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I’ve been a fan of the TED Talks since the inception and one day I need to go see one of these talks in person.



I love how you can always learn new things and discover new ideas so I wanted to share a few of my favorites:

Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story

Isabel Allende: How to Live Passionately — No Matter Your Age

Louie Schwartzberg: Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.

Maya Penn: Meet a Young Entrepreneur, Cartoonist, Designer, Activist

If you love TED talks, you might also like the TED Radio Hour podcast, which takes a collection of similar TED Talks to create a theme and then digs deeper into the idea.

Do you have any favorite TED talks? If you do, please share! I’m always on the lookout for more.

The year is coming to a close.

When 2014 first opened up, there were shiny new ideas, bursts of energy, and an overall hopeful outlook of a clean slate. It was a chance to get things right, get things done, and end the year with a feeling of accomplishment.

There were the things we thought we would manage: distractions, obligations, responsibilities.

But then there were the things we never saw coming: illness, social injustices, death of loved ones.

The year may have worn us all down. It could have been small cuts. Or devastating blows. Or deep wounds that are still quite not healed.

Either way, you’re standing on the cusp of a new year and you may not feel that you’ve done what you wanted. Now at the end, you may be left with the feeling that another year has slipped by. One more chance has been wasted. The initial evaluation of the year looks like another wash-up. No real successes. Another failure.

Maybe not.

Maybe it wasn’t at all bad. Let go of evaluating the disappointments, lost battles, and setbacks. Maybe instead concentrate on all the good things that happened to you in 2014. Focus instead on the intangible successes and give gratitude for your blessings — no matter how small. Make a list.

For me, here are some things from my list:

• Being recognized and valued for my skills at my job
• Selling my house and moving to the city
• Developing a morning writing routine
• Creating a total of 45K new words
• Keeping the promise to travel for quarterly vacations
• Making beautiful memories with my father
• Listening to my heart and giving it a voice

I’m sure you can make your own list as well. Write it out. Glow in its truth and then get ready to face 2015 not as broken and bitter but as open and optimistic.

I know now that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures – Gail Caldwell.

My life has dramatically changed since my last blog post.

My father suddenly passed away on August 13th. A total shock to everyone who loved him.

Now I see my life separated into two watersheds: Before and After.

I ask myself what happens now that I’m in the After? Things will never be the same. There will now always be something different. Something always missing. It can never be like it was in the Before.

I found the above quote on Pinterest and it spoke to me — because I would like to think there is hope into carving myself into a different, kinder creature with this great loss.

Books and writing have always saved me. With the difficult times ahead of me, I now know that books and writing will save me again.

My blogging may be sporadic but I plan to share inspiring gems from my reading and then when I’m ready I’ll start back on the novel revision. My father wouldn’t want me to give up and I know the writing will be waiting for me when I return.

She woke up torpid each morning, slowed by sadness, frightened by the endless stretch of day that lay ahead. Everything had thickened. She was swallowed, lost in a viscous haze, shrouded in a soup of nothingness. Between her and what she should feel, there was a gap. She cared about nothing. She wanted to care, but she no longer knew how; it had slipped from her memory, the ability to care. Sometimes she woke up flailing and helpless, and she saw, in front of her and behind her and all around her, an utter hopelessness

From Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

When I read this passage in the above novel, I thought that this was probably the most accurate description of what depression can feel like. Depression can be a relentless and elusive entity.

There has been a lot of talk lately about depression due to recent death of Robin Williams. As writers with our creative spirit, we tend to live inside our heads. It can be very easy to go into a downward spiral. Between writer’s block, rejection letters, dealing with envy and comparing yourself to other writers, it’s easy to fall into depression’s grip.

The thing about our society is that everyone feels that they should be happy all the time and then feel guilty when they don’t. Social media doesn’t help much either because we tend to only share our sunny days instead of our stormy ones.

Then there’s the stigma that people with depression are weak and need to get a grip. This is probably the most common reason that people hide their feelings. Sometimes the happiest people can be the saddest people. Emotions are sticky and private. They can be overwhelming. It’s messy work and makes people uncomfortable. It’s hard to share when the possible reply could be a brush off instead of empathy. It’s hard to be vulnerable with your emotions. It’s much better to fake it and pretend that everything is okay.

The most important thing is that you shouldn’t ignore the feelings. It could be more than a case of having a bad day or melancholy. Events like heartbreak, death of a loved one, or other personal losses can have an effect over a prolonged period of time.

So don’t ignore these feelings. They are real. Don’t feel guilty that you should feel happy. You are not weak. And most important, don’t feel like there is no hope. The trick of depression is that it tells you that you don’t matter and nobody cares. But that is a total lie: You do matter and there are people who care. Ask for help. It is waiting for you.

We are six months into 2014. It’s June. Isn’t that crazy?

2014 Goals: Revision, Revision

Summer is my favorite time of year. For one thing the software geek job tends not to be “as crazy” as it is during other times of the year and I can get more writing done. My goal is to finish my revisions. Morning writing sessions are helping a lot as well as not giving myself such pressure to be perfect. Basically I’m trying to “fail better” and “write from the heart.” Instead of trying to write what can sell, I would rather write what I would want to read. Much better.

Doing More in 2014: Vacations

I recently went to my favorite place — the beach — and mostly ate shaved ice and read books. Works for me. It was sultry and hot — just the way I like it!


One of my dream vacations is to go to Bali. This Travel Noire post Bali: Island in the Sun just made me want to book a ticket. I’m going to try and make that happen soon. Maybe in 2016? *crosses fingers*

Recently Read Books

I finally got a chance to read the sweeping, thick novel The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert and also the provocative and stunning An Untamed State by Roxane Gay. Both are excellent reads.

Inspirational Gems

Here are some gems that I’ve found in cyberspace that you might find interesting.

YouTube Video: Inspire Her Mind – Promoting More Girls to go into STEM

Shonda Rhimes’ Real Talk for Dartmouth Grads: Dreams Are for Losers

It’s been awhile since my last post. Hope everything is OK with everyone!

I’ve slowly managed my way back to civilization and “real world” life. Last month, I spent a week in the Caribbean and I must say it was the best thing I could have done for myself.

I was off the grid too. No access to my phone. No access to social media. It forced me to enjoy right what was in front of me.

I also didn’t do any writing. Usually when I take off and travel, it usually involves some type of writing – working or revising a current WIP but this time I literally did nothing but relax, read, and enjoyed the ocean, the sun, and the sand.

Being of the off the grid has benefits. Here were some of mine:

• You can bring focus back to yourself. Self-care is something we don’t do enough of and having limited access to the outside world allowed me to access and remember all the simple things I love that bring me joy.
• You can get back in touch with nature’s beauty. Just the simple things like the frosted wave caps of the ocean, the melody of a tropical bird, or even the sun baked warmth of the sand was a natural endorphin that gave me calm and peace.
• You can practice the art of doing nothing. Everyone has a “to-do” list. It’s always “Go, Go, Go!” Sitting and doing nothing usually makes me feel guilty. But in reality it was a small gift that I gave to myself.

I know that not everyone can take off for a week and chill in the Caribbean but there are some small things everyone can do to take time off the grid. Maybe take a day and not use any smartphones or social media. Take pleasure in staying in your pajamas and sleeping in for as long as you want. Reserve a day to have a binge-watch party or read that book you’ve been trying to complete in snippets. Go to the park and have a picnic with no timeline of how long you stay.

Or make it a daily practice. Get up an hour early when the house is quiet or stay up a little later at night when everyone is asleep. Or for the busy person whose schedule is overflowing, how about just 10 minutes in nature? Put your bare feet in grass, close your eyes to the sun, and take a deep breath?

Have any of you been off the grid? Do any of you incorporate it in your life as a practice? I would love to hear about it!

So I made it safely to Rome, Italy after a few minor mishaps (cancelled flight, leaky airplane ceiling, etc.) but the beauty of the city has made up for all of it.

Ha, so far I haven’t read any of my paperbacks. But I must say that being around all this history, culture, and art is very inspiring to me.

Here is a picture I took of one of my favorite fountains in the Piazza Navona. I don’t know the name at the top of my head but it’s fabulous.

I’m still keeping my word about the gelato and pasta! Eating like a piglet but walking it off.

Love from Rome! :)

This post is a recurring series on the blog that shares some of my Saturday Shopping excursions. Just meant to be fun and show my beauty addict side. :)

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you know how I share with you the fabulous things I buy and some of my beauty staples. I use the hashtag #SaturdayShopping. I figured I would also share with my blog readers as well. :)

I start back my regular weekly blogging schedule on Wednesday, August 1st. See you then. :)

Health Finds


The NutriBullet. Much cheaper than a Vitamix to make yummy green smoothies.

Shoe Finds


This is a great nude shoe for dark brown ladies. Love the faux texture.


Not a big fan of zebra print but this shoe is too cute.


They say men don’t like wedges. Who cares? This wedge is fabulous.


Like the scallop shape and the color of this shoe. Another one with faux texture.


This shoe is great for a retro look. Great with a skirt, red belt and crisp white shirt.

Beauty Finds


Had to stock up on my Tarte lip gloss. Amused is my favorite summer shade.


Absolutely love my Clairsonic Mia brush. It’s like getting a facial every time I wash my face

Finally got Aveda Brillant Pomade. Then the lovely woman gave me tea and a fabulous hand massage.

Yummy Finds


Mellow Mushroom Philosopher’s Pie pizza. Olive oil and garlic base with grilled streak, portobello mushrooms, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, provolone, feta, and mozzarella cheese. So good!

Right now, I’m struggling not to freak out because of all the things that I have to do in these last 3 months of the year. As some of you already know, I work in software development and sometimes we tend to have “shades of crazy” schedules.

This may be one of the primary reasons that my current novel project has had its stalls but I try to put things in perspective. It is all about balance and reality — because I have to earn an living first.

Last night after finishing a 12-hour stint I felt a little resentful because once again my “day job” was taking valuable time away from my manuscript. But then I had to remember to put things in perspective. I may not be able to work on my writing as much as I would like but I shouldn’t throw in the towel.

I should keep writing. Even if it’s only for a few minutes in small packets of time. Or only on the weekends.

Usually when I start feeling like this, I listen to one of my favorite songs “Keep Looking” by Sade. Many times, this song has given me the “umph” to not give up.

I love this particular lyric:

It’s no use sitting down
Don’t walk ’round with a frown
Oh no, keep looking
It’s no use sitting around
With your head in your hands
Oh no, keep looking

So no matter what your struggle is — whether it be something in your novel project or in your life — always remember to keep looking and the solution and/or answer always makes itself known.

Keep looking.

And keep writing! :)

I know as writers, we tend to spend a lot of our time writing and reading. These two main components are very important, but also having outside interests. I was talking with a writer friend about some of our other interests — things that have *nothing* to do with writing and how they balance our lives, keep us learning, or just are plain fun.

Here are some of my non-writing interests:

Nails. I have a minor obsession with manicures and pedicures. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen pictures of some of my favorite nail colors and manicures. My current favorite thing is the the Gelish manicure which stays on your nails chip-free for up to 2 weeks. Love it! I also love the fact manis and pedis can very be soothing and it’s always fabulous to have pretty hands and feet.

Fitness. I’ve always been into some kind of sports but fell out of habit after college. In the last few years, I’ve renewed my love of the gym — in particular — spinning, which is basically an instructor-led class on a stationary bike. I love these classes! They always fill me up with lovely endorphins and challenge me to get stronger. Plus it has also led to me losing 30 lbs in the last two years, which has helped out a lot health-wise as well. Now I’m starting to focus on the world of strength-training.

Needlepoint. My craft of choice is the cross-stitch. I have several “masterpieces” that I’ve made over the years. It was one of the easier crafts to learn being left-handed. There is something very therapeutic about cross-stitching. It helps me calm down and gives me pleasure plus I love displaying the final results in beautiful frames and giving them as gifts to friends and family.

What about you writer friends? What are some of your non-writing interests? What kind of pleasure or learning experience do you gain from them?

Recently, I went to go see the movie The Help. I haven’t yet read the book but I had been intrigued about the author’s story and wrote a blog post about her path to publication.

Of course seeing this movie brought back memories of my own. My grandmother worked as a domestic most of her life. Growing up working-class, I often went with her to help clean houses as well the town’s post office and the Methodist church. One of the things I precisely remember about these times were that we were never acknowledged as anything more than the help. We were in many ways invisible.

Maybe this is the reason that now whenever I see “the help” in places — like hotels, malls, and even in my office building, I tend to look these people in the eye and smile. I try to acknowledge who they are and let them know that I do see them.

I’ve noticed this is also a recurring theme in my novels. I tend to write about the people who are looking from the outside, trying to fit in, trying to be seen.

I think as writers we tend to put certain aspects into our characters — either consciously or subconsciously. The things that have impacted our lives in both negative and positive ways. This is one of the reasons we write. To give a voice to things that matter to us.