RiSE Festival

A week ago I had the opportunity to attend the RiSE Lantern Festival in the Mojave Desert, Nevada. It is the U.S. first launch of floating lanterns into the sky. It has always been a dream of mine, a bucket list item to see this tradition in Thailand but I hardly wanted to travel all around the world just for the lanterns, so it was a wish come true when I found out it will be held in Nevada. Just a hop, skip and a jump away!

10,000 people with 20,000 floating lanterns....creating magic together. The initial lantern release in unison was so beautiful and moving. I wept with joy and amazement. An indescribable feeling that is equally felt by all those around me. For this moment in time, you felt like you were in heaven, amongst the angels. I know it sounds crazy but it was the most beautiful feeling and I felt really close to my mother who passed 20 years ago. This experience was very symbolic for me and to many of those who have lost their loved ones. Life is constantly moving forward but we made time stand still just for us and our angels. For that, I am grateful.


A snippet of a iMovie I made from my iPhone. It was truly a magical moment in time. Photos & videos does not do it justice. I would go again in a heartbeat. Who’s in for next year?:))) xx

www.risefestival.com

Live. Love. Wander.

For Love & Lemons dress | Dolce Vita sandals | Anarchy Street necklace | Rings: Ariella Collection, VTBLT | Flash tattoos | Sephora nail polish | Photos by: Tina Clara

Live. Love. Wander...That is the mantra.

Oh to traverse the Mojave Desert in Nevada of all places, but to witness the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life thus far....RiSE Lantern Festival was truly a magical and surreal experience I’ll never forget. Next post will be all about it! xx

Dancing in the Dark

Life is all about finding happiness in the small things. If it means dancing in the dark, so be it.

This has absolutely nothing to do with fashion, but since it’s my blog, I figure I can post whatever. This is more of an artistic take on visuals in shadow and light. A complete impromptu moment when a simple stage door casts this beautiful long shadow at just the right time creating the perfect silhouette. I couldn't resist the opportunity and just asked a random person standing by to shoot a iPhone video of me twirling around like an idiot. May have been the most silly minute of my life but the outcome is so pretty! This was done purely for fun and I hope this inspires you to open your eyes and get creative. Hope you like!

Music by: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Dancing girl (aka more like Spinning girl): Meeeee!
Shot & edited: From my iPhone

Bookworm Chic

Maeve blouse | AG Jeans pencil skirt | Zara red suede cut-out heels (similar here and here) | Namrata Joshipura headband | Wildfox Luna sunglasses | Photos by: Tina Clara (and some from my iPhone!)

Veni, Vidi, Legi!

I love to read. There’s no denying it...my greatest loves are between two covers. Remember the feeling you get when you don’t want to go to bed but you have to put the book down. Then you continue reading a few more chapters and so on...next thing you know, it’s dawn. This is what happens when you a read a good book. You sacrifice sleep. And yes, I have had many sleepless nights:)

With technology these days, so many people are on e-books or prefer buying new books. Me? I love the feel of books in my hand. I’m a traditional kinda gal and absolutely love the good old public library system. I even have my very first library card in possession! Using the public library makes you more responsible and it will give you a deadline to finish the books you check out. And more importantly, you are saving trees. Do good for the earth!

So this post is dedicated to all the bookworms (or Belle wannabes) out there. I ventured into The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. Talk about a quirky little bookstore - it’s very old but interesting with labyrinth of books. It’s a magical Harry Potter-esque with flying books and mazes. A book hunting adventure definitely worth checking out. My so-called bookworm look is très chic, quirky, fun and perfect for this location.

Why reach for just the stars when you can reach for a book and have the stars, the sun, and the moon! Happy reading. xx

I Scream for Ice Cream

Wildfox soft serve pullover | Paper Heart floral skort (similar here, here, and here) | Zara wedge sandals (similar here and here) | BP aviator sunglasses | Pura Vida bracelets | Photos by: Tina Clara

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

Summer is here. So I decided to wear what I like to eat during summer (which is pretty much everything) But for the sake of this particular post....let it be a soft serve. This Wildfox pullover is the perfect piece to wear over little tank tops (or worn alone) for summer. It’s lightweight, soft cotton and has the irresistibly cute little soft serve print.

I love eating soft serves, but it melts too fast! I’m always in a hurry to get to the bottom of the cone so it won’t drip through. Besides the soft serves, I scream for anything cold & yummy these days, including ice cream, frozen yogurt, Taiwanese shaved ice, jujuba (korean popsicles), fruits and ofcourse, the most important thirst quencher of all time...watermelon! I can live on that forever. I need to start wearing a watermelon.

What are some of your favorite summer treats? Happy Summer! xx