2014: A Reflection.

Happy 2015!! :)

Before I begin I want to thank God that I am alive and in good health in the New Year! Originally I wanted to write this post in lengthy, private journal detail, expressing my highs and lows I've experienced in 2014. Instead, I’ll share my life lessons with you in three short, but detailed paragraphs! ;)

Mind and Heart: Poor brain went into over-thinking overload in 2014!! Too much thinking over where I want to be at this stage in my life, where I thought I should’ve been in life – the "shoulda’s", "woulda’s", "coulda’s", etc. Ugh, a waste of energy, especially when I think AND over-analyze the possibilities, missed opportunities in the past, etc., etc. Enough!!! In time I had to train my thoughts/ego by connecting with my heart and trust whatever happened in a situation happened for a reason and leave it be. Now, I didn’t say it worked miraculously instantly, haha, but this change allowed me to practice “go with the flow”...after I stop analyzing and take some deep breaths. It’s worth it, I swear! ;) What did I learn in 2014? Follow my heart since my mind controlled over every aspect of my life all the time. Why not follow my heart’s lead for once? Why not take a different approach by trusting what feels right for me. If my heart doesn’t like what it feels, change it. I’m sure my brain wouldn’t object to this idea...I hope!

Health: 2014 tested me health wise with my journey on fibroids. On January I had a pelvic ultrasound exam which the results showed I had three huge fibroids outside of my uterine wall. Later in September I had an MRI scan exam and those results showed I had SIX fibroids in my uterus! In no time I decided to have the partial hysterectomy surgery and the timing was perfect for two reasons. One, my new OB-GYN who is also a surgeon, did an excellent job performing the surgery on October 3, 2014. I have no regrets of this decision because physically and spiritually, I feel SO much lighter and happier! I made my peace for not having biological children long ago. The second reason was working with an amazing woman named “Lady” who’s a naturopath and a Reiki Master healer. She guided me greatly by seeing food differently in how it affects my body when digested especially sugar. And there’s already awareness about GMO products so I won’t go into detail about those foods. Those products are another species to avoid altogether! So yeah, say goodbye to sugar, one brave step at a time! My resolution for 2015 is to keep up with my new eating habits and stay on top with my exercise regime!

Spirit: Throughout 2014 I focused on doing inner work (breathing exercises, yoga, meditations) while dealing with my fibroids. It took some time but I finally understood the true meaning of self-acceptance, self-love, gentleness and patience when faced with challenges. It was freeing when I decided to accept myself exactly as I am, uncensored and unfiltered. Just being my true self and let go of any expectations on how I should behave in today’s society. It’s stressful trying to be someone or some image when I’m none of the above. Who cares about that, really?!! Shifting this way of thinking AND being kept my spirit light and open. I have more inner work to accomplish but as long my intentions are true and genuine when interacting with everyone, it’s all good! That’s the true goal for 2015: happiness. And connect with like-minded, genuine positive people who want the same thing. Change IS good!

And lastly, again I must thank Lady for our Reiki healing sessions, before and after my surgery! The sessions changed my life! In return I took an awesome course on Reiki 1^st degree basic and on November 22, 2014, I received my Usui Shiki Ryohi Reiki First Degree Basic S.E.E.D. certificate!! I’m excited because not only I’m able to do Reiki healing for myself after having surgery, I’m able to do Reiki healing sessions for other people. I’ve done sessions for my friends and they loved it! :D I am forever grateful for this POWERFUL shift and I’m ready for the next step in this path!

Thank you for reading and let’s have a fun, adventurous, healthy, KICK-ASS New Year!!! XOXO

( Photo credit to Stylipics.com: http://stylipics.com/happy-new-year-2015/ )

Snapshots of Summer, so far.

Ah, it feels good to be back here! :D It's been too long since my last post, but with good reason: hello, summertime! I've been out and about, resting (aka recharging/rebooting) and enjoyed a beautiful, Spiritual experience with Amma (www.amma.org). And here are my photos to prove it, sans Amma; no photos allowed at that event. Enjoy! ;)

NFL Draft 2014. The hotel (fabulous, as always), the Draft at Radio City Music Hall and dinner at The 40/40 Club!

Crowd Goes Wild Studio Taping!

My Gratitude Journal. Thank you Tara for the amazing experience! :) xo

The Governors Ball Music Festival!

 I'm in!

 The Strokes!

Jack White III!

The End! :)

A stroll through Bryant Park one day...

The Kelpies sculptures (www.thekelpies.co.uk)

Hmm, that sign looks awfully familar...

Great vibes at Washington Park!

And a date with a rock star in November...sort of. LOL!

Hotel Paradise.

A little confession here: I love hotels. Its home away from home especially if the hotel’s welcoming guests with their comfy to luxurious décor, has an excellent staff, and if there’s a bar in the hotel available for those late nights. I’m sure some of us had those late nights where you just want a beer / whiskey / wine / (insert your favorite beverage) to unwind after a long day…and bend the bartender’s ear for a bit. It’s a sweet escape from the day to day routine.

My love affair with hotels began on April 2005 in Indianapolis, IN for the Star Wars Celebration III convention. (*Star Wars fan here!*) Granted I stayed in other hotels before, but there was something about the Columbia Club hotel that won my heart. The ambience throughout the hotel was soothing. And then came…the bathtub. (photo credit: Columbia Club Hotel's website.)

I’d never experienced bliss as I had when I took my first bath in that gorgeous, huge bathtub. When I say huge, I mean the tub was about 6’ plus long. It felt like I was floating in a mini-pool! (My true desire is to have this bathtub with Jacuzzi jets. I’m serious!)  

Between the blissful baths, staying on high floors with city views and sleeping in soft bed sheets, I was spoiled and wanted more. And more I’d received from various hotels: free hotel rooms, high-count thread bed sheets (credit: my photo),

sleeping in king-sized beds (credit: my photo),

rooms on a higher floor with fantastic city views (credit: my photo),

spacious suites with a full kitchen/kitchenette (credit: my photo).

I even slept in a hotel where there was a chandelier above my bed. Thank you, Hotel Elysée! (photo credit: Hotel Elysée's website.)

Aside from all of this, I love hotels because I feel more open and creative when I write. Granted I could sit at a hotel lobby, café, or restaurant without actually booking a hotel room. But it’s not the same compared to writing my thoughts under those high-counted thread bed sheets. (Adding those sheets on my must-own at home list too.)

If you travel a lot for business, pleasure and/or both, definitely take advantage of any of your favorite hotel’s Reward Programs and enjoy yourself. It’s worth it! 

"Locke" is a Lock!

Last night was magical. I had the pleasure of viewing an advance screening of "Locke" starring Tom Hardy, courtesy of New York Film Critics Series (http://www.nyfilmcriticsseries.com/), located at AMC Empire, 42nd St & 8th Ave, NYC. I'm biased but I speak the truth: Hardy is fantastic! The plot seemed simple: a man driving his car, talking constantly on the phone to various people throughout his journey. His journey to where, you don't know yet until the plot slowly revealed itself. Hardy keeps you engaged into his journey through his eyes, his emotions, his mini-rants, all the way until the end in 85 minutes. Brilliant performance!

After the screening, Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers interviewed Tom Hardy and director Steven Knight (screenwriter of "Eastern Promises", creator/screenwriter of "Peaky Blinders") along with a quick Q & A session with the audience. Fun fact: Hardy filmed his scenes in approx. 5 days. Incredible!

Naturally after the Q & A was over, fans tried their might to meet their favorite actor, including me. Hardy seemed a little exhausted but very gracious interacting with his fans. Steven Knight was very lovely and smiled brightly when a couple of fans and me praised the Turkish bath fighting scene with actor Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises", haha. All in all, excellent film, excellent performance and a lovely way to end my evening meeting these lovely gents! xo 

Crush.

Crush. What a funny word! It reminds me of crushing grapes to make wine, Orange Crush (soda, or something else), or crushed velvet. Instead, the crush I’m writing about is the one where someone finds another person attractive.

What’s cool about having a crush is that it’s light-hearted, hilarious at times and fun. That’s how I feel anyway. The pleasurable lust is for you to enjoy without doing a thing and without a care in the world. Unless you’re one of the bold ones to approach your crush and speak your truth about wanting to explore further beyond your naughty thoughts and if he’s/she’s willing, by all means have fun. ;)

So what can I say about my crush? He’s cool, kind, personable with everyone and is well-liked by his peers. And enjoys what he does for a living. Naturally he’s good-looking, tall – at least taller than me. He has a lovely, welcoming smile with killer dimples. His body? Not getting too graphic here but his body is um, very well-toned and healthy. Because he's personable, he gives great eye contact when talking and listening to you. Oh, and one more about his body: his arms (guns) are BOSS!

Who is this man that I’m speaking of? For those who know me, he’s not who you think. In fact, he’s not even one guy. It might be two men I speak of; maybe four. He could be someone I know or met or not. Either way I’m not telling, even if it’s only a crush. It’s not like we’re lovers or anything… I just want to express freely how this crush keeps me smiling while acknowledging what I truly desire in a man when interacting with them as friends, colleagues, dates, lovers, etc.

xxx

My Night with Jim Jarmusch

It’s been a while since my last post. Well, it has been an interesting few days...

Last Wednesday (4/9/14) I had the pleasure of viewing one of film director Jim Jarmusch's films, "The Dead Man" starring Johnny Depp at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, followed by the Q&A session with the director afterwards.

What I've enjoyed about the movie the most was the pace. I thought it was perfect that it was slow, taking its time for the audience to get to know the characters, their intentions and understanding the layers of the plot which revealed itself throughout the film. Despite the movie being released in 1995, I don’t want to spoil the plot for those who haven’t seen the film. If you really want to know though, Wikipedia explains the movie in excellent detail. ;)

Johnny Depp was fantastic as “William Blake”, the meek accountant whose life turned into a different direction that he didn’t expect and had to make some hard decisions which ended in a dark, but peaceful outcome. Some scenes were hilarious; some scenes were heartfelt and meaningful. And some scenes were just out there, in a good way. Overall, I enjoyed the movie!

After the film the Q&A began. Jarmusch explained that financing the film was difficult due to the chosen locations he wanted to film the movie. Eventually it all worked out, but it took a long time to make the movie happen. He shared a funny story about his music collaboration with Neil Young, who recorded the soundtrack for the movie. Neil explained to Jarmusch he would record the music while watching the movie scenes, with and without dialogue and that it was going to be great. After Neil left the recording room they were in, Jarmusch spoke with his cinematographer (or possibly it was the producer?) about Neil’s music recording style. He was concerned if he decided to edit or remove a scene from the film, it would also remove Neil’s music. Unbeknownst to Jarmusch, the recording room had speakers outside of the recording room and Neil and other film staff heard Jarmusch’s conversation, lol! Neil assured Jarmusch once again that his recording would work. And it truly it did in the final film. Thank you, Mr. Young!

One of the questions an audience member asked Jarmusch was did he have any advice for aspiring writers/directors. Jarmusch felt he wasn’t the right person to ask but his answer felt very genuine and actually, felt it applied to everyone no matter of their profession (and I’m paraphrasing here): “Don’t limit yourself. Follow what feels right for you and go with it. In filmmaking, there shouldn’t be any restrictions.” I like that advice very much. Thank you, Mr. Jarmusch.

xx

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I Can’t Wait!

I am so excited for changes that are happening in my little world as I type this (career, health, love, etc.) I felt the positive shift since March 29^th. The changes are slow but noticeable from the way I feel, think, and speak and my actions. Timing is truly perfect and elegant in every way. That said:

I can’t wait when spring season actually arrives. Let it go, wintry temps!

I can’t wait to connect with more like-minded, fun, spiritual people!

I can’t wait for the next whiskey tasting event!

I can’t wait to experience karaoke, in a private room! ;)

I can’t wait for the creative writing workshop with the lovely Pamela Des Barres!

I can’t wait to re-connect with my Sister Goddess community!

I can’t wait for my entire body to fully heal from all ailments!

I can’t wait to travel abroad again! (Hello, South Africa and London!!)

I can’t wait to rock out with Jack White at The Governors Ball!

I can’t wait to feel and be free from all financial burdens!

I can’t wait to feel fully comfortable and reveal my true self, uninhibited! It’s time.

xoxo