a Beautiful Weekend

I love love this weather! It feels like summer already! We totally skipped Spring, lol. Anyway I'm starting to appreciate my free time even more now because I realize I have so little during the weekdays. I don't know if I like that.. haha. But! I'm still adjusting to this new schedule! This weekend was easy going since I had a lot of sleep to catch up on. But then of course, I had to make some time and grab some din din with one my besties! We ate at one of my faves, Umami Burger. I love that place. I decided I should treat myself to some delicious hearty & meaty foods since I've been eating vegan for lunch since I started working. Greens give me more energy throughout my days at work. I guess that's also why I've also lost a ton of weight... x(

I decided to sleep in on Saturday and work on some clean illustrations for the day. My muse this weekend was Stephanie Liu from HoneynSilk. I love her hair.. My hair would've been that long by now if I hadn't cut it two months ago but it was just putting so much weight and strain on my neck! It felt so good to chop it all off. Anyway, not everybody can make hair this long look this good. When I usually see girls with this length, it looks dirty and unmanageable. And sometimes just a mess. But this girl puts in the time and effort to make girls want to grow their hair this long. This girl can pull it off.

So I have a problem: I'm obsessed with green tea anything. Too much green tea here.. too much. I love it. Green tea and great talks and good advice from the bestie. The fashion industry, the drama, blablabla, and life and its surprises. What I love about meeting up with each and every one of my friends is that at some point in our convos we both realize that everything we do and aim for has been a work in progress. When we reflect, we realize that from the last time we met up, we've accomplished something good and it's made us happy. I love hearing their stories of accomplishments and sharing my own experiences as well. It just shows how we're able to create exactly the lives that we want. I love my friends <3

My Asian selfie to end the weekend. I don't like doing selfies, and I shouldn't be doing them, lol. Hope you all have a good week ahead of you! Think happy thoughts!

xx ss

time & energy

My sketch for today. She is one of my favorite style bloggers, Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. I want to meet her one day. She is such an inspiration and all the goodies she cooks makes me drool... and I love her style. Another week flies by! Another great one too! Since having this new job I've been pretty impressed with the atmosphere of the company and its professionalism. You must be wondering why I'm saying that lol, but in case you didn't know, the fashion industry is crazy. It is actually like what you see on Project Runway.. and I think it's sooo stupid. It's why I decided to take a year long break. I was around crazy people every day and it ate up my energy even though I had the tools and knowledge to block negative people. I was just falling apart. And there wasn't enough of me to intend for this type of prevention. I was a robot with no heart. But now that I'm back I've been enjoying the design team I'm working with. This week I experienced my first company meeting among 500 co-workers which took place at the Beverly Hilton which was pretty impressive. That whole event might as well have been a company holiday party because it was just so fancy! I loved it. There was a runway show for the new direction of the brand which looked pretty cool. I can't wait to own some!

I had a fancy coffee and I don't like coffee.

I had a couple of minutes to spare in the morning after I made myself some green tea. I think this'll be a new routine. :) I've been illustrating Blair from Atlantic-Pacific. I love her style and the way she poses. She's perfect for practicing.

I've been so tired this entire week but I made an effort to attend my second six-sensory class. It's pretty intense and my teacher says it's going to be like boot camp now moving forward. I'm excited.

Great moments this week. My energy is low right now because I haven't had much sleep since I've been trying to adjust to my new sleeping schedule. Sleeping in is one thing I do miss. I'll admit that I did have my moments during the week where I was unsure why I was working again, but every time that happened I pulled out my sketchbook and sketched away or opened one of my happy books that my amazing friends got me for my birthday to remind myself not to over think things, and just keep practicing what I love doing. And I would also find things to make me laugh until I cried. And on the weekends I'm playing with some yoga moves. Playing is important. Ask Albert Einstein.

xx ss

And lastly, I'm so happy for my mom. I love her and my sisters so much and after dealing with 3 years of trying to piece ourselves back together after her devastating split up with my dad, the divorce is now finalized. I'm so grateful. She made it without losing her mind because she had me and my sisters and my aunt to balance her out. No pills, medication, and all that stupid shit. She's a fuckin fighter. I love her.

Thanks mama for your continued and loving support <3

my birthday week

Wow this week was definitely full of surprises. One of them being that I decided to jump back into the fashion industry and work full-time {temporarily} to keep up a steady paycheck because honestly, getting illustration commission work has been difficult! But don't worry, I'm still keeping up with it! It's my passion, so it stays. I started my first full week and I love the work place already and the energy there. In my last job I dealt with so much high school drama that it drained the life out of me. It's a relief to know that not all companies are like what I went through in this crazy industry. On my third day of work I decided to bring in a pop of nature, a stack my of favorite reads, and my sketchbook to my new desk setting to create a zen environment. :)

I celebrated my birthday this week too. The day before my actual birthday was actually when I celebrated it because I finally admitted to myself I was 25, lol. I never could comfortably admit my age now because I'm starting to feel that the years are passing by too quickly :(  And people always thought I was older than my actual age because of my personality.. I just have an old soul, and I feel like I'm growing closer to that age! So on the day before my birthday I embraced being 25 and reflected on all my moments from my past year and saw how much I loved what I created and learned. 25 was my favorite number that day. Not to mention the date was 2/25 too. :) And to my surprise at the end of the day when I went to my car after leaving work, I realized that the parking space number I parked in was #25! That instantly pinged to me because it was a definite sign that I was on the right path :)

It always rains on my birthday. I think I should stop saying that. That way I can stop bringing that to me lol. But it did, but lightly which made me happy. These past two days mother nature literally had diarrhea. I've never seen the streets flooded so bad. My car was like swimming in the rain. Anyway, I'm happy that I didn't have that crazy weather on my birthday! I would've cried lol. So I got to go out with one of my best friends and my older sister for din din and enjoy a yummy cake :)

I've also started my next series of six-sensory classes this week which was amaziiiiing!! So excited to be doing this and continuing my path of being spirited :)

I loved my week. It was a mixture of ups and downs and happy surprises. I loved it so much. It definitely tired me out, but that makes me happy because I just have a lot to do! My days just flew by this week.. which scared me a little because I missed a few days of sketching when I wanted to sketch. And when I tried, I was too tired to function. So for next week and the month ahead I plan on doing 10 sketches per day to keep my practice up, attending my six-sensory class every week and practicing every day, dance class once a week, and yoga every other night! Ahhh, I'm excited. Happy Weekend everybody!

xx ss

working hard & hardly working

So far I've been getting the best of both worlds :) And when I have my down time I go looking for sweets or a latte to snack and sip on along with some good company. That's what my month's been like so far. I love this month. I loved last month too. I've just been surrounded by good people and good energy. And when there was people present that I didn't want to encounter, the situation was miraculously avoided. Yay! I'm also becoming way more flexible from doing home yoga which I'm über excite about. My back is bending more and more every day where my head can almost touch my butt lol. I feel like a contortionist now. Maybe I'll share a mini video on instagram one day...

My best friend Alyssa pointed out how I've been hanging out at Urth Caffe too often now. I'm just not tired of it yet, lol! I think once I get through all the designs in my latte I'll take a break. And plus the place is just so relaxing...

I had an interview today for a freelance position :) So yes, getting back into the fashion industry again but only for a few months. I'm trying to make as much as I can while I'm doing custom illustrations. Gotta make that dough!

Oh my gosh and it's London Fashion Week too? Ugh, I'm behind.. but I did find a designer whose collection I looooved!

AHH! And it's exactly a week before my birthday! *GASP* 30yr old peeps are right when they say your 20s go by like that!

girl talk

I had such a lovely Sunday yesterday sharing yummy lattes with a bestie at Urth Caffe. I got much too much green tea goodies though. But I was craving it.. I love catching up with a friend.. love, love. I just get great advice. We shared lots of great stories, laughs, major goals for the year, and marketing tips for business which made our conversation more worthwhile. Yesterday she inspired and motivated me to rework my illustration style. And that's today's scribble.

Thanks, Brenda <3

xx ss

Bundle Up!

Even though the California sun shines on us like it's still summer and ends our days with pretty pink sunsets, the cold that settles in at night sucks. And certain areas of my face dry up so bad that it peels.. And it hurts :( This weather is confusing me. Anyways.. February.. I can only say that a lot has happened already for me this year. A lot of good changes. Some highlights: I chopped off all my hair for a modeling job and ended up really loving it. :) I'm taking up more mystical classes and meeting more new people. Going to Barnes & Nobles regularly and reading outside on a bright sunny day. Seeing my friends every week! And recently paid a visit to a familiar face and his family & friends.

It's my birthday month too. Who knows what'll happen next? I definitely know what I want in life, but it doesn't always present itself to me in the way I want it to. Knowing this has taught me to pay more attention to my life around me, and also to let go; but most importantly, expect it. That said, I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the future and fun projects! And an abundance of creativity and inspiration! This year's going to be filled with so many surprises. Can't wait!!

xx ss

these days

1. my iPhone, 4s.. As small as it is compared to everyone's gigantic screened phones that no longer fit inside a jean pocket, I still enjoy mine as if it were still new to me. Mainly because I've surprised myself by using it as another medium for quick sketching. It's.. addicting! I use my fingers and a little stylus to draw. It's definitely a cleaner & more efficient way of sketching. It's my new favorite thing! 2. popcorn with champagne or wine. It's a perfectly healthy snack. {no it's not..}

3. burying myself under blankets while sleeping.

4. the color pink, sometimes.

5. wearing less and less make-up every time I go out. It just takes too much time!

6. my long hair. I'm appreciating it more now and working on styling it better before the entire thing gets drastically cut sometime this year. It's possible..

7. that as bad as I've been eating this past week, I'm actually losing weight as if I'd been working out.

8. my newly refreshed Instagram feed & my edited website. My Instagram started to look like clutter so I filtered out a little over 100 photos and kept the best ones. I've also been making slight changes on my website and playing around with little things here and there.. loving it so far! It's not yet completed!

9. love, LOVE the warm sunny and comfortable weather! I know LA is getting a lot of hate from the rest of the freezing country but, I'm sorry guys! It's just so nice! :D

10.  wearing 3XL sized tops. They make comfortable chic mini dresses.

the end.

xx ss

it's 2014

Is hibernation season over yet? I swear that's what it felt like to me all December along with the offbeat attitude! Geezus. I can't believe 2014 is here. Last month I've been incredibly lazy, probably the laziest I've ever been the entire year! I didn't pick up my sketchbook once. I've also neglected the blog and instead Instagram has just been my quick go-to picture diary :( So in this post today I've decided to do a mini recap of last December, in 2013.

So, The Elf on the Shelf. This little holiday friend came outta nowhere around November and became popular overnight. Suddenly they were in every storethe whole month of December! My first time seeing one was at Barnes & Nobles with my friend A, where I talked a bunch of crap about how ugly and gross and creepy it was. {I mean I like creepy dolls, but this one was just not my type!} I basically hated it at first sight. But that night being so bothered yet curious about it, I googled the story on this "elf on the shelf" and the whole purpose of it kinda creeped me out! That's when it sparked my interest.. Especially when I saw they had a variety of different girl and boy elves to choose from! Two days later with A, I found myself buying a girl elf all of a sudden feeling inspired to re-create The Elf on the Shelf to my liking. I thought, well they're already creepy looking, maybe I can make it look better? So I decided to paint over her eyes to make her look like my illustrated dolls {wrong move}. I named her Pee Wee :). Then I tried to post a picture every day to play its role like in the elf story. I've seen a lot of people on Instagram get in on this too. I even hand made little holiday tutus and accessories for little Pee Wee. I was pretty happy with what I came up with, buuut I guess my followers didn't agree with that after I saw that I lost a little over 10 followers on Instagram, lol! I guess I scared more people with my version of the elf. It was a fun little experiment though. I thought the shocked feedback on my comments were pretty hilarious though!

I couldn't find it in me to pick up my sketchbook and work on some new stuff all month. It even felt like a hassle to pour out all my pencils, pens, and markers on the table to get started! :( And it was also just too effing cold for me to get out of bed and work! So one night while I was in bed, I randomly downloaded this interesting app on my iPhone that I found has the same functions as Photoshop. First I thought, "cool - but, man that would take up so much space! I'm gonna delete it.." but before I did I decided to explore it and do some quick sketches just for fun. Then I quickly became addicted. My iPhone suddenly became my sketchbook for the whole month. There was a time where I was just instagramming one illustration after the other in one night and spamming everyone's feed, lol. I was obsessed! And surprisingly my followers were lovin' it too! I loved the new imperfect style I came up with from using my small screened iPhone 4s {I know, old!!!} I was completely satisfied to find another medium of doing my illustrations. :)

Now for the New Year's Resolutions. I didn't have any deep thoughtful ones that people usually come up with. I just broke mines down a little bit. I think to master these little to do's listed above will help me ultimately get where I want to be. And it's just all about self love peeps! And sometimes, that's hard to do. Whenever I have a day where I feel like I wanna beat up on myself for not being good enough, I force out a laugh to cut the negativity debris! Laughing opens up the heart {even faking it!}. And that's been so hard for me to do because it's easy to get soaked up in all the sadness I create for myself and just be emo. So this year I'm practicing on mastering these tools to rid of negativity or snap out of it and turn it into love - yes, let me get all hippie-ish with you right now, lol, but this all comes down to loving yourself first. And when you do, things do fall into place! Another thing I want to do this year is to continue to consciously manifest and create my life every single day. After learning all tools of the trade and having little successes, I do it every day! I'm having so much fun! And that's one of the secrets to life. I'm even getting my friend to do it too because she's witnessed my wins :). I now never feel like a day is wasted anymore.

Happy New Year guys!

xx ss

quiet time.

These past few days have been a battle of trying to get my mind to shut the #*%^ up and to relax. It's a daily progress. But whenever I do reach some level of peace throughout my day, it's the best feeling. I'm slowly getting back into some new illustration ideas which I'm excited for. Can't wait to show em!  

xx,

SS

Workin Hard

Since I haven't been working full-time in the industry, my body has re-adjusted itself again to wake up on its own at 6am every day excited to get to {my} work, which is illustrating. When I used to work full-time in the industry, I was usually awake before the 6am alarm on my phone would go off because I hated waking up to it.. and I always had anxiety going into work. I don't use an alarm anymore, now I listen to my body. I'm excited every morning to wake up, make my bed, read a book, and get an early start on building my portfolio. It's literally what I do every day. I've learned a couple things about myself.. I hate watching tv or listening to music, it just throws me in a funk while sketching. I love sitting in quiet and listening to the sound of nature. I think I'll build a workspace outside.. I get the most inspiration when everything is quiet. It's the best feeling. At this point I feel like I'm thriving in life. Yea, I'm not making as much money as I used to, yea the living situation still isn't great, and personal life problems aren't that serious these days. But, I feel whole lot better, healthier, and happier than I was a few months ago.! :) So from being dedicated to my passion and work, I was given an opportunity to do a collaboration with Nasty Gal. I've always had them in the back of my head since the beginning of this year, I just didn't know why exactly. Then my head popped off when I was contacted by the editorial team of Nasty Gal to do this collaboration with the brand featuring my illustrations. All I thought was this would be my break. My chance to make something out of my passion. Finally...

So, I've been working hard on this project. I've been putting all my life force into this in the past few days! I can't wait to see the final results and what comes out of this. Man.. if you've been following me on my Instagram, I've been up to several things here and there too. I've been working on building my Etsy shop, My Book of Dolls {pictured above}, trying to complete my list of summer adventures, a sudden Disneyland getaway... phew! It's all great, all exciting, I wouldn't have it any other way!! I love life and its surprises!

stay tuned for my big feature in Nasty Gal! <3 <3 <3

xx,

SS

Post Burning Man

I'm a virgin, first-time burner. As soon as we made it to the entrance, my group was forced out of the RV to do our Burning Man initiation which was to get down and dirty, literally! All six of us were told to hit the gong, and scream, "I'm a burner!" and roll into the sand until we were covered. That was day one of six of no showering... and for being considered a "prissy girl" {being overly clean and tidy}, I was given happy kudos having survived out there with little complaining! :)

So what to say what to say about Burning Man... now that I'm back only after a few days, I'm slowly easing back into reality. That trip took a lot out of me.

I've invested so much money and so much of my time and dedication in the past few months to make this trip worthwhile. And it was...

What is Burning Man?

There's a different answer every time.. ask anybody! I'll sum mines up as a one-of-a-kind experience.. where you're stranded in the middle of the desert, Black Rock City, with no wi-fi, no connection to the world for a week. You're surrounded by a myriad of unlimited creativity that people have put into their art structures, costumes, or communal activities they bring to the playa to share and display. It's mind-blowing what people can create out of the ordinary, and beautiful. This year Burning Man had almost 70,000 people at the playa consisting of hippies, nudists, yogis, artists, and annual burners from all over the world. Everyone was very polite and so loving {mainly because they're on drugs, lol} but, it was nice to not encounter any douchebags there. Not one! {well actually, there was this 60-year-old drunken creeper on the first night...but whatever, he had a bad day!} We were all free to roam and explore all day and all night. It's an experience I'll never forget. One of my favorite moments was living in several dust storms or white outs that we encountered on our first ride out at the playa. I didn't protect my face whatsoever and fully breathed into the sand and watched it float by until the storm passed. It was as beautiful as it is like watching the waves of the ocean. It. was. mesmerizing! ...But then I paid for it the next morning when I woke up with a stuffy nose and a cough from all the sand in my system... {thank God I had my allegra!} Spending the last bit of summer in the desert wasn't all bad. I'd actually rather be there right now than in LA! The weather was unbearable coming back home.. LA weather is torturous whereas the desert weather is just dry and hot, which prevented me from sweating & suffering the entire time under the sun.

My time at Black Rock City is one of the best times of my young life. I've never been at my happiest. I went with an awesome group of people who all watched out and took care of each other. And we came back with plenty of adventures and stories to tell from the moment we anxiously packed up our RV until we sadly unloaded it together. Settling back home was hard. It was like coming back to nothing almost. Feeling empty. I slowly tried to remember the stress, anxiety, and the upset I had with myself before leaving. And then when I was able to bring back a dose of that reality, I stopped it immediately and let it go. On the playa I learned how to fully be in the moment. And that was the best feeling ever because I learned how to connect with everything and everyone that was around me without being buried in my phone where all my friends and family are.

I definitely want to go back next year. I recommend everyone to go at least once. You'll definitely learn something new, if not, then just go to observe. It'll be worth it, I promise.

My Burning Man bag.

i toted this bag around with me every day. it met a couple of people and picked up some souvenirs. one of my favorites is a quote i decided to write on my bag from a convo where i was explaining to a guy what i do and what fashion illustrations are.

the way he interpreted it was, "so fashion illustration is exactly when the coke dealer gives you a sample of the coke before you buy it..." he says.

"no.. not really -" i begin to say,

"no!" he interjects,  "that's exactly what it is!" lol maybe i didn't explain it very well.. but we will leave it at that!

What's in my bag:

my everyday survival kit.

these were ALL my must haves when out at the playa... i also had my handy dandy point-and-shoot Canon camera with me which survived the dust storms believe it or not! also not pictured above are the 250 toilet seat covers i stole from a Costco bathroom to use for the porto potties.. it came in SO handy! i mean, the entire time i used a porto potty, there were no toilet seat covers and hardly any toilet paper. *porto potty tip: wearing a dust mask helps the smelly situation when using it!* ;)

My Burning Man Sketchbook.

i did my best to capture everything i loved most at the playa. see below!

the end.

xx,

SS

A Lovely Sort of Pause

"I have been walking, without having to be anywhere on time. I have been up late, without having to go to bed early. I have been sleeping late, without setting an alarm and I have been reading without having to put down my book. A lovely sort of pause. But now I'm building again..." - malin koort

my weekend.

xx, ss

1. Santa Ynez Falls Hike

So I've crossed out #1 on my list of Summer Adventures 2013 which was to go hiking at Santa Ynez Falls! It was so beautiful and very much needed! Sometimes you forget how the soothing sound of nature can free up your mind and inspire you with new ideas. When I'm in Hollywood my head is constantly congested with noise from all over the city. I hear crazy people yelling up and down the streets, traffic and cars honking angrily, helicopters surrounding the city for hours, terrible music {which is why music rarely appeals to me}, and so on. Being at Santa Ynez Falls Hike was the most peace and quiet I've had in a while.

We didn't come across too many people on our hike and without knowing our way, we easily got lost in the beginning {which always makes it even more fun!}. But we grew easily frustrated at trying to find the next part of the trail {which magically disappeared} and my boyfriend was ready to give up but I wanted to keep going. At this point we believed we weren't going to find our way any time soon so my boyfriend decided to wander off freely into the bushes looking for meteorites and dinosaur bones instead {like a little boy would do, awww!} while I just stood there making sure there were no hanging spiders near me, lol. I didn't leave my spot because I was afraid to get even more lost than we already were! Typical me...

I didn't think he was going to find anything, but to my surprise he found his meteorite looking rocks and also discovered the skeleton of a cat {our closest guess}. He was really fascinated by it {that's his dinosaur bone discovery for the day!} It was cool I guess.. but what really amazed me was that after we were done observing and poking around this skeleton we realized that straight ahead of us was the continuation of the trail!

If my boyfriend hadn't wandered off mindlessly, we probably would've ended our hike early, turned around, and drove all the way back home. Sometimes I forget to follow his example - to just stay present. He's such a natural at it, and it's the hardest thing for me to do. I just stood there because my ego wouldn't allow me to wander off. I was scared because it was way out of my comfort zone to walk further away from the trail. This was such a good example for me to see how the ego plays its role. My boyfriend switched that off in his head and instead of looking for the trail anymore, he decided to look for something else {an example of being present}, which ultimately lead us back on to the trail. And welps! Lesson learned.. don't follow my example!

Stay present, embrace what's around you and the world will embrace you ..with surprises :)

..And we made it! I've finished my hike with a lesson learned, and he got his meteorites and dinosaur bones! I think Jedbot wins explorer of the day for finding our way by doing whatever he "felt" like doing! :) Kudos!

In addition to this adventure, I also wanted to share other things I've done this summer!

Tons of vintage shopping in Hollywood at Iguana Vintage Clothing!

Date night - SUSHI!

Organic luncheon at Real Food Daily <3

Catching a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery!

Auditions here and there...

Independence Day!

Allowed myself to enjoy icecream on National Icecream Day! {i'm lactose intolerant, but this was an exception.}

..and enjoying Indian food {curry!} at my new favorite place, Urban Masala. MmmMmmm...

i have to say, this summer has been the best.

xx,

SS

This article is part of the IFA Paris ifashion-blog.com summer campaign ‘My Hot Summer Looks’. IFA Paris, better known as IFA Paris, is a fashion education provider which offers students undergraduate courses in design and marketing, and postgraduate courses in business, communication and luxury in an environment of multidisciplinary collaboration. With more than 1,000 students located in Paris, Shanghai and Istanbul, IFA Paris is at the forefront of fashion and luxury education and offers courses that reflect the breadth of opportunity available in this vibrant industry. To follow up the blog campaign and check out other world fashion bloggers’ articles, please click here (ifashion-blog.com). To know more about IFA Paris, please click here (ifaparis.com).

Summer Adventures 2013

Even though we are already midway through the summer, Jedbot {the bf} had asked me to illustrate a list of places to visit and things to do for the rest of the summer. I love that he finds creative ways to motivate me to sketch! It's super cool that he makes sure I practice as much as possible :) We've been on a lot of trips and spontaneous outings together and on the many adventures we've been on were a lot of first time experiences for me too.. It's been so fun and memorable! So I was excited when he asked me to come up with ideas to present to him. I decided to list and illustrate five places I haven't been to along with things I haven't tried.

1. hiking at santa ynes falls

okay so i have hiked here before with my bestie jessica and loved it. but i want jedbot to experience this! it's definitely more nature-y than runyon canyon; lots of trees, shade, a tiny waterfall, a nice breeze, scary juicy bugs, with a little bit of rock climbing. there is also a beautiful garden on the way there where people meditate.. very zen.

2. watch a movie at the silent movie theatre

a touristy thing to do in hollywood. we drive by this place all the time and always see a long line of people outside.. we've never seen a silent movie in a theatre before, so why not?

3. ride bikes and discover things

{note to self: buy one first}

one of my biggest goals this summer was to buy a bike for burning man and was worried i wouldn't be able to find a used one that i wasn't going to like... but i did! just last week! and it's perfect...

and now we can both go take our bikes to our favorite beach - hermosa, and go on adventures! the last time i owned a bike was probably over ten years ago. so finding a bike like this makes this summer a bit more special to me :)

4. visit catalina island

i hear a lot of talk about this place and how beautiful it is.. i've never been there believe it or not. jedbot says he'd take me one day. people go fishing there too! mMmm, i've never gone fishing before either.. i'd love to do that too! i want to be able to catch my own fish and eat it too {one of my goals in life}.

5. ride in a hot air balloon

as a kid i used to see a lot of hot air balloons floating outside my window around my house during the summer. i've always imagined what it would be like being high up in the air under a colorful balloon.. i've always wanted to do that. again, something i've never done!

---

I'm hoping to be able to cross out all five things on my list before the end of summer! {i'm sure i will!}

do you have a list of fun things to do?!

xx,

SS

Summer Surprises

CRAZY FUN TIMES...

I'm putting together a summary of my past week in my little design journal starting with: a surprise date night from the boyfriend at a Cyndi Lauper concert following a long Las Vegas birthday weekend with the boyfriend, his little sister, and her bf with friends.. along with fun-filled adventures. I'll just list the epic trip: First class round trip, rounds of Bloody Mary's {my faaaave}, free pool club admission at Hard Rock, sunbathing, getting lost, massive Italian birthday dinner, Encore pool club w/ Lil Jon, more Bloody Mary's, massive dinner #2, hanging on the set of Ninja Warrior, pool & sunbathing, walking the strip for as long as we could {it was HOT and dry out}, and last but not least - Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil surprise!

Page 1 - Cyndi Lauper!

Page 2 - Las Vegas!

I like to count my blessings every day to keep my energy high and consistent, but today I was looking at how unbelievably amazing my life overall has been since the beginning of this year. Things are definitely going the right way, finally! I have an incredible boyfriend who is just all about making me happy and loving me uncontrollably.. until I choke! And what makes me so grateful about us is that we've already gone on several fun and memorable trips together this year and each time always brought us closer. I'm so happy to share that with someone special.. It was something I've always wanted! And what's crazy is that if you saw how I was last summer, omg, total opposite! {no joke!} I was slaving away my entire summer with a full-time job that I was so bored of, would come home tired every day and go straight to bed hoping to get a text or a phone call for the week but instead would end up crying almost every night. I never went out with friends, never left town, and didn't visit the beach OR pool ONCE that entire summer! And now I'm going almost every weekend! My social life was a fail, and I was hardly ever inspired. I just wanted all that to change someday. And now, I'm doing all the things I never thought I'd be doing and it's only making me a happier gal! It's just insaaaaaane how the universe will surprise you in a matter of time! {i'm a huge believer in that sh*t}

These days I'm even more inspired to sketch and focus on my well-being, my work, hobbies, and trying new things as well. I've even had more time and energy to take my dance classes and focus on yogashmoga at home. It's where I've felt most content in a long time and also where I feel myself growing towards reaching my goals in life.

It's just crazy to think where I was last year..and how far I've come to be here now, feeling free. This is definitely a good year. And for those who don't agree and is experiencing the exact opposite, all I gotta say I stop, and start doing what feels right to you and I bet you'll end up getting what you want sooner or later. :)

xx,

SS

Finding Kefi

{spiritual geek mode here!} I've been jumping around from 4 Simple Things to 6 Things in my blog posts.. and now I'm onto 5 Things! I think I want to stick with this one.. After meditating this morning I came up with a fun idea of "Finding Kefi". Kefi means spirit in Greek. It's all about finding your spirit throughout your day. This is about listing all the love, surprises, and gratitude the universe has to offer you. I'd like to focus on surprises most of all because you never know what to expect! Seriously... if you start your day off right by putting your full trust into the universe - basically meaning not worrying about the past and future, you'd be surprised what your day can bring you. For example, maybe you finally found a piece of jewelry you've been looking all over for that's been lost for forever {omg, ME!}, or an answer to a question that you've been stressed out about for weeks or months even, running into an unexpected someone you've not seen or heard from in years, a surprise or gift from a loved one, finding a $20 bill on the street {it totally happens!}, annnnd the list goes on. Basically it's just all about being present. And I know we're all human and that we simply can't forget about our worries in our day-to-day lives. It's definitely something you have to work on though to keep your mind healthy and spirit happy. I like to start my day off meditating right before I roll outta bed or check my phone just so I can set the tone for my day by grounding myself and letting go all the energy, worries, stress, and people that don't serve me well. It works, trust me! And when I do, things or surprises pop-up when I least expect it! It's unbelievable sometimes.. :)

So below is my first day. I'm trying to decided if I should do a post daily.. we will see! Here is my first:

"Don't listen to the little voices - people who are telling you what to do and what not to do. Just don't fucking listen to them." - Cyndi Lauper

061313. 1. Waking up early to go to bellydance class! 2. Callback for an interview, project Miami? Uh, yes please! 3. Super cute envelope from the bf 4. CYNDI LAUPER concert! Her voice is UNbelievable 5. Advice from Cyndi to the audience {something I definitely needed to hear}.

You should definitely try this challenge and you'd be surprised at what you might come across! All you gotta do is list or photograph 5 things in one picture that have satisfied you, or surprised you, anything that happened that you least expected that turned out to be a blessing in disguise {it happens!}. And what helps to make that happen is by staying present. Try a little meditation in the morning. And by meditating, I don't mean you have to be in the OMmmmm zone. It may be a bit much. All you're doing is simply thinking about all the things that have been dragging you down lately, and then releasing them. I like to imagine all the negativity I have and set them on fire in my mind. :) It helps! So try it for a few days and see what happens! And what helps too most of all, is doing what feels right to you.

Then tag #findingkefi in your picture and post it on Instagram! Find me @stephaniesurtida ! :D

have a great day everyone! <3

xx,

ss

Burning Man Meeting

Attended my first meeting with friends for probably the biggest event for all of us this summer, Burning Man. Wow wow wow so much to plan in advance...! I mean, I've never been to major events like these, I haven't even done Coachella or EDC lol {what's that like?}. Apparently this is really taking it to the next level because I'll be spending a week in the middle of the desert living like a hippie.. literally! There's no hotels, no shops, convenience stores, roads, - just sand, people, music, and art. Oh, and you gotta educate yourself on Survival 101 because there's nothing and nowhere to spend your money on for supplies. Crazy, huh? So that's why we had this major meeting.

So of course it's a bit scary, but what an experience that would be! To be stripped from all of your connection to the world {no cellphones, minimal connection} and be stranded in the desert for days only to change your perspective on life and learn to be in the moment. It's a spiritual experience I think. Which is why I'm going :)

So I've jotted down a couple of notes that I thought were important. Just so you know, I had a much bigger list than this - 4 pages long! I just wanted to list the essentials, things I need to work towards.. especially COSTUMES! Weeee the best part! I was so excited after our meeting that I had to start sketching out some ideas and themes right away.

Thankfully I have costumes saved from my Bollywood and Bellydance classes that I can reuse again :) I've already started shopping for fun pieces to wear like my Triangl bathing suit and coin bras! Oh, another thing I've had to keep in mind was to bring anything and wear anything you don't mind getting f*cked up from the desert sand.. the sand texture is so fine that it will get into everything and anything you have.. so I gotta go light and cheap!

What I'm also looking forward to is all the art, activities, and theme camps to participate in! Apparently everyone there all dress up wildly and beyond which is so exciting for me because I'm going to document, photograph, and sketch everything that inspires me :)

"I'll be spending a week in the middle of the desert living like a hippie.. literally! There's no hotels, no shops, convenience stores, roads, - just sand, people, music, and art."

I've never looked forward to anything this big in forever. I know this experience is going to be epic. Here's to summer fun!

xx,

SS

Memorial Weekend

Spent the majority of my weekend sleeping in like a bear but left with enough time having lots of adventures with the Jedbot! Our first day out I accompanied my boyfriend at the March Against Monsanto Rally. If any of you know me, I really dislike food democracy.. I especially don't like food preachers {a huge turn-off!}. So naturally you wouldn't find me at one of these events. However, I am very open to learning and listening to new information about the food world. It's just good to be aware sometimes.. but in the end I rely on instinct.  

"...I am very open to learning and listening to new information about the food world. It's just good to be aware sometimes.. but in the end I rely on instinct."

As big as this event was all over Facebook, to our surprise only a few hundreds showed up. Or fewer.. I thought there was a myriad out there who were really against Monsanto? Even more surprising, there was no media coverage, no news vans around to shoot this rally. Sad.. Well I'm glad to have participated and witness this event, hopefully some kind of change will take place to make those who are heartfelt about this happy. Jedbot got some GMO stickers from a booth to use for labeling all the foods at grocery stores that contain GMO {he's definitely having fun with that}. With the help of this new app - Buycott, we've been scanning the bar codes on every product of food we buy to see if they're linked to Monsanto. We started at Ralph's.. sure enough there were plenty who got Jedbot's GMO warning sticker label.

For rest of the weekend we enjoyed a few movie nights and lovely lunch dates at Bottega Louie and Blu Jam Cafe. We hung around Melrose where I took pictures of a few art pieces I liked. The weather was definitely sunny, but cooler to the point where my thick jacket was needed :(. We also spent some time hanging out at Hermosa Beach enjoying the view of the ocean and the memorial weekend celebration they had at the pier. It was needed..

Now the start of another week! Or middle actually.. oh! -I have another audition this week and I'm effing excited and ready for it!

YAY! Staying positive <3

xx,

SS