2014: Year in Review

I feel like I say this quite often––maybe it's just cause I'm getting older and life is happening faster than I would like––but I can't believe the year already went by! I remember sitting down around this same time a year ago thinking of all the great wishes/objectives/resolutions I had for 2014, and now I really can't understand how it all happened so quickly. I had great plans for the year, and now I know that I made them all come true because I worked hard on all of them. It was definitely a wonderful year, and that's all I can think about right now!

I received the year doing what I do best––eating, of course––with my wonderful mum and sister.

Although I didn't expect to travel a lot this year, I went to Italy with my favourite people on Earth in January...

...went to Miami to spend yet more time with my favourite people...

...and went to my beautiful hometown, Cartagena, to spend some quality time with my daddy in the summer––and eat some more!

I also spent a lot of time with my baby horse...

...cooked...

...danced...

...and even made it to the Colombian countryside to escape from life for a few days.

All of this before finally making the big move to New York to start working on my Master's degree––which was my biggest plan of the year, and probably also one of the greatest achievements in my life so far.

Once in New York, I got to see new places...

...discover what have become my new favourite restaurants...

...and see friends I hadn't seen in a very long time.

I also had my family visit several times...

...and enjoyed all the Christmas attractions––but mostly the decorations––the city has to offer.

I met some wonderful people, made new friends, and became closer with others. And they all played a very important part in what my life has become now!

But the best thing that has happened to me since I moved to New York are all the new ideas and new projects to work on. Every day, I get bombed with wonderful ideas from the people that study with me at Parsons, and all the movement of the city does nothing different than inspire me. New York is definitely the place where my mind works best and my body feels at its most. I am really glad this year brought me here.

So bring it on, 2015. I'm more than ready for you!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Monthly Medley

This month has been the most exhausting month I've had since I moved to New York––although I've loved every single bit of it! It started out with the last couple of weeks of school––which means finals, naturally, so I spent hours sitting down reading and trying to write somewhat coherent essays. I also had one of my childhood friends visit from Canada and my family arrived on the 15th. After that, the month was all shopping, Christmas, and lots of tourist-y activities.

And although I would say I'm finishing the year pretty tired, I always have enough energy to think about the new things to come, and plan ahead for stardom next year! But I should concentrate before on thanking for the beauty of this year and for all the amazing things that have happened to me... So that's why I'm planning on sharing my highlights of the year tomorrow, in case you want to pop by!

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As I mentioned above, this month was mostly about the shopping and spending time with my loved ones, so I must confess I wasn't very good at reading interesting things. But I did manage to find a couple of things––mainly leftovers from November, though––that I hope you enjoy:

– Life according to Coco Chanel

– Condé Nast Traveller shares the 10 "dangerous" places I would love to visit next year––starting with Cartagena, my hometown––because

What on earth are you afraid of? These destinations may have a tinge of danger about them, but take the word of our staff of intrepid travelers and beat the crowds to these formerly PR-challenged destinations. In years to come, you'll be glad you visited so ahead of the curve.

– Some thoughts on the daily rituals of history's most creative minds

But there is a broader lesson here. The perfect workspace isn't what leads to brilliant work, just as no other "perfect" routine or ritual will turn you into an artistic genius. Flaubert didn't achieve what he did because of hot baths, but through immeasurable talent and extremely hard work. Which is unfortunate, because I'm really good at running baths.

– Little rituals everywhere: the act of the sacred pause

If you listen to your heart’s longings, you’ll find that your life is littered with little rituals everywhere.

– Some interesting thoughts on the creativity creep

– I loved these arguments about why we should travel young––and I could actually share the whole article as a quote below, but I don't want to give it away because it really touched me! So what I can share is:

While you’re still young, get cultured. Get to know the world and the magnificent people that fill it. The world is a stunning place, full of outstanding works of art. See it.

– Debating the future of technology

– This article on why your realistic goals are holding you back was almost like a flashback to entrepreneurship classes in college and social entrepreneurship competitions––except better!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Sunday Sunshine

This weekly series of posts is intended to include all the moments that nourish me, that make me happy, that inspire me, that are an experience of love in my daily life.

Matching raincoat & rain boots

Christmas shopping

Parisian road names

Diamond earrings

Christmas decorations

Pine trees and their wonderful smell

Family love

Smartphones

Panettone

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Sunday Sunshine

This weekly series of posts is intended to include all the moments that nourish me, that make me happy, that inspire me, that are an experience of love in my daily life.

It feels like I haven't written a sunshine post in a very long while. Between finals and holiday errands life has been a little too busy lately, so I'm glad to finally stop and feel some gratitude. My happy list of the week includes:

Sleepovers with childhood friends

Ideas, ideas, ideas

Christmas decorations

Knowing my family will be with me soon

Candles and glitter

Being done with finals

The Met Museum

Carrot & ginger soup

London, maybe?

Spending hours on the phone with my dad

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Monthly Medley

Earlier this month I was complaining about December not coming fast enough (although always enjoying the fall), I was dying for the bipolar autumn weather to be replaced by layers of snow, and I was dreaming about millions of fairy lights that would come and adorn the city. But today, as I was strolling around the beautifully decorated streets of New York, I realised there was no reason for me to complain at all. December has finally come––almost, anyway––with all its joy and its lights.

Although this upcoming week will probably be the longest week of the year to me––due to both finals and excitement for my friends/family coming to NY for the holidays––I'm very excited about what's to come in this last month of the year. I've been working in some projects that I hope will get finalised during december, and will home to life with the new year. I've also been dreaming of finally having some free time to explore all the hidden places of New York that I haven't seen yet.

But I shouldn't jump into the future yet––and this lesson I learned this month! Sometimes I get too excited with my new plans and tend to forget what I've achieved; I forget to look back and be thankful. And if there's a month to be thankful in the year, it's got to be November––yes, because it's American Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to celebrate a real Thanksgiving yet, but I did have time to get started on some Christmas shopping––and to realise there are some shopping patterns I repeat year after year. I also spent a wonderful night at the museum (and visited other museums and art exhibitions as well)––which wasn't scary at all, although very fun!––and went for dinner out after what seemed to be ages.

What I did have the time to do––which turned out to be a strategic decision because it allowed me to get a well-deserved break––was to escape to Mexico for a weekend. I didn't do many exciting things––except for eating a lot and finding old pictures in my computer––but I could rest and get renewed before finals. It also allowed me to finally start feeling festive upon my return to New York!

I am now absolutely ready to embrace the cold of the winter, to hug my family upon their arrival in the city, and to have an absolutely great Christmas. Happy December!

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– Zanita on how to make your blog super popular

So if we pretend for a moment that bloggers were popstars/musicians - then Aimee would be maybe Beyonce and Chiara would be Rihanna and Nicole would be Taylor Swift (or something like that, don't think too much into this)…

– Breaking down walls while travelling

– Arianna Huffington talks about rethinking work and wellbeing

Well-being is no longer some new-agey concept we hear about only from lifestyle outlets. It's now a daily presence both in sports pages and in business magazines. Well-being has migrated from marginal to mainstream, finally coming to be seen for what it is: the best way, indeed the only way, to maximize not just happiness and fulfillment but productivity, creativity and, yes, profit. It's the only sustainable way forward, not just for individuals but for companies, communities and the planet.

– 10 weird but wonderful book recommendations from the super successful

– Mr. Mod's need to walk

All walkers should strive for delight, all worthy walks designed intentionally or unintentionally to elicit delight. Delight in the unexpected and in things often overlooked or under considered.

– Finally cracked the way into making myself appear in Paris whenever I feel like it!––ok no, but these films are a pretty good escape in replacement of actually traveling to the city of lights

– Beginner tips for getting started with sketch-notes

the act of writing stuff down helps you to remember. This is a basic study technique. The sound bites you capture from a talk will jog your memory when you flip through the notes later. By drawing something to create connections, you will increase your ability to remember. Notes that combine words with sketches are more useful than text alone. Chances are you don’t even hang onto boring old regular notes anyway.

– Gala Darling opens up about consent

– The essentials for your creative space

– Some lovely (although more intellectual) words about my home country

A quarter-century ago, a safe and prosperous Colombia seemed impossible. Yet it is now within reach. At a time of intensifying political conflict and painfully few success stories, Colombians are giving the world reason for hope.

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Feeling Festive

I love how the city is slowly gearing up for Christmas. I really like all the beautiful decorations that are filling New York with the Joy of Christmas. And although I adore all sorts of decorations, my favourite have got to be fairy lights. They are absolutely magical! Although they are pretty simple as a decoration, they will always make a difference, and they will always be the main ingredient for beautiful Christmas decorations!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Paris, je t'aime!

I must confess that––although I do love New York––I've been having a little romance with Paris lately. It might be because I've been seeing too many photos from Paris Fashion Week––and dying because I'm not there––but I just can't take out the astonishing ville lumière out of my mind.

So after a long day in the library today, I decided to take a break and go through some of the old photos I have in my computer. Some of them––which I decided to omit in this post––were taken when I lived there as a student. Others were taken when I spent a week there with my two best friends. And yet others––the ones I'm including here––were taken last summer. I'm not really sure if seeing all these pictures helped at all... But at least now I know why I'm so in love with this city... It is just perfectly beautiful!

I guess my dream life would be spent travelling between New York and Paris every few months... Hopefully it comes real sometime soon!

Love,
  Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

5 Things To Do Before The Summer Ends

The summer might be one of my favourite seasons––ok, I love them all, but right now I'm particularly loving the summer! I usually love travelling during this season and getting some rest. But this year, because I spent most of the summer working, I didn't really have time to do all the things I love to do during the warm days.

However, with my job contract having ended yesterday and with another month of summer to go, I thought it would be a good idea to write a small bucket list of the things I still want to do this summer. Here's how it goes...

1. Have ice cream for dinner



2. Go to the beach



3. Spend a whole day by the pool



4. See the sunrise



5. Get another tattoo

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

RSL July Part 3

I never actually managed to finish the RSL July challenge because things got very busy in Miami and I didn't really have the time to do it. But I still loved doing the challenge and having a specific prompt to post on Instagram every day. It is my favourite social media site and this challenge motivated me to use it more often than I usually do.

Day 21. Morning mantra



Day 22. Magic



Day 23. My wall



Day 24. Gratitude



Day 25. Bed-head



Day 26. I wish I was...

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Monthly Medley: July

I can't believe July is already gone. This month flew by so quickly that I didn't even have the time to gather enough links for today's roundup. Ok, I did –yeah, I'm guilty of spending too much time in front of my laptop. But it still went by way too fast!

So this month was a lot about thinking of travelling and the beach –although I only really had time to fly over to Miami for just a week. 

It was also a good month to try and re-connect with my inner self and evaluate my life a little, especially as the time approaches for me to move to New York. This was always a dream, and now it's coming true! And even though I can't put into words how excited I am, I must confess I'm also a little nervous about such a huge change! But more on that later...

Let's get down to business. Some my favourite finds for the month were:

– Vogue Paris's news on the 1950s exhibition at Palais Galliera:

this decade is seen as a time of rupture, between the period of world conflict and post-war recovery, between the straight-laced old guard and the baby boomer, between the opulence of the New Look and the sobriety of classic Chanel tailoring, between the sustainability of haute couture and the emergence of new talent - such as Yves Saint Laurent -that would carry fashion into a new era.

– Gala Darling talked with Sherold Barr about how to get more money in your wallet –and it's closely related to daring and stop being afraid!

If you can practice courage and take a tiny step toward what you fear, you will not get stuck. Fear + action = courage. Start to take baby steps toward knowing exactly what income is coming in and what it costs you to live each month.

– Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere in defence of souvenirs

– Erica Domesek and her take on bestiemoons:

I just want to go on my own epic adventures, and I’m not willing to wait until someone puts a ring on it. Why wait for the man of your dreams to take the trip of your dreams, am I right? With a flexible working schedule (thanks iPhone?) and money in my pocket (#PSIMadeThisBusiness), I decided to go on my own honeymoon with my best friend. Call it a bestiemoon.

– Just in time before the season ends, Olivia Palermo shares some tips on how to make your summer pedicure last

– André Leon Talley and the Toledos share some career advice on working in fashion:

I have a theory: Never bloom too early. I’m a big believer in big losers . . . eventually you’ll get there, and that’s okay. That builds character. –Ruben Toledo

– Katie Kendall and the importance of the space between

I think everyone can take responsibility (myself included) to make a stand for enjoying the small things, allowing ourselves to relax and not succumbing to this pressure of over achievement physically, academically and personally. Make space for enjoying the ‘spaces between’ and know that it’s in these moments that magic happens and in which some of the most creative thinking and inspired moments are actually born.

– The celebrity insider guide to summer in Montauk

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Inspiration From The Ruins

One of the things I love the most about this world is all the inspiration you can get from places you never even dreamed of visiting. Last Friday, my dad asked me to come with him to a glass fabric that's in ruins, cause he and his partners are thinking on buying and restoring it for their company. And this place happened to be one of the most amazing places I've seen in quite a long while!

The pictures talk for themselves, but I must say what captured my eye at first sight were all the patterns that I found so naturally repeated everywhere around the place. And the textures. I felt like a 3-year-old again for having my dad telling me off for wanting to touch everything there –and no, I didn't even care what sorts of chemicals and animals could be there!

Love,