5/31/2014 0 Comments EnjoyPhoto courtesy of quotesvalley.com
This post is about making the most of your situation. In my case, I had to make the most of being home all day since my car has been at the body shop for a little while. As someone whose Saturdays are usually spent with friends and/or exploring new parts of the city, it was challenging at first to face the fact that I couldn't drive anywhere. Especially given that the weather has pretty much been perfect for outdoors-y-ness (70 degrees, clear, sunny and warm), it was extra challenging. But, the following quote by Theodore Roosevelt entered my mind: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." This motivated me to come up with ways to make my day a good one despite that I couldn't drive to Golden Gardens Park (where in my opinion the best beach in Seattle exists) or grab iced lattes with my best friend. I knew that if I spent the entire time in front of the TV feeling as if there were nothing else to do in the house, I would feel crummy at the end of the day. So, I started out my morning by going for a jog at the nearby park (for reasons mentioned in a previous Life au Cochon post, titled "Sanity"). I had gotten used to being at the park in the evening, so it was refreshing to get a taste of the morning spring air and see the dew on the leaves. Following the jog were activities I had either wanted to do for awhile, or had taken for granted and hadn't done for awhile. These things included writing, reading out on the balcony in my backyard, and spending quality time with my little brother. It was especially exciting to read on the balcony, because it took me back to the summers during high school where I'd spend every day reading or tanning under the Sun. It was especially fun to joke and laugh with my brother, because it reminded me how I don't need to spend every single Saturday outside the house. I guess this goes to show that sometimes you may not know how your day will end; but, that just means there's a higher chance of you discovering or rediscovering things about yourself and the world around you. ~~MC
0 Comments
7/31/2013 0 Comments A Road InvisibleDespite that I have had something on my mind for awhile, I did not think I could share it until now.
Now, I am a college graduate. For the past several months, my mind has been captivated by a gravel path that represents the rest of my life, or at least the next few years of my life. That path is not clear but blurry, not well-paved but incredibly cluttered and surrounded by inevitable dust. Before I get too carried away with my metaphor, I will state that I have felt captured by the fact that as a college graduate, I do not know what my future will look like. Sure, I have some idea of it--I know that I want to take a year off before I apply to the Christie's Masters Program in NY (or London, still must decide on the location). I know that I want to spend the next year growing intellectually and emotionally through internships and/or a full-time job. I know that I want to spend the year also by spending more quality time with my family, since school always got in the way of my making time for them. However, we all know that life is unpredictable and that it can sometimes take you to places you would never think of. I don't mean to make this sound negative, in fact I think it's positive! It is exciting to not know where you're going; and at the same time, we have the comfort of knowing that as long as one is always honest with him/herself and makes the right choices, they will be in the place they were meant to be. There is a part of me that's scared and that wishes the gravel path wasn't so blurred into the rest of the ground. But, part of life's beauty is knowing that you have the power to grab all the sticks and rocks you can to try and clarify that path, and that the gusts of wind will collaborate with you to naturally help make the path look the way it is meant. Again, I notice myself getting carried away by the path metaphor, so I will finish this blog post with a striking quote that relates to the topic, and with the hope that you have understood what I was elaborating :) : "We are glorious accidents of an unpredictable process with no drive to complexity, not the expected results of evolutionary principles that yearn to produce a creature capable of understanding the mode of its own necessary construction." ~Stephen Jay Gould Have a lovely (and pleasantly surprising) day! ~~MC 6/7/2013 0 Comments ChangesHappy Friday everyone!
Today I have decided to write a simple blog post dedicated to inspire you to make a change in your life once in awhile. This is because it is good to be reminded from time to time that a life without change is perhaps not a fulfilling one. Or rather, this quote delivers my point better than I can: "If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." ~Jim Rohn Here is a list of ways you can add more variety and spice to your daily routine: 1. Get a major haircut 2. Pick a recipe you usually wouldn't go for, such as a complicated cake (never thought I would write "complicated cake" in a blog post, or anywhere for that matter) 3. Take a hot yoga class 4. Instead of your usual, pick a different coffee drink from the menu, or even choose a different syrup flavor for the beverage. 5. Buy a piece of clothing in a color you normally wouldn't wear (personal example: I recently bought a teal and white striped quarter sleeve shirt, when usually I wear short sleeved v-neck blue shirts) 6. Start a blog! It's a fulfilling hobby that allows you to put thoughts out there and share your passion with others. 7. Talk to a stranger. Even small talk can potentially open you up to fresh perspectives. 8. Add something to your pampering/self-care routine (ex. using olive oil instead of face wash to get rid of makeup and dirt at the end of the day. Yes, people do this, and it can also lessen acne!) And there you have it! A short list of ways you could change up your life! You are welcome to suggest more if you have any in mind; I am open to hearing what you think. Have a good day all! ~~MC 7/19/2011 0 Comments "Do more of what makes you happy."Today I was reading a post from the Building 25 Blog (from the Free People Boutique), where they wrote a gigantic list of ways for you to stay creative...And one of the items on the list was:
"Do more of what makes you happy." Now that's something I want to read on a piece of paper every morning right after I wake up. :) What things do you do that make you happy? What skills, hobbies, or even career ideas get your mind working and your spirits elevated? Today, even if half of today has already gone by, take the next five minutes or so to think about the things that make YOU happy, not what things you think other people would like you to do or things that you know make other people happy. When I have a hard time trying to figure out what to do during the day, I ask myself the following question: If I had only today to live, what would I do? What would you want to do? --Would you want to go to the beach? travel to a destination where you can take beautiful photos? bake something you always wanted to bake? drive to your best friend's house and share a slice of chocolate cake?... I'm sure reading this blog wouldn't be on the list of your things to do if today was your last day on Earth, so hop off your chair after this sentence is over, and get right to doing what you love to do! ;D ~~MC 6/15/2011 0 Comments Coconut Sauce and Powdered SugarFor today's Life au Cochon post, I'd like to excitedly advise you to read this quote :) ...And here it is:
"Whatever you love, you are." I ran into this quote while immensely absorbed in this lovely memoir I started reading yesterday (it's called A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, who not only wrote this intimate life account but also created the well-known food blog Orangette, and who recently opened a pizza restaurant in Seattle; I truly admire her and all her accomplishments!). Wizenberg seems to effortlessly douse each word of the quote in a rich, creamy, pearl-hued coconut sauce, before lightly coating it in a delicate floating cloud of powdered sugar; then, in a final flourish, she heats and molds together this meltingly delicious combination, turning into a succulent union of all things one person can love. In other words, Molly sends a warm sense of comfort to the reader, letting us know that you have the freedom to throw all the things you love and enjoy into one nicely-wrapped bundle of yourself. You can bring yourself closer and closer to showing exactly who you are to the world, by fulling devoting yourself to your own fusion of coconut sauce and powdered sugar. And to that, I couldn't agree more. I personally love this quote because it convinces me that I can pick and choose what I want to devote myself to; thus, the things I choose define me--Like when I draw in my sketchbook, randomly decide to bake a blueberry cobbler whose recipe I found online (I did this last night actually...And I can still hear the subtle bubbling of the hot blueberries huddled safely under the oat-flour mix), and when I decorate my ears with the so-relaxing-it's-like-I'm-listening-to-the-sounds-of-nature jazz tunes by Madeleine Peyroux or Norah Jones. It seems relaxing and even like a giant sigh of relief, to know that you have all the power to decide who you want to be. Your identity is in your hands, and just like how you can mold a thick, charcoal-hued block of clay into any shape of bowl or cup or anything else you want, you have the all-encompassing potential and ability to shape your colors and textures that make you. What are the things that make you sing and dance on your tip-toes? What things make you want to leap with joy and start to hug random people (well, that might be going a bit too far but oh well)? :) ~~MC 6/11/2011 0 Comments What Happened This Morning?"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day."
I ran into this quote recently, and although it's unknown as to who actually said it, I found myself struck by its (obvious yet still profound) meaning. To me, it stated that a person always has a choice--he/she has the freedom to decide either to stay upset through the rest of the day over something that went wrong earlier, or to put that firmly in the past in order to enjoy the oncoming things that will make their day a great one. What do you think? How do you go about a day even if things go wrong? Do you find yourself spending the rest of the day questioning why things didn't go the way you wanted; or do you end up trying to remember what had happened because you completely forgot, as you snuggle up safely in your bed in remembering only the fun times you had during the rest of the day? Please tell me what you think, I am all ears (not pig ears, obviously because I am a human...). :) Have a lovely day! ~~MC 4/25/2011 0 Comments MangoesLong time no talk!
I'm sorry it's taken me literally a month (well...a month and two days, but oh well) to write this next blog. For some reason, I let my busy (and sometimes lazy) schedule take over my motivations to come back to the MC website...Forgive me. :P But no more of that sorrow--Here I am again, ready to write more to you! :) I'd like to start by saying the following: "Always have a sense of mango." I have my sister to thank for this quote. (In case you have not yet noticed, I tend to thank my sister for almost too many things...What can I say, she's a perfect sister!). The phrase came out of a time the two of us played Mad Libs--One of the blank spaces called for a noun, which my sister chose as "mango," and voila the above quote! The quote obviously didn't make sense at first, but then I had decided to interpret the word "mango" as spontaneity, liveliness, flexibility, and enjoyment of life--especially because I associate those words with bright, happy colors..Including creamy orange, the color of a mango. I loved this quote so much that I later added it to the list of other inspirational quotes I jotted down on a small piece of paper taped to my bathroom mirror...Or actually, to be honest, my sister secretly wrote the quote down while I was away from my room; and even after these last several months, every time I look at the piece of worn out yet precious paper, I can't help but notice my sister's handwriting that distinguishes itself so loudly from the other quotes! XD But don't get me wrong, I'm happy she wrote it, because I like to be reminded every morning that things don't always have to be taken seriously. So I say to you again, "Always have a sense of mango." If it means leaving your tradition of ordering a tall-nonfat-double-shot-two-percent-extra-foam latte every time you go to Starbucks (I purposefully said "nonfat" and "two percent" for the same drink because of how amazingly complex people's orders get sometimes, that perhaps they will forget they said "nonfat" and then say "two percent" hehe!), or if it means spontaneously calling up a friend to invite him/her over for dinner the same night (well, those two things may not sound so adventurous or exciting to some people, but they are to me :) I guess it depends on the person...), it definitely counts as adding some vibrant yellowish-orange mango color to your life. So relax, enjoy and sip a venti double-nonfat-two-percent-one-percent-extra-chocolate-extra-whipped-cream frappucino! :D ~~MC P.S. I dedicate this post to my friend Kate, who has spent the last few months at a university in exciting Australia; I believe that she eats mangoes every morning for breakfast, as she's one of the people I most admire. :) <3 P.P.S. Sorry the writing may be a little hard to read in the picture...I used the camera on my phone. :P |
Archives
February 2016
CategoriesAll Alex Farnham Cafe Change Comfort Commitment Creativity Exercise Family French Music Friends Memories Musicians Music Video Nature Poem Quotes Randomly Cute Recipes Snl Summer Sunlight Tea Yoga |