Highlights

Posted in Holidays, Life by C.

1-2013-11-17 18.23.34

{Seeking: Holiday Cheer.}

It feels like LA has finally made the switch to chillier temperatures along with the now much shorter sunlit days. Fall seems to have made its grand entrance, with nods to winter seeping through. I find myself breaking out warmer coats and turning the heat on in the evenings when I get home. It seems everywhere I go, every store I walk into – turkeys and pumpkins, red and green, greet me. Indeed, the holidays are a-coming!

I thought the best way to welcome this more festive time of year would be to cross-off a little something I’ve always wanted to do on my” LA bucket-list.” It’s no secret that I get my holiday cheer from The Grove. (Yes, you read that right, The Grove). I’ve always been a sucker for the bright decorations, Santa’s mansion (that thing couldn’t possibly pass for a “cottage” – it’s bigger than my apartment!) and the 100-foot tall REAL Christmas Tree. I’ve always wanted to go to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, but usually when I think about it, it’s already happened! This year, I was on my game and made my wish come true…well, not exactly.

The Grove’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, dubbed the Rockefeller of the West Coast, took place on Sunday, November 17th, 2013. After an early dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, my boyfriend and I walked over to The Grove to stake out a good spot and welcome the holidays with a free concert. I had my camera ready to take lots of pictures (because this was going to a great blog post!). I was ready to sing Christmas songs with this year’s performances by Toni Braxton, Babyface, Mary J, Blige, and CeeLo Green, among others.

Yeah, so I was there for about 5 minutes.

Though we expected the nearly 10,000 people making their way to the celebration, I wasn’t prepared for how they choose to set-up the venue. I was more than happy and prepared to be in the back (way in the back) because I was NOT going to spend my entire Sunday staked out for a free concert in a shopping center. However, I wasn’t expecting them to have already put up Santa’s Mansion either.

If you’ve even been to the Grove, Santa’s “Mansion” sits right in the middle of the shopping plaza. Essentially, Santa’s Mansion blocked the ENTIRE view of the stage. The only way to see the show as on a monitor (that wasn’t very large or very high) to see the performances. Here’s photo proof, note the tiny ass monitor:

1-Blend-001

{note: tiny ass monitor, people everywhere and Santa’s mansion = no view of stage.}

In this moment, we had two choices. Stand in a crowd among thousands, not being able to see the action, but hearing it live (not a horrible option)….or go home and wait for the broadcast.

We chose the latter.

If I wanted to see a show on a tiny monitor, I could do that from the comfort of my couch…in my warm apartment…in my PJs. And thus begins and ends my tale of trying to grab a little holiday cheer.

The ceremony broadcasts in Los Angeles on KCAL-9, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day) at 8:00 p.m. Check here for other listings.

I feel like it’s been a minute since I just said “hello” due to the film festival wrap-up as my post last Friday. Here are a few randoms on life lately. Have a great weekend!

1-IMG_20131109_133808

{Wrapping my boyfriend’s b-day gift.}

1-IMG_20131111_093435

{Where the magic happens. Especially on Monday mornings @ Starbucks.}

1-IMG_20131110_120904

{“Selfie:” officially a word in the dictionary as of this week AND Oxford’s word of the year!}

Words from Rumi

1-Sun

If you are seeking, seek us with joy

For we live in the kingdom of joy.

Do not give your heart to anything else

But to the love of those who are clear joy,

Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair.

For there are hopes: they are real, they exist –

Do not go in the direction of darkness –

I tell you: suns exist.

– Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

8Nov2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

1-IMG_20131102_121131

{decisions, decisions.}

Well into November, and what a busy month it will be. My boyfriend’s birthday, AFI Fest, the first meeting of my new book club (where I need to haul ass and get the book done!), Thanksgiving, stressing over all things Christmas, and things oh-so-busy at the office…you know, the works!

I realized recently that while I make a conscious effort to take care of myself by eating healthy, and getting enough sleep – I’ve likely been in a weird mood lately because I’m falling into that trap again where I’m not taking the time to slow down and relax more, getting out of my head, and indulging in things that make me truly happy. And even doing the things that don’t necessarily make me happy at the time, but I’m always glad I did (I’m looking at you “gym”).

I know they say money doesn’t buy you happiness (though I beg to differ because it certainly did in this case – ha!), but I think the biggest highlight over the last week was on Saturday morning. My guy and I got up after a good night’s sleep and went out to breakfast, then I went out to splurge on the first professional pedicure I’ve had in over a year. Queue the relaxation…

If there’s one way I would start out every Saturday morning, it would be to sit in a small café, cradling a latte, eating pancakes with strawberries on top, and chatting with him. There’s nowhere to be, and nothing else to do right then and there. It was the happiest moment I’ve had (aside from being Spooked the weekend before) in quite some time. Of course, this would get expensive quickly so it’s unrealistic for now, especially since I’m no slack in the kitchen when it comes to making breakfast on the weekends – but I guess the change of pace and environment was nice. And sitting in a spa chair for half an hour for a pedicure was the icing on the cake!

This weekend kicks off 2013’s AFI Fest so I’ll be in the heart of Hollywood all weekend long saturated by the best in cinema. I love the eclectic mix of films and being in the environment with other cinephiles, though the waiting in line for hours before each film is not my favorite part. It’s amazing how draining it is just waiting around for a movie to start. At least I’ll be in good company. Since I have over half a book to get through before my book club next week, my Kindle and I will spend some time together while I wait. I’ll post about the film festival next week, complete with the films I saw and a wrap-up of the experience. I’m on the docket to check out 6 new films in the next 3 days! In the meantime, you can read about last year’s experience here.

Have a marvelous weekend everyone…and treat yourself to breakfast if you can. It’s worth every single cent to splurge sometimes.

1-Recently Updated2

{Purple pedi splurge.}

25Oct2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

The last two weeks have been quite the whirlwind…and not necessarily in a good way. I suppose the silver lining is that with every complication comes a lesson to know better, and do better next time. Aside from not feeling so well, the last few weeks have been extremely draining mentally and emotionally – in a way that I can’t seem to really get back on track with. The bottom line is that I would love to get away, even for a long weekend and completely unplug. And while there’s value in a stay-cation (and trust me, I’m a huge supporter of those!), I’m talking about a real trip. It’s to the point, I’m about to pack up my car and head somewhere solo for a few days. I just need a break. A real one. In fact, just looking at this picture above makes me so incredibly happy, it’s the highlight of a rather not-so-swell week. Perhaps it’s because you get to leave your problems behind for a while and open yourself to new surroundings that appeal to me. And not necessarily to merely escape, but as a method to rejuvenate your spirit in such a way that you’re ready to revisit and tackle those everyday life nuances more refreshed.

So what’s the source of some of this thought? Well, I’ve been spending a lot of time recently thinking about what I want in my life and why certain things don’t seem to be measuring up to get even a little bit closer to that vision, thinking carefully about my role in particular. I know that the goal in life is to be grateful for what you have and find happiness in that, and of course, this is something I often tell myself when I get down about something. But, such as life, things have been off. The frustrating thing is that I know what those things are, but not necessarily what to do about them – though I’m taking steps to try to address them. You can’t sit around and complain, you have to do something, right?

Since no one wants be around a Negative Natalie (even online) there were moments that brought a smile to my face and from the most simplistic of things recently. I’ve been spending some time watching old horror movies, to get into the Halloween spirit – even putting up my old go-to pumpkin lights and turning them on at night has been so much fun when I’m lounging around at home. I’ve been enjoying my new Chromecast – getting sucked into an array of new TV shows, (Hostages and Sleepy Hollow seem to make the cut); while easily falling into Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. While I can’t say I want to do something quite as drastic as her story at the moment – I do wonder what it would be like to pick-up and have that type of adventure that seemingly offers her the chance to reflect and re-balance her life. If I were do ever do something like that, I’d channel more of an Eat, Pray, Love story and head to Europe for awhile (minus the whole messy divorce/mental breakdown it took to get there). 🙂

So until I get to my version of the picture above, I’ve taken a friend’s recommendation and jumped on a great deal to a day spa in town through Amazon Local where I fully intend to veg out in the near future for a few hours, telling myself to always remain grateful. And don’t mistake me, I know that I am. But what’s wrong with wanting something a little more?

Have a great weekend!

Candi

*click picture for image source.

14Oct2013

5 Reasons This Week Will Rock

Posted in Beauty, Books, Life, Television by C.

Happy Monday! A few things that I’m looking forward to that should make for an exciting week…

IMG_20131013_112300

1. An impromptu visit to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica this weekend brought a few new treasures to play with all week long. These big brown eyes of mine will have a little more drama than usual thanks to an old gal pal’s recommendation for Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara. I’m in love! Bonus points for cashing in on my Sephora rewards points for Victor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb – my new signature scent this week. Hello, gorgeous!

2. Starting a new read for my new book club. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed is on my Kindle and ready to go!

3. My Chromecast will be here in a few short days and I’m beyond excited to expand my entertainment options. I jumped on this gadget the moment I saw the email announcing its awaited release. A small step for those of us who refuse to pay for cable…at least for the time being.

4. Looking forward to getting into the Halloween spirit this coming weekend. A visit to the Sherwood Mansion for the annual Sherwood Scare is sure to set the tone. Beware boys and girls!

5. Netflix has done it again. Like my recent addictions to Thirty Rock and Friday Night Lights, I’m discovering juicy new entertainment (that’s been off the air for ever and I’m just now getting to it). I’m sure any time I have to myself this week will find me in front of my TV devouring Gossip Girl.

xoxo,

Candi

9Oct2013

What I’m Lovin’ Right Now

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Food, Inspiration by C.

“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
― Maya Angelou

I’m in the mood for a little sharing of wisdom today. I came across this great quote from Maya Angelou and the moment I read it, it spoke to me. The more I thought about it, the more the words rang true – and not purely from the perspective of building an intimate relationship with someone (which is sound advice), but in every single relationship in our lives (that so-called “friend” that always flakes on you comes to mind). This message, while pertinent to all, is particularly important for us gals – who have a tendency not to honor our worth at times and just take what we can get.

This theme also runs through a great blog post I came across yesterday, Hannah Brencher’s 25 Things Every Woman Needs To Know. She poignantly and humorously touches on this concept throughout her entry and reading her words brought some light to my day. I hope Maya and Hannah’s advice bring a spot of inspiration to yours as well.

Here’s what I’m lovin’ right now…

Blend

25 Things Every Woman Needs To Know.
A little bold liner, red lips inspiration.
One of my favorite photos of Wendy Nguyen from Wendy’s Look. Simply Breathtaking.
Apple Pie Sandwiches. Recipe from tasteofhome.com.
Essie Nail polish in Bangle Jangle – perfect for fall!
Franco Sarto Celeste Riding Boots.
Light Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Recipe via People.com.

4Oct2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

1-New folder (2)

{fall fashion. now on rotation. cheesy looking in the distance photo with the sun in your eyes, optional.}

I’m the type of girl who likes to get shit done (pardon my French). It gives me great satisfaction to cross things off my to-do list, sooner than later, and even greater satisfaction to deliver on a given promise well before you’d even expect it. I’m on it. You can depend on me.

As I’m writing this post, I can’t do that and it irks me to no end – in part, because I’m waiting on sometime else to do something that directly impacts my ability to deliver. Not the best case scenario when you’re a self-proclaimed perfectionist who likes to get shit done.

This has been happening a lot this week.

And being the analytical “what’s the lesson in this” type of person I also am, I suppose I’m being trained on a healthy dose of building patience. Particularly, when something is out of my control and not going the way I want it to. Yippee.

Aside from these minor frustrations, it’s been a good week that solidly rocked. Boots and scarves have been on steady rotation and as the weather continues to cool down, I find that I’m ready for fall. Until I checked the weather moments ago and noticed that we’ll be back up into the 80’s over the weekend. Oh well. I’ll unpack my sandals for one last hurrah (who am I kidding, I never pack away warm-weathered anything, a heat wave could strike at any moment).

The highlights (aside from permission to indulge in a little fall fashion) were quite simplistic much of the week. While I do relish checking out a film after a long day at work, there were a few nights where I got to head home, eat left over pizza every night (after another indulgence that lead to an online order with Pizza Hut), and sit on my couch with my Netflix queue or my Kindle and a candle for a little ambiance. Ah! I do love a night alone to just be quiet every now and then.

When I did make the trek out – it was filled with lots of new films. Mother of George, while an intensely stunning film, full of innovation, and a compelling narrative, ultimately turned flat about 20 minutes before the film ended, which disappointed me because it’s so well-crafted. I’m not saying it was a terrible experience, far from it, but I am saying that the film should’ve ended about 20 minutes before it did. It would’ve been much stronger in my opinion.

Last night I saw, Inequality for All, which couldn’t come at more appropriate time. While the film speaks largely to the causes of the continuing economic gap between the rich and the poor, it also highlights what’s wrong with the distribution of wealth; how astronomical amounts of money are influencing our decisions in Washington, seeping into politics and legislation. This is timely, given the US government’s shutdown earlier this week. I do want to go on a bit of a rant here and say that I cannot for the life of me fathom why this approach is even allowed!!!

“We can’t come to a consensus, so we’ll just shutdown until we do.”

WTF?

Do you know how many businesses and relationships would fall apart day-to-day, all day, everyday, if we all just said “screw it – we can’t agree, so let’s just leave it be…for now.” (Then again, perhaps this is why we have such a high divorce rate in this country.) People are not willing to compromise, though egos are inconveniencing millions of people, and it’s happening in plain sight. The more I think about it, the more I just don’t understand.

The good news is that tonight I’m finishing up the week with Gravity. It’s getting solid reviews, so we’ll see what happens. I’m already happy that it’s only an hour and a half. I would be worried about a 2.5 hour film set in space.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to pulling out those sandals that I didn’t pack away, and will take a trip the Huntington Library to sit in their gorgeous gardens with a spot of tea. I’m really into a book that I’m having trouble putting down so will likely finish by the end of weekend, and I want to put up something festive in salute to Halloween at my place. Most importantly, I need to spend some time just decompressing over the next two days – so that I can get back to the shit I couldn’t get done (pardon my French) a bit more relaxed.

Despite the nuances of the week, life is good and I can’t complain. I’m blessed. Have an amazing weekend! I’ll see you next week 🙂

30Sep2013

5 Reasons This Week Will Rock

Posted in Life by C.

It’s Monday – boo! But it’s another beautiful day and there’s much to be grateful for – yay!

I read once that the best way to beat the Monday blues as you transition back into a “work week frame of mind,” is to make plans and/or think about all the fun things that you’re looking forward to during the week that keep you excited about something. Essentially, just focusing on the good – be it a large event or a small mundane pleasure – instantly puts you in the right space. So I thought this would be a fun new series of posts to experiment with occasionally (similar to my Mixtape Mondays that I do every so often) to see if the mantra of always having something to consciously look forward and be excited about gets you in a celebratory mood…for a Monday.

5 reasons this week will rock…

Hello!!!! The new season of Scandal returns in t-minus 3 days! (Damn you Netflix for causing this new addiction I really don’t need).
Three new movies are on the theater palette this week – Mother of George (on Monday), Inequality for All (on Thursday), and Gravity (on Friday).
V.I.P. parking at work. Not only does it start this week – this indulgence lasts the WHOLE month of October (and yes, this is a HUGE deal for me).
Buy one, get one free at Yogurtland is happening at some point in the very near future – thanks to the random coupon I got in the mail.
A trip to the Huntington Library to spend an afternoon among the most gorgeous of gardens with my favorite person.

I hope this week gives you much to look forward to in your own world as well.

Have a great week guys 🙂

27Sep2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

1-2013-09-25 19.04.34

{My desk feels complete again.}

Well guys. I have some news. I’m in a new relationship and though it’s less than a week old – I think I’m in love! I won’t go into heavy detail about all the various “dates” and losers I had to sift through, the reminiscing about old times with my last love, and all the follow-up research and more dates I went on before I made the commitment, but I will say that as of right now, life is good.

Okay, silly metaphors aside – my first world problem is resolved and I couldn’t be happier about it. I bought a new laptop last weekend on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, after spending the week before heavily researching what I wanted and figuring out how things have changed since I’ve been in the market for a new computer. I’m starting to feel like everything is falling back into place. I struggled a lot with the MacBook Pro versus a higher-end PC and ultimately decided that cost would drive my decision, among important technical and aesthetic specifications and features that I was looking for.

The funny thing is that it’s been so long since I’ve had a new laptop – it’s been strange acclimating to all the fun new differences this one has (I forget that if I touch the screen it reacts – though I’m not sure why laptops with touchscreens are so hot right now anyway!?!). And while I won’t say that I absolutely hate it, because I don’t – Windows 8 is an…adjustment.

With this dilemma behind me, I’m ready to move forward. I’m sure my boyfriend is too, who patiently listened to me talk about nothing but RAM, gigabytes, processors, touch screens, optical drives, screen size, MAC vs. PC, and battery life for a week straight – even happily taking my picture holding the box once I got it home. (Thanks Darlin’!)

1-New folder (2)1

Other highlights during the week were much more simplistic in nature. It’s beginning to feel a lot like fall in LA. I’ve been so stoked not only to feel the gradual shift in weather, but in all things turning pumpkin. Indulging in my first pumpkin spice latte of the season, rockin’ a pair of boots, and feeling the chilly draft in the air when waking up in the morning have been so invigorating after such a hot sticky summer. I was so happy about my latte – I kissed the cup 🙂

1-New folder (2)

The plan this weekend is to spend some time setting up my laptop and trying to crack the code of what the heck Windows 8 is trying to do. I’ll catch a film with my guy and run errands, you know, the usual. I think this a weekend to simply sit back, relax, enjoy the turning of the leaves, and be grateful that life really is good. Have an amazing weekend guys and Happy Fall!

20Sep2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

As the summer wraps up, at least according to the calendar this Sunday (though I’d give it a few more weeks before we’re in the clear from the next heat wave), I’m finding how ready I am for the change in seasons. Of course, sunshine is never too far away in L.A., but I’m terrified to see my next electric bill after a pretty consistent relationship with my air-conditioner at home over the last month.

This so-called last week of summer found me on a complete roller coaster.

Professionally, it’s been a pretty chaotic, but very productive work week – juggling many different projects happening worldwide; along with a happy highlight of spending some time on-set this week supervising the on-camera interviews we’re filming for a series of short documentaries. I’m finding that I love the diversity of the projects happening right now and I’m even more in love with the fact that my responsibilities are changing in a way that feels like growth (uber important to me at this time in my life when it comes my career).

Personally, since my laptop broke up with me last weekend, much of this week was filled with ~~stressing out over~~ researching my next move. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to get up to speed on the laptop market in a way that actually matters and, as expected, I’m overwhelmed with the thousands of options out there. Do I go Mac Book Pro or stick with a sleek and more affordable PC? What are my deal-breakers? (I’m just now catching on to how rare it is for a laptop to have an optical drive which I had in the deal breaker column…until yesterday – go figure). And more specifically, what do I need to do financially to shift around expenses to accommodate this unexpected break-up? I have a plan and everything will be okay in the end. While I know my last post spoke of this great revelation in a new perspective on stress – it still bugs me to have to deal with this right now, and therefore, still causes short spurts of it. (I know, I know.)

So I guess the universe decided to send me yet another message.

On Wednesday night after a much-needed yoga class – I sauntered home tired, thinking about computers, scrambling eggs for dinner, and mentally going through what I could watch in my Netflix queue to unwind some. Interestingly, nothing in my queue appealed to me so I started browsing and literally stumbled across the most life-affirming and moving documentary I’ve seen in a while – with a message that perhaps I needed to hear again, in another form, and even more intensely.

What drew me to the film was the unusual title, 65_RedRoses, and once I read the synopsis something pulled me to put it on among the thousands of other options in front of me.

65_RedRoses follows Eva Markvoort, an instantly lovable and highly spirited 23-year-old, whose lungs are failing from cystic fibrosis. The film enters her life during her difficult journey as she waits for a lung transplant, next on the donor list. Watching her struggle with simply breathing, something many of us take for granted, couldn’t be a more powerful way to shift perspective – not only in living life to the fullest, but in the importance of organ donation.

I had no idea how affected I would be by this film and by Eva’s story.

As soon as the film ended, I literally felt myself opening up and relaxing into a mixture of sadness and gratitude. The trivial stuff that I’d been allowing myself to be bothered by from work issues of the day to laptop worries seemed completely unnecessary, and in the grand scheme of things were and are completely fixable – therefore, unimportant.

What I’ve been thinking as I write these words is whether or not it’s a coincidence that the Oprah Winfrey Network logo was at the beginning of the documentary? I mean, twice in one week I’ve come across these messages (granted this type of stuff is very “Oprah”) that I can’t help but somehow interpret as the universe speaking to me, getting me to just relax and change my thinking and my approach.

Since this seems to be a recurring theme this week, I encourage you to see the film if you can. It’s streaming on Netflix and is available on Amazon Instant Video.

I was saddened to hear of Eva’s story, but I was grateful to have heard it. The tagline of the documentary I later found out is simple, yet profound; particularly because it’s literally true: Every breath counts.

With that, I’m entering the weekend with Eva and the universe’s message on my mind, my laptop worries a very distant second.

#4Eva

Have a wonderful weekend.
Candice