WRITING

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There is one thing you should know about writing. It will inevitably lead you to terrible places, as you cannot write about something if you have not lived it. Though the most important things to bear in mind is this: you are there as a tourist and must always remain one. There was a very specific reason why you were blessed with the ability to translate your sentiments into words- it is to bring voice to suffering and torment. But do not be too indulgent with your experience of these things- despite how addictive suffering can be- how easy it is to get lost down the twisted path of self-destruction. You must emerge from adversity, scathed but victorious- to tell your story and in turn, light the way for others.

 LANG LEAV

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30ish BUCKETLIST

I can’t believe it is June and that we are half way through the year 2015. 

I remember when I was a kid there was this feeling of excitement and anticipation when the month of June comes in simply because it means going back to school; like a chance to start fresh again and learn (Yeah, I am one of those geeky students way back then). As I get older (ehem), the month of June still brings a renewed vigor and a sense of purpose and new perspectives.

Because the year is not over yet, the sixth month of the year is the perfect time to look over my goals; like seeing what is attainable or picking some small changes or additional challenges that I might want to accomplish. So today, I have made myself a 30ish or month bucket list to motivate and inspire me to move forward and follow my dreams. These are the lucky 10 that made the cut.

Keep a life in tune with God’s will 

 

Start each project with clean slate

 

Walk the walk. Talk the talk. 

 

Pay debts. Tithed every month

 

 Run to be fit not to be skinny 

 

Wake up early, meditate and watch the sunrise

 
Invest in something besides retirement 

 

Read the Bible and 3 more books 

Travel and write stories 

 

 
 Learn new skill

My list falls into five major themes: Spirituality, Health, Life/Organization, Work and Finances and I am hoping that I will be able to cross them all out by the end of June. 

 

So what is your 30ish bucket list? 

XOXO - GIADRE

CROP TOPS AND JUMPSUITS

When it comes to dressing for the hot season, I like to keep it easy and simple. Currently, I am obsessing on two of the hottest runway trends; crop tops and jumpsuits or ‘onesie’. Now these trends hit it big in 2014, and even though it has been a year, crop tops and jumpsuits aren’t going anywhere. In fact, these trends are working their way into the fashion zeitgeist and are sought after by runway and Hollywood personalities like Kendal Jenner, who donned goth-glam inspired crop-top-skirt combo in the recent Cannes Film Festival and Taylor Swift, who rocked white cut-out jumpsuit in 2015 Billboard Music Awards. I don’t know if it is just me but these trends exemplify fashion resilience as they were able to spring back from 80’s and 90’s cult fashion to our contemporary. So without further ado, here are two of must-try fashion trends this summer and why I am digging on it.

♦ CROP TOP ♦

 As far as I could remember, crop tops were popularized by Madonna when she wore a mesh crop top in one of her music video in 1980s. By the mid-1990s, crop top are back in fashion as pop singers like as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera sport the look in their concerts and every day street style. Today, crop top is making waves again. This trendy style has evolved in a major way from cult fashion to teenybopper style to a chic fashion staple. Though there is this big misconception about crop tops that there is a specific time and place for wearing it because it exposes your midriff; showing too much skin. I am convinced that crop tops could be sophisticated and easy to pull off. It is actually one of the most flattering summer pieces because it draws the eye to the thinnest part of pretty much every woman’s body. Contrary to what many of us think, crop tops could be worn anywhere in any time of the day given the right separates. My favorite way of pulling off this trend is by pairing it with high-waist bottom and overalls. It gives a subtle glimpse of skin without being overly sexy.

♣ JUMPSUIT ♣

I call this functional one-piece garment as my lazy-girl-secret-to-looking-chic-in-a-snap. What I love about this trend is that it comes together so easily especially when you are rushing to throw something on. It is so easy to pull off and offers a surprising marriage of sophistication and ease that you would not expect from dresses or tops and bottoms or any ensemble outfit. This garment of convenience is a perfect choice for that unexpected weekend look by pairing it with sandals or ballet flats. It could also be a versatile modern wardrobe for an evening out by dressing it up with heels and statement accessories. The beauty of this trend is that there is no wrong way to wear it because it is literally just one piece. I guess the only down side of this trend is when you have to use the bathroom because you have to remove the entire garment. But overall, this onesie is absolutely chic.

ARE WE THERE YET?

I am not really fond of kids but my five year old nephew is an exception to the rule. 

His name is Banjoe and we often call him ‘Jab’. He is not an average kid because he has a very beautiful mind. His advanced intellectual prowess, language development, extensive vocabulary, strong memory and unusual reasoning power never fail to amaze me. He can also talk about such complex issues as ethics, morality and religion. 

The other day while we were heading to get to the church, Jab asked about why is there traffic? This question was apparently followed by probably one of the most irritating questions “are we there yet?” Though I am not yet a mom, parents of small children will agree with me that sometimes the incessant ‘why?’ questions kids ask drive us nuts. So I decided to ask him and see what drives Jab to ask these questions time after time when going to the church or somewhere else? 

Me: Jab, why do you keep on asking questions, “why is there traffic” and “are we there yet”?

Jab: Are you angry at me?

Me: No, just asking.

Jab: I asked because … ummm… we are always taking this way. There must be other way around… ummm… I just don’t want to miss my Sunday school because my teacher said that we would have fun today.

Me: so what way are we going to take then?

Jab: The small road near the cemetery. We took that road last Sunday. It is less crowded there. 

Appalled and humbled by his reasoning, his way of thinking, his passion; curiosity and desire to take different route to accomplish something completely blown me away. 

I learned a great deal from this situation. As irritating as it may seem, sometimes we need to ask this question to ourselves every once in a while. The question ‘are we there yet?’ could be a metaphor for evaluating and assessing our progress on the project we wanted to get done or goals we wanted to reach, the passion we wanted to pursue or the dream we wanted to fulfill. We all have desires and dreams but how exactly are we going to get there is the question that you and I need to probe deeper. We need a plan. This may involve getting out our comfort zone, taking a different route or a different approach and making it work with the right choices.  Just like what an old proverb says, ‘A dream without action is just a wish”.

So, are we there yet? 

DEAR FUTURE LOVER

Dear Future Lover,

I hope our love is the kind that I don’t even have to think about. I hope I never have to convince myself to love any certain part of you because I hope it all comes naturally. I hope our love is the kind that is quiet on the outside but loud on the inside. I want to love you like the space between lightning and thunder- electrified and alive but silent and knowing. And I want you to love me like the clouds love the rain. You’re going to have to let me go on my own sometimes, but I will always come back and we will always be two parts of the same thing.

M.P