via ffffound

My master diet plan is a fail. I guess my true love for bread can not be compromised. I have somewhat improved on my milk tea, green tea latte addiction, but I think I've just found a replacement more than anything to fill that void- iced coffee. 


I know this may sound really weird but sometimes before I go to bed, I get really excited thinking about what I get to eat the next day. Then I get more excited to sleep so it can be the next day where I can eat it. As if that isn't enough, sometimes I wish I didn't have to sleep and that it was already the next day, kind of like fastforwarding sleep time. Not just with food, even though it usually is, but also with having the idea that it's going to be a brand new day and I can do whatever I'm in the mood for. It's a nice feeling I get really excited about, especially because it's summer.

Need I say more? Wish I was there and not here.

via ffffound, blog

 

Radiohead- Life in a Glass House

I am reading this book that I am really enjoying. It's a guidebook and I've been learning a lot about human relations and just the way we think. So many of us, including myself, go about our lives doing what we want, what we think is right, what will satisfy us, what will make us more important, all through our pompous narrow minds, rarely if never stopping to see how it really works. It's all really simple habits, gestures, and wording that can change an unfriendly situation into a friendly one. I found this one to be interesting - never say "you're wrong." If you begin anything by announcing that the person is wrong it automatically challenges them to oppose whatever you're going to say to prove them wrong before you even start. That can make things difficult to get your point across, let alone persuade, when you've instilled a defensive mentality of adverseness in the other person's mind from the very beginning. 

If you are going to prove anything, don't let anybody know it. Do it so subtly, so adroitly, that no one will feel that you are doing it. This was expressed succinctly by Alexander Pope:

Men must be taught as if you taught them not and things unknown proposed as things forgot.

Galileo said:

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.

Lord Chesterfield said to his son:

Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so.

Socrates said repeatedly to his followers in Athens:

One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.

There's magic, positive magic, in such phrases as: "I may be wrong. I frequently am. Let's examine the facts." Nobody in the heavens above or on the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth will ever object to your saying: "I may be wrong. Let's examine the facts."

"I have found it of enormous value when I can permit myself to understand the other person. The way in which I have worded this statement may seem strange to you. Is it necessary to permit oneself to understand another? I think it is. Our first reaction to most of the statements (which we hear from other people) is an evaluation or judgement, rather than an understanding of it. When someone expresses some feeling, attitude or belief, our tendency is almost immediately to feel "that's right," or "that's stupid," "that's abnormal," "that's unreasonable," "that's incorrect," "that's not nice." Very rarely do we permit ourselves to understand precisely what the meaning of the statement is to the other person."
- Carl Rogers

I completely agree.

To me, this is perfect. I wish I knew who the designer was.

The Darjeeling Limited is probably one my favorite movies from Wes Anderson. Whenever I'm in the mood for something quirky, slightly ridiculous, and some fun music I watch this. And the color palette is so rich and amazing I don't even know where to begin. I think I am a little biased with this movie though, because I really like Adrien Brody and I think of all the movies I've seen him in, his character in The Darjeeling Limited, outfits (those sunglasses) included, is my favorite.

Her dress and her hair.

via stockholmstreetstyle, blog I forgot

There's something about this picture that I can't put my finger on. I've had this as my desktop background for the longest time. I'm not sure if it's the telling juxtaposition of the black building and the white building, the simplicity, or the sense of calm and satisfaction it brings me, but I really like it and wanted to share it with you.

via ffffound

  

Michael Andrews - Mad World

Power of Appreciation

Charles Schwab,
He was only 38 when he was chosen by Andrew Carnegie in 1921 to become the first president of the United States Steel Company, earning a salary of over a million a year. A salary of 50 a week with no income tax was considered being well off so you could only imagine his fortunate circumstance. Schwab was simply picked by Carnegie because of his “ability to deal with people.” These are quotes by Schwab, his secret that shows his character as a person and success in his business. I find them enlightening.

“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise.”

“In my wide association in life, meeting with many and great people in various parts of the world, I have yet to find the person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.”

To further this notion, I have another story I found inspiring.

Paul Harvey, in one of his radio broadcasts, “The Rest of the Story,” told how showing sincere appreciation can change a person’s life. He reported that years ago a teacher in Detroit asked Stevie Morris to help her find a mouse that was lost in the classroom. You see, she appreciated the fact that nature had given Stevie something no one else in the room had. Nature had given Stevie a remarkable pair of ears to compensate for his blind eyes. But this was really the first time Stevie had been shown appreciation for those talented ears. Now, years later, he says that this act of appreciation was the beginning of a new life. You see, from that time on he developed his gift of hearing and went on to become, under the stage name of Stevie Wonder, one of the great pop singers and songwriters of the seventies.

- Paul Aurandt, Lynne Harvey, Dale Carnegie

But remember, flattery and appreciation are two completely different things. Don’t flatter, just be genuine in your appreciation.


I did this post on my tumblr a couple weeks back.

We found this random spot in Irvine near 85 degree celcius bakery. The water was so blue and refreshing, it was nice walking around this little area. There were backyards surrounding this lake, and I thought how nice it would be to sit in your own backyard, looking at this everyday.

Today was the perfect beach weather. Hot and breezy. Surprisingly and satisfyingly, there were not many people at the beach.

I realized something peculiar today. Last time I went to Laguna, my sister and I noticed this tan man going back and forth doing who knows what in his little area (he was digging, shuffling, or creating his own platform with the sand is what we thought) and later when we woke up from our little nap we saw him in a black thong tanning away. Whatever floats his boat. I saw him again today and I knew it had to be him, because he was doing that shuffling and moving operation and he looked like the same guy. That was that. Then two days ago I was in a parking lot and saw these two guys in olive green jumpsuits/uniforms with their guns in their gun straps walking to Chipotle. Today I saw one of them again in the same olive green uniform and gun straps! I knew this had to be the same guy, because I remember seeing them get out of a dark grey truck and today I saw him get into the dark grey truck and not many people wear olive green jumpsuits with gunstraps. I just thought it was interesting, because what are the odds I would see these two strangers again whom I was able to recognize by one's unusual demeanor and one's ensemble and car. I know I may sound like a creeper but it just happened right in front of me and I simply took notice.

      Looking at this picture brings back memories. The closest encounter to a jellyfish besides an aquarium was in Hawaii when I went snorkeling, which by the way was probably the most frightening experience of my life. I thought it would be like what you see on the national geographic or tv where everything is so pretty and wondrous, but it was quite the opposite. I remember the boat stopped at a far distance from the shore so that we could snorkel our way there, enjoying the pretty fishies and coral...all I remember looking at in the water through the magnified goggles were scary looking fishes, eels, and just the depth of the ocean with the magnification of the goggles freaked me out. There were also sea turtles the size of 5 macbooks put together swimming next to us. All I wanted to do was get to the shore as fast as I can and the minute I did I stepped on these rocks that were covered in green stuff which at that time made me believe they would help my feet grasp on when in fact they were the most slipperiest suckers ever. I fell on my butt and it hurt. Next thing I noticed was this boy with a red face, crying while his dad tried to help him. We found out a jellyfish got on his face and left a nasty sting. OH the joy of hearing that and knowing that we still had to swim back to the boat after lunch on the island. This is where I thought it was funny and even thinking back to this day brings back laughs. After lunch, everyone was dreading to swim back in fear of the jellyfish, and we were specifically told never to swim over the coral (which was really high up in the water) because if we damage them it would take years or never to regrow, but at that point everyone was pushing, shoving, and kicking swimming right over the coral to the boat. I swam over the coral (I'm so sorry) and scraped my knee. It started to bleed and sting, but I deserved that.
      One of my biggest fear is being in the middle of the ocean for whatever reason. I'm not a very good swimmer either, and there's so many odd sea creatures/species unknown to mankind I feel like they keep mutating in there with all the pollution and climate changes. But I do let my imagination get the best of me. 

One of the highlights from my trip to San Diego with two good buddies of mine was our stop at Extraordinary Desserts. Extraordinary it was.  

If a man's heart is rankling with discord and ill feeling toward you, you can't win him to your way of thinking with all the logic in Christendom. Scolding parents and domineering bosses and husbands and nagging wives ought to realize that people don't want to change their minds. They can't be forced or driven to agree with you or me. But they may possibly be led to, if we are gentle and friendly, ever so gentle and ever so friendly.

Count your blessings every day.

A little story I had to make for drawing and painting class. It's called Tod and His Balloon and is about a little boy named Tod who is king of his hot air balloon. He eats ice cream in his balloon, screams in his balloon, sleeps in his balloon, flys over Paris in his balloon, makes paper airplanes in his balloon- Tod loves his balloon. Then one day a bird flys by...

I'm going to San Diego tomorrow! I don't remember the last time I was there. Actually I kind of do, but it was a really long time ago maybe when I was in jr. high? I'm pretty excited and looking forward to visiting Extraordinary Desserts. People have been telling me they have the sweetest desserts (haha) and I forgot what San Diego looks like...but I'm sure there's a lot more to do there than here.

Bon Appétit

I call this the random sandwich, because what I put in here is all random. In between the toasted garlic focaccia there's pesto sauce, roast beef, basil, cilantro, tomato, prosciutto, ham, genoa salami, and provolone cheese (hello meat). I love making my own sandwich, because you have the freedom to put in it everything and anything you want.

Summer thrills
1 Kimchi Blue silk lace pintuck cami
2 Shirt from Korea with no brand
3 Reform Village top from Korea
4 Patterson J. Kincaid dress I recently bought and love
5 Ecote surplus jacket

     I realized that I have a summer routine. I don't plan on this beforehand, but every summer I'll make things. I'll alter my old clothes that I've become bored with to make them exciting again, or I'll just sew up something new with a design in my head. Something I'd want to wear but can't seem to find in stores or pay a large amount of money for when it's so easy to just spend a little time and make. Then when I need a break from sewing, I'll just paint or draw. I never get these urges during school, but that's probably because I have so much free time during summer I need to find something to do that is satisfying.
     I also started reading 3 different books. Each very different from the other. One is a terrifying horror story, another is a self help, and the other is an inspiring journey of wisdom. I'll read bits of each, depending on what kind of story I'm in the mood for.