I love this combination in Empire State of Mind of Jay Z rapping and Alicia Keys’ amazing vocals. And what can I say, let’s hear it for New York.

For those of you who know me, I have an unhealthy obsession with dresses. About a third of them I refer to as an art collection (mainly because I find their design interesting/beautiful and they haven’t been worn). I’m amassing my collection (a mix of designers/friends designs, mainstream Target/H&M/FCUK and mommy’s vintage) before I must sustain myself on cans of beans (ugh, I hate beans) and washaterias (you know how places like New York are).

My friend Eunice joined me for my annual homage to the garage sale (the rest of our party could not make it, more for us right?). The setting is never glamorous (unlike Neiman’s “sales”), but you overlook it because you know how wonderful the deals are from local boutiques. All you want to do is just want to reach out and touch the Marc Jacobs, Miss Davenport and even Bottega Veneta, or in my case, come home with Vena Cava and Lia Kes. (I sense red satin hanger treatment.) My purchases remind me of The Age of Feminine Drawing, an inspirational/artsy book that I love flipping through.

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On occasion I watch Oprah, (she did after all recommend Graeter’s ice cream) and by chance I caught a re-run of Elizabeth Gilbert answering questions about Eat Pray Love. I don’t know much about Gilbert, but I am impressed on how her life journey touched and transformed so many women’s lives. Truthfully, I have only thumbed through a few pages of the book back when so many people recommended it (probably a year ago), including a therapist I met on one of my plane rides from New York. It was actually her conversation that convinced me to purchase it.

This may be related to the previous post, but “What do you really, really, really want it?” is a good question to ask yourself daily, says Gilbert. For me, I’ve spent my life doing what I’m supposed to do (according to other people) and worrying if I’m doing everything right (according to other people) that while I have accomplished many feats, I feel more and more lost about myself. I’ve tried to list things I want to do that I think will excite me, but I’m still not really sure. However, the one thing I know I want to do is to take that trip. I want to experience a new culture, to learn and to trust myself even to fail, and perhaps lead “a bigger smaller life.”

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By Kristan Hoffman and Angie Liang

Angie

Between the sweltering heat and sticky humidity, you would think it was still summer. As I walked to class on my first day as a graduate student, mosquitoes swarmed my bare legs, viscously biting to survive. Survive just as I had that summer.

Rather than joining the workforce after college graduation, I chose to continue my education, much to the surprise of my parents, who assumed that I’d be well on my way to a high-paid executive position with some Fortune 500 Company. Instead, I found an internship in New York City that would engage my mind and my time until school started in the fall.

But that wasn’t the only thing that surprised them. Read the rest of this entry »