Va va voom

30% off at Saks.

Love you much,

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The 5 Reasons Why You Are Not Fulfilling Your Potential by Paul Sloane

Very few people can claim that they have achieved all that they are capable of. In the Western world most of us do moderately well. We get an education and a succession of jobs; we have some relationships that work; we are well fed; we avoid penury and destitution. We can take comfort in modest achievements. But for many people there is a nagging feeling that they could have done much, much more with their lives and careers. They know that their talents are mostly undeveloped. So what is that is stopping you right now from making a much greater contribution to society? What is that is preventing you from fulfilling your potential?

1. You do not have enough belief in yourself. All successful people have enormous self- belief. They know that they have something special to contribute and they are determined to make their mark. This does not mean that they are arrogant, narcissistic or complacent. On the contrary, they are self critical and push themselves hard because they know that they can achieve more. What is it that is special about you? What is the talent that you have not developed? What do you know you are capable of?

2. You do not measure yourself against written goals. It is hard to make progress if you have no clear goals for your life. Most of us muddle along from one thing to the next. Successful people define their objectives and measure progress against them. You should set yourself targets in the areas that are important to you e.g. career, wealth, health, relationships and social life. There are many books giving detailed advice on goal setting and they reinforce the point that the most important thing is to write your goals down and track progress. If you do not achieve some of the goals then reset them. You can be flexible and adjust how you move forward but you must keep moving. Do you have written objectives that you track regularly?

3. You are too comfortable where you are. It is easy and natural to settle into a rut. Why try something new when you are already doing that you are good at? High achievers go further. They take risks. They move out of their comfort zones. They take on difficult challenges. They push themselves to acquire new skills and to face new examinations of their abilities. This means that they run the risk of failure. Where are you right now – inside your comfort zone or taking risks?

4. You are lazy. Either that or you waste a lot of time every day on low value activities. Thinking and planning are great but it is action that leads to success. It is only by doing things and doing the right things that you change the world. If you have clear goals but are not making progress towards them then look at your activity level. If you are a writer are you writing enough? If you are a salesman are you selling enough? If you are a leader are you leading enough? Great sportsmen and musicians practise for hours each day. Picasso painted over 20,000 pictures. Persistence pays dividends. How high is your work rate? And how much time do you waste on activities that do not advance you towards your objectives?

5. You are not mixing with high achievers. Let’s face it - your friends and family are really nice people but they are not challenging you to achieve more. Spend more time with high flyers and positive thinkers who understand ambition and achievement. Share some of your thoughts, dreams and challenges with them. They will encourage you and give you the direct advice you need. How much time are you spending with really successful people?

The person who can motivate you, change you and get the most out of you is in the mirror. Build your self-belief. Set yourself clear goals and measure progress against them. Push yourself outside your comfort zone. Take on some difficult challenges even though you risk failure. Significantly increase your work rate. Mix with high achievers. Ask yourself this - do you want a safe, comfortable existence or do you want a life where you achieve something really worthwhile?

To read more by Paul and the likes click for the blog that could potentially change your life or at least your point of view.

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I just wanna love you

Pig Magazine May 2009

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Turn the lights on

“The stubbornness I had as a child has been transmitted into perseverance. I can let go but I don't give up."- Phylicia Rashaad

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The Gift of Being Enchanting...

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I might wear black for a year straight

Jay-Z's D.O.A.He slimmed down I see...
Get'em Jay.-CD

Somewhere

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

-e.e.cummings-CD

My heart breaks

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—

And cabbages—and kings—

And why the sea is boiling hot—

And whether pigs have wings."

From The Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis Carroll

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Teen Vogue Fashion Univ. Rap-Up

A few years back I stumbled upon Teen Vogue Fashion University, the weekend long fashion conference/seminar hosted by Teen Vogue, by chance. I remember hearing about it from my BF's sister but I never paid it too much attention. I figured that it was a fancy fashion program designed for fashion students at fancy fashion schools. Amidst the struggles of getting into my dream university and getting comfortable, I ignored the TVFU 2007 application deadline and kept sketching, designing, dreaming and doing my own thing. As the summer of 2008 came along and I transferred colleges I figured that there was no time like the present to apply and give it a shot. I am generally a perfectionist and I read somewhere once that perfectionists tend to have an "all or nothing" approach to life, meaning that they will either give 110% towards accomplishing their goals or they'll become too afraid that they won't be accomplished perfectly and stop midway. As the deadline for TVFU came closer I realized that I had to give 110% because there was absolutely nothing that I wouldn't give to learn from the best in the fashion industry in the middle of Manhattan. Anyway, I sent in some work from my advanced high school art class (a few scratch art pieces and a watercolor), wrote a few strong essays, said a prayer and pushed send.

I was accepted!

TVFU was a beautiful experience. I was able to meet girls who loved fashion just as much as I did. It was kind of like those Star Trek conventions you see on tv when everyone is so into it and everyone feels like they fit and they belong because they are surrounded by people who share the same love as they do. I was blessed to attend seminars hosted by Rachel Roy, Phillip Lim, Peter Som, Sonia Kashuk, the Teen Vogue Editors, the author of the novel The Clique, the costume designer of The Clique the movie and so many more. I don't even remember how much it cost last year but I know that it was somewhere around the $200 range. In exchange we got knowledge to last a lifetime and a Dooney and Bourke tote filled with hair products, magazines, make up, "green" things and other goodies.

I wrote all of this to say that I really encourage everyone who is serious about fashion to apply to TVFU, both ladies and gents. They accept about 500 students from across the nation and Canada so please come with strong applications!

Packing all of my bags.

They were a bigger hassle than I expected!

Early morning session!

Yummy breakfast and lunch provided by Target

Peter Som's session had so many students in the audience!

The private session with Rachel Roy. (I sat on the second row, lol) I love her work.

Learn more here

See you there!

-CD

Thirty-six, twenty-five, thirty-four

I Call Shotgun- Ride With Me (Nelly Cover)

Click to download

-CD