Have a happy weekend :)
(via Wit+Delight)
11.18.2011
freedom
Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know howTo live my life as it's meant to be ....Mumford & Sons
Nice song for a Friday, don't you think? xx
11.15.2011
11.07.2011
11.04.2011
happy weekend ♥
I want to try to make mine just like this. Just sayin….
Hope your weekend is everything you need it to be ♥
new york i love you
My coworker/friend shared this video by Andrew Clancy with me this morning. Wasn't expecting the morning tear(s)…but it made me feel so good and proud to live here in New York City.
(I wish life had a soundtrack, don’t you?— makes everything better :)
11.02.2011
rolling with the punches
It's quiet obvious, no?, that I haven't been writing as much lately as I'd like to (I am sorry, I have missed you!). I could blame the circumstantial things for gradually pulling me out of the loop (moving apartments being a biggie!), or perhaps it's a classic case of emotions and moods changing, well, just because. I've kind of been laying low but have recently been thinking about change. Like the seasons, our thoughts, opinions, beliefs and feelings can change without us even noticing it….until of course we reach that point where we begin to gain perspective on how life has evolved in the past months. That's the crazy thing about change: you never see it happen until you're already there. One of my favorite Virginia Woolf quotes echoes a similar sentiment about how memories, like change, quietly develop over time: "I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time. It expands later, and thus we don't have complete emotions about the present, only about the past." I'll stop myself here and acknowledge the possible contradiction between this idea and the one I mentioned late last week (see below….eek, I really haven't been posting enough, eh?). Those moments that Christopher Isherwood is talking about, however, I consider to be extremely rare and beautiful but extremely fleeting. We've all had those moments before, when for even the tiniest fraction of a second we are inhabited by the most calming sense of clarity, where feel like we're the kings (and queens) of the world and that everything is, as he says, "exactly the way it was meant to be."
Those are my favorite moments and while I wish I could experience them more, would I be able to recognize that magical feeling of peace and understanding as being something so uniquely special? Would I be able to make the same mistakes that ultimately are meant to make me wiser? Having the noise and confusion is in some ways necessary I think, and something I've been coming to accept, largely because it adds balance to the well-lived life. I know I'm throwing around a lot of quotes here but I just can't resist this one because it is the PERFECT explanation for why our feelings and actions and thoughts fluctuate the way they do….here it is: "there are years that ask questions and years that answer" (thank you, Maya Angelou). But really, isn't that just it? That, to me, that is more calming than any scientific or religious explanation for why we are the way we are (at least on an emotional and intellectual level). Maya Angelou's words make me feel free to be myself (wahooooo!), and to accept the questions just as much as I accept the answers in my life.
So on a slightly related and a bit more upbeat note, I've been re-reading Garance's blog like it's the bible today. I just love that French girl meets American chic curiosity and honesty she divulges on her blog. She's funny as hell for one, and her humility and day to day musings are literally one of my biggest pick-me-uppers. I wish I could find a way to tell her but her writing and observations make me feel extremely human. Don't you love when you feel like someone is mimicking those thoughts and feelings of yours that you could never explain nearly as eloquently and as poignant as that person? Yeah, that's her! Garance, can we be best friends? You too will want to be hers when you read her blog.
Anyways, to circle back…..ohhhhhh, what is it I'm trying to get out today? I guess I just wanted to check in and acknowledge this idea (something somewhat short of one of Oprah's "Ah-Ha!" moments), that it truly is the best to go with the changes, not against them. In a year of questions, those uncertainties and changes inevitably end up being our answers. Isn't it a good feeling to let yourself surrender to that idea? We need not be so hard on ourselves. Less pressure, more enjoyment. And I whole heartedly believe (at least today, HA!) that with a keen sense of awareness, the ability to trust and an eternal curiosity, answers will come....
(photo via wit + delight)
10.28.2011
those moments
A few times in my life I’ve had moments of absolute clarity. When for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. It’s as though it had all just come into existence.
I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be.
(via Subtilitas)
happy weekend ♥
In a costume or just hanging around the house, have a wonderfully uninhibited weekend.
(via Wit + Delight)
10.27.2011
six words
Today at our regular Chinese Food Restaurant…the best "fortune" I've ever received (I guess anything beats "you will be good in math"). My six favorite words. ♥
10.24.2011
the view from downtown
Yes guys, that's right. I am officially a resident of downtown! With the love and support and muscles of my parents and boyfriend, the financial district became my new home Saturday, and I am obsessed. Out of my seven moves within the city, I have never lived south of 55th street or west of Park Avenue. My experience living the city has more or less unfolded on the Upper East Side, and for more or less, I've truly loved it up there. Not because of the never-gonna-happen brownstones on Madison Avenue or because of the neighborhood's innate affluence — rather because there is something so warm about that distinct neighborhood vibe, and something so magical about the shimmering sidewalk on 69th street between 3rd Avenue and Lex. (it actually glitters!). Very old school New York if you ask me. But along with a host of other reasons (adios 4th floor walkup, bugs, $$$ rent….and bugs) I'm ready to embrace the change that's brought me downtown. There's this life down here by the river (the unobstructed view from my bedroom is of the water!) that glows and sparkles and calls my name. Beside the fact 1.5+ million of us live on this island surrounded by water, actually seeing the open water every morning was kind of my biggest draw. It feels fresh and new and wonderful, and what I need for now. And I kick myself every time I look up from my roof deck and see the Freedom Tower. Sure, I'm already a little nostalgic about leaving the area I've called home on and off for 5 years, but I feel good knowing that this creature of habit can also be adaptable and open to the world outside of my comfort zone.
I mean I really can't complain — the view from down here is fabulous.
10.20.2011
spooky chic
Still haven't decided on my costume (
(via Hip Hip Gin Gin)
10.19.2011
month at the museum
From the Month at the Museum 2 contender Kevin's facebook page: "Month at the Museum 2 will choose one person to take on this assignment: spend a month at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) to live and breathe science 24/7 for 30 days. From Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, 2011, this person's mission will be to experience all the fun and education that fits in this historic 14-acre building, living here and reporting your experience to the outside world. There will be plenty of time to explore the Museum and its exhibits after hours, with access to rarely seen nooks and crannies of this 77-year-old institution."
Could you or would you do it?
....maybe it would help if your welcome looked something like this....
10.18.2011
what we sound like
This is crazy! And apparently what English sounds like to foreigners? It's certainly no French accent, but this short film Skwerl explores how English is perceived.
(via A Cup of Jo)
10.14.2011
best present ever
Painted for me by the amazing, lovely, little old-soul of a 10-yr old I babysit. Can't wait to frame it. Aren't these the best kind of gifts? ♥ ♥ ♥ #obsessed
10.07.2011
10.06.2011
a beautiful mind
For someone who had too leave to early, I think it's fair to say that that someone had it all figured out. And if he didn't, he certainly fooled the Stanford class of 2005 with his inspirational and spot-on commencement speech. I had actually blogged about a quote from this chilling speech last week, and like all of us, was unaware we'd lose a true visionary and creative genius just yesterday. Thank you, Steve Jobs, for changing everyone of our lives in one way or another, and for leaving us with these words that are all too true. Simplicity and truth are what you strived for in both your personal life and your innovative products, and these values are exactly what you've left behind.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
(In concluding his second story)
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
S t e v e J o b s 1 9 5 5 - 2 0 1 1
{via Stanford University News, image via}
9.29.2011
happy birthday mom ♥
I love you and your big heart with all of my tiny little grateful one! You are amazing everyday.
feeling fall
8 days late but here it is: my fall uniform. All I want to do is wear denim shirts (then again, I feel this way every season), red, coral, green or bright blue skinny jeans (Gap’s have THE best stretch….I picked up the bright watermelon), nude booties, simple gold stackable rings, a touch of leopard and a roomy, light leather bag. Fresh and easy is how I like it these days, and that’s how I plan on keepin’ it!
<shirt, hat, ring (another option), bag, booties (J.Crew’s Metropolitan Ankle Booties from last year…hello, ebay), pants>
How about these wonderful and cozy fall looks from Lonny (yeah, those leopard loafers are ah-mazing) and A Cup of Jo? What are you guys into this season (ignoring the fact that it's still 76 degrees outside J)?
9.28.2011
9.22.2011
fall jewels
New York Based jewelry designer Caroline is spot on with her beautiful collection, BRVTVS. I can't wait to buy the Double Chain Link Ring and wear it everyday! It feels like the perfect accessory to welcome fall (although it'll be perfect for every season). AND it's 14k gold. Sold.
{Photo via A Cup of Joe}
9.15.2011
inspiration
Hello, all! I hate how long it's been since I've posted. I haven't forgotten about you — I have just been in the throes of apartment hunting, a process in which I always feel so control-less with, and truly haven't been able to focus on some lighter things. The simple stuff that makes us happy! And I've been wanting to take a break from that all for a couple of days now and circle back to ma blog — but have been waiting for something to truly inspire me. Voila — here it is.
With all of the hype surrounding Jacqueline (which everyone now knows is pronounced "Jacque-leen") Kennedy Onassis and the eight hours of her elegant, breathy voice recorded on audio tapes now released, I once again became enthralled in the Kennedy clan and their seductive spell (this happens probably 4x a year for me, when I can't stop picking up old books I've already read about them and wont tire of looking at photos for days. Yeah, I'll be the first to call me out here). It's just so fascinating!
Anyway, this got me thinking about John F. Kennedy Jr. and his beautiful wife, Carolyn. I remember the awful day 12 years ago when we learned their plane with missing (with them, Carolyn's sister Lauren Bessette). I was merely the young age of 12, yet I couldn't pull myself away from the television screen at my grandparent's house while my cousins were outside splashing around in the pool. I actually remembering praying they'd be okay. To me, they are were the epitome of style and New York chic, and well, they will always be just that -- and their grace, a constant source of inspiration.
{all photos via Habitually Chic}
9.01.2011
8.31.2011
more more and more missoni (for target) !!!
I am shamelessly counting down the days (ah hem, 13) until Missoni for Target hits stores, and my bedroom takes a turn for the better (the quilt shown here has been factored into my mid-September budget). It's like Christmas.
(via all the way up here.)
8.23.2011
Fifi du Vie
8.22.2011
a jack kinda day
I Among the FULL day (cumulatively, it was 24 hours) that I spent on the road this past week, yesterday's trek from Cape Cod to Connecticut was particularly charming and much needed. One, it was spent with my sister, and two, we listened to every Jack Johnson album there is.
Listening to his music is like rereading an old special book. You've got to do it every once and a while to remember how much it moves you. What a story teller, right? And who else can take the most complex subjects and thoughts and put them into peaceful, rhythmical waves of words that make complete sense? If ya ask me, no one does it exactly like Jack.
I think I'm going to go listen some more tonight….it seems like one of those days.
xoKate
Never knowing / Shocking but we're nothing / We're just moments / We're clever but we're clueless / We're just human / Amusing but confusing / But the truth is / All we got is questions / We'll never know
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