Marvels & Mementos

I just recently invested in a MacBook Pro and couldn’t be happier with my decision. Much of my fascination with the Apple brand is embed in their remarkable advertising. To pay tribute to the glowing milky white symbol, let’s take a look at how far Apple marketing campaigns have really come.

Ads of August.

Content Sourse: http://www.adsoftheworld.com

There’s something naturally beautiful about traditional ethnic clothing. Every woman’s intuitive glow is accentuated when textiles that have origins woven into their heritage and history are draped over their shoulders. There’s a sense of vibrancy and life that is entwined in native clothing. Being somebody with a lot of Persian and South Asian influence in their culture, I have a unique sense and appreciation for color and tradition. Delicate silhouettes, pure chiffons, and the thinnest threads come together with intricate embroidery and nuanced stitching to put together some of the most awe-inspiring pieces. A couple glimpses of what I found in my closet.

What makes your day better? The most popular responses I have gotten are: seeing a hot guy/girl in passing, a cigarette, a shining sun, finding a good deal, gelato, or lingerie shopping to name a few. For me, among others, is seeing a good advertisement.  And lately, it seems all the ad energy is in metropolitan air. My walks from work to Union Station everyday show me a glimpse of what quality advertising looks like. My day is incomplete without a visit to adsoftheworld.com. Here are my finds…

My go-to place for the most innovative and informative infrographics is Mashable. Although every infrographic has it’s unique “wow” element, here’s one I especially like— it’ll help trace back where our social media habits all began.

(Source: Mashable)

startupquote:

Most people are searching for a path to success that is both easy and certain. Most paths are neither.

- Seth Godin

Word.

In honor of my new mantra, some days I’m going to start posting the marvels and mementos I come across on a daily basis. Although the pictures of my M&Ms may be utterly ordinary, the context in which I come across them is undoubtedly meaningful. Ill start today…

As soon as I turned from Michigan Ave to Washinton Street on my walk to Union Station, I was surprised by a flea market/bazaar event going on just 3 blocks from the financial district. There were vibrant hues of yellows sparkling in my peripheral vision. I turned to see a sea of sunflowers, in a rather giant size. I couldn’t stop for long so I browsed quick for some healthy ones and stuck them in my bag for $2. I then proceeded to pick up an uneasy pace (aka sprinted) to the station. Thought my mom would appreciate the gesture, she has a profound love for flowers.

I think natural sunlight has a boundless capacity to unveil beauty. I purchased these copper earrings at Forever 21 just a couple weeks back but never got around to wearing them. When I walked into my room this afternoon, they caught my eye again and I noticed all the subtleties of craftsmanship. I’ll pop these on sometime this weekend.

Marmallow ice cream cones! I’ve seen these at a lot of elite candy stores. But, I was especially craving these ones today. My family and I went to Niagara Falls a couple weeks back and I found these at the cutest candy boutique. I couldn’t help snapping photos of their gourmet taffy apples with all the sweet embellishments and their homemade fudge.

For dinner, my sister and I made some Strawberry, Lemon, Orange Smoothies with Kiwi wedges. To add a little extra oomph, we added lemon soda (shhhh) for a carbonated tingle. We blended fresh strawberries and squeezed fresh orange juice for these. Made for a refreshing beverage after a hot summers day. Plus, we felt all cute sipping on our little virgin drinks

Words of wisdom. August 1st marked the first day of the Islamic Month of Ramadan. For Muslims this is a month of profound religious and spiritual significance. It’s a time of self-reflection and virtue. The essence of the month is beautiful in itself and can not be expressed in any adequate wording. As Lupe Fiasco tweeted: “… one of the main points of Ramadan is to establish solidarity with the less fortunate and those who are without.” 

With two ½ weeks until I jump back into the usual Champaign County tempo, I can’t help but feel a slight disappointment with the infrequency of my Tumblr updates. Amidst filtering out my life’s unwanted pulp and pitching the latest Sears’ Back to School look book to bloggers at work, I just lost touch with the day. And here I am, on an exceptionally uneasy (humid) \ August day asking myself where the hell time went this summer. If there’s one thing I need to condition myself to do less of is reminisce. Because 10 years down the road all Ill be doing is reminiscing about reminiscing. Instead of talking about how things were, and how I had envisioned them to be a short twelve weeks back… I’m about to start a thread on what things are like at this very moment. Cliché. Yeah, I guess I really have been doing more soul-searching than I bargained for… but you win some you lose some, right?

To bring in and toast sheer spontaneity, I’m going to start with posting a delicious SALTY, little snack my sister made for my family and me last week. Lo and behold, she did it on impulse. Had a craving, satisfied it at a fraction of the cost. And felt a little pride doing it too. If Auntie Anne’s wasn’t a monopoly, I’d say my sis has a couple legs up on Anne. 

Almond, Original, Cinnamon Sugar, and Chocolate Chip

startupquote:

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.

- Steve Jobs

Definitely struck by this. I wouldn’t have speculated Steve Jobs to be the one empowering people to remain faithful. Well, whether it be faith in God or faith in your motherboard (which most likely is what Jobs is talking about), this quote is powerful, just as the man who said it. I’ll take this advice for what it’s worth.

(via jaymug)

Yesterday at work I was compiling a media list for food bloggers. A reoccuring food trend in the blogosphere was fruit galettes. After some light contemplation, I decided to screw the media list and was looking to indulge! Here’s a recipe I found on SmittenKitchen.com! It’s the perfect size dessert for a mid-summers day. Maybe even experiment with different berry varieties?

Mentally and emotionally exhausted. Maybe the better word is annihilated? I won’t go into depth about why, or even lightly touch specifics. Let’s just say the ugly side of the truth caught up to me, and I have been in a seemingly un-ending cycle of chaos and emotional misery. Actually, un-ending cycle of challenges. That sounds a little more mature and optimistic, right? In the process of trying to heal and search for explanations, I started reflecting and doing some mad soul-searching.

Revelation 1: We are all undoubtedly stronger than we think we are. In T.I’s MTV show, Road to Redemption (I periodically quote T.I. because for some reason he gives me the vibe of an all-around nice guy), he said something along the lines of: “ God won’t put you to whatever he can’t put you through.” I know God is a debatable topic these days, and I am, by no means, imposing any religious scripture or faith upon any reader… but merely conveying how lost I became without my internal compass.

Revelation 2: Although my faith has always been a vitally important element of my life, I found myself utterly disconnected for the last 18 months. I felt an irreparable void, but never placed much emphasis on my feelings of emptiness. Instead, I began mistaking the emptiness as a need for a partner or material comfort. I felt stronger and stronger inclinations to escape internal discomfort through external methods. I was becoming somebody I didn’t want to be, and in some ways, was balancing two conflicting states of my character at once. It’s really quite frightening how much we lose touch with ourselves when we lose our spiritual sense of being.

Revelation 3: My staple saying is that it can always be worse. In effort to honor this mantra, I’m trying my absolute hardest to shine bright and be optimistic. Life goes on… and as cliché as this next one’s going to sound: whatever doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger

Andddd he never disappoints…

(A Post I meant to post the beginning of June, but never got around to…)

For those of you who know me, you also know I’ve been scavenging for idle intervals in my day to catch-up, kick-back, and get a little sun kissed with my close buds. But it’s a continuing struggle for me because like many students my age, I’ve picked up an internship. I speculate the good outweighs the bad. But, the brutality of responsibility and city commutes is really beginning to get to the best of me.

A couple days following my return from Champaign my mom roasted me with questions about my job; what it’ll be like, my hours, the commute, pay— the usual. After the continuous drilling I began to feel uneasy; she was essentially scrutinizing me about it. Isn’t she supposed be proud that at least I’m motivated, and have actually taken the initiative to find a job, which has landed me a pretty great internship? But I came to realize that her scrutiny wasn’t of a cynic, it was really just of a mother. She told me I really was still a kid and for me to begin working long-hours in such a corporate environment suddenly just felt like too much too soon—especially in the summertime. I dismissed her concern and instead, got defensive, arguing that I was an adult, I live on my own at school so therefore that entitles me to do what I want. And working is not an unreasonable request, in fact, it wasn’t a request at all, it was taking up a responsibility which she should be supportive of. Ha-ha, clearly I missed her entire point and went on tangent about nonsensical things.

Last Monday, I started my internship at Flowers Communication Group, a Marketing and Public Relations Firm right in the core of the city. A block east of the Magnificent Mile, and overlooking the Chicago River. The city glitters outside my 10^th floor window. But the million dollar view meant waking up at 6:30 am, catching the 7:12am train, arriving to the city at 8:18, rushing to the CTA stop to get the bus, just to arrive to 303 E. Wacker the sliver of 9 o’clock, and basically working an 8 hour day. On Thursday, on my Metra-ride home after an unmistakably long week at FCG, I started thinking about coming weeks. What my mom said really began to resonate. Is this what my summer is going to be like? Despite loving the job, my fellow interns and the place in general, I felt a wave of discouragement coming over me questioning whether the “experience” was even the worth it at the expense of my Summer. Perhaps I have cold feet because this was my first week, and I haven’t really let the idea of working in the city quite seep into my nerves yet because I’ve been on Cloud 9 about the idea for so long now.

The ambiguous nature of summer is the essence of the season. The unevenness of each passing day of summer has a charm. I wasn’t certain if I was quite ready to submit my summer to uniformity. My summers for the past 19 years have been colorful, enticing. In retrospect, each of passing summers has had its own character, its own defining moments, rituals, and memories. The heat, chaos, and excitement of summer has left a beautiful stain in my mind. Summer is a universal happiness.

I’m seeing the city through a completely different lense. I see it as a commuter now. I see it as an adult. Do I want to begin seeing things as an adult just yet? Do I want Summer to be just like the other 3 working seasons? Summer is a time for healing, relaxation, rejuvenation. And, it seems we only have those utilities up until our adult years. The lesson woven into all the jargon you’ve just read is the motherly instinct is unflawed. All comes with good time—so don’t beat yourself up about things right now.  You will graduate, you will find a job, you will get married and have children if that is part of your ambition. Take it easy, and seize the day. We really are just kids (well most of us).

Credit where credit is due: My friend posted this on her Twitter.

Simple concept, powerful message… that’s the best kind of video.

“Inspired by Slutwalk Toronto, Slutwalk Chicago is a march in support of education and against intolerance.

On January 24, 2011, a representative of the Toronto Police Service was quoted saying, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized.”

Slutwalk Chicago aims to combat the myth of “the slut” and the culture of victim blaming that prevails the world over.

Our mission is to enforce the truth that those who experience sexual assault are never at fault— no exceptions. We seek to combat a culture that teaches “don’t get raped,” as opposed to “don’t rape.”

A SlutWalk? Ehhh, hold up. What’s that? A SlutWalk?

I’ve had my reservations about feminism since the beginning of time and part of that is because I’m not a cynic and I really don’t believe society is trying to sabotage the existence of women. I like to have balance in all aspects of my life and beliefs. Therefore, you’ll often see me chillin’ on the moderate spectrum. But, this feminist initative definitely deserves some support. Actually, I see it as a human rights initative.

There’s a book I read for my Communications class last semester called Enligthened Sexism by Susan Douglas that I would highly, highly recommend to people who are still on the fence about feminist matters. Although Douglas has an evident bias in her argument, she gives you great perspective— something we don’t nearly get enough of these days.

I won’t say much more. But let me know your thoughts. For further reading on this event—> Here