I'm Enthusiastic About: Peonies

Let me tell you something. I spend 90% of my waking hours either working a full-time job that revolves almost exclusively around the Internet & social media OR writing on this here bloggy-blog...which, if you haven't noticed, is also living on the Internet and is connected to social media. So, I'm basically, modern-day lady Tron minus the fast virtual bike and the neon grid. I would go so far as to say that most of us are in the Tronisphere.

Seriously, when was the last time you smiled and spoke to someone in an elevator instead of grabbing your smartphone to check on the whereabouts of your friends on Instagram and obsessively like photos of your friend's pug? It's ok. Your quasi-Internet friend's wine trip to Napa Valley will be there when you de-board the elevator. I promise.

Real life. It's out there. You're in it.

Sometimes I wish I had an occupation that was based on tangible things. Professional lego block builder would be nice. In an attempt to be more hands-on, I've even been thinking about taking a glassblowing class because the natural progression from just wanting to work on things with your hands to the need to handle molten glass is totally logical. I mean, really, who doesn't want to make a whole bunch of paperweights?!

This whole need for touchable, visible (in the real world) progress is nothing new. It often rears its head in the form of things like obsessive cleaning and the need to repaint my living room and dining room different colors every 4 to 6 months. (I'm planning another color tweak this weekend.) - See "Decorati Fever" to understand my plight.

So, I've been making more of an effort to do things that give me breaks from the Tronisphere. In this case, peonies!

How girly is that? I know. I'll let you in on a little secret. I love having fresh flowers in the apartment. I try to make sure I maintain that standard at all times...and my favorite flower is the peony...and it happens to be peony season at Trader Joe's.

Ya see, every time I walk to my local TJ's, in my heart I'm always hoping I'll see peonies when I walk through those automatic sliding doors. The sad truth is, 99 times out of 100, I'm met with other flowers, but yesterday, lo & behold, there they were...and like a crazy person, I immediately grabbed a big armful of bouquets and stuffed them into my cart. I would've knocked over an old woman to get my hands on them. (It's that serious.)

Flowers make everything better. I also feel this way about houseplants. They give you something to admire that's not the the number of likes your Facebook post got or how great an Instagram filter makes your cheekbones look. They allow you to flex your senses...well, ok, you probably shouldn't eat them and last I heard, they don't make much in the way of sound...but, sight, smell, and touch are all fair game in the world of flowers so long as you don't man handle them or have allergies.

So, do yourself a favor. Make like a life enthusiast and get yourself some floral friends and, if nothing else, a succulent. (They're hard to kill just in case you're lacking in a thumb of the green variety.) The only down side is that, eventually, floral friends die...unless you invest in an actual flowering plant. Most of the time, those need to live outside and you can cut yourself fresh flowers weekly during the bloomin' season. Blah, blah, blah, talking about flowers.

The bottom line is this: they're beautiful, they smell good, they don't talk back, they don't ask anything of you aside from water and trimming, and they give you something to focus on when you're looking away from your computer with burning eyes and contacts so dry they're ready to pop out. That last part alone is enough to invest.

If you haven't tried it yet. Do it. Both ladies & gents. It'll make a helluva difference. xo!

Quote of the Week: Privilege

So, as you may have noticed, I've completely fallen off the earth. Mostly due to a boatload of traveling and work responsibilities along with other responsibilities. I've also prioritized things since I got back a little bit and put seeing my friends before writing a blogpost. I know. I feel horrible about it, but a completely online social life is something I can't sustain. I like seeing people in the flesh. I like big hugs, long coffee sessions, and catching up.

This brings me to this week's quote. I realized in the last week of seeing my closest friends that I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who are unapologetically themselves. For instance, I was lucky enough to emcee my best friend's web series premiere this weekend. It was a smash success! She really hit it out of the park. What she created was controversial and, despite a hater in the audience (whose knees I would have broken had I not been up in front with the mic), she persevered because she was doing what she does. Her artistic process is very much her own and she is herself always. Her father put it best. True art will be hated...but also loved.

Another dear friend is a musician. We discussed his fleeing from home, being disowned, losing friends, moving, and lifelong criticism...and still he produces music. Great music. It's because he's being himself. Coincidentally, also the friend who introduced me to Joseph Campbell.

Spending time with people like this...people who follow their dreams. It's inspiring, but also makes me realize that being yourself really is a privilege. It's also the only way to truly be happy. I'm convinced. The majority of people I see live out of fear. Fear of losing their job. Fear of having their significant other break up with them. Fear of screwing up their kids. Fear of not being able to afford a comfortable life...and these are all completely legitimate fears! Because if who you are is, for instance, a unicycle-riding bologna-crafter...well, unless your bologna is first-rate and your unicycle-riding is on Cirque du Soleil level, you're probably shit outta luck.

So, you end up doing something that may not be totally you...

I just hope I end up in a place where I feel that I'm being 100% me all the time. Some days I feel like I am. A lot of days I don't. So, I guess it's back to listening to my heart and seeing what it tells me.

In the meantime, to all the unicycle-riding bologna-makers out there:
If you can make it being yourself, hats off to you!

Are you living a privileged life? xo!

Quote of the Week: Elegance

I know, I know. I've been slacking again. I'm back in NYC and work is doing that whole "taking over my life" thing. It's fine. I don't mind working hard and it's good to see my co-workers face-to-face (plus I'm with my pup & he's gettin' lots of co-worker love in the form of treats & such), but sometimes it takes a toll on my lil' bloggy blog.

With that said, I wanted to get straight to our quote of the week. It's a bit of a late nod to Mother's Day. (Yes, I didn't post it on Mother's Day because I was on a plane most of the day en route to see my own Mother...so, shoot me!)

Now then...elegance. As long as I can remember, my mother has had it. Could be from her years in Japanese theatre as a highschool & college student. Her tea service lessons. Her flower arranging lessons. Growing up in Japan in the era that she did. But there are plenty of women who have gone through the same training that just don't have what Mom's got. And that's when it becomes very clear that her elegance starts in the mind.

So, naturally, everything else came easily to her. She oozes elegance and I can only hope to match her in that department at some point...between my impromptu dance parties (by myself) and my sitting on the couch playing videogames with the world's worst posture, full of takeout food...

...

Ok...Maybe that elegance will never come. It usually takes a black tie event and a dress that requires great posture for me to turn on the elegance. It's somewhere in there. Husband Charles has called me goofy & graceful at the same time. (gooceful...or grafey.) Not sure how that works, but I'll take it.

I can only hope that I grow into some of that elegance that Mom has at some point. In the meantime, I'm going to flex my brain muscles and get the elegance synapses firing in hopes that something happens. For now, I celebrate my elegant, intelligent, beautiful, and loving mother who's seen me through so many years of madness. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today without her support.

Mom, I salute you!

Hope you all got a chance to salute your Mom's this past weekend! Now then, back to work! Have a great week! xo!

The Hair & Now

Admit it. You love the punny titles.

Aaanyway, after pondering what I was going to write about, I decided to go with a recent occurrence (yesterday) and where my head is at regarding said occurrence - literally & figuratively.
It's about my hair.
I know. Deep.

I'm Enthusiastic About: Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington

Holy moly, I can't believe it took me this long to finally put up my review on this epic autobiography! Forgive me! I've been up to my eyebrows with work and travel...but, rest assured, I've been feeling serious blogger guilt. I don't want to keep my readers in the dark about what's going on...right, readers? (Insert the sound of crickets here.)

But, seriously, I have to tell you about this.

It all started when I watched The September Issue back when it was released. I went to the movie theatre, excited like nobody's business (I still don't quite understand why that phrase makes sense - my excitement shouldn't really be anyone's business but my own just by its very nature), and watched it for the first time. And, though my heart softened for Miss Wintour, I found my heart soaring for Grace Coddington.

I realize a lot of folks ended up feeling that way by the end of it. This Grace Coddington. Purveyor of dreamscapes, guardian of fantasy, keeper of heart...but, here's the thing. What I realized was this. Back in the 90's, when my mother had a subscription to Vogue, I would often sit and sift through the pages and pull spreads out.

In my college years, I had transferred a lot of these spreads to a series of binders I called my inspiration books...and what came to light when I watched The September Issue and read Grace: A Memoir was that the majority of the spreads I had saved from my younger years...in fact, it might have been all of them...they were all styled by Grace Coddington.

I was astonished. This one woman had made me into the fashion lover I am today and I had no idea. She had painted my puberty with sartorial artistry and, unknowingly, crafted my love of motion, color, romance...all the things I hold dear when it comes to a fashion spread or a photograph.

So, when I heard that Grace: A Memoir was being released, I was the first on line to get a copy...and then I read it slowly...taking time out of my days to sit and savor each page, each photo, and every illustration. I refused to rush through it...and it turned out that she had even more influence on me than I had thought. A good example? She was the model in Vidal Sassoon's famous Five Point Cut image...an image that intrigued me and got me obsessed with the mod 60's and precision haircuts. Trust me. It was a big deal.

What can I say about this book? It's warm, fun, and very honest. It spans a lifetime of amazing experiences, gorgeous landscapes, entertaining personalities, love, work politics, and cats. It's hard to put down and I even found myself shedding a tear when I finished it.

Is it worth a read? ABSOLUTELY. Go out and get yourself a copy right now. I guarantee she'll charm the pants off of you (and will charm something super fashionable on your legs in the place of your pants with all the verbal and visual inspiration oozing from the pages of this beautiful tome.) To be honest, I'm tempted to read it all over again...and, ya know what? I just might.

Quote of the Week: Hard Work

I'm having one of those months...a lot of work to be done. For those of you who don't know, I have a full-time job outside of this blogging gig. I live in LA, but work NYC hours, so I'm up and working at 6:30am every weekday and, recently, I've been taking a lot of business trips. I was in NYC last week (as you know by my sorry lack of blogposts) and am heading back there again next week for more work stuffs. (I promise I'll try to blog more while I'm there!)

Today has been an almost 12 hour work day and I'm still not completely finished, but I'm starting to wind down. I'd be lying if I said I didn't just text Husband Charles to ask if we could get In-and-Out for dinner. (He said yes...obviously.) Sorry. No homecooked meals in this household. The two of us are way too busy with our careers. Luckily, Husband Charles doesn't expect anything from me aside from cuddles. I gave up trying to cook meals in the evenings many, many months ago.

Which brings me to this week's quote. Hard work. Is it my Japanese upbringing? My workaholic father? My committed mother? All I know is that I'm hard at work...for what seems like every minute of every weekday. (Let's not talk about the weekends where you'll usually find me facedown on the couch after a long meal, taking drives with Husband Charles & Merlin, walks, parks, museums or playing videogames till odd hours in the morning...I try to do as little work as possible on the weekends because of my crazy weeks...otherwise, I'd probably go insane. Seriously.)

But I get a lot of satisfaction out of working hard. I was never wired to just sit around and do nothing. It seems wrong and strange. However, I will say that working hard at something you love to do is the key...which might explain why this blog is still staggering along (despite my horrible tendency to choose sleep over blogging when I'm on business trips.)

There's also necessity. I'm not afraid to admit that I enjoy being able to afford groceries and take weekend trips. I may be busting ass all week and Husband Charles (another extremely hard worker) and I may have just enough energy to give each other hugs, talk about the day, and then collapse each evening...but I've been at the other end of the spectrum. I've lived in a windowless basement apartment in Brooklyn, trying to be a photographer, but not being good at marketing myself. I was poor. I had to think about buying a tube of lip balm. Grocery shopping was stressful and forget about health insurance. Let's not even get into that whole-body rash I got once and had to figure out how to get close-to-free help. I had too much pride to ask for help from my parents. Those were dark days.

So, now, I just work doubley as hard. I work to support my life and the creative things outside of my office-job, which, to be fair, is actually a pretty great job that gives me a lot of wonderful opportunities - I realize I'm lucky. Trust me, I don't play the entitlement card here. I worked hard. That's how it all happened...but, yes, I work hard to support my other endeavors and that's just how it is.

Some of us can call it luck when things go our way, but the harder you work, the luckier you'll get. Hope you have a fantastic week! xo!

Sunday Styles no. 29

Ok, ok. I know. I didn't update much this past week. Forgive me! I was in NYC for work and barely had time to do anything but that...work, that is. So, I'm getting back to business this week with our Sunday Styles. This Sunday, I'm going for something comfy and laid back.

Even though the weather was super warm yesterday, it's cloudy and a bit chilly today (relatively speaking...it's going to be 70 today, but that seems chilly when we're talking LA in May. I know, I know. World's smallest violin.)

Anyway, to keep in the spring swing, I've opted for what I like to call the "Fresh Off the Yacht" look - F.O.Y. (Insert horribly un-PC Asian joke here about being a F.O.B. - for those who don't know what a F.O.B is, please see the various & humorous definitions here that may or may not really hit the nail on the head.) Clean, classic, and no-fuss.

Also, white jeans. I've finally given in to my fear of white jeans. I have a silly (but totally logical) fear of wearing white bottoms because I have the tendency to sit on floors, lean on walls, and wipe my hands on my pants. I know. The last one is pretty childish. At least I'm not wiping my nose on my sleeve. I suppose if I stopped eating things with my hands as often, I wouldn't run into this problem nearly as much...but I'll never stop.

I just realized I'll be going to a few BBQs today. Good grief, I really hope there are napkins on hand.

But I digress. I've finally invested in a pair of white jeans. Husband Charles is triumphant. He's been bugging me to get a pair for months now. I have no idea why, but he seems to think it's a look that's very me. The verdict is still out. I'm slowly starting to get used to being blinded when looking down.

So, there ya have it. I'll spend the rest of the day being irrationally cautious about where I'm sitting, but will look fabulous being paranoid. Yay?

Hope you're all having a fantastic Cinco de Mayo! xo!

A Note About the Clothes: J. Crew Factory Two-Pocket Chambray Shirt, AG Stevie Destroyed Jeans (White) (these actually might be the Stevie ANKLE Destroyed Jeans, but I can't seem to locate them) , Madewell Sidewalk Skimmer in Suede (Crystal Blue)

Quote of the Week: New York

New York. The Big Apple. Manhattan.

I'm never away from New York more than 3 months at a time. These days it seems more like a 2 month maximum before I'm back on a plane eastward. Between work, family, and friends, I'll always find my way back here. New York of fantastic public transportation, jaywalking to your heart's content, and places to eat, drink, converse, and hide till the wee hours of the morning.

Though I'm usually a husk of a person after a week in NY (usually because it's work-related), while it's happening, it's all such a joy. The days just blow by because there's so much to do!

Why did I choose this particular quote? Well, because NYC is one of those places that can be looked at both ways. If you don't know the ropes, the system, how fast to walk, how to let people off the train before getting on, how to have a philosophical conversation with your local apartment or neighbor granny, how to never stop in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at a store window (good gravy, move out of everyone's way, ya jerk)...well, this city could easily be a catastrophe.

And when you have the best of it...when the flowers bloom in spring and the streets sound with the clicking of bright-colored shoes, the street performers are out, the subway musicians are in full swing (sans the Mariachi bands...sorry, but I can't stand them. They're just not acoustically designed for trains.) When you feel like you could Mary Tyler Moore the crap out of this city...it's still a catastrophe...but a beautiful one. It's the energy. The constant change and hustle. It's beautifully bustling.

So, this week's quote goes out to Manhattan and, despite the rainy weather, its beauty in spring. Looking forward to a week of friends, family, and some good ol' fashion hardcore New Yorker style work in the office with my beloved co-workers. Hope you all have a fantastic week! xo!

Sunday Styles no. 28

Ahhhhhh...the coast. Yep, Husband Charles and I are in La Jolla today. We came down to visit family who are vacationing here and decided to stay for a night. It's been sea air, the hum of crashing waves, and lots of strolls, tidepools, salt, sand, and surfers.

It's been a joy and I really wish we could stay here all week, but, alas, I'm back on an NYC-bound plane tomorrow. At least all that furlough business is over and air traffic control is back in action by tonight. I really wasn't into the idea of having a delayed flight.

Aaaanyway, enough about flying. I want to savor my last remaining hours here...and though the weather hasn't been super-sunny, it's been the type of overcast that lets you take brisk walks without boiling alive. It's been wonderful. So, I'm keeping it comfy, cozy today...

Yes. Zebras, to me, have some connection to adventure...beaches do too...And though you won't find zebras on the beach here in San Diego, somehow it all makes sense to me. This sweater in particular, with it's wide tailoring is stupendously comfortable and great for layering which is just what I need here.

So, there ya have it. Preppy, beachy, adventurey magic! Back to strolling before we have to head back to LA! Hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday! xo!

A Note About The Clothing: Uniqlo Park (no longer available), Gap 1969 Legging Jean, J. Crew Factory Camp Shirt (Classic Navy), Madewell Studio Sweater in Zebra, Madewell Holepunch Sidewalk Skimmers

Tatcha & Go: Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask (A Skincare Review)

Are you a mask person? As in beauty masks. I've never been huge on them...mostly because I'm a little lazy and the thought of slathering things on my face and losing the ability to talk, smile, or laugh for 15-20 minutes is not all that appealing...I should probably just use them when I'm alone, but timing always makes it so I'm doing it at night around the time Husband Charles gets home. He has learned how to read my humming sounds if I have a mask on. I'm sure this skill will come in handy some day. So far he understands "How are you?" and "Tell me about your day."

Though most masks will deter you from speaking, some aren't nearly as time-consuming. (Washing mud masks off at the sink drives me nuts.) And not all masks are meant to sop up oil either. Some are designed for other things...more things I'm interested in.

Enter Tatcha's Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask:

Did you hear a choir of angels just now? No? Hm. You should've...because that's how I felt after using this amazing mask.