March has been a busy month for me and I haven’t spent as much time on the blog as I would have liked (despite all the time I blocked off for it on my ideal schedule, which I have yet to stick to for even a week lol). I want to catch you up on everything I’ve been up to, but seeing as it’ll soon be April, I’ll save that catch up for my March In Review. For now, I want to share about an awesome, inspiring space I visited three days ago that I think deserves its own post: The Sketchbook Project at the Brooklyn Art Library.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Published by Penguin Press on 12 Sep 2017
Goodreads | Amazon
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When the Richardsons’ friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia’s.
Milkcrate Cafe
I had a shoot scheduled with a local Philly blogger one weekend, but due to an unforeseen personal emergency on her end, we had to postpone it. I was already at the cafe we decided to meet at, and unfazed, I continued to slowly work my way through my cappuccino, read a book, and had quality time to myself. After awhile, I looked up what was in the neighbourhood and found that a cafe I had been meaning to check out for some time was nearby, so I finished up my cappuccino and then went on a short stroll to my next cappuccino at Milkcrate Cafe.
February
January was full of changes. February felt a little more stagnant, comfortable. Yet it was certainly eventful. I’m worried that I’m being busy without being efficient. This month I’ll be searching for that January energy and figuring out how to reallocate my time and what new changes I can be making to move myself forward.
Jacob Banks
I first stumbled upon Jacob Banks on Youtube — this video of him singing “Unknown (To You)” to be exact. I was captivated by the texture of his voice, the clear runs that fell off easily and perfectly, the resonance that made me feel as if the song was filling my whole body, yet still maintaining that gruff texture I loved, with a growl here and there to top it off. The melody was beautiful, slightly depressing — just the kind of music I like to listen to ;P The music plus the colour grading of the video and his aesthetic in general… I was reeled in hook, line, and sinker.
Someday Is Not a Day in the Week by Sam Horn
– I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. –
To be published by St. Martin’s Press on 12 Mar 2019
Goodreads | Amazon
Sam Horn is a woman on a mission about not waiting for SOMEDAY … and this is her manifesto. Her dad’s dream was to visit all the National Parks when he retired. He worked six to seven days a week for decades. A week into his long-delayed dream, he had a stroke. Sam doesn’t want that to happen to you. She took her business on the road for a Year by the Water. During her travels, she asked people, “Do you like your life? Your job? If so, why? If not, why not?”
The surprising insights about what makes people happy or unhappy, what they’re doing about it (or not), and why…will inspire you to carve out time for what truly matters now, not later.
Life is much too precious to postpone. It’s time to put yourself in your own story. The good news is, there are “hacks” you can do right now to make your life more of what you want it to be. And you don’t have to be selfish, quit your job, or win the lottery to do them. Sam Horn offers actionable, practical advice in short, snappy chapters to show you how to get started on your best life — now.