I think that's truly what it is to become yourself and to be comfortable with being yourself. 



Thursday, April 21, 2011

an L.A. State of Mind

Okay, I have too much going on. Internet overload is happening to me. I have too many emails, FB wall posts, calendar appointments. 

Why?! 

I am a highly dysfunctional, over-organized person. I make lists just to make lists. I have unrealistic goals setup daily. I have too many subjects on my mind to actually choose one and focus. I have been trying to learn about too many things at one time that I’ve almost distracted myself to the point of not achieving any one particular goal. 

I'm hoping for a better state of mind tomorrow...

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Confronting My Cluttered Home Office

Last week, I was on the Ask Jack call and really learned a lot from it! So, the homework was to print out a worksheet called "My Irritations & Tolerations List." So, I did and filled out according to my home office.

Many things are irritating me in my home office area.

Here's the list: 3 boxes of sewing alterations, recipes, non-business papers/books, 2 containers of fabric, 3 bags of items for sale/donation, 1 box of books that I don't need, empty storage containers, hobby materials, clothes that I don't need, piles of materials/fabric, sales papers/coupons, project runway game that I bought on a whim, and gym items not being used.

So, there's many things that I need to address in this room that do not belong in there. This is the room I spend most of my day and want this space to be peaceful and organized. I have many tasks to accomplish and having a room filled with chaos is not helping.

I already have been accomplishing my irritations & tolerations list. I moved the recipes to the kitchen. I've been posting some items for sale on eBay & Amazon. Also, I've sorted items into separate piles in order to address them better.





Friday, March 18, 2011

How many Money Vampires are in your life?

So, I've known about Energy Vampires that drain the energy from others around them. But today, I just thought of a new term that I call "Money Vampire." It basically means that these people drain your money from you. The more that I think about it, the more I realize that my list is growing. There are so many streams of income being lost due to these money vampires. 


Let's begin my list, shall we? First, I want to say that Facebook is a potential money vampire. They want you to play their games, get hooked on them, and then start paying to play further. I, fortunately, have not bought into this idea of paying to play their games. Next, on Facebook, there are many "like" pages that you can read their many ads of items for you to purchase. I don't know about you, but the more I see things, the more I want them. It seems best to not get involved with creating more desire in your life for things that empty your wallet. It's really best not to spend more than you have. Here's a great motto to live by: "Save your money for the future!" 


Enough about Facebook, then there's the email newsletters that I subscribe to which also entice me to purchase items or services that I more than likely don't need. In addition to this, I subscribe to a few magazines and newspapers. The magazines I most likely could do without considering they are in the library free to read. The newspapers are more important for me to subscribe to since they are not available in the library. Although, most information seems to be available online nowadays. 


What has spurred me to write this message was because of an email newsletter that I subscribe to. Today's message really irritated me. The reason is because the man that writes the newsletter wrote about how he made  a video of him praying for the people of Japan. There was a link to follow in order to view this video. So, I clicked on the link and low and behold, it was just another way for him to create another income stream for himself. In order to watch the video, one must fill out the form with personal info as well as donate money. 


Here is the note on the link that was in regards to the donation money: 
The Donation Amount is optional and will only be used to informally track how much money we have generated to support the people of Japan in a practical, financialy manner.


I just noticed his misspelling: financialy. It should read: financially. Well, actually in grammatical terms it should read: financial. 


Anyways, this just food for thought today. Do you have any money vampires that you need to get rid of in your life? Or can you name any money vampires that you have?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Current Thinking in Silicon Valley...

"The important thing is to focus on creating a service people want to use." ~Ben Silverman, co-founder of Pinterest.com


from article: Bookmarking Sites Reboot. WWD. March 11, 2011.

Court to Hear Galliano Case

I just read that article in WWD from March 11, 2011 today. I received in the mail today since it takes longer for delivery to Los Angeles, CA.

I really can't believe that John Galliano is on trial for saying insulting someone in a bar while he was drinking. I am sure he didn't mean to say those things. Many people get drunk and say and do stupid things. Give the guy a break! I love John Galliano as a Fashion Designer. He is a true icon in the Fashion Industry. It is so sad to think that Dior fired him and will be replaced soon. John brought fantasy to the runway like no other designer.

The article goes on to say that John is in a rehab center in Arizona. I am assuming it's to stop drinking.

One thing that really shocked me in this article is:
"The penalty in France for insult against people due to their origin, belonging or not belonging to a religion, race or ethnicity is six months imprisonment and a fine of $31,271."

Now, that sounds atrocious.

Mysterious Tiny Holes in My Shirts

More & more, I am finding these tiny holes in all my shirts. I am not sure if it's from bugs in the closet or my washer or dryer causing this. The even more strange part is that the hole placement is always in the same area of each shirt, front lower region.

I once read that after you purchase garments from the store that you must wash them before wearing or storing in your closet because the garments can contain bugs or eggs from the bugs. So, it is best to wash them.

I may post pictures with this post later.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Obama Fashion Look 2010 vs 2011

I got this posting from the WWD newspaper. I've been going through all of my newspapers. It's hard to keep up with reading them since they come out daily and I also get the California Apparel newspaper, as well as many magazines.

I thought this posting was interesting to  share. I do like the 2011 look better because of the lighter color scheme and the roomier silhouette.

What are your thoughts?

Monday, March 7, 2011

Inspired: To Be or Not To Be

So, I listened to Jack Canfield's conference call last week. The calls are free to listen to, you just have to dial in. I follow him on Facebook and read his wall posts and he mentions when the call is about to begin. The calls are called "Just Ask Jack" call. It's held on the first Wednesday of every month. He also has a group called Jack's Inner Circle where membership fees are required. I have not joined just yet. But I do get a lot out of the conference calls.

In fact, his call motivated me to attend the StyleCareers Job Fair which I felt reluctant to attend. It costs $10 to attend the job fair which you must pre-qualify based on your fashion education & work experience. Then parking costs $10. So, I ended up getting 3 prospects as a fashion designer. I will continue to design and add more to my portfolio.

Jack has very inspiring messages to share with every call each month.

Here are some notes that I took from the call: 
Februrary's call-the mission was to reach out to 5 people a day.
What solutions does my product bring?
Yes is the destination, no is how you get there.
How  many no's can I get today?
Experience fear & take action anyway.
no, well thank you for the $25. Everytime a company says no, I'm that much closer to get the job I want!
Visualize the outcome. Imagine someone saying yes!
Constantly go & pick up the phone.
If they say no, big deal. There's always the next time.
What would happen for you to say yes?
Thoughts that make you unworthy, correct them.
Listen to self talk. Turn your inner critic into inner coach.
Fill your own cup-approval, love, respect-to yourself.
Mirror-acknowledge & appreciate myself nightly. Try this for 40 days.
Or seek a counselor to release the negative self talk.
Try the Maximum Confidence CDs from Jack Canfield.
I totally love and accept myself the way that I am.
Stop being a victim-blame, complain, etc.
Find my purpose.
Clarify vision.
Clean up the past.
Focus weekly on one principle.
There was a man that Jack met while in Italy. He reads 3 hours daily from 6-9 am while owning a company.
If not reading, then find some kind of mediation or exercise to do for at least 20 minutes daily.
Motivation is a result of visualizing what you want.
You must heal your body before you can achieve more.
Do gratitude exercises.
Commitment, not mood dictates your outcome in life.
Make choices in life.
Commitment produces passion.
Getting started is the key!
Build momentum.
Tapping Solution DVDs $30 or $40 w/book

March's Call-the mission is Rule of 5. Daily, write top priority action steps for the day. Don't sleep until the 5 actions steps are completed for the day. Must develop this habit to get to your goal.
Inspirations-Act on positive intuitive impulses daily. Act on every intuition that comes up.

My biggest take aways from this call? To act on intuition!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

What I Wanted to Be When I Grow Up...

Cartoonist. I used to sketch cartoons while in kindergarten and show them to other students. They were amused by them but the teachers were not so much. I thought very deeply when I was young and thought that I needed to find something that I could really make money doing so that dream didn't last long. But I always wanted to be an artist my whole life. I loved drawing as a child and still do. While in first grade I thought that I needed to be in art and business somehow. Then in third grade, I thought of being a singer or dancer or even police officer! I went through many different jobs in my mind to figure out what I really wanted to be when I grow up.

While in high school, I took a liking to fashion design and art classes. I sewed many garments and entered them into the school fashion shows. My designs were well liked and I even won first place awards for some of them. I've always had a mind for complex designs. If the garment was too simple, I would find ways to make it more complex.

During my senior year of school, I researched what schools offered fashion design. I found Illinois Institute of Art, International Academy of Art, Purdue, & Indiana Unversity. I decided that Purdue was the best choice for me. They had the latest state of the art GGT & Lectra computer equipment and a comprehensive fashion design program. I learned the general academic courses of the university as well as designing, patternmaking, grading, and sewing. It was a very labor intensive program. I stayed up many late nights working on projects/collections.

Oh, so back to what I mentioned in the beginning...cartoonist. Yes, I wanted to draw cartoons and make money. I remember as a child at the school library looking through the books to find a book to write my first book report. I found one on Walt Disney. So, that's what led me to wanting to be a cartoonist! There you go!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Yesterday's Spa Visit for a Facial

So, I went to Union Salon in Pasadena for a basic facial for the second time with Emilee. The first time I went I got a discount. Emilee said come back and she'll give me a free facial! So, I went back of course! Awesome! She did a great job. She gave me an acne facial which also used some machine that makes some noise but kills bacteria deep inside the skin using oxygen. Crazy, but it really worked! I broke out a lot more than usual during my period time. I think the main reason was I was stripping the essential oils away from my skin using the new Clarins facial products that I recently purchased. She & I decided that I won't be using Clarins anymore. So, after the facial I brought all of my products for Emilee to see & evaluate for me. I had so many products that she said I am a "product junkie" like her! LOL. Glad I'm not the only one!

So, she gave me an AM & PM beauty routine using my products. I love it! So, once I go through all my products I will begin to use only one kind of product and have a routine! I don't think I've ever really done this. I've always mixed my products for as long as I have lived! Currently, I use Clinique, Pevonia, and some products from Target. The salon exclusively uses Dermalogica and I plan to switch to them once I run out of my current products.  So, my goal is to get a facial monthly to take really good care of my skin. I am worth it! Also, Emilee gave me the Dermalogica Microfoliant sample for my AM Routine! Bonus!

AM Routine                                                           PM Routine