Last Days of December
New Year's Eve is fast approaching, but I'm no longer making resolutions I have no intention of keeping. I refuse to be content with any situation; therefore, re-evaluation happens as soon as I wake up in the morning and every night before I go to bed.
Someone once told me not to let a calendar tell you when to tell someone you love them, when to take a vacation or when not to wear white. Instead, let life unfold in its own unruly way and you'll be surprised with how beautiful everything can be, if you let it.
See you all in January!
XOXO,
Merry Christmas
H&M TRENCH COAT, CLUB MONACO BLAZER, SWEATER, SHIRT & TIE, LE FOU BY WILFRED PANTS, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SHOES, ALEXANDER WANG CLUTCH, GUCCI WATCH, HERMES & CC SKYE BRACELET
Mom and dad are visiting for the weekend. My much needed quality time has just begun.
Happy Holidays, everyone. Take it easy, relax, eat, drink and be less bitchy merry.
XOXO,
Into the Wild
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." — Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild, p. 56
Hands down, one of my all-time favorite books/movies.
XOXO,
Never Underestimate the Power of Words
CURRENT/ELLIOTT SLEEVELESS DENIM JACKET, WILFRED FREE HOODIE, ALICE + OLIVIA LEATHER SHORTS, YSL SHOES
I'm currently suffering from writer's block, so I'll leave with you this quote from Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, that my good friend N introduced me to. This baby is long, but worth reading.
"We are born with only one obligation—to be completely who we are. Yet how much of our time is spent comparing ourselves to others, dead and alive? This is encouraged as necessary in the pursuit of excellence. Yet a flower in its excellence does not yearn to be a fish, and a fish in its unmanaged elegance does not long to be a tiger. But we humans find ourselves always falling into the dream of another life. Or we secretly aspire to the fortune or fame of people we don't really know. When feeling badly about ourselves, we often try on other skins rather than understand and care for our own.
Yet when we compare ourselves to others, we see neither ourselves nor those we look up to. We only experience the tension of comparing, as if there is only one ounce of being to feed all our hungers. But the Universe reveals its abundance most clearly when we can be who we are. Mysteriously, every weed and ant and wounded rabbit, every living creature has its unique anatomy of being which, when given over to, is more than enough.
Being human, though, we are often troubled and blocked by insecurity, that windedness of heart that makes us feel unworthy. And when winded and troubled, we sometimes feel compelled to puff ourselves up. For in our pain, it seems to make sense that if were larger, we would be further from our pain. If we were larger, we would be harder to miss. If we were larger, we'd have a better chance of being loved. Then, not surprisingly, others need to be made smaller so we can maintain our illusion of seeming bigger than our pain.
Of course, history is the humbling story of our misbegotten inflations, and truth is the corrective story of how we return to exactly who we are. And compassion, sweet compassion, is the never-ending story of how we embrace each other and forgive ourselves for not accepting our beautifully particular place in the fabric of all there is." — January 10, Akiba, p. 11
XOXO,
Finding Balance
T BY ALEXANDER WANG JACKET, VINCE TANK TOP, SIWY SEQUIN LEGGINGS, CHANEL SHOES
This is my sixth tattoo, located on the back of my left ankle. To put it simply, I've been through my share of pain and anguish, but I've also been through my share of laughter and smiles. I've literally collapsed as a result of having my heart broken, but I've also stood taller because someone restored my faith in humanity. In the end, life is all about 
.
ETA:
Michelle of FVNCY drew this amazing portrait of me. Although we haven't met in person yet, I feel extremely blessed to know her. I've said it once a million times and I'll say it again: I love you, Michelle.
XOXO,
Oh Hai
NSF HENLEY & PANTS, CLUB MONACO BELT, SEE BY CHLOE SHOES, HOLT RENFREW HAT, MICHAEL KORS WATCH, HERMES & CC SKYE BRACELETS
If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, "You don't look Vietnamese." I often get mistaken for Japanese or mixed (Asian and Caucasian).
BTW,
Peter and I are in the January 2011 issue of FLARE, available on newsstands nmeow!
XOXO,
Oh Good Grief, Charlie Brown!
17 more days, wah-wah-wah-wah-waahhh. Here's a toast to the other singles who'll be standing alone under the mistletoe come Christmas. I dedicate this song to you (one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies, Love Actually).
P.S. My hunt for a cowhide rug has finally come to an end. Thanks, Michael!
XOXO,
Are You Happy?
After nearly throwing my laptop off the balcony, I started reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. The Happiness Project is the result of the author's year-long adventure in becoming a happier person. A question that has been bothering me for quite some time now, though, is, what is "happiness"? Tell me your personal definition below.
XOXO,
Fashion Forecast
SANDRO TOP, CLUB MONACO PANTS & BELT, PRADA SHOES, ALEXANDER WANG CLUTCH, MICHAEL KORS WATCH, HERMES & CC SKYE BRACELETS
In great company at Blanche Macdonald's annual fashion show held at the Westin Bayshore. Congratulations to all the Fashion Design graduates of 2010, and a special thanks to Natasha Eng for the invite!
I bought this Sandro top from work a few hours prior to the event, then ended up spilling wine on it towards the end of the night. I will never be the woman who can wear white anything and not spill on it.
XOXO,
