Island Girls

Summer is here...  Beach Hair is my staple, even when I'm in the city driving car.  I can't ever give up my laid back (or shoould I call it a lazy hair-do?) wavy hair.  Here is some of my must haves for summer. How would you do your hair in hot summer days?

Island Girls by barefootchic featuring Bumble and Bumble

Diptyque edp perfume
saksfifthavenue.com

Kiehl s sun care
saksfifthavenue.com

Kiehl s sun care
barneys.com

Kiehl s hair shampoo
nordstrom.com

Kiehl s hair conditioner
bloomingdales.com

Bumble and Bumble waterless shampoo
$39 - colette.fr

Bumble and Bumble styling product
bluemercury.com

Time Is Precious

Several weeks ago, a mommy friend that I'd known for the past six years past away from cancer.  She was 43 years old, leaving twin daughters.  I was at her memorial service last weekend and I couldn't stop thinking about all the memories of her or life in general, how fragile and short our lives can be.

She was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of last year.  After doing the chemo aggressively, her cancer went on remission and the prognosis looked optimistic. But then, she announced on Facebook last January that she was at Moffitt (cancer center in Tampa) and waiting on her test results after experiencing horrible pain in her lower back.  Our fear was confirmed that her cancer came back with vengeance, and that her doctor told her she'd only have a year to live. 

Although she was fearful of what would happen to her girls if she died, she was determined to fight and live.  She had written up her bucket list and scratched off many of the things that she wanted to do. She flew to Texas to see her long lost friend and took her kids on the cruise. She even reconnected with her ex-husband and took their girls to Paradise Cove in Orlando to swim with dolphins as family. She did all the things she wanted to do but hadn't done before, and she was always smiling, even when cancer spread all of her body and bones and endured excruciating pain. She comforted people around her when she should've been the one to be comforted. She was truly a brave woman with so much dignity.

It's just heartbreaking that her twin daughters no longer have their beautiful mom. She loved them so dearly and her children knew that. And that makes me think of my kids.  Her passing was a reminder that your life could end unexpectedly, and that no one can ever know when is your last day on this earth.  That's why I want to live my life every day showing my children how much I love them that they mean the world to me.

Thank you Tammy, for teaching me such a wonderful lesson of love.
Rest in peace....

"Healthcare Is A Human RIght" - The 30/30 Project

I didn't know that Ryan Lewis' mother, Julie Lewis has been a survivor of HIV for 30 plus years until several days ago when I watched their interview on Anderson Cooper 360.  Many people nowadays think that HIV/AIDS crisis is a thing in the past, but it's still a reality for thousands and thousands of patients and their family members around the world.

Ryan Lewis and his mom Julie together with the help of Macklemore started a project called The 30/30 Project which builds medical centers around the world for the people who are in need of desperate care in treating HIV/AIDS and other disease. 

Their core message is "Healthcare Is A Human Right" which don't apply to many in poverty and for those who struggle to keep or seek clinical care.  There are many great medications and healthcare that are available to those who can afford it, but people are still dying because they can't afford the basic needs of medicine to keep the disease at bay.

What Ryan Lewis, Julie Lewis, Macklemore and others that are involved in this project have tried to accomplish is something extraordinary and I would love to be part of it.

If you wish to contribute even in a small way, go to 30.30 Project and donate.
Also you can watch 2 video clips of 30/30 Project below and Ryan & Julie's interview on Anderson Cooper 360  on CNN.

Ryan & Julie

Julie Lewis

My Blog

I was slowly discovering that I missed writing my blog in the fall of last year around my birthday. Some of my

closest mommy friends planned a beautiful birthday dinner for me. We dined, had some cocktails and went out to a bar to dance. It was very sweet and it was definitely one of those nights that I wish I could talk about it with the world. But of course, the busy & the lazy part of me just let it slipped away and I didn't even bother to sit in front of my computer. 

Time has passed and days have gone by, I tweet religiously and I pin everything on my Pinterest and re-blogging my nights away on my tumblr, but I still feel something was missing. And I think what's been missing in my life was to writing my day-to-day diary. I think it's therapeutic. 

My writing style is more like sharing my life with countless words in slightly broken English.  I don't do tutorial on hairstyle or food making because there are plenty of bloggers that are simply amazing at it.  What I am great at is to be honest - and write about what I feel.  I will write about fashion or new music that I discover, or talk about how wonderful and tough a motherhood can be.

I think when you're the most honest to yourself and what you write about, and never pretend to be someone you're not, then you can create the most beautiful blog that people will love to read and keep coming back to.  And I truly hope that someday, my blog will be the place where people can't wait to come back for and talk about their life togther..

xoxo

Maki

Hollywood & Washington

Last night was the Annual White House Correspondence Association Dinner.  Like some call it the "Nerd Prom", I think only certain people are interested in one of the biggest events in Washington D.C.  But I think it's drawing more attention as more Hollywood stars are involved passionately in politics.  I personally think it's one of the coolest things to watch which all the politicians, media and Hollywood stars gather under one roof - set aside their differences & mingle with each others.

Joel McHale hosted the dinner this year & he was throwing sometimes hilarious, sometimes boarder line low blows at politicians & celebrities all at the same time. Vanity Fair teamed up with photographer Mark Seliger and took portraits of stars both in Hollywood & Washington for after party. 

I love Vanity Fair & their photography. Their magazine always consists with absolutely beautiful work of art done by the most talented photographers. This year's Vanity Fair/Bloomberg's after party was no different.  I really want to attend this party. How can I arrange it?  Maybe, just maybe, I'll hit some type of Jack Pot that would allow winners to attend the WHCD.  

Oh, would that be nice?  Happy Sunday!!! 

You can read all the details here.

"Portraits By Mark Selinger"

Nancy was probably saying, "thanks a lot for making fun of my face, Joel!!!"

Third Time Is A Charm

We all say that "Third Time Is A Charm" when we fail to accomplish something twice & make an attempt to try again.  I don't want to say that I failed twice, but I once had a fairly popular blog that I stopped 5 years ago.  Then about 3 years ago, I started again, only to quit miserably. 

My children were still small and I felt that by focusing my life blogging was taking away my precious time with my daughters when they needed me the most.  I really wanted to be there and give my 100% to them when they were still home. 

Now they are 10 and 8: Full time elementary school students.  I'm back to my part-time job and still paint on the side.  I tweet regularly, but I realized how much I have things to say when I can only say it in 140 characters - "I miss blogging" 

So, here I am, third try at getting back on blogging.  And I hope this is my true "third time is a charm" moment - to share my life with anyone and everyone who's willing to letting me try. You have to enjoy writing your blog.  You create your own world and open the window for the world to see. But most of all, I want to write for myself. For me to enjoy as a therapy.

So wish me luck.

Thanks so much for stopping by...

XOXO
Maki