Fleeting Fun

Live life in the moment everyone. Hippocrates knew that time was limited. Also, zip line over a street in Vegas with your best friend like I did. Have a great Saturday!

Taking in Water - Passage about Persevering Through Life

(Quote from Jack Kerouac's "On the Road".)

I am taking in the water, the hot water.  This is condensation  solitary paradise in this grimey shower and any surface not exposed to the heat and pins of the water hitting me is hell to my body. See I always craved inconsistency. Here, the water is never just right, never. I always turn the hot faucet to the right and the cold to the left in 5 minute intervals. It would seem that I conditioned myself to not be conditioned to anything constant in my shower and ultimately in my life. I could always go a little hotter it seemed, but never, no, no, never back, never a little cooler. This is how I operated I guess, in this ceramic, steel and damp sterilized atmosphere I called paradise about every night at approximately 1:30 A.M.  My skin was glowing red and hot, and an almost euphoric sense of all things holy in tactile awareness hit me with the contrast of the heat of my skin and the cold tile floor. This was perfect, it indeed was my usual temporary paradise. See, all thing possessed their innate utopia in its own form. The cold tiles fulfilled their means to be cold as they are, as they always should be,  and my skin in essence was perfectly coy to the receptors of temperature and touch. You will tend to find as I did in this confinement, that when things are seemingly not as they should be in your life your life can always return to a safe default mode of a simple theory of all things relative of “it is what it is.” And oh, this was it.

 Don’t try to find your life at the bottom of the shower floor, watching the water droplets roll off your eyelash in your peripheral. It simply will not work. And with this in mind I simply raised myself back up off the floor just as simply as I fell to it. There was tomorrow and next week and months to be had.

I wrote the following as a simple, late night passage as I do when I try to capture moments and perfect thoughts that are made simple in one instant setting. I never have a perfect life and that never seemed to bother me. I always thought that human conditioning was a skill to be mastered through rough times and heartache. If anything I write to release and give comfort not only to myself but others who may find themselves in this sort of life wondering rut that is both beautiful and chaotic at the same time. Kerouac's work and style of expression inspires me a lot in my life and writing. My message in the end, embrace your life, you've only got one yes, but you have an infinite amount of chances.

Smoke Signals

"Don't be blinded by love, or shiny bright bling!"

This was my Valentines Day outfit. I decided to go dark and layered as a satirical play on all the red and pink around me. I usually keep a natural makeup look with just mascara and lip balm, but I decided to offset the dark colors with a pop lip of bright red matte. It's always a good idea to play it safe with makeup and colors when going a bit heavy or highlighting accessories - like I have done here with my rings. It may be hard to choose one or the other but remember you can never be too dressed up, but you certainly can be too made up. Simple hair, bold lip, dark layers with a print (I chose stripes and an ombre knee high) and highlighted accessories. If you keep at least one element of your style simple you can't go wrong.

(Ombre wool knee highs draw the eye up and cut up an otherwise monochrome outfit)

Outfit Breakdown:

Rings: my own collections and finds

Striped 3/4 sleeve: H&M

Sheer tunic: H&M

Pleather Skater skirt: Forever21

ombre socks: H&M

Booties: H&M

Valentine's with Jimmy

Spending Valentine's Day with Jimmy and maybe my girl Amy Poehler later for a more appropriate "Galentine's Day".

Cultural NOMs - Embracing My Heritage and Taste Buds.

(Chinese New Year treats)

(fresh unpeeled lychee hanging)

(Rice on rice on rice on stacks on stacks on stacks)

(A whole roasted pig ready for Chinese New Year feasts)

(Pork bahn mi and sesame lotus cookies)

A weekly hobby and delicious habit of mine is running market errands with my mom to the local Asian market. Asian markets are a visual and sensory heaven for foodies and those looking to try out "new" and "different" flavors and smells. I am half Cambodian and Asian markets are where I have been every Monday with my mom since I was little learning about my heritage's food and keeping an open mind with non-traditionals flavors as I stray from a usual flavor pallet of American cooking and fast food

Asian markets are always filled with fresh exotic produce such as fresh lychee (pictured hanging with their skin in bunches) , dragon fruit, Thai mint (my favorite to ease a migraine) as well as fresh fish, meat, poultry and spices. Some people may be a little intimidated at an Asian market - signs in different languages, the smell of fish and seemingly odd cuts of beef tongue, tripe (stomach lining), and the over whelming variety of cuisine, but that aside you will find it to be very enjoyable and also colorful! Asian food, particularly Southeast Asian food where my mother is from is also very healthy and fresh. Sweets such as the sesame lotus cookie pictured above have just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. 

Last week I snapped a few pictures of my market trip which was filled with towers of burlap sacs of Thai Jasmine rice which smells so fragrant, lychee hanging from registers, Chinese New Year preparation sweets and goodies and my favorite snack Bahn Mi, a Vietnamese hoagie that is filled with fresh cilantro, shredded carrot, radish, jalapenos, and your choice of bbq pork, or any other meat. 

I love food and trying different cultural food from around the world. I encourage anyone to embrace their roots and discover their cuisine as well as others.

Street Gems

I believe the stone is a striped apricot agate.

A bracelet from a SoHo jewelry market I picked up.

Skull and hand ear cuff from L.E.S. jewelry market.

Rings. I collect them. This one is my absolute favorite which I have just gotten returned after a long year apart from it! I was never a fan of "traditional" or "classy" jewelry. Bling was not my thing. I was always more intrigued by the one of a kind, unique and rustic/folk look of the rings I've collected throughout the years. 

This particular ring was given as a gift from my love at the time we were in New York. It was custom wrapped to my finger and I got to choose which stone to use. I got it from the many NYC jewelry markets and jeweler street vendors that are flowing through  the streets of NY. You can always find the best jewelry there from independent artists and prices are always negotiable which is exactly in my price range. 

The beauty about having a unique piece of jewelry is that you know no matter what no one else will have the exact same piece as you, or the exact same story. That is why I collect after all. Jewelry to me especially holds stories that make vintage finds, family heirloom pieces and handmades not merely just a fashion accessory but a part of someone else and you as you wear it. 

Dog Eat, Dog World

Showing out love tag 

My lovely other half lost sister Maria and I had a girls night Saturday. After hookah, mango martinis and a Philly parking hunt/war we decided to hit up Underdogs, a "gourmet" and not your average hot dog joint. Try all twenty two flavors, get you menu punched and get your name on a wall fist of fame.I only have about eleven other hot dogs to destroy. I always take out of town friends here for a fun late night place to cure the snack tooth after partying in the city. Here I was embarking on the "Texas Tommy" a bacon wrapped dog topped with cheddar cheese and Maria had "The Warsaw", a polish sausage with saukraut.

Underdogs is located on 132 S. 17th Street.

They also have gluten free and veggie dogs.

Cat Tuesday

I wonder if our pets know how fascinated we are with them? My cat, Bentley, definitely must know. I just can't shy away from moments when he grooms his tail because he hold it with his cute paws. 

Why So Curious?

Cats are always curious. It is in their nature to do so, and sometimes it should inspire others to always explore, take risks, be a little silly and look around you. Here I caught my cat Bentley eyeing a woodpecker in our tree. Needless to say they both caught each other's eyes.

Home bound

This is my home, my city, and my heart for 22 years. Philly. I was stuck in traffic for 2 hours after finally crossing the Betsy Ross Bridge into the city. Sunset was immaculate.

Free People, Free Love - "Roshambo" a film by Free People

So I am in love with being in the moment(s) of love all thanks to Free People's short film "Roshambo". The film stars the beautiful model Sheila Marquez and Christopher Abbot from the hit HBO series "Girls". I fell in love with the cinematography, the simple dialogue that made you want to know about the couple's past as well as future. It made me want to rekindle my past and channel my inner free spirit and live for the moment of love.