Alice Boman - Waiting

I recently discovered this song at the end of Season 2 of Transparent. It's beautiful and haunting, and fits perfectly with the scene. Ever since then, it hasn't left me.

Transformation of Greece

Elizabeth Gilbert once wrote a letter to her former lover about letting things fall apart. In Italy, she observed the Augusteum in Rome and reflected that "ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation." And as I walked through Greece on my own journey, seeing the giant, gorgeous, ancient ruins with my own eyes, I wondered how many times will I get to be rebuilt as well.

Master of None

Netflix recently debuted Master of None, a smart comedy about a New Yorker navigating through life with modern worries. Like Aziz Ansari's comedy stand-up and his book Modern Romance, his new show is full of poignant observations about love and it's perfectly doused in humor to avoid the cliche.

His study of love is not only about romance, but it's also about family. The actors portraying his on-screen parents are actually his real mom and dad! And it's really sweet to see how they interact, in the second episode. Perhaps what Aziz does best is exploring all sides: the point of view of parents, the other person in an affair, women, elders, etc. Every episode is a thoughtful insight in the new way we manage relationships, while still trying to keep ourselves intact.

Growing Up

[ photo: Gene Kelly in Little Girls of Rochefort ]

After telling my co-workers how stressed I was and didn't get how they weren't as worried as I was every day. They gave me a simple answer: the older you get, the less you worry about the details of work. 

As you get older, you will accumulate more things to care about, things that will matter more to you than data on spreadsheets. You will learn that the world won't collapse when things don't go right. Actually, in many cases, as you lose sleep about the minutiae, the solution will present itself tomorrow anyways.

I had always thought the answer was quite the opposite. That our lives should be centered on our jobs, that our work defines us and we should always strive for perfection. But as those wiser than me advised, our work really is important, but it is certainly not everything. We don't always have to take it so seriously. In fact, when we focus so much on the little things, we miss the bigger picture.

Here's to growing up and taking it easy.

Dear Lisa

A post on Dear Linette blog featured a letter Lisa Ling wrote to her younger self. I found the letter really honest and sweet how her thoughts completely shifted from when she was a teenager.

Read below...

62 million girls

In school, I learned to be myself and how to be a leader. #62MillionGirls don't have that chance. -@Beyonce

A photo posted by First Lady Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Sep 30, 2015 at 4:13pm PDT

I've been very blessed to have had so many access to education growing up. I was fortunate to start my learning young, when I went to a cool preschool in a building that was constructed in the 1850's, where it instilled the basic principles of creativity. I then transferred to several schools as I progressed, and it broadened my scope of diversity and understanding of other kids and their different backgrounds. For a few years during elementary, I also was enrolled in a private school, where it taught me to question my beliefs and introduced me to the concept of spirituality. One grade-level at a time, it wasn't long before I propelled myself into high-school; and I always knew that this was the time that mattered. From what I understood, by observing the other students around me, there was not much that separated us from each other, except for our motivation. Although I wasn't the top student, I knew that I wasn't handicapped from the rewards that were offered either. If all you had to do was try your best, then why not?

Michelle Obama launched a campaign that advocates just that: take advantage of the education around you. We are so lucky, in the United States, to have so much access to school. Even if it's not perfect, or it's difficult, it's so important to stay in it and try your best. There's nothing you can't do with education and it's impossible to learn enough.

"But this is just four or five little years of your life ... don't sweat the small stuff. What is important right now is who you're going to be and how you're developing that part of yourself. So, go to school. Focus on your homework. Don't worry about what your friends are saying that much -- because half these people you're not going to know when you're sixty. It doesn't matter what they say or think right now."

- Michelle Obama

While to us, school may be feel standard and it's so easy to take it for granted. There are so many children in the world who do not even have a chance to learn. Whether it be due to cultural beliefs or societal norms, girls, especially, are deprived at the chance to learn. Education is one of the most valuable resource kids need to consume constantly. As they invest in themselves, they will become the strong leaders who will notice the gaps in our world and have knowledge to enrich their community. But first, they need to have the same opportunity as me.

In school, I learned how to develop a world perspective. #62milliongirls don't have that chance. #letgirlslearn

A photo posted by Jenn Hinh (@jennhinh) on Sep 30, 2015 at 5:18pm PDT

To learn more and make an impact, visit Let Girls Learn. You can also join the campaign by instagraming or tweeting a photo of yourself (as mine above) and share what you learned in school. #62milliongirls and join the yearbook: http://62milliongirls.com/

Orange is the New Black

I know I'm very late in the game, but I just finished Orange is the New Black (in true binge-watching form on Netflix). I grew to love a lot of the characters and especially love how each episode presented the flashback-narrative of the character's life before incarceration. Even with all of the raw humor, there's true insight into the human behavior and the flawed system that tries to keep them in place.

"We're all in here because we took a wrong turn going to church." -- Poussey

Tig

A couple of weeks ago, Netflix released an original documentary about the comedian, Tig Notaro. Her comedy show at the Largo, despite filming being prohibited, was instantly made viral when she came on stage and decided to be real about her situation: "Hello... Good evening.... I have cancer... How are you?"

At the time of that show, she had just been diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. That news followed a series of tragedies that Tig experienced shortly before; her mother passed away and she recently went through a break-up. Despite it all, what kept her going was getting on stage and resuming her stand-up routine. She didn't expect that that push for humor in the face of all of this would bring her a different perspective and opportunities to start a new life.



Perhaps, her sweetest outlook is how she came to understand that everything in life is part of a larger plan.

"God never gives you more than you can handle. Never. Never. When you've had it, God goes, alright, that's it. 

I just keep picturing God going, you know what? I think she can take a little more. And the angels are standing back, going, God, what are you doing? You are out of your mind.

And God was like, no, no, no. I really think she can handle this."

- Tig Notaro

Washington, DC

My trip to DC was short but memorable (hence the very late post!). Besides the historical landmarks and plethora of museums, the district is full of diverse, smart people and delicious food for every palette. Within my short trip, I only had amazing French (Bistrot Du Coin in Dupont Circle), Vietnamese (Rice Paper in Eden Center), Indian (Rasika, Penn Quarter), Ethiopian (Meskerem, Adams Morgan), and of course.. cupcakes (Baked & Wired in Georgetown). Maybe it's impossible to find bad food here?

My brother and I having lunch in Dupont Circle after touring the White House.

These kids were wearing matching vests... it was even more adorable when they all held hands as they walked towards the Washington Monument.

Perplexed but in awe of LL Cool J in the National Portrait Gallery. The pop-culture nerd in me even found Stephen Colbert's portrait(s) by the restrooms.

The 9/11 exhibit is one of the most beautiful, touching tributes in the Newseum. I've never seen a viewing room more full when a mini documentary was being shown.

Georgetown is so pretty during sunset. We walked along the canal after dinner and on our way to dessert.

The three days I stayed were filled with so much eating and learning in such a short distance of each other; I'm certain I've found my happy place.

Likability

Here's a cool piece of advice from writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

So what I want to say to young girls is forget about likability. If you start thinking about being likable you are not going to tell your story honestly, because you are going to be so concerned with not offending, and that’s going to ruin your story, so forget about likability. And also the world is such a wonderful, diverse, and multifaceted place that there’s somebody who’s going to like you; you don’t need to twist yourself into shapes.

via: NYmag

Sheryl Sandberg's Facebook letter

Yesterday, Sheryl Sandberg wrote a beautiful post on Facebook about the loss of her husband and her period of grief. Her honesty is relatable to anybody who has been through mourning. As much as you appreciate and loved the time you had, you just want Option A, even though it's time to move to another plan. How very real it is to want something that had made you so happy that it breaks your heart. She reminds us that it's so important to live with presence and acknowledgment of others.

Read the entire post below:

wear to work / stripes

[ top: Calvin Klein / trousers: Banana Republic / Shoes: BP. Shoes ]

My photographer friend caught me on this outfit today when he was testing out his new Nikon DSLR. The pictures came out great (the camera has a great built-in wi-fi capability, which I'm in love with). I thought it would be a great opportunity to show what I normally wear - as simple as it is - here.

Photography: Tavio Valencia

my daughter - lena headey

Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones) wrote a beautiful blog post on Plan USA, a non-profit for the betterment and equality of girl's future around the globe. She writes about her hope for her new baby:

I am having a baby girl in six weeks. You have all been so lovely in your messages to me, and I thank you for that. 

My daughter will have freedom of choice. She will be free to dance, to sing, to be educated in the fields that spark her passion, to marry if she wants, to marry WHO she wants, to remain single, or to fall in love with another woman. She'll be able to wear what she wants, put on lipstick, and read books that spark debate and expand her mind.

She will be loved, protected, respected, and celebrated.  

All these things that should be, and will be, basic human rights, are a promise to my daughter. My humble request is that you give what you can and maybe - just maybe - we can bring about the change we all wish to see.

Human equality is one of my greatest passions the more I learn about the world. The conditions in which a child grows up, lives, and learns create the foundation for a healthy future. In order to get an education, she needs to go to school, without the fear of attack or failure. In order for her to be happy, she should be able to love whoever she wants, without feeling that she is wrong. When we build a community where children do not have to worry about these basic human essentials, they will have more freedom to discover and exercise their own passions.

I believe that the world is missing out on many girls' full potential.

Read Plan USA's article and donate here. Or make a difference for the child in your community, in any small way you can.

Terry Gross on living by herself

Last week Marc Maron did an outstanding interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross. One of her lines that strike out to me was when she talked about leaving home when she was a teenager in the late 60's:

"You know what I need? You know what I really, really need? I need to live alone. I need to find out who I am - outside of a group, outside of a marriage. I was too young to be committed... and I need to know myself... And I think that a lot of women go through this. Coming of age, when I came of age, when I started college in 1968... it was kind of understood that you grow up, you get married, you have children, and even if you have a job, that's the trajectory. And like I said before, I knew I wanted a different life, and I knew at some point that to have that life I need to know who I was. And without picking up on what other people wanted of me, or asked of me, or projected on me, or any of that, and that required having some room totally by myself, which I never had in my life."  - Terry Gross 

Listen to the interview here.

ballet 422

I know very little about the ballet world, but watching Ballet 422 - a documentary about the birth of the 422nd ballet for the New York City Ballet - took me up-close to a place that was once mysterious and magical. The film took apart the pieces that creates a ballet and showed how Justin Peck, a talented, young choreographer pieced it together with tasteful vision. It's amazing to watch how an idea was conceived into the form of an iPhone video and pen and paper, then brought to life with dancers, costume, and music. Even just watching them work their way towards the premiere made me very nervous.

A great documentary that captures the creative process and bringing ideas to life.

Carey Mulligan in NYC

Carey Mulligan as a New Yorker is one of the cutest things you'll see today. Watch as she tries everything from Uber to street performers to SoulCycle...

Yosemite

A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I rented a cabin in the woods by the Yosemite Valley so we could do two days of hiking. We were hit with unexpected weather: cloudiness and snow on the first day, and then a complete turnaround with warm and sunny weather the next. But with the backdrop of the Yosemite Valley, seeing with the myriad of weather conditions allowed us to appreciate the valley in all of its form and beauty.

Images featuring Vernal Falls / Mirror Lake / Half Dome 
Lodging from airbnb

Afternoon in Brooklyn

One of my favorite places to do in New York is take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge to spend the rest of the day in Brooklyn Heights. You can easily get lost in the mixture of everything: cars rushing underneath, tourists scrambling to take pictures of every angle of the bridge, and the epic geometry that instantly takes over you as you make your way towards the center. But even through all of that, you turn around and get a scenic view of Manhattan from afar, and everything quiets down once you reach DUMBO. 

From there, walk along the promenade to get a greater view of downtown Manhattan. Maybe treat yourself to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, a cute little boat-house right beside the bridge. I had dinner down the street at Grimaldi's - where the pizzas were delicately topped with fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and ricotta cheese, then cooked in a coal-bricked oven. 

Once the sun set, I took the last ferry back to Manhattan, carrying my leftover pizza.