The Times of Now x the webinar obsession

I’ve never had more time then now….

said no one ever. 

Well, at least it  f e e l s  like there should be more time, but that feeling doesn’t resemble the reality of it. 

This weird feeling of having a floodgate of time while pushing through so much uncertainty, has led me into a new obsession. This new obsession has me on the look out for new webinars. 

I can’t stop myself from indulging in. This new habit has me getting excited about finding and registering for webinars. Then after I register, I make a conscious effort to then mark it in my calendar. But when the time comes for me to participate, it just goes over my head and will end up completely missing it.

Now I’m wondering if this is the new equivalent of saying yes to plans of going out but then cancelling, you know, pre-quarantine making plans to ditch it last minute routine.

But for the few that I’ve actually sat down in front of my camera for and listened in to, were so interesting and informative. I get this sense of community because of the group of strangers all listening to the same topic at the same time. It’s a fun way of having comradery during this weird yet unsafe period in time. If the event were in person, realistically, I wouldn’t go out of my way to attend, unfortunately, and even if it were for free. 

Deep down, I have all the intentions to participate. But one daily challenge has been to pinpoint those priority tasks, which then make it challenging to commit to even listening in on the webinar. It was easier to know what to prioritize because I knew that it was everything outside of the house, meaning, I had to be physical present at my college, or I had to be present at my internship or job building. Everywhere else except my home. 

Maybe I’ll cut back on the number of webinars I’ll sign up for or get more organized with my home-schooling-work-internship quarantine schedule routine. Either option won’t solve the main question of identifying those all-important tasks that I need to finish for the day. I’ll probably have to get better at working faster to save enough time to complete everything else and still make it to the webinar… fingers crossed. 

wardrobe planning? winter’s checklist

            When you’re having a good hair day, take a picture. When you’re having a decent outfit day, take a picture. When you’re wearing a new pair of shoes, like I’ve mentioned before, take a picture.

            One of my favorite writers once said that she remembers events through outfits. I cherished that quote, not because of the honesty but rather the mere bliss of having that certainty that there’s an outfit ready to go without spending valuable minutes pondering of its level of functionality and/or avant-gardeness. That level of confidence of the quantity of your wardrobe brings about a certain level of satisfaction that only a handful are able to fulfill. Which reminds me that the long grey days of the winter season are up ahead that means I need to replenish my winter wardrobe asap, but this time I’m not going shopping without a preplanned list of the items that I want and need. 

            One of the first items that is officially off of my shopping list is a multi-functional pair of black sneakers that will last me through the season. Although these Nike black high stop air forces need comfortable matching pairs of solid black high-rise socks to match because if not, my ankles will be spotted with unwelcomed blisters. Next up, a pair of leggings that are more than multifunctional but rather multi-faceted with the serviceability of “around-the-house” use but paired with a great over-sized blazer or jacket, can then become “internship-ready”. I had found my favorite pair in Zara and will probably go back to source some interesting pair of bottoms. The next item on my list is to find the best quality basic selection of plain colored t-shirts for my budget. Needless to say, basic or essential, solid colored plain tee’s are not hard to find in the market, but these days quality is and then factoring the one chance that I can choose from a brand or garment that is sustainable is something important. Lastly, the most widely used item in my closet will be the cardigans, blazers, or jackets. My plan is to purchase no more sweaters for the season because sweaters are for squares lol just kidding. Sweaters are an essential part of one’s winter wardrobe, how else will you say to the world that you didn’t want to leave your comforter that morning lol. 

            Wardrobe planning is a balance, like everything done in life, but a carefully planned wardrobe list can yield that much more satisfaction and hopefully end the outfit decision fatigue. If you haven’t felt it, it’s that feeling of prepping before an interview when you’re asking yourself if I have something to present myself with. Although the combinations of outfit ideas are set determined by the business staples and casualwear is whatever is available in your wardrobe, the choices are influenced by your feelings. Therefore, if you feel like you look presentable or good, then you’ll go the extra mile to do more. 

#OOTD Knit Midi Black Dress & Vintage Yankees Cap x Body Positivity

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where to start?….

I’m in a plateau in my fitness journey and I think it has to do with the way I’ve been eating. Although I’ve been trying to be very careful with what types of foods I eat, I’m now realizing that it is not enough to truly change the numbers on the scale. But I am happy to say that my weight is finally starting to hover around the number that I was pre-preganancy. For the short period of time that I’ve been a mother, I’ve been going easy with myself by being conscious to not say negative things to myself about my body or how awkward my belly looks hanging over my c-section scar.

I finally got the courage to test my confidence and put on this fitted midi length Forever 21 knit black dress with a scoop neckline and short sleeves that I randomly found as I was sorting through the racks inside a messy Forever 21 store on 34th street in Manhattan. It was the last one that I could see around and sadly, it had some damages but I didn’t care. I was so in love with the silhouette and especially with the versatility of having it closed all the way or leaving room for ventilation lol that I bought it with a little damage discount to knock off some dollas off of the original price. I took it home and it fit right in with the rest of my pieces, an easy comfy dress to mix and match with other pieces effortlessly.

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¿donde empezar?….

Estoy en una meseta en mi viaje de entrenamiento y creo que tiene que ver con la forma en que he estado comiendo. Aunque he estado tratando de ser muy cuidadoso con los tipos de alimentos que como, ahora me estoy dando cuenta de que no es suficiente para cambiar realmente los números en la báscula. Pero estoy feliz de decir que mi peso finalmente está comenzando a rondar el número que era antes de la preganancia. Durante el corto período de tiempo que he sido madre, me he vuelto tranquilo al ser consciente de no decirme cosas negativas acerca de mi cuerpo o de lo incómodo que se ve mi barriga sobre mi cicatriz de cesárea.

Finalmente, tuve el coraje de poner a prueba mi confianza y ponerme este vestido midi 21 color negro Forever equipado con cuello redondo y mangas cortas que encontré al azar mientras clasificaba los estantes dentro de una desordenada tienda Forever 21 en la calle 34 en Manhattan . Fue el último que pude ver y, lamentablemente, tuvo algunos daños, pero no me importó. Estaba tan enamorado de la silueta y especialmente con la versatilidad de tenerla cerrada todo el tiempo o dejar espacio para la ventilación jajaja que compré con un pequeño descuento de descuento para quitar algunas dollas del precio original. Me lo llevé a casa y encaja perfectamente con el resto de mis piezas, un vestido cómodo y fácil de combinar y combinar con otras piezas sin esfuerzo.

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Brooks Brothers Puffer Coat OOTD x FBF

I wish I could say that everyday in New York city feels gloriously warm, truly, but that is simply not the reality and I’d be completely lying to you. This is me, almost everyday, wrapped up in a heavy duty puffer coat that bundles me up like a sleeping bag. This one in particular is from Brooks Brothers, its a knee length dark navy blue puffer coat with a cute black feather trim to keep my face warm lol.

Lets raise a glass to effortless, simple and functional outfits cause life is stressful enough!

Cheers to not being famous enough to draw out paparazzi who want to snap pictures of your every step, unapologetically and ruthlessly, whether you look cute or not!

Thank goodness sake for this amazing lightweight Mountain Buggy stroller and for museums that house ruins and classic paintings from ancient times!

Here is a little recap of my outfit and a vlog of the days events!

This post is a bit of a throwback because it was on January 16th of 2018! This day was extra special because it was my daughters official first birthday. We decided to celebrate it by taking her to the museum and have a little mini photoshoot but she was not having it because she was asleep the whole time! Thank God #amen lol regardless my husband and I really enjoyed it because there was a lot of things, a lot of history to experience once we were inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Its so big and beautiful, every corner is instagram worthy and it really takes your breath away once you step inside. I really don’t think there is another museum like it (or maybe one that I’ve yet to visit). So this is a throwback Thursday kind of post, I had completely forgotten about this day, which was buried under all the other pictures of random life shenanigans on my iPhone.

I hope you enjoy and maybe even brings a little smile to your face, like if you like and follow for more content. Let me know what you think of the video or the outfit below in the comments, until next time!

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Darphin Revitalizing Oil x Honest Review

The dreaded day finally came when my new favorite Darphin Revitalizing Oil for Face, Hair and Body officially ran out…. #boohoo

I’ve been using the Darphin Revitalizing Oil throughout the year, more so during the fall and winter season because thats when my skin is prone to get extremely dry rather than the summer. I would wear this alone, as a replacement for a face moisturizer in the mornings since the texture of the oil wasn’t so thick and sticky.

The bottle is so cute because it is a small bottle with a gold-ish color tone which made my bathroom shelves look so luxurious and majestic as I lined it up with my other cute fragrance bottles. But the bottle alone wasn’t what attracted me, the oil itself felt lavish on the surface of skin as I would apply it after my morning routine, during the evening and on those occasions where I slept until the afternoon. It added a little bit of a shinny glow dew on the high points of my cheeks but not in a sweaty, out of the gym, kind of way. It smelled amazingly good, not fruity but neither did it have a powerful obnoxious fragrance scent and that made it much more pleasant to apply it frequently. It didn’t absorb into my skin too quickly which I’m not complaining about because from time to time when I would catch my reflection in the mirror, I noticed that beautiful highlight as the daylight caught the oil. I honestly could go on forever talking about the Darphin Revitalizing oil because it really made me feel guilt free about spoiling myself by taking extra care of my skin in one of the best ways available!

Since it is labeled as a multipurpose oil, when I looked up some of the benefits of this particular one, one recommendation was to apply it “generously” across stretch marks. Instantly, I became excited for the healing possibilities and all the ways the oil could aid in fading my tiger stripes. But once I gave it a go, quickly I realized that it wouldn’t be sustainable because the bottle only holds 50ml and it won’t be enough to cover a large area covered with stretch marks. Even if I did try, I’d probably run out before I started to notice any improvements. I would gladly go around smelling like the oil’s rich and beautiful aroma but for the price of 80$ for only 1.7 fluid ounces (50mL), its definitely a little luxury and splurge. The oils main purpose is to protect the skin against future moisture loss while leaving the skin silky and nourished. It also helps to prevent hair breakage and restoring brilliance by adding a luxurious healthy shine if its applied to the hair.

 

Thanks for checking out my post and please let me know if you’ve personally tried this product before. Until next time!

ASOS Shopping Haul Video x Stress Management

Ugh.

I can’t even begin to express to you what I had to sacrifice in order to get this video edited and finished. Lots of dirty dishes pilled up, clutter pilled up like Mount Everest, a grumpy husband who had to be attentive to our baby  girl and certain level of stress that equals that of a college term paper due the following morning that hasn’t even been started yet lmfao. yea, you know what feeling I’m talking about…

When I was officially done with the video below, I started the process of exporting it to the Youtube 1080p setting. I decided to stop exporting it because I felt like something  was wrong since the time frame displayed on the progress window read “14 hours until file complete”. I kept thinking, “14 hours”, practically a whole day? that doesn’t make a lot of sense so I canceled the progress and as soon as I did, all my hard work had randomly disappeared…

I was shook, pissed, scared and annoyed! 

How could my MacBook betray me like this (I kept on thinking to myself) and how is it possible that this amazingly expensive video editing tool program thing deleted my work without having any trace of the completed file stashed away somewhere in my files? could this be the work of the illuminati? whom everyone knows keeps an eye on everyone especially on minorities? anyways, I digress and yes, I’m completely exaggerating (and joking! nothing but jokes here, I’m a real comedian lmfao)

In all honesty, I’m proud of myself for magically scouting out all of the missing files that made up the video and finally getting it exported to upload! I still had to spend some more time re-editing some scenes, but it wasn’t as bad as having to re do the whole darn thing! I’ve been trying to get better at creating content more frequently for my Youtube channel. I’m really trying to build my video editing skills so I can confidently update my LinkedIn profile. Its just a little difficult managing motherhood whilst learning something from scratch.

Which leads me to say that learning to manage your stress and/or intense emotions is also a life skill that many sadly never pay enough attention to. Finding out what works, when suddenly your emotions get so out of hand that it causes you to simply react instead of stopping and thinking is so valuable. Blessed are you if you are one to recognize that as useful and admirable skill to possess. Here are some tips, if you find yourself getting out of control with yourself:

  1. tell yourself its ok and that the moment will pass
  2. step away, step away, step away… you dont want to say or do something that you will regret in the long run
  3. vent to someone, tell someone what just happened and ,perhaps, they might help you sort through it with you.

I’ve listed just a few but by no means are these the only ones. Sometime in the near future, I’ll dive more into this topic in a full blog post. But for now, heres a video on my ASOS haul of knee high black boot shoes and ugly wedding dress options that didn’t look nice on me. Thanks for watching and let me know what you think of my editing skills below!

 

First Week of 2018 Thoughts & Resolutions

New Year’s Eve was small, cute and cheery. Our family stayed home since New York city has been experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in the city’s history and it didn’t help that we all had a bit of the whooping cough. So we stayed up until the ball dropped and even woke up our babygirl so she can feel the excitement of the new year since it is officially her first one.

For most of the New Year’s Eve day, I spend it planning, planning and more planning. I feel so much more confident overall and secure knowing that I’m not wasting my time because I have a better sense of what to anticipate next. I’ve grown to dislike spending time just pondering on what needs to be done next or wondering if I’m missing something. It such a annoying mental road block when your just sitting there confused about what to do with yourself or, on the other hand, when you have too many plans that it feels overwhelming. Unlike 2017, I’m planning on taking more control in all areas of my life throughout 2018. Here are some of my personal resolutions for 2018:

  1. Don’t overwhelm yourself. To much too fast, halts creativity & that’s no bueno if your trying to create content.
  2. Stop over eating! Portion control will be a waist saver or waist killer.
  3. Go to the gym more! Cause you know your booty is not going to build itself and like Elle Woods said, “endorphins make you happy” lol
  4. Patience will be your greatest gift to yourself and others. Embrace that shit! Lol
  5. Learn to simplify things. Not everything needs more than a day to complete.
  6. Grow a YouTube channel & learn what it means to add value to others.

I purposefully left my list short because each one can be broken down into smaller and more manageable tasks. I believe that resolutions should be goals that turn into habits. A skillful habit that will help guide you into your greater self.

I hope this post sparked some idea or thought that you’d like to further explore. Thanks for reading along and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

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You can catch up with me on instagram And twitter

Off-The-Shoulder Floral Romper x OOTD

This was a super casual floral romper for a casual stroll around the park in this crazy humid New York City heat. The romper has a trendy off-the-shoulder look with super cute floral motifs of red, pink, blue flowers and leaves that almost look drawn on. It was really comfortable and cute. I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately, mostly because I’ve been researching the classes I’ll need to take to go back to school for a bachelors degree. I’m really excited about the major I’m planning to go into but its going to be really tough for me because its mostly in math. I’ve spend so much time researching what would be the best and most flexible degree for me and my little family for a while now. It was really challenging because there were so many questions that I had about demand, pay scale, etc and nothing that could be answered by simply googling it.

Personally, I wish public high schools would incorporate and encourage other topics, something that’s more relevant long term, to build interest within the kids which would grow into a life skill. Instead of spending so much time on memorizing (what feels like now) useless facts or rules. I completely understand that education is important, but understanding whats valuable and what isn’t is just as important. Its just unfortunate that kids don’t get that time to really explore and question the things around them because of all the time spend on schoolwork or craming for tests… Anyways, I’m just ranting on my own personal experiences.

Perhaps you’ve had a different experience or have a different opinion about the education system, if so lets chat in the comments below! Also, what do you think about this outfit?

Thanks for checking out my blog and this post!

sunglasses; Ray Bans | romer; Rainbow | sneakers; Forever 21 | bag; Boohoo | baby; MINE 😅

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Metallic Streak

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One of the most irritating feelings is when you bring something home that you absolutely loved in the store, just to see that nothing in  your collection of clothes compliments it well. Its out of left field for the what you’ve been harboring in the closet and theres so little time to be sourcing the stores or thrifts shops to find specific items. I’ve had this battle with this particular skirt and for some time. I loved the linen material with vertical gold/ orange metallic strips and the coarse like shape that it created once I put it on. There were many time that I had given up on this skirt. I’ve had it collecting dust, tried giving it away to family members, and I even thought of donating it. But somehow it would resurface or manage to get back to me, like some sort of lost child, reminding me like “hey, I’m cute, I’m here, LOVE ME! you got me for a reason…”

Well, it finally happened, the nourishment come like water to a drying flower. The beautiful thing is, it kind of happened by accident. I was observing the pretty detailed packaging design that the Versace perfume came in, which smells like a sweet vanilla scent, that I received for my birthday. After a while, I became a bit inspired by it. The metallic strips of the skirt expressed the metallic design, while wrapping my belt expressed the icon Versace medusa symbol.

Shirt & Sweater & Accessories: Forever 21
Skirt: H&M
Heels: ALDO
Belt: Unknown