create it. raw.

punch me

2015-08-08T17:56:00.002-04:00

you know those bottom weighted punching bags? they often have them at carnivals, painted like bozo the clown. by the way, what it is with clowns for children? they're not fun, they're creepy!! anyway, those punching bags look like this:

you punch them again and again and again, but because they're weighted on the bottom, they just annoyingly pop back up every single time. and that stupid clown, my friends, is what i feel like so often in life.

i feel like i am constantly getting knocked down, crushed by bout after bout of winding blows. and yet, i have to somehow figure out how to get back up and dust myself off, just to be knocked down again. wtf. my, what a glutton for punishment i am.

but no, if i think of it another way, i have to laud myself for my resiliency. and i do. because sometimes i take a look at the landscape around me and i see other punching bags that have lost their fight. they got too tired, too timid, too scared, too hurt, and so they deflated themselves. they let someone or something else take their air out and steal their light from right underneath their noses. what a shame, because there is another way...

every time i get knocked down, i get to keep that scar, that trauma, that lesson, that weight. because i earned it. and i get to add it to the pile of weights at my bottom. and over time, with every hurt that i am willing to endure and take on, i actually become sturdier and more stable. it's going to be harder and harder to knock me off of my center.

yeah, so keep punching, life. i got this.

(nyc)

the art of travel

2015-02-03T20:13:00.001-05:00

aaahhhh, i'm so excited for my next trip that i'm practically salivating. in fact, i'm already almost all packed. a month in advance :)

there's something that i just LOVE about airports. all the rushing and chaos and brightly lit corridors. i know most people dread them and love to complain about the state of travel these days, but to me, it's all just a part of the excitement! and i absolutely love love love the people watching. i like checking out the destinations board with all the different airlines (international ones are always infinitely more interesting to me), seeing how people are dressed, ogling all the overpriced candy at the newspaper stands, imagining who the first class passengers are and what they do, and wondering about the lives of passing flight attendants. everything and everyone is moving at a higher than normal speed with a firm destination in mind. i love it. i love it so much that i actually don't mind getting to the airport way early.

and then once i actually get tucked into my seat and we break through the clouds, i am always fascinated by this concept of being neither-here-nor-there. for those few hours, we are all in a moment of mid-air suspension, flying through time and space. quite a miracle, isn't it? and within this silver capsule, it seems as if someone just hit the pause button on life. the time i have right then and there, just hanging, is one of the few moments i have of being totally out of touch yet so in tune with my thoughts and my body. if the passenger next to me chats me up, i could honestly be anyone i want to be. i could make up a whole life story and they would never know. and somehow, just that thought alone, frees me up to start thinking - who is it that i want to be? what's going on in my life right now? i don't have to be anywhere, answer to anyone, and have absolutely no control over how to get from point A to point B. so i just ride, looking out at the clouds, drinking my tea, just reflecting, just breathing, just being.

whenever i go somewhere, it's always a game to see how little i can pack. i pull together all my favorite clothes first, then slowly whittle it down from there, trying to see what can be worn easily multiple ways. usually it comes down to a pair of jeans, black pants, leggings, a couple of tanks, then a few shirts both short and long-sleeved. a sweater, my motorcycle jacket, a dress that can be dressed up or down, a baseball cap, some underwear/socks/bras, a swimsuit, flip flops (for the hotel), flats, sneakers and a pair of heels. i still haven't figured out how to take less shoes than that, which bothers me. it also always surprises me how much space toiletries take up, even though i have a very minimal maintenance routine. hmm, still working on those parts. as for the plane ride itself, i always take a scarf, my own tea bags, a water bottle that i fill up once i get past security, antibacterial wipes, magazines, and of course, snacks. good ones include walnuts, hummus, crackers, carrot sticks, oranges or grapefruit (the fresh scent makes such a welcome difference in the stale air), cherries, grapes, snap peas, oatmeal, and instant miso soup or cup of noodles for longer flights. throw in a pair of sunglasses, my phone+charger, wallet, passport, and i'm set. i can fit everything in a compact carry on plus purse and i love feeling so efficient. kind of like george clooney in "up in the air" hehe :)

why do i love being a nomad so much? it's not just the places themselves i love to go, but even just the act of getting there... all the preparations, the anticipation, the constant adjustments i have to make to arrive at my destination. i wish i felt that way about all things in my life, this journey, this process...

as always, to be continued...

(nyc)

#travel #nomadic #traveltips #airports

happy new year world!!!

2015-01-01T14:05:00.001-05:00

"it is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

- theodore roosevelt

#manypathsonelove #walkinblessing

(nyc)

the art of spoonage

2014-04-06T21:25:00.001-04:00

via

i met up with one of my oldest friends today, and as we criss-crossed the city walking and talking through central park and rockefellar center, we discussed the delicate nature of relationships commonly known as big spoon-little spoon.

what makes one a big spoon and makes the other the little one? there are all sorts of realms this covers, from everyday responsibilities (who cooks? who gets up early to walk the dog? who plans the dates or the travel?) to financial/career to even physical, but most importantly, what about emotional? usually big spoons tend to be the givers, forgivers, providers, while little spoons like to be nurtured and coddled. big spoons are respectable and admirable, but honestly, who doesn't love being the little spoon? i firmly believe that even the biggest of spoons want to be little spoons. because we all love being appreciated and feeling cared for.

i think that's the trick. that no matter how it's weighted in all other areas, as long as one feels valued, respected and a little adored, everything kind of balances itself out in the end. of course there are those who just have no clue what's even going on, but as long as you're not an emotional fork (the ones not even in spoon territory!), a little awareness and gratitude goes a long long way.

keeping life simple :)

(nyc)

new year, new steps

2014-01-21T20:50:00.001-05:00

recently i went hiking at runyon canyon in LA, one of my favorite little spots in the city.

i like the hike because it's easily accessible, doesn't take a lot of time, and gets you up and moving. there's a part of the path though that can be steep and strenuous, if you go up the hard way. on a hot day, it makes it even harder. but after doing it three days in a row, i noticed that the hike got easier and easier, and i got faster and faster. i also realized, i didn't have to run up the mountain and be superwoman, i just needed to put one foot in front of the other and get to the top. my pace didn't matter, so long as i finished, because going slow was better than not going at all.

we are conditioned to think that life is supposed to happen like it does in the movies - unsurmountable obstacles, heroic actions, instant life-altering outcomes. but life is actually a lot more like runyon. not the biggest baddest hike ever, but just challenging enough to require some amount of proactivity. and it's the everyday conditioning, the daily habits and small choices, that propel your life in a forward momentum. it gets easier. and whether you are a tiny dog, a super famous celebrity, or just a regular joe schmoe, we all walk the path the same way - step by step.

#manypathsonelove #walkinblessing

(los angeles)

random videos: like

2013-09-17T15:37:00.001-04:00

are you aware of what you eat?

diagnosis: serious case of wanderlust:

oh greece:

intro for an animated film festival in korea! done by a kick ass director, christopher kezelos, that i've collaborated with before to do translation edits and brainstorming sessions for ideas:

i seem to like cartoons... the child in me is still jumping with glee... :)

(nyc)

don't judge...

2013-09-17T13:15:00.003-04:00

(nyc)

emotional residue

2013-06-26T15:24:00.000-04:00

how clever you were
to let me think that i was the one in control
that i held the key to your cage and i had locked you up
when in reality
it was you who had let me stretch my legs
stretch my heart
how absolutely foolish of me
to believe that i had become free of you

a single look
and i am right back...
to this.

hello old friend
so we meet again

you are the price i pay to be human
to be a lover
to be a warrior,

of light.

(nyc)

just give me a reason...

2013-04-20T22:39:00.002-04:00

this song moves me to a place i haven't felt in a long long time... it makes me ache...

(nyc)

eşref armağan

2013-04-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

isn't it amazing, what we are capable of knowing, seeing, doing, even without the conventional means of doing so? i came across this last year and this artist resonated with me so...

a followup video that was done with him:

and i truly believe that faith works in the same way. we don't need to see to believe, we already instinctively feel and know so much more deeply and truthfully with our spirit... we just have to trust ourselves more, to know that it's all real, all of it...

(nyc)

anais nin

2013-03-31T23:54:00.001-04:00

"each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

(los angeles)

presence.

2013-03-14T17:54:00.001-04:00

this brought tears to my eyes.

back in 2010, the artist marina abramovic did an installation performance exhibit called "the artist is present" at the MOMA. each person would get one minute to sit across from her while she would just be fully present with that person, often bringing them to tears.

"marina abromovic and ulay started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. when they felt the relationship had run its course, they decided to walk the great wall of china, each from one end, meeting for one last big hug in the middle and never seeing each other again."

when marina did her piece at the MOMA, ulay arrived without her knowing and this is what happened:

my god, life is so beautiful.

(nyc)

eunoia

2013-03-02T16:13:00.001-05:00

my favorite new vocabulary word ^_^

(nyc)

just. beautiful.

2013-02-21T22:20:00.001-05:00

this gave me a totally new understanding of yoga, love it:

#seanecorn #yoga

striving...

(nyc)

fresh squeezed

2013-01-28T20:23:00.002-05:00

if you squeeze/beat/pummel/etc an orange, you get:

voila! orange juice!

what happens when you come under pressure? what comes out of your insides? how do you handle yourself and what does it say about you?

it's easy to be nice, smiling and beautiful when all is well. but when it's game on, that's when true character comes out...

as for me, i need to learn to be more patient :p

(washington dc)

up close and personal

2013-01-22T01:38:00.000-05:00

did you know that this - sand -

underneath a microscope looks like this?

amazing, isn't it?

i was walking down park avenue today when i suddenly teared up at the thought of someone that i miss very much from time to time. when i think of him in the general sense, i totally appreciate his overall beauty and the wonder he brought to my life.

he crossed my mind today, just for a moment. but some reason, i didn't just think of him this time, i felt him. specifically. and that's what made my heart ache. i could see the outline of his skinny face, his crinkly blue eyes and i remembered what it felt like to walk next to his tall, lanky amble.

details. they've been on my mind. i've been learning more and more that it's the details that give us something to latch onto. the tiny little crooks and curves and hollows are the building blocks of our lives, our works, our loves. some of us get mired down and lost in the minutiae, while others never learn to focus beyond the big hazy outlines. obviously the trick is to learn the balance, but i've always tended to process the whole before the parts.

but over the past few years, i've started realizing the magic intricacy of specifics, more and more. today's memory reinforced this lesson for me in an ever more concrete way.

i'm working on building something, and i'm excited about the individual specks of sand. but i also can't wait to pile together a whole beach for everyone to play on.

s, i know you're always there with me in spirit and i'm forever grateful for your angel wings and guidance.

working, hustling...

(nyc)

just one breath

2013-01-10T22:23:00.001-05:00

to begin centering...

new year, new start.
God, help me with this mountain i'm about to climb because i'm not even sure how big it is.

(tulum, mexico)

happy new year world!!! ;D

2013-01-01T23:21:00.001-05:00

#yearofthehustle #gonnamakestuffhappen

huuuuuge smile on my face

2012-12-19T00:40:00.000-05:00

every. single. time. i watch this:

love love love.

(nyc)

feeding souls

2012-12-15T19:31:00.001-05:00

i sometimes do this for fun:

i've always loved cooking, entertaining and having people over. some of my earliest memories center around the huge dinner parties that my parents would throw, when my mom would wear her special long dresses.

i love the creativity of imagining dishes, pulling them together and serving them to the hungry hungry hippos. it genuinely makes me happy to feed my friends, which is why i started helping friends and then even friends of friends with their parties. i've done dinners for 10 and dinners for 150. give me a credit card and a kitchen, and i will help you get everyone fat, drunk and happy. food nourishes our bodies, but the act of getting together in festivity nourishes our souls as well. a good dinner party does that.

which is why it bothers me when people are dismissive and look right through me. i don't do events full-time, this is not my regular job, and even if it was, why should that mean you lose your manners? i do this because i enjoy it, and i'm actually here as a friend of the host because they don't know how to do everything and need help. but i often get mistaken for "the help" and it's interesting how people's true natures come out. i see the social climbers, the arrogant schmoozers, and the too-cool-for-school posers with the "fancy" job titles. in a different setting, these are the same types that want to network with me because i went to the "right" schools and know the "right" people. really?

but then there are the special ones. the ones who look you in the eye, say thank you and ask questions. i appreciate them the most because they are why i do what i do. i'm there to make sure you eat, drink and be merry.

so my hats off to you, humble partiers. i'll toast to you because your appreciation makes the world a brighter place, and there will always be a place for you at my dinner table.

bon apetit and cheers!

(nyc)

um yeah, i said that.

2012-12-12T01:52:00.001-05:00

in my defense, i've been sick and coughing up phlegm all week...

my lovely sister posts this up to facebook with the caption "my sister, the genius. hahaha...."
;D

(nyc)

swph

2012-11-28T02:39:00.001-05:00

a love letter to you, dear little one...

i remember... i remember chasing you around the parking lot and covering you with kisses when i would catch you. i remember that one perfect picture we took. i was kissing you on the cheek and it made you so happy, you winked at the camera. and everytime i came over, you showed me that photo. it was a reminder of you, of us, of our time together. and that picture stayed frozen in my mind for all the years that came after that, and i know it did for you too. it bound us together and it created a special place in the both of our hearts for each other.

i remember smothering you with affection, even as you grew up and moved away, and every point of contact i had with you was drenched in fondness. but the points grew further and further in between and i got busy... and seeing you after all those years, last thanksgiving, was amazing. i'm so glad i forced your dad to drive all that way. and i would've taken the heat for you a million times over when you got in trouble with him... i wish i would've kept up better, but i kept thinking we had time. you got better and i thought you were ok. you were young, you were strong, you had beaten it already.

you're frozen at 3 years old for me, you always were. and 3 is too young to go already, too fast to leave this party when you just arrived... i think you could tell, right? how proud i was to see you, to know you again... but i'm happy for you, i feel joy for you, because i know how light and free you are right now. and i know you know all my thoughts and love for you, the unspoken ones...

little one, go in peace... the love remains, always... always... we shall meet again soon enough...

your highest truth

2012-11-26T16:10:00.000-05:00

i had an interesting conversation with a friend not that long ago. we were talking about how most men are afraid of being tied down and forced into a commitment, so most often, they're found running away in order to remain "free." and he said that his fellow mates were so silly and they had gotten it all wrong.

"they've just never truly been loved by a woman. because once you've had that, you have no appetite for anyone less." my friend went on to tell me how he had no tolerance for young girls, for stupid games, for anyone afraid of standing in their own full power. he explained that being in a real relationship had actually liberated him, rather than tied him down, because she kept challenging him to become bigger and fuller and more beautiful of a person. "i would not have discovered the depths of myself had she not made me step up. not because she kept provoking me, but because she was so full and aware of herself, that it made me want to match her light."

what does that say about you if you're afraid? afraid of being a man? afraid of a relationship instead of seeking out the liberations of one? why is commitment a bad word, when you wouldn't hesitate to commit to a winning company, a rewarding career, or even a losing sports team? what are you so scared of?

and what does it say about you if you're afraid of being a woman? afraid of unleashing your brightness? and why are you chasing a "commitment" from someone else when your greatest commitment will always be yourself?

people get confused... i'm seeking light and freedom, that's the end of the story. maybe you'll join me, maybe you'll continue to wander in the shadows... but i promise you, the leap is worth it.

(nyc)

just because

2012-11-26T15:31:00.002-05:00

to begin, anew.

2012-11-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

and the sun finallllllly rises in my life...

i started a journey, a long loooooong time ago, not knowing what a rabbit hole i would fall into when i opened up a particular book. i had just graduated college, and didn't even know how to ask questions. it had never even crossed my mind to question life and the things that happened within my own because i had lived contentedly, blindly, up until then.

but this book asked me a very clear question that i could not answer: what is the biggest risk you've ever taken?

for some reason, it bothered me, to my core, that i couldn't answer this. and the reason was because i had never taken one, not a true one.

and thus started the process of a thousand steps, incessant searching and questioning, asking why and what, who, how, when, where, time, space, distance, connections, purpose, religion, spirituality, my soul, the universe, reasons - it was endless. what was to be my life path? and how would i get there?

i very quickly realized that i had an enormous appetite for risk, in the quest for answers. i continually threw away the things that society deemed proper, important, necessary, in order to have a "happy" life. i wanted enlightenment, not things to soothe and lull me into complacency.

and then i found it. unexpectedly, in a strange yet exactly perfect way, i met God in italy. it's sounds preposterous to declare something like that so baldly, but through a culminating set of circumstances and an angel in disguise, i literally came face to face with the One. and i became forever changed.

it cemented my faith and my being in such an immovable way, and completely opened up my insides. i saw things from an altogether different perspective. and it was beautiful, the way i could see people and life and circumstances now. no judgements, no unkindnesses, no pettiness. when i could see the world through God's eyes, all i could see was love. perfect love.

but i didn't tell anyone or explain anything to my family and friends. it seemed pointless, and crazy. what did it matter if i had met God or met george clooney? ultimately, what would matter most would be the way i carried myself, the way i treated others, and that my conduct should speak louder than words.

but the trouble with experiencing something like that is that you don't want to go back. i didn't want to be here in this life anymore, because what i had seen beyond was so much more profoundly beautiful. it's like growing up in a desert, then tasting an ice cream sundae for the first time in your life. so i spent the next set of years chasing ice cream in my life in different forms, trying again to live constantly in that light at the end of the tunnel.

i felt as if i could never fully breathe a deep, perfect breath. i wanted so badly to exhale, but nothing felt right. i kept inhaling and inhaling, never to find the right outlet in which to channel all my energies. i wanted it to be acting. i love the craft and art of it, to be able to inhabit different forms and move people to new places and realizations within themselves. and even as i got close or hit the marker sometimes, i never felt 100% secure that it was my calling, the way that some of my other friends just know. it's all they know and their conviction is beautiful.

but all along, i had been writing my entire life. writing for myself turned into writing for others, editing, ghostwriting and even life-coaching and writing therapy. and it so naturally fit me - who i am, how i've been trained and what i've experienced. i could find fulfillment through helping others find their path.

one of my favorite stories growing up was cinderella, like many other little girls. but i never wanted to be the princess, i always wanted to be the fairy godmother. i wanted to be the one to help make people happy and grant tiny wishes with a swipe of a wand. i thought this fairy godmother had the coolest power imaginable, and i had always longed to possess that kind of magic. i believed in it. the power to light up someone else's life by helping them, even if only for a night, and in ways known and unknown.

but sometimes one gets tired. i felt richly rewarded in so many ways, but i also felt drained and mired down with responsibility. i became invested in people and outcomes, and built up expectations. and as i dug deeper into the writing and coaching world, i slowly realized that i felt stuck and exhausted. i knew i had the ideas, the capability and the resources, but i lost the desire. i wanted to do something concrete for myself, not for everyone else.

for as long as i can remember, i've been giving out my time, my ears, my support and benefit of the doubt. not just with writing, but in every area of my life. many times, this made me "dumb" in the eyes of others, like i was some smiling dolt who couldn't read between the lines. it wasn't that i couldn't, but because it didn't matter. in the grand scheme of things, don't you realize how much more you can be? that's the you that i was seeing, even if you didn't know it yourself. i saw your beauty, your love, and it was never about getting anything back. i gave because i alone wanted to. the very act of it made me happy, regardless of your subsequent actions.

but my constant outward focus left little energy for me. and the questions never stopped, they only got louder. if my path was not to follow a life of acting or writing, what was my purpose? why was i still here??

so i decided to throw everything away.

to let it aaaalllllll go. every single thing i've been holding onto, arguing with God as to why i should follow this path or that. i gave up. and i realize now, that this breaking point has been years in the making.

the past few years have been filled with some huge life shifts and tests of my faith, strength and will. many times i felt small and broken, completely vulnerable, fragile and stressed out. other times, i felt light as air and completely immersed in the flow and Oneness of the universe, full of gratitude. they were all flip sides of the same coin. and it didn't matter which side of the line i kept falling on, the only true decision i had to make was this - to let go or not?

it happened very quickly, the firming up of this decision to just let Life take over, one literal cross-country plane ride. and how funny it is, that the exact moment you make peace within yourself is the exact same moment Clarity decides to ride in on a white horse like some knight in shining armor. in a split instant, i felt my calling.

i've had an idea brewing inside of me for a few years, but its proper place in my life was on the very back shelf of my mind. and the moment i decided to throw out everything-everyone-every hope-every expectation-every possible outcome-every half-answer in my life up till this point, my Calling jumped out of the ashes like a rising phoenix. and it feels amazing.

i feel like i can finally breathe again, for the first time in my life, since all those years ago when i first woke up to God's presence. i just feel this perfect clarity and my whole life makes sense, including all the "detours" and pit stops.

it still involves a large degree of my childhood fantasies of being a fairy godmother, but in a newly aligned way that will nourish both me and others. it all feels perfect. it's not about momentum or obstacles or working hard. i just see my path lit up before me, a total natural unfolding of my life's purpose. not to say that other doors are completely closed, but only if it works out down the road in alignment with my overall calling.

i feel such peace within.

now that i know exactly which mountain i'm supposed to climb, i start.

thank you for reading this, i'll see you in a few.

walk in blessing, youri.