Recovering From Ruin.

Hello lovelies!

Recently (as in earlier today!) I read an article about how we are ruining our own lives. If you're interested in reading it, it can be found riiiiiiight here: How To Ruin Your Life.

The title intrigued me. Could a stranger possibly tell me I'm ruining my life? I thought I was doing pretty well at succeeding, then I read the article. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was exactly what I needed. 

Just to let you in on a little about me, I hate wasting my time. I feel that everything should have a purpose and my actions should be progressing me towards some bigger goal. You don't have to agree, it's just simply where I stand on things. There are times that I'm so focused on this logic that I get tunnel vision and forget to just take a step back and look at the direction I'm going and if it's what I want to do. One point the article made is that people don't consider backtracking, they view life as a straight line. I needed to read that. Growing up, I had my ten year plan: go to college, get a career, get married, have a family. All this before 30! I'm at the half-way point in my twenties and I can see how unrealistic it is. It's ok to say something and not follow through, life doesn't always give you what you want, but it gives you what you need. It's made me look at all the elements of my life and take stock of what I have right now, and then compare it to where I want to be. If I backtrack, it's ok, it doesn't make me weak or unsuccessful. 

Not only this, another point this article made was trying to fast-track love. I can wholeheartedly agree with this one. We all want to be that one special person for someone and can't wait to do so. We spend our time searching, narrowing down the playing field, going for goal. Why?! I mean, there's a point to it, but why the rush? I need to just appreciate moments I have and let it go from there. If you know me at all, this is a very difficult task. When feelings are involved I become a total mess. But, I can't control the situation or other people and I need to accept happiness instead of letting it stress me out. Complimenting this, I need to value and appreciate the alone time I do get. It's not lonely time, it's time to value the things I want to do, without having to worry about others. There are always going to be times when we're alone, so it's best to get used to it.

I always believed that by working hard at something and going through a problem instead of around it, you would come out stronger on the other side. I still believe that. This is a challenge for me, but it means more opportunities for growth. I have never been one to be complacent and this is another instance where I refuse to be. I will be strong, I will be flexible, I will probably backtrack, but I will not ruin my life. 

Disney Days!

Hello lovelies!

So things have been quite busy lately, although I always find myself saying that, so maybe I just need to accept that it's the norm. I'm currently in the process of moving, planning a lot of fun activities, and getting ready for the holidays. I did however take some time to show my friend around Orlando and go to Disney!

I've lived in Orlando for a while and have been here so many times, but there's just something about Disney that makes you feel like a child again. As soon as I walked into the park, I just squealed with delight. It was a crisp, cool Autumn day (which is rare for Florida) and it was just so magical. Disney is always worth it, I repeat, always worth it!

Here are a few pictures I managed to take during the day, which in and of itself is an accomplishment given my excitement. This was a last minute kind of plan, and normally I'm not a fan of that, but it was a great day. I felt relaxed and for a day at least, forgot about all the business of everyday life and the things I stress about. I know not everyone can just hang out at Disney for the day, but find something you like to do and make a plan to do it. Or just get in your car and drive somewhere for the day and just truly let yourself relax, it does wonders!

I am going to make a conscious effort to keep this updated! I want to remember all of my thoughts and the good things in life as much as I can!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day and that you do something for yourself that makes you happy!

A Disease Called Perfectionism

Hello lovelies!

So as you may or may not know, I am pretty easy breezy most of the time, but deep down I am such a perfectionist that I'll just snap and have a day of intensely analyzing every situation I encounter. Today just happens to be one of those days. I feel like a lot of my life is a balancing act, so I was prepared for this day to come.

I'm very sensitive to criticism because I am very hard on myself already. Lately I've been evaluating my career, my work ethic, the future, and it just all seems so hard to tackle. When things seem overwhelming, I have a tendency to ignore them and pretend they go away. Nothing in the world can bother you as much as your own mind. I'm too old for that, I need to suck it up and just do it. So what I wanted to remember, instead of just focusing on stressing out and all of these negative things, is the positive I need to get through these periods of very hard self-criticism. Let's begin!

"Never hope for it more than you work for it."
 "Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week."
"You have galaxies in your head, stop letting people tell you that you can't shine."
"Talent is a pursued interest."
"Be brave."
"Just do it."

Just a few little reminders for the off days. The best thing that works for me is to make a list and add even the smallest items to it, like making my bed. Then I feel accomplished for having completed something and have more motivation to keep it up. I need to stop this critical evaluation of myself in all aspects of my life and own up to the fact that I am pretty darn fantastic and have a lot to offer. I tend to forget that sometimes. I am still constantly a work in progress and that just because I've accomplished one thing, doesn't mean I should just stop. I have a good support system, I have myself, I believe in myself, and I am unstoppable.

Home.

Hello lovelies!

I feel like I am constantly finding myself thinking and saying it's been a while since I last posted, but it really has! There's been so much keeping me occupied these days, but I'm trying to get refocused and right back into this.

So lately I've been thinking about the concept of home. Is home a place? Is it a person? What is it for you? When I think about it, home is less a geographical location but more a combination of so many things. In that regard, I don't have just one home, I'm blessed enough to have so many.

Home is me, where I reside within myself. Where I can retreat after a particularly difficult day or where I can congratulate myself after a wonderful day. I can honestly say that if you had asked me a couple of years ago, I would not give you the same answer as now. I used to try to hide from myself by investing in other people, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't because that's how the best relationships are made, but never forget to invest in yourself. Because sometimes that's all you have and you want to make sure the home you're coming back to within yourself is sound and in good condition. I know I can survive without others, not that I want to, but I have the comfort of knowing that I can.

Home is also a physical location, surrounded by friends and family, comfort, fun, love. There are times where it frustrates me and overwhelms me, but I love physically being home. To be with my parents and eat home cooked meals and talk about so many random things. So sit and laugh and enjoy and just feel at peace. To be surrounded by the loud chaos which is my family. All my cousins and I hanging out and laughing, playing crazy games. Home makes me smile. :)

Home is also with someone. All curled up in bed on a cold morning. All softness and tenderness and early morning conversations whispered through barely opened eyes. Home is exciting and electric and tantalizing and indescribable. It's also refuge and safety and calm. Soft kisses and open arms. Home makes me smile and makes me feel light and free and strong and unstoppable.

There are so many homes, you don't need to have just one. But never forget that the most important home is the one built of the strongest foundation, because it is immovable and hard to destroy. Make that the home you have with you, because when you've agreed to take care of yourself, you'll also be helping others and be building your other homes in the process.

Please and love my wonderfuls!

Exploring My Roots.

Hello there lovelies!

This past weekend a small revelation hit me and it was that I wasn't giving myself enough "me" time. I love to be social and spend time with my loved ones, but sometimes I forget that I need a breather and I kind of just crash and have to hide out for a little while for my own sanity's sake. I decided to do some things I love to do that relax me and make me happy. One of those activities is cooking because I love to be adventurous and try new things. There's also something about the physical act of cooking and knowing you are creating something for yourself and others to enjoy that I just love.

I spent a blissful Saturday cooking up a storm. I was in the mood for Asian food, which is complete comfort food for me, so I cooked up a few favorites from scratch. This is where Pinterest comes in. I love this site so much! It's just bursting with recipes, ideas, and creativity. I did a little digging and decided on a few recipes: crab rangoon, sushi, and siopao. Some of these you may be familiar with, while others not so much. All the recipes can be found on my Pinterest page linked above. :)

Out of all the recipes, the siopao, a steamed bun with meat filling (adobo chicken in this instance), was the one I was most eager to try. It was slightly more challenging because it involved making a dough, which I always seem to fail at, and also because this is one of favorite foods, and I didn't want to butcher it. Well, after a laborious afternoon, I get a fantastic final product! The dough was soft and fluffy and the filling was flavorful and a wonderful contrast. My mom would be proud because I've never really tried to make Filipino food. I'll be looking up new recipes to try, so if you have any suggestions, send them my way!

Seriously the best crab rangoon ever!

My delightfully delicious siopao with adobo chicken filling. :)

Cute little caterpillar sushi roll!

This little cooking deal also ties in to my latest video which you can get to riiiiiight here! When filming with my cousin, I spontaneously decided I wanted to learn Tagalog. The older I get, the more I want to know about and explore my past. Food and language are great mediums for doing so. Coming from a multi-cultural background, I often feel like I never fully fit in with either culture because I'm too this, or too that. Doing these small things is a way for me to feel closer to who I am and what my heritage is.

That's all for now folks, but have a wonderful day! I hope you take some time out to do things for yourself that you thoroughly enjoy too! Love ya, bye!

Busy Times Ahead.

Good morning lovelies!

I hope you're having a fantastic day today. I know I always say this, but life has just been so darn busy lately! I've been trying to stay on track but it's been hard. I've been trying to find a balance between documenting my life and living it and it's proven to be more difficult than anticipated. I kind of had to just take a step back for a while and reevaluate things and see what I really love to do and how I can get to my goals. I feel good and ready to work hard to get there now, which is good news for you! What do you have to look forward to!?!? New blogs, new YouTube videos, and all my social media goodness will stay current (I hope!).

Do you ever have those introspective moments where you just kind of panic over how much living there is to be done in a lifetime? It was one of those funky funks I was in where I just felt like I was doing everything and seeing no results. I needed to just clear my head, sit down and actually take a good look at things to figure out the next step in the process. I realized that at work, I need to stop slacking and work harder. I want to be more financially stable (boring I know!). I want to work on getting better at my social media project, from editing photos and videos, to staying updated on things, to posting interesting content. I want to get back into doing more community service projects. Whew! That's a lot, but I can do it!

Will be spending the weekend getting things together and creating lots of exciting new things that I hope both you and I love! Have a wonderful week! Love ya, bye!

Miami with Beyonce and Jay-Z!

Hello lovelies!

Hope you're having a wonderful day so far! I had a busy but very fun week since I was able to take a little time off for an impromptu trip to Miami to see my queen! I was lucky enough to get tickets given to me by a friend from the On the Run Tour with Beyonce and Jay-Z! My cousin and I went and let me tell you, it was absolute perfection!

The concert was so well put together and featured so many of my favorite songs from both of them! I loved the personal touches they made to everything and the story line that they had for a video that was playing throughout the whole show (Bonnie and Clyde obviously!). To finish it off, they did a really personal section at the end showing their life together with their daughter and even their wedding! I can't stop gushing, I was a sap and started crying because it was so perfect and they were so cute together!

The concert did focus on other themes though and Beyonce was all about the female empowerment, body image, and feminism! Loved that. There were written messages displaying lyrics and even defining what feminism is! Some of the favorite things I remember:

-"Why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and not boys?" -Flawless
-"Perfection is the disease of a nation" - Pretty Hurts
- "I'm a diva, best believe her, you see how she getting paid? She ain't calling him to grade-up, don't need him, her best maid."

And let's not forget Jay-Z. He was on point and it was just so great seeing them together just killing it! They didn't try to overshadow the other and you could tell they were having a good time being together.

 My Queen, Beyonce!

 OOTD Breakdown: Tank-Stache Haus (http://stachehaus.bigcartel.com/) L, Skirt-Target, XL

There was so much love and the process of being in a relationship which I thought was just so amazing. It really was the best three hours of my life! Now that I had my little trip, I need to get back into the swing of things and keep my videos and other fun stuff coming! Stay tuned for what I have going on. :)

Going Out OOTD and Birthday Musings

Hello lovelies!

It's been a hot minute since I've posted a video. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way, but I'm back! Check out my new OOTD video here --> Going Out OOTD

I wore this outfit on my birthday last month and I felt fabulous! I am currently so in love with mint. It is such a summer color and it just makes me happy! I paired it with a silver mini that I high-waisted, which I do for a lot of skirts. Like the belt effect, I feel like it creates more of an hourglass figure on me by cinching at the waist. Below you can see my final outfit and accessories!

Here's what I wore:

1. Top: H&M - Size 14

2. Tank: Forever 21+ - Size 1x

3. Skirt: Nordstrom Rack (Brand is Halogen) - Size 16

4. Earrings: Lucky Brand

4. Ring: Forever 21

5. Booties: Urban Outfitters

I definitely got up to some birthday shenanigans with my friends, but it was wonderful. I feel like now, I appreciate more intimate things and spending time with people I really love and care about. We headed to a local restaurant with a live band for late night food and drinks. The following day we went to the gun range, which terrified me at first (even though it was my idea!) but I got used to it and want to go back! It was a complete adrenaline rush and may come in handy during a zombie apocalypse! After that my friends and I headed to a local indoor market and just sampled all of the different vendors for lunch! It was perfect! 

I think about my life from last year to this one, and it's changed so much I barely recognize it. I've moved back to my hometown, started a career, started this social media endeavor. So many things happened I never thought would, which goes to show you, never give up on your dreams! I hope to continue to do the things that make me happy and let go of the things that don't. 

That's it for now, but stay tuned for more exciting stuff! Love ya, bye!

Currently Reading: Love & Misadventure

Hello lovelies! So this has turned into a mish-mash of a lot of different things, which I suppose I realized would happen when I created a blog. It's a good representation of myself and my mind, a little bit strange, scattered, but interesting (I hope!). So for my birthday, my best friend got me a book of poetry by Lang Leave, called Love & Misadventure. It's really just short poems or stories that she's compiled that show the flow of emotions from love, loss or love, unrequited love, all types of love really.

Lang Leav really has such simple language but it really leads to such profound thinking. I thought I would share a couple of my favorites with you! I'm not sure why they're my favorites, but they speak to me and I feel like I can just really relate to them at the moment. Enjoy!

The Fear of Losing You

Without meaning to, he's disarming me, with kisses that soothe and alarm me.
In arms that terrify and calm me.

Afraid to Love

I turn away and close my heart -- to the promise of love that is luring.
For the past has taught to not be caught, in what is not worth pursuing--
To never do the things I've done that once had led to my undoing.

So if you happen to see this book lying around or stumble across it at a bookstore, give it a read, it's worth it!

That's all for now my loves, stay tuned for more. And as always, check out all my other social media please and thank you!

Love ya, bye!

Feeling Insecure

Hello lovelies!

Today seems like a wonderful day to do a little blogging! I have had a good start to my day and have made it to the gym and work on time, which is a miraculous feat, let me tell you! I had my headphones in at the gym though and was just spaced out listening to music as I did cardio this morning when my mind stumbled upon the topic of being insecure. I can remember times I would walk into the gym, see people also working out, and then just pretend I forgot an essential piece of gym wear or equipment and walk out again. Now, I realize that pretty much 99% of the people at the gym don't actually give a crap that I'm there. Lol. They're really friendly and we smile and say hi and all that good stuff!

If you do encounter negative, rude, awful people you have to remember that obviously other people have feelings and opinions too and you can just ignore them! Also, sometimes a person's actions or words are a result of how they feel about themselves. If they put you down and want you to feel bad, it might be because they are unhappy. They may try to shake your confidence because even if they appear secure, below the surface they're not. Be kind to them, and be kind to yourself, there's enough of this negativity in the world!

This morning I just realized how my own feelings of insecurity in the past lingered over me and instead of impacting others, they impacted me the most. There were so many missed opportunities to go places, try new things, meet new people, just live, and I was scared. I don't know if any of you can relate, but all I can say is it's a process and it takes time. When I had the realization that I was my worst critic, I mentioned it to my friends in a casual conversation and it was this whole long talk we had until the wee hours of the morning. They thought I was amazing and after talking, I really think they tried to play a more active part in letting me see and know that. That support system got me through.

Now I still have bumps in the road where I suck, life sucks, all that, but I get over it and I don't let opportunities pass me by (which is lucky for you or you wouldn't even be reading this blog!). Be patient and forgiving with yourself, reach out to others to help you along the way, and just be happy and secure in how you look, feel, in everything!

Just remember...you are amazing!

That's all for now lovelies, but stay tuned for more and don't forget to check out all of my other goodies strewn across the internet (sounds dirty, but you know what I mean). Love ya, bye!

About happiness, because It's been a while...

Hello lovelies!


It has been quite a while since I last posted. Unfortunately life got in the way but I'm still alive and all is well. So what's been going on? Well...I've been making plans for lots of new content. I definitely know I want to do outfits and tips, as well as challenges, but then I was like, Kimberly, what are you good at?! Well the obvious answer is talking! I love to chat with people and find out about them. I also love to think, like soooo much. Sometimes it's just about stupid stuff, other time I go on this weird existential journey in my mind. I sound crazy right?! Well all those thoughts are coming out. I'm going on this journey and I'm going to see where it takes me!

Please come with me and see what happens. If you have any input or ideas of things you would like to see, please leave a comment!

In other news, I am official 24 now. I think it's around this time people have a quarter-life crisis, and I can definitely say that I have passed that milestone. I had one of those soul-searching, brutally honest conversation with myself about what I want to do with my life, am I happy, what can I do from here, etc. IT was not a happy conversation, trust me. I guess my thinking is this...on paper my life seems really freakin' awesome. I moved out from home (thought I would be terrified, but it's awesome!), got a career going in my field, stayed active at church, got a new car, made time for friends, and all that other good stuff.

But then after all of this I thought about it and was like, am I really happy? I think that as I get older, I realize how important being happy and loving myself is, and now I really need to explore that. So to answer simply, I am maybe happy? Lol. I realize that there are certain things necessary for life, like a stable income and all the creature comforts I require, but I need more. I need to travel and see the world, and explore other cultures, and meet new people, and give back to others, and take time for me.

So what am I going to do now? As of this moment, the plan is to keep on chugging. I'm going through the motions but I need more. That's why I'm doing all of this lovely YouTube, blogging, creative stuff. I want to see what I can do for myself and how I can realize my dreams. Don't we all owe it to ourselves to try for happiness?

So that's my little piece for now. I'm content but trying to aim for happiness, like pure happiness, not tainted by anything. So we'll see where it takes us!

Hope my lovelies are doing lovely, and Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! I sure do love mine! Show her you love her not just on Mother's Day, but everyday! Love ya, bye!

Curvy Girl Spring OOTD and Other Random Musings

Hello lovelies!

Over the weekend, the weather was heating up so I decided to pull together a Spring look for myself. I love colors and prints and all things bold and bright, so this is one of my go-to favorites!

For this outfit, I went for a simple dress, mostly because I hate wearing pants! Once the weather heats up I live in dresses, skirts, and shorts. I picked out a bold colored tank to put under the dress, just to add a pop of color to it. The earrings are gold and are engraved with a very pretty design. They're one of my fave pairs that I picked up from a vintage store a while back. Last but not least, I finished off the outfit with a brown belt and brown braided leather sandals. With bold prints, like this nautical stripe thing I have going on, I tone down my accessories so I don't look like an overdone birthday present! I kept it simple with the earrings and used a neutral color (brown) for the belt and sandals. 

I broke down my outfit as well as other tips and tricks I use to emphasize what I like and de-emphasize my problem areas in my video found here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvJZgl9YDm4.

Dress: Banana Republic - XL

Tank: Forever 21+ - 1X

Belt: Forever 21+ - 1X

Shoes: DSW

Earring: Vintage Store (can't remember the name, sorry!)

On another note, YouTube has been more fun than I expected it to be. I never thought I would want to be in front of a camera, but as a personal goal for myself I set out to do it and it's been done! Will probably be a little chatty the next time around and just be about complete randomness, but stay tuned! <--I use a lot of exclamation points, everything's just so exciting!

 I would love to get to know anyone out there that finds any of the words coming out of my mouth even remotely interesting. So please like, comment, do whatever it is that you do!  

Until next time, love ya, bye!

Hello lovelies!

Hello lovelies!

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Kim and I love fashion, food, my friends, having fun, and all that good stuff! I'm trying to learn all there is about social media as a personal project of mine and thought, what better way than to do it about things and people I love.

Follow me on my journey and get a sneak peak into my weird mind and all the crazy things I say and do. Also take a moment and subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I'll be posting videos of all the fun stuff I have going on.

That's it for now, but stay tuned for more! Love ya, bye!