The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

A lot of people recommended this novel to me so I decided to read it. It really wasn't what I expected it to be. I know I heard reviews of the book being life-changing, amazing, spectacular; but in my opinion I found it boring overall. I was able to tolerate the beginning of the story but towards the middle and end, I was a lost cause. Yes, there were a few wise quotes here and there but I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would.

Quotes: 
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” 

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” 

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” 

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” 

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” 

“Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.” 

“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.” 

“When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary, they wind up becoming a part of that person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” 

Silver Linings Playbook

Hey all, sorry I haven't updated in like a month! This past month was very busy but awesome. I am so lucky and blessed to be doing the things I have been doing. :) I recently finished reading The Silver Linings Playbook and loved it! I watched the movie before reading the book, which I shouldn't have but I still enjoyed every sentence. Here is my review about the novel:

The only problem I faced was that I watched the movie before reading the book. I loved the movie and decided to read the novel, and I know movies vs. books are always different. It ruined the experience of the story since I expected many scenes to occur which didn't happen. Although different scenes played out, the outcome of the novel still left you speechless and happy. I enjoyed reading every page and couldn't put it down. It was an incredibly easy read. The main character also mentions other infamous novels to read as well throughout the story. I would recommend this book to others -- it is relatable to many and gives you hope, a silver lining.

Quotes:“If clouds are blocking the sun, there will always be a silver lining that reminds me to keep on trying.”“Life is hard, and children have to be told how hard life can be…So they will be sympathetic to others. So they will understand that some people have it harder than they do and that a trip through this world can be a wildly different experience, depending on what chemicals are raging through one’s mind.” 

“You need to know it's your actions that will make you a good person, not desire.”

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad's 65th birthday is on May 7th but I decided to make him his card earlier since that is also the day of my final. Wish me luck!

DIY Mother's Day Cards

I got a head start and made Mother's Day cards since it's approaching in a couple of weeks. I know for sure, I will definitely be too busy to make a card in the next few weeks! The two cards I made were inspired from cards I saw on Instagram. :) Hope you like them!

The top two cards were made by others, the bottom three were made by yours truly. :)

Cute Mother's Day Gift - Personalized I-Phone 4 Case

Custom iPhone Case

View the entire collection of cards.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Qcs2Lds3cs3Mw&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

DIY Fruit Turkey

A lot of the pictures I post and then blog about are old since I never had the opportunity to write about it. Better late than never right? So this past Thanksgiving, I saw an idea that caught my eye. It was a turkey shaped with fruit! I thought it was so cute and it was also so healthy! I attempted it myself and enjoyed eating it as well. It's very simple! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

- Purple grapes cut in half

- Blueberries

- Half a pear

- Small pieces of carrots

Day 1 of Running! 38:07.7

So spring weather is finally here! I was able to begin my exercise regimen the other day and ran 3 miles at one of my favorite places -- Rockland Lake. I will try to keep track of my time whenever I run to see my improvement. 38 minutes for 3 miles isn't bad for running for the first time this year! What do you think? :)

DIY Heart Card

I found this picture of heart cards while searching the web and found it to be a very cute idea! I thought it was simple enough for me to do and decided to make the card for a close friend of mine. :) Her birthday is tomorrow and she always made me cards in the past so I wanted to make her one as well.

DIY Mug Design

I love doing arts and crafts and try to whenever possible! I found this cute idea to make a mug design. :) I found a white, plain mug made of porcelain and wrote something sweet on it with a black permanent marker. I baked the mug in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees so the design would stay. Hopefully the words did not come off after many uses... I guess we will see! Hope you enjoy! This DIY is very simple and sweet!

Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV series)

I have the pleasure of watching Netflix due to two of my friends giving me their account passwords. Thanks for letting me freeload! I always heard this tv series was amazing but I never gave it the chance. It started in 2005 on Nickelodeon and they even created a second series called Legend of Korra. Can't wait to start watching that! Even though this is a kid's show, and I am 23 years old, I simply couldn't resist it! I have been a fan of anime since middle school and haven't watched Japanese cartoons in awhile. The three seasons of episodes left you wanting to watch more... continuously, nonstop.

Avatar teaches lessons of friendship, courage, and love. Children will gain significant wisdom from this show. I even enjoyed the life lessons during each episode. :) It made me sad when the series ended. I felt like I was growing with the characters and going on the journey with them! That's when you know a show is good; when you feel apart of it. The season finale was about an hour and a half long, and was filled with suspense as Aang faced the evil Fire Lord Ozai.

Quotes: 
"You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
- Iroh to Zuko

"The greatest illuson of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided."
- Guru Pathik

"Destiny? What would a boy know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river's destiny? No! Only that it runs on and on out of his control. He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean."
- Jeong Jeong

"You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree.
- Huu

“Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love.”

—	Iroh to Aang

DIY Henna

A good friend of mine traveled to India and brought me back some henna paste as a gift! I find drawing henna a beautiful art that can be expressed on our skin. Stories could be told with henna, same with a tattoo but henna is only temporary! I always contemplated on getting a tattoo but henna will do for now! Last summer, my friends and I were able to play around with the henna paste and made some cute designs! My favorite one being the elephant. :)

Henna designs:
Left side - Elephant
Top right - Ribbon
Middle right - Stars
Bottom right - Infinity Sign

The Perfect View of the George Washington Bridge

Summer days are when I start feeling more active and want to explore the outdoors! I enjoy going to parks to just feel more at ease from the daily stresses of our lives. One of my favorite places to go is -- Palisades Interstate Park . It has the perfect view of the George Washington Bridge.

What I'm Wearing:

Funky Sleeveless Button Down // Mom's Closet
Pink Leggings // Uniqlo
Gold Linked Chain // Forever 21

Swedish House Mafia Last Tour Concert

I had the incredible opportunity of attending the Swedish House Mafia's Last Tour Concert with my close friends! It was my first time attending a house concert in such a gigantic venue! My seats weren't that great -- being at the very top, only really seeing the huge plasma screen but it was still a great experience nonetheless.  I decided to show more skin at a rave concert since I would be dancing the night away!

What I'm Wearing:

Floral Crop Top // Forever 21
Black Disco Pants // American Apparal
Pink Hello Melody Watch // McDonald's
Floral Headband // Forever 21
Cat Socks // Thailand

First Post.

I decided to start blogging! This shall be exciting and interesting for me. I tried to use Chictopia but failed to update as much -- my first and last post being about 5 months ago! My posts will mainly be about fashion, recipes, trying new products and my traveling experiences! I hope you enjoy!

I will start my first post off with the last post I made on Chictopia which was in October:

I was celebrating in the city yesterday. I wanted to look cute but also be comfortable, since I knew it would entail a lot of walking! The wedges were the perfect pair of shoes to wear; my feet weren’t dying at the end of the night! The weather was breezy which allowed my high-low skirt to flow with the wind gracefully.

What I'm Wearing:

Black Forever 21 Belt

      // buy at www.forever21.com

Ruby Red Forever 21 Necklace

      // buy at www.forever21.com

Salmon Forever 21 Blouse

      // buy at www.forever21.com

Black High-Low Skirt

      // buy at www.target.com

Black Wedges

      // buy at www.target.com