*perspective

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Sigh kiddies,

Sometimes in life things happen that slap you back to reality and make you really question your take on things...

...questions like: "What do you want in life?" "What's really important to you?" "What are you willing to sacrifice for it?"

Meh.

And, I can tell you, it ain't fun when they all pop up at the same time.

So, after a fun and action-packed week "vacationing" in Atlantic City and NYC [post coming soon], tour-guiding etc, it has been a harsh fall back to reality.

After being in the greatest of funks, feeling lost, confused and overwhelmed with life for the past few days, I've realized that it's life's little way of making sure that I do not remain complacent...

As I always say, turn that frown into productivity...and although I'm not entirely sure of my destination, I am confident that hard work will get me wherever I am to be...

...perspective.

“Humans see what they want to see.”― Rick Riordan

“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”―Allen Klein

“A pessimist sees the difficult in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”― Winston Churchill

“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”― Lucille Ball

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”― Abraham Lincoln

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.”― George Carlin 

“Songs are as sad as the listener.”― Jonathan Safran Foer

xx

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*woman of steel; superwoman-slash-supermodel

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Eek could it be?

It's a bird; it's a plane...it's two posts in one day!

I know, I know...it's a surprise...buttttttt I stumbled across this ferocious short film on Nowness.com featuring Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls that's sending the fashion world into a spin and HAD to feature it.

With all the hype surrounding this new Superman movie, this is such an appropriate and buzz worthy little project undertaken by director Barnaby Roper, with clothing from Rodarte and Balmain, jewellery by Eddie Borgo and styled wonderfully by Keegan Singh.

*caution: The imagery is fast and not suitable for those with dizziness or prone to epilepsy.

Joan Smalls: Woman of Steel on Nowness.com

Enjoy!

xx

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*throwback thursday_ski country

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Morning all!

Ok, so here I go, attempting to breathe some life into this blog...

This blog started off as a travel/fashion/inspiration blog and while I have been traveling, I have been depriving you of the experience as I haven't been documenting it.

So these 'Throwback Thursday' posts will be just that; things that I [due to being too caught up in life] unfortunately didn't post.

Starting in reverse chronological order, the last undocumented place I visited [and referenced in americana], was Vermont for my Spring Break.

I'll start by saying that Vermont was different...

...

...not bad, different.

It was very American, but then again, I went to a vintage ski resort with a LARGE group of Americans. It was definitely a new experience for me, coming from the Caribbean, obviously never having skied before. However, my intentions weren't to ski.

MY REASONS FOR GOING:
I went to accompany my friend, to travel and see another State that I would not normally, but also to refresh and rejuvenate and had every intention of working on some fashion-related stuff.

WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING:
To the outside world, I looked timid and antisocial, cooped up indoors on my computer and was encouraged, and not wrongly, to go out and explore the wooded, snowy, ski slopes.

And, after a few days in the 'wilderness,' surrounded by forest, snow and plaid [and talks about fishing] I could say that I learned to appreciate that this all-American culture is unsurprisingly different. It was my first extended stay with a real, born-and-bred American family and it was definitely a unique and unforgettable experience...I left with the bruises and the flu to prove it!

...oh! I also learned that skiing definitely does not look THIS glamorous [did I mention that I don't like snow?? haha]

“I do not participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of the hill.” ― Erma Bombeck

“Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads.” ― Author Unknown

“When it comes to skiing, there's a difference between what you think it's going to be like, what it's really like, and what you tell your friends it was like.” ― Author Unknown

xx

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*in transit

***

¹com·mute verb \kə-ˈmyüt\

Definition of COMMUTE; 

:-transitive verb

1a : change, alter 

  b : to give in exchange for another : exchange 

2: to convert (as a payment) into another form

3: to change (a penalty) to another less severe <commute a death sentence to life in prison>

:-intransitive verb

4: to travel back and forth regularly (as between a suburb and a city) 

 So...while I am most definitely NOT a morning person [as you can tell from my previous post]...and the commute isn't the easiest in the world...I really do seem to be enjoying my internship. My perception about a few things is changing. I am learning a lot, not only about the industry, but also about myself; what I like and what I don't like in terms of working.

[par example:- I like interacting with people. I like having a variety of tasks to work on so, if one is monotonous, I can move on to another and then return to it. I do not like Photoshopping for hours on end. *womp womp* And I, without a doubt, do not like lugging 70 [seventy] lbs of "natural" river stones around New York...*long story*]

However, it is nice to be able to work with industry professionals who are down to earth and really seem to care about my career aspirations and even just me as a person! [after some of the horror stories I read].

What's even better is the lack of homework! #joysofsummer That means that even though the days are long, as soon as I reach back to my apartment in Jersey, I can flop down on my bed, watch re-runs of Modern Family and get all the sleep I want.

In fact, I am probably looking well rested these days, so I'll grace you with some glam shots of me riding the subway.

"The Vanishing Underground." Liya Kebede & David Agbodji. Shot by Mikael Jansson for Vogue Japan. April 2013.

...I look fresh and perky, no? And a little tanned too? #joysofsummer

Haha. I kid.

But while I've been doing a lot of #4 [see above], I've also been doing some #1a...and definitely none of #3 [sounds a little morbid to be honest. eek.]

Life changes happening kiddies. Gotta love 'em.

So if any of you see me on my commute. Don't be scared to say hi!...Be sure you say where you know me from though cause I'm a runner...

Have a great day. Always be inspired.

xx

“I'm not like most designers, who have to set sail on an exotic getaway to get inspired. Most of the time, it's on my walk to work, or sitting in the subway and seeing something random or out of context.”
― Alexander Wang 

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*early mornings...

***

...are a no-no.

Me getting out of bed...

 ...except not that cute.

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?” ― Ernest Hemingway

Up and at 'em kiddies! #carpediem

[Starbucks where are you?]

xx

***

 

*perked | the return

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It is I...the abandoner...

...but I come bearing amazing news.

I'm not going to complain about how busy I've been these past few weeks with finals and apartment hunting and all that..cause you've heard it all before...(and quite frankly I'm tired of saying it), so I'll focus on the positives...

I have an internship!!

So far it's been fabulous (thankfully). Long hours...but with amazingly nice people.

Officially, I'm interning for a blog called Fashion Elephant. Slightly different to mine, which is mostly about inspiration from my travels and funky fashion pictures, Marina's (who I work for) has the luck of being able to feature herself wearing amazingly fashionable (and totally out of my price range) clothing.

Unofficially, I am also helping her fashionable friends and family - which includes fashion photographer Ronald James (who has done amazing editorials for worldwide editions of Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Numero, Essence and Elite), Charles Philip (designer of Charles Philip Shanghai shoes), Lizzette Kattan (former editor-in-chief for Harper's Bazaar Italy, Harper's Bazaar France, Uomo Harper's Bazaar and Italian Cosmopolitan) and up-and-coming designer Bianca Allen - get through their own to-do lists.

And although it's only been three weeks, I've been exposed to so many great people and facets of this crazy whirlwind of an industry.

It has been such a humbling, learning experience...with much more to report. *blows dust of keyboard*

*eyes open, ears to the ground*

I mean...it could be worse...

...thankfully the only coffee I get is to wake myself up during that commute!

 

“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.”― Masaru Emoto, The Secret Life of Water.

xx

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