Oops

Oh yeah, I'm posting on a very limited android app.  Please excuse any mispellings, poorly formatted pics, and, of course, auto correct!

It's Puerto Princesa (not Puerto Princess)

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines is the best!!

The Philippines is a collection of thousands of islands, and I fell in love with a tiny town on one of them.  To get there, you have to fly from Manila to Palawan's main city, Puerto Princesa.  Then take a 5 hour ride on unpaved roads, squished in a van with 12+ people, strapping your bags to the roof of the car.  An alternative was riding on a packed bus for 8 hours, where your seat might be on top of the bus with luggage, live fish, and bags of rice. 

The people of El Nido look different - more native. (I'm pretty sure I had a crush on every guy that said hi or good morning to me).  They look like a mix of Korean and Filipino.  Their dialect sounds crazy fast.  Everyone here is amazingly fit!  But as my friend pointed out, there isn't a Jollibee's around.

Naoko is our host.  She's a handful!  You take what she gives you and that's that.  She's got a lot of energy and spunk,  and an "oh well" attitude.  Here at El Nido, electricity shuts off from 6am-2pm.  "Primitive", Naoko describes it, but "oh well".

She's from Tokyo and has lived in Bangkok, NY, Manila for 7 years, and now El Nido for 7 years.  She has a husband, 4 grown kids, about 7 people working for her, 3 turkeys, the b&b, and a garden with koi ponds.  She has parties in this garden.  She said, "All I've ever wanted was my own garden.  Now that I have one, I can die at any time."

Pressing Play

I know I haven't been such a good blogger lately.  I've been busy brainstorming and conjuring up the best, biggest, brightest, most beautiful, perfect, loving, joyous, adventurous life.  Yes, I've been dreaming.  All day, everyday, dreaming.  dream Dream dReam dreaM drEAm DREAM  

I've been dreaming so much that I started attracting people that are living the life I want.  (I know it sounds like witch craft but it's true.)  Apparently, you can find these people on airplanes.  Like the theater production woman who has a 2nd home on Big Island that she retreats to a few months a year.  Like my coworker's parents who move to a different country together every few years.  Like the Indian architect girl who grew up in Australia that has lived in 5 different countries.  When her mother asked "Why do you want to be gypsy?"  She responded, "Everyone I know is settled with a house, spouse, kids, etc...  

Why should I want what everyone else has?"

If there are people out there living MY dream, then that means it's possible for me too!  So I've decided to test this theory out.  To start living the life I want NOW.  Not waiting for it to come, but accepting that it's already here.  Enough with the buffering, it's time I press play.  With 110,000 miles (thank you Capital One no hassle rewards card!), I'm moving out of my apartment, putting my things in storage, subletting my studio space and taking a little 3.5 month trip through SE Asia.  No, I'm not trying to be Eat, Love, Pray.  I'm doing this to test out my theory.  To close my eyes, cross my fingers, and press play.  New York, work, jewelry, my stuff, my studio, my friends, my life will all be here when I get back (I hope. Right?!)  

So bye bye winter, and see you all in the spring!  Keep checking in because I may put little travel treats in this blog.

Space Trash

Me:  What are these?

Stone Man:  Meteorites

Me:  As in.. Meteors? (smirk)

Stone Man:  Yes (serious face)

Me:  (bright eyed) You mean.. these are from space?!

Slightly amused now, Stone Man explains:

There was a meteor that landed in Africa.  It's a different combination of nickel and iron, not found naturally on earth.  Yes, it's from space.

Instantly my mind starts imagining 2 guys racing to the meteor with a chainsaw trying to claim meteor real estate (think Far and Away, but without the Irish accents).  Regardless of how it got from space to Africa to New York, it was a gift from space and we need to make jewelry out of it!

Photographed by Chris Doss

I am going to do a series of one of a kind space trash necklaces because space can't be duplicated!  To keep updated on new pieces as I make them, and other photos of this necklace, go to my Facebook Fanpage.

Mark it

A dear friend of mine quit his job and is going on a new journey.  So I made him this gift to take along with him - it's a "fly" bookmark (had to spell it out in case you couldn't tell).

You're going to see this word pop up quite often b/c I'm really into it, I don't know why.  Some think I was once a bird.

Before I was Born

After hearing of my switch from accounting to jewelry, people often ask "Why did you chose jewelry?".  To which I'd reply:
"I don't know, I just thought I'd try it".  
"Leave your career to try it?!"
"Yeah...(duh)"


Back in December, our family was home for the holidays and out of nowhere my mom comes bouncing in and hands me a little bag.  In the bag was a tiny ring with the initials "L L" on it (my mom's maiden name initials).  My sister and I, totally confused, asked:
"Where'd you get this?"  
LL: "I made this"
Me: "What?!  When?"
LL: "Oh, you didn't know?  I took jewelry classes before.  It was too hard, and I didn't think I could be successful in it, so I stopped"


Let's get the facts straight:
1.  2007 quit my job
2.  Moved to NY
3.  Started school full time for jewelry 
4.  Went to Florence for 5 weeks to study stone setting
5.  I'm now working as a full time jewelry designer
6.  For almost 3 years I made this huge change in my life on a leap of faith and I had NO idea my mom took jewelry classes before.  


Last weekend I was home visiting the family (7 months later).  My sister brings back the borrowed Lulu ring.  Once my mom sees it she brightens up, "Oh!  This is the ring I made when I first moved to California.  I was pregnant with you and wanted to take jewelry and ceramics classes because it's what I always wanted to do".


So now when people ask me "Why did you chose jewelry?", I can now answer:

"It's something I picked up before I was born."

Nature Wins

Is this a subway garden?

As I was taking this photo, a man walked by and said "This is perfect.  Nature wins every time"

There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. -- Robert Henri

Life and a Mountain Bike

Would you rather die from being dragged along the bottom of the ocean or from flying off a mountain bike?  Can't decide? ...

Last weekend I was in Sedona and went mountain biking with some friends.  We had a guide named Simon, from Africa - sweet, calm voice (think Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting).  I wasn't too nervous - I mean I am comfortable riding on those green painted bike lanes in NY, how much harder can a mountain be?  At least there aren't crazy taxis on a mountain.

"As you're riding, keep looking far ahead, don't focus on what's in front of you - just like in life.  Keep your eyes at the end of the trail and only glance at the path for obstacles."  Ok Simon, I'll try that.

Next thing you know, my bike is slipping and sliding around the loose rocks and I feel myself flying through the air, landing on my shoulder and ribs, squeezing the breath out of me.  My head bangs the floor and I see a flash of white.  (looks a lot more graceful in my head, but I'm sure that would have ended up on America's Funniest Home Videos)

Simon said that it was the worst accident he'd seen.  He said I was riding really well, then when I started going fast downhill, I got scared.  That's when my bike swerved and I lost control of it and flew off.  As Simon said, "Fear is what throws people off course... though you must have a go-for-it personality because not many people will run full speed, jump and dive into a bunch of gravel"

So kids, the lesson learned from all this...

1.  Focus on where you want to be, not on all of the details in front of you;

2.  Don't let fear throw you off course; and

3.  It's ok to use your brakes.

Now that I've lived through being dragged along the bottom of the ocean while surfing and flying off a mountain bike, I'd rather die on a bike.  Drowning is not the way to go.  xoxo

PS. Thankfully, no jeweler hands were injured from this accident and yes, I have insurance.

If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think. - Oprah Winfrey