Sunday, October 31, 2010

The one with Starbucks

What is it about Starbucks which fuels my LOVE.....Is it the intoxicating smell of the best espresso west of Italy roasting as I walk in, the unmistakable relaxing decor, the brilliantly strong integrity of the brand, or the friendly & knowledgeable Barista? I honestly believe it's a combination of it all; that unique experience I can get only at Starbucks!

My obsession (note the bumper sticker I received above) is to the point that at the Starbucks near work, they begin making my latte when they see me walking through the door. Half of the staff knows me & EXACTLY what I get, since I come on a daily basis, & 90% of the time, get the same thing. What is that you may ask? A Tall Skim Latte....perfect espresso & steamed milk, it is beautiful. The strong robust espresso tasting subtly of oak & chocolate with a slight fruitiness which reminds me of Italy. One of my favorite Da Vinci quotes goes "Simplicity is the ultimate Sophistication", that theory comes through here as well as in other aspects of my life.
A cafe I frequented in Florence, Moyo, always served their latte with some fun design such as this & a small chocolate-covered hazelnut
Simply needing my caffeine fix every afternoon does not fully explain my addiction. To continue, I signed up last year for the Starbucks MyRewards. This originally meant that I used a gift card which was registered online to get a "star" every time I purchased. After 60 stars, I was upgraded to the Gold level: read free Birthday drink, free trials, a free drink every additional 15 stars, & a Gold card with my name engraved upon it!! But was that enough? Oh no, I also discovered that my Blackberry had a "Starbucks Card Mobile" Application. This fun little toy allows me to view my rewards, my card balance, reload my card based on debit cards I have stored within the app, & even pay at Starbucks locations within Target stores. If Starbucks' espresso was available via intravenous drip....I'd take it! I am certifiably hooked, I know this, & accept it.

This was posted on the Facebook "Starbucks" fan-page, better believe when I have children they will be dressed as this!
This is not however, a blind addiction. Before I became the Starbucks-crazed-woman I am today, I was an infrequent patron, & read the book "Pour Your Heart Into It". This is a book written by Howard Schultz, the owner of Starbucks, which illuminates the essence of Starbucks from a single shot of espresso, to each store, to the international Brand. I read this book while studying for my undergrad in International Business & Marketing; we had to choose from a list a book to read, & I jumped from my seat when I saw this one. It's a fantastic book which dives not into the marketing or business side, but rather into the Starbucks Brand, its roots, its integrity, its vision. I developed a respect & affinity towards Starbucks which was only reinforced as I continued to study it. If you want to know anything from a basic FAQ, to their current specials & nutrition, to a full history, or what their consumers are saying about them, visit their website. Starbucks.com is fully encompassing in every sense.

When I get a chance to use an example of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), I usually choose Starbucks. So many people criticized them when they began closing over a thousands locations nationwide; however, I was thoroughly impressed. Starbucks believed that they were losing quality control, which wasn't something they were willing to sacrifice; they closed all those stores, took tens of thousands of lost profits simply to protect the strength of their brand! What stronger show of integrity is there? Another Example I particularly like is the campaign they sponsored for Earth Day 2010. A few weeks beforehand, they asked people to "pledge" on the website the number of disposable cups they would save weekly by using reusable cups when they went to Starbucks (which also gets you a $0.10 discount). After you pledged, they showed you how many trees you would save yearly if you followed-through. Having one latte a day, I had the potential to save 7 trees. (!!!) I immediately went to buy my reusable mugs & have been using them since. I forget what the pledge Total was by Earth Day; however, in 2009, Starbucks served 26.3 Million drinks in reusable mugs -- that's quite impressive.
Another feat of integrity which is Love, is that no matter what Starbucks you go to, you will get the same drink which you know & love, hand made exactly the same way. I'm not just speaking about within the US either. I've been to Starbucks in London, Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, & Prague, as well as countless cities around the US, & I have yet to be disappointed once. The exciting thing too is that while all the drinks are the same, & the decor is unmistakably familiar, each countrie's Starbucks has their own colloquial pastries & goodies. There have been discussions on the forums to bring special items from other countries to our domestic Starbucks, & I sincerely hope they do, it's one of my favorite parts of trying international Starbucks\....well that & the simple trill of seeing Starbucks there!
Starbucks in Barcelona
I could go on for hours about my devotion to Starbucks, but I hardly believe that would be fitting. Let me know your thoughts on the brand, & of course any points of discussion would be highly encouraged!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The one with French Toast

I LOVE breakfast! It's a feel-good meal which energizes, sets the tone for the rest of the day, and brings me back to childhood. Most mornings I'm in a hurry to get out the door & have either a quick omelet or some fruit; Saturday mornings are different though; I go all out! It is the perfect day to put a pot of water to boil for tea & make a nice BIG breakfast! Whether that be home-fries with onion & peppers paired with eggs, pancakes with warm strawberries, fresh made scones or banana bread, or my favorite -- French Toast!

Tea is generally underrated, some of my favorites include ginger, white chai, & jasmine -- Teavana of course!

Ginseng Vitality Rooibos Tea, Lemon Pomegranate Tea, Jasmine pearls, White Ayurvedic Chai

I like to think that I've perfected my French Toast recipe:
V's Perfect French Toast

Sour dough bread - sliced thin & left out overnight to dry out

4 egg whites
tsp vanilla
1/2 c. skim milk
splash Disaronno
Cinnamon
Nutella
Beat together egg whites, vanilla, milk, and Disaronno. Heat a cast-iron pan & lightly pour in some extra virgin olive oil (pat off excess with paper towel). Soak the bread well, about 30 seconds, in the mixture before placing on the hot pan, sprinkle top with cinnamon. Allow to cook until carmelized on botton, you'll know because the top will begin to try & it will not stick to the pan. Flip & allow to finish cooking. I find small medalions work well, I really like the sourdough from Panera Bread! Place on plade, spread with a small dollop of Nutella, & layer (3 is optimum).

The wonderful hint of orange in the Disaronna pairs marvelously well with Nutella's hazlenut-chocolately smoothness while the soft sourdough absorbs & blends it all so well!
The perfect start to any day, take time to enjoy this one!

Friday, October 29, 2010

The one with the blackboard

I try to always to remember how blessed I am with all the wonderful things & people in my life; however, every once in a while those busy moments in life come along where you get caught up in all the things which worry you. You get so caught up in a single dark moment that it is difficult to remember all the ways in which we are fortunate.

Luckily, on a daily basis, I am given a simple reminder that life is what you make it, & I wish to make mine fabulous! On my drive to work, I pass a home which has a large blackboard positioned to face the road. Upon it, the owners of the house write what I call "Daily Inspirations". Today's read "Obstacles are Adventures"

I sent the owners a letter thanking them for giving hope & inspiration to the people driving by...I hope it made their day the way they always make mine.

In a similar fashion, I work on a small but very successful group of 8 people, each day of the work week one of us gets to leave a "daily brief", where we leave a quote & how it relates to our Team. I particularly liked todays, to a point it inspired this post:
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain"

The Law of attraction: surround yourself with positivity, & your life will everything you feel & experience. My life is perfection, my life is beautiful, I live in abundance.

Life is a beautiful place & I'm grateful to be within it! Here are some of the other "daily inspirations" I remember:
"Peace begins with you"
"You are Beautiful"
"Be grateful for Today"

Monday, October 25, 2010

The one in Malta

Three years ago to the day I spent my friend Sari's 20Th birthday celebrating in the historic city of Valletta, Malta. Malta is a small island nation between Italy and Northern Africa, the national languages are English and Maltese which is a hybrid of Italian and Arabic; we were there on our October break from College.


I was enchanted by Malta from the very first moment we walked out of the airport. It is a country of sandstone; it seems as though it was completely disconnected from our society of high technology & constant contact, as though it was lost in time. We were driven in an old shaking-cab to our hotel through Northern African-feeling streets surrounded by gorgeous Baroque and Neo-classical buildings. I felt so out of my element, & I couldn't have loved it more!

This is a view of Valletta from the Lower Barrakka Gardens; specifically, on the right is the Memorial Siege Bell. The left is a view of the harbor & that incredible blue water! At the Memorial Siege Bell was a beautiful monument to all the fallen soldiers of WWII. A plaque read:
"At the going down of the Sun
And in the morning we will remember them"
This is a line from Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen" which is a beautiful & tragic eulogy which everyone should read! (Not being subtle, click the link, then come back to finish this!)
We went to a beach at Xemxija Bay (Also known as St. James Bay) which was your typical beach -- sunny, sandy, clear water, relaxing -- but Malta also had beaches like I'd never seen before!
Across from our Hotel outside of Valletta, in Sliema, were the beaches pictured above. It is one massive rock which the waves beat over & into. I had never, nor have I since seen anything like it. As college students we did the only thing which seemed right: we ran onto them! We hopped over the rocks and into the pools which were created from thousands of years of water washing over the marble smooth rocks. The waves crashed around us & we screamed with delight as the warm water washed around our legs. It was unbelievable, I felt so alive!
We (Lauren, Myself, & Sari as pictured above) went to get our favorite books, & sat a for a few hours reading, soaking in the sun & the sound of the waves crashing, as well as that incredible view. It's a unique memory which I would love to go back to; you should definitely consider it for your bucket list!
The next day we took a day-trip to the Medieval city of Mdina, in the center of Malta. It was an hour-long bus trip through the heart of the country which in & of itself was such a perspective change. The countryside was fields & fields of barren land, inhabited only by stone walls & cacti.
What buildings we did see were far off & bunched tightly together -- one of the things you see in very 'warm' cultures. Mdina is a walled city which is believed to have been founded in 700BC!! It had the same sandstone colored walls, buildings, & even bridges which the whole country seemed to be built of. There was even a bridge with a gate to get in! I was enthralled! Walking down the tiny streets seemed as though we were in a dream, we all stayed quite as though we may wake the sleeping city. The streets were all small, each building touched--connected to one another, & lamps on wrought iron extended above the doors. Stone balconies hung high above our heads, & vines ripe with flowers clung to the walls.

We passed a small jewelry store, & couldn't help but go in. After speaking to the lovely owner for some time, I had set my eye on what I would find out was the Maltese Cross. This is a very recognized symbol for Malta, which can also be found on the Maltese Euro; though when we were in Malta, they still had the Maltese Lira, which were so incredibly deflated that it cost about 10 Lira for a dinner out for three - including wine! The Maltese Cross, she told me, is said to symbolize the eight points of courage for the Maltese Knight:
Bravery
Contempt of death
Generosity
Glory & honor
Helpfulness towards the poor & the sick
Loyalty
Piety
Respect for the Church
I Loved the idea, & bought myself a white gold & crystal necklace which I still wear on a regular basis; it's delicate & meaningful, my favorite style!
We continued to wander through the city, & eventually came upon the boundaries of the city: a tall wall which dropped abruptly about 100 ft and looked over the countryside towards Valletta. Naturally we climbed up to see the view!
It was breathtaking. I believe we sat for 10 minutes without uttering a syllable....then we started speaking & didn't stop until the after the sun went down. Staring out at the iconic countryside, speaking with your friends, enjoying the sun & breeze -- it was perfect. We didn't even realize how much time had gone by until suddenly we saw the lights of Valletta off to the left. Our trip to Malta was filled with unreal moments, & realizations about what friendship is.
Memories with friends are timeless & impossible to put a price on -- cherish yours!

Friday, October 22, 2010

The one with Lil Weezy


So I was seriously feeling the pull of Euterpe - the Muse of music - on my attentions today. Sometimes you just go through your day with music as a background. Then other times... you suddenly listen to the music playing; find it's oddities & ingenious devices, structures, beauty: today was one of those days. I love when I take the time to appreciate music; that is after all, what it's there for! Music is by no means created to be a simple thing we take for granted; yet I'd have to argue, that is what happens in mass. What follows is a few of today's obsessions, what has inspired me, & their breakdown. I hope you enjoy them!!
"No Love" - Eminem ft. Lil Wayne

Where to start! I have been obsessed with Eminem's lyrical genius & raw dedication to his passion since I was in Middle School! What I enjoy the most about his recent work, is that it seems more 'real' than some of his earlier work. Lil Wayne is brilliant; you can tell via any of his dozens of songs which have continued to top the charts how earnestly he is his art. It makes me so sad that is in jail; however, being that I obsessed over Rebirth, I find it comically ironic that he was convicted for an unlicensed concealed weapon, when one of his lines was "me & my gun, we took an oath together, said we'd never fall, if we're both together". That said, he has taken a commendable proactive approach to his incarceration. This idea just came out September 29Th...meaning he filmed it before going into jail & was able to keep it quiet until now! He's successfully done this with multiple single releases, & his new album just dropped. He has lost NO momentum, & you have to know that on November 4TH he's coming out ready to bang out masses of genius after 8 months of nothing but time to think. "No Love lost, no Love found"

Secrets - One Republic

Love the symphonic-rock mix! The woman is either living a dual-life, is a polygamist, or has been caught in a torrid affair, you be the judge.

Stereo Love - Edward Maya ft. Alicia

The song & video duo is Sexy in a seductive European-subtly way. With these first two shots you already know the whole story...


We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool vs DCUP

So much fun in an authentic techno-fab Italian-club way! This brings me back to Firenze! Roughly translated "Fa l'Americano" can mean Do "the American" (as in act like an American) or 'past American'. I tend to think the first translation is more likely. For further explanation, feel free to ask, I am happy to share my Italian knowledge with you!
Bow Chicka Wow Wow - Mike Posner
He's so much fun!!! My new feel-good obsession....I'm a huge proponent of Pandora at work & on my Blackberry: his station is particularly up-beat. No video as of now, but YouTube it, you won't be able to get the beat out of your head!

Runaway - Kanye West
Anyone who wants to diss Kanye, throw it at me, I am more than prepared to defend the artist who I respect for being a truly unique & insightful persona. All the YouTube videos of the VMA's have been pulled due to "copyright infringement" but I found a great version in a WSJ article (Kanye West's new song 'Runaway'). Visually fantastic & one of the most self-deprecating songs I've heard in recent memory. Granted he is a serious case of narcissism - so I would take this with a grain of salt - but what would Kanye be without his Ego?

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The one with Nail Polish!!

There is one thing I can do for myself any day I choose, which is guaranteed to bring happiness & smiles immediately & at numerous intervals throughout the following few days: Nail Polish. SO simple, yet so fun & fresh. It is the perfect finish touch to an outfit & makes you look more sharp as a whole.


And the only line I choose to use.............O.P.I. It's an obsession I can't control! Along with their fabulously intense colors, their creative & playful names seal the deal! Their website (opi.com) even has an interactive "try it on" application where you can match your skin-tone to see what the colors will look like on -- what more can you ask from nail polish? Plus -- very fun little promo their running (also ingenious co-branding) is that you can purchase a Dell laptop (not my choice brand) with your favorite O.P.I. color "tattooed" onto it!



I earnestly can't decide if the colors or the names are my favorite aspect of what is the essence of O.P.I. It is simply a homogony of excellence....but here of some of my tried & true:


Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ: My very first O.P.I., & encompasses everything I love about nail plish. It's deep & vibrant, seductive & sleek


Mod-ern Girl - so much fun you want to get get up & dance as soon as it's dry....perfect for a night out with the girls, or a night of flirting!


DS Jewel - sparkles in a dazeling yet subdued way -along with the cabernet reference I was sold! Wine I can wear...too good to be true!

Keys to my Karma - Part of the India Collection, the most fun Red-Orange you can imagine; it puts me in a fantastic mood which brings me all kinds of positive energy

We'll Always Have Paris - Dark & mysterious with a undeniable hint of Passion similar to the city -- I acutally wore this (not being able to resist the comedic irony) on a reunion with friends I went on a vacation to Paris with.


Colors so hot it Berns - Firey & spicy in a way I like!



Dating a Royal - Naughty & Nice, this colour screams fun!



Vodka & Caviar - From the Russian collection this combines two things I love within an equally ravishing color!


Russian Navy - This looks nearly black until the light catching it just the right way & you get a brillian gleam of blue.....if you couldn't tell, I really liked this collection!


I Love, Love, LOVE dark nail polish - check out a few of my other favorites on the site: Black Cherry Chutney, Boris & Natasha, Play 'Till Midnight, Light my Sapphire, Suzie Loves Sydney, and Baby it's 'coal' outside.

There are also non-nail polish O.P.I products which I'm a huge proponent of! Their cuticle oil is to die for! It is described below, but what you really need to know is it makes your nails healthy, shiny, strong, & beautiful! The cuticle oil to-go (2ND from the left) is my fav because it easily fits into any purse for quick when-ever-you-remember-it application.

Whenever my cousin & I are having a movie/nail night, which is a feel-good activity to begin with, we'll start speaking & joking around which is a typical girl thing....& inevitably we'll fall back to laughing over a particular comedian: Anjelah Johnson "Beautiful Nail......just one" If you're not getting the reference, please watch the following YouTube...hilarious! And happy nail painting!
Nail Salon - Anjelah Johnson

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The one with Monkeys & God

"To each their own" -- I could not believe this statement more! Therein lies my religious statement to the world: Believe whatever you like, but believe in something! Everyone needs that!

My friend posted a very interesting article from the New York Times entitled "Morals without God?" The article begins with arguments based around Bosch, the Dutch painter from the fifteenth century, specifically his ever-famous "Garden of Earthly Delights". From there it further develops the question by spanning tangent topics from societal development to religion & biology! It's a riveting & thought-provoking article which I highly suggest taking the time to read!

The article originally suggests that evolution & God cannot coexist & even brings up the veneer-theory....at which point my mind went on a rant: Are we really still that pin-headed & clouded by the darkness of the middle-ages? We are an intelligent society, when we choose to be, we have access to more information at our fingertips than has been readily available in the entirety of the Human race! Surely we can realize that religion & science are not mutually exclusive, they never have been, & they cannot be as our existence is structured.
The Author is fantastic & goes on to say "Why not assume our humanity, including the self-control needed for livable societies, is built into us?" Veramente, Grazie!

A question is later raised which I loved, "why do we surround ourselves with furry mammals?" The answer is simple: they crave & give affection in the same way which we innately do.

Playing with my family's puppy Emma

There is a reason that vastly numerous religions have emerged around the globe independently of one another yet with strikingly similar core values such as compassion & family -- it is because those values are who we are -- it is Humanity.

A few quotes I associated with:

"Dominate monkeys are the most generous"

"Altruism is unconcerned with its evolutionary consequences"

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The one with Mrs. O

I found a very intriguing article in the Harvard Business Review today which supports a theory I've been mulling over for the past months/year. I believe that (though not to the same extreme cultural significance) Michelle Obama is our generation's Jackie-O.



One of the pictures from Michelle's spread in Vogue, which was fantastic, check it out!


Now before you freak out on me, take a look at the slideshow which the HBR put together entitled "The Michelle Obama Effect" At this point J. Crew should be naming their next line after her! Think about it, the iconic inauguration outfit, her mixing of high-fashion with brands more readily accessible upper-middle-class America, along with the overload of mass media putting it all directly in front of our face & only a click away from being delivered to our home.


Let's face it, She's strong, she's fun, she's stylish....what's not to Love! What I respect the most about her, in a fashion sense, is that she is so brillian when it comes to flattering her body! This is the most important aspect in finding your style, & it's so often overlooked! Each person has thier own shape, & it's vital to find what flatters your unique shape; something which looks fabulous on your friend or sister, may not work for you, & vice versa. Once you find what compliments your body...work it!

I felt in retrospect as though my outfit today could have been subconsciously inspired by one of the first-lady's casual-classy-cardigan days. I wore slate grey suit pants with a slightly lose white sleeveless blouse with a ruffle from the left neckline down to the ribcage, & a fitted cobalt blue 3/4 sleeve cut-off cardigan. With this I paired a double-strand delicate gold necklace with small inset crystals & nickle-sized earings with concentric tini white-beads & a golden topaz in the center, finished with black pointy stilettos; crisp would be the word for how it made me feel.

InStyle has one of the most comprehensive followings/documentations of Michelle's fashion development as the first lady, which is where I got the montage of some of my favorite of her stylistic choosings shown below. Save for, that is: mrs-o.org, which is an entirely marvelous site which I enthusiastically suggest you check out!






The questions stands to reason, will she be the next Jackie-O of first-lady-fashion-history?