Reflecting on 2018. Oh man, where do I begin? It was a great year for my career but I struggled a lot internally. I was too hard on myself, doubted myself a lot and lost self-confidence at one point. But through my struggles I found faith, strength and most importantly, I found myself again. I cried a lot, laughed a lot, and loved a lot. I’m so thankful for the past year, for all its lessons and blessings. Now I can honestly say that I’m coming into the new year with so much light and joy, and I cannot wait to see where it takes me!

I took some time over the holidays to reflect and reconnect with myself so that I can set my intentions for the new year. I love this time of year because it gives us a blank canvas to start over, where we can draw and paint to whatever our heart’s desire. I prefer setting Intentions than goals because intentions align us with our purpose, while goals pressure us to have an external outcome. It’s important to set intentions for the new year because it helps to keep you focused, prioritize what's most important and start making transformations from within. So in today’s blog post, I’m sharing with you my intentions for the new year!

2019 INTENTIONS

1.     New adventures

I traveled to so many places in 2018 but decided to buckle down the past few months because of my big move plus the holidays. But now, I’m ready to travel again and making it a goal to travel at least once a month in attempt to venture out and get inspired. I’m currently listing all local, domestic and international destinations and already have a few trips in mind! If you have any recommendations and would like to share your favorite destinations, I’d love to hear them on the comments section below!

2.     Read more

I always try to make this a goal every year but never really made the effort to stick with it. This year it’s all about less screen time and more reading time. I’m making it a goal to read a book at least once a month! If you have any recommendations and would like to share your favorite books, I’d love to hear on the comments section below!

3.     Start journaling

This is also something I’ve been wanting to do but never made the time. This year I’m making it a goal to write everything down. From ideas to feelings, to-do lists to recipes, you name it! I religiously write to-do lists everyday on my planner, but I want to go in deeper and write literally everything that goes on in my head in attempt to fully express myself more and have a more clear, peaceful mind.

4.     Put my name on it

I’ve always dreamed about creating my own product. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved designing (I dreamt about being a fashion designer) and creating something of my own (I’ve always been the artsy type!). I’m making it a goal this year to be more proactive in terms of creating something tangible, and some of my ideas include (but not limited to): creating a capsule clothing line, a lipstick shade, staple black boots, or even my own hair color shade?! It excites me just thinking about it!

5.     More self-love

This applies to all aspects of my life: career, relationships, and well-being. I’m making it a priority to not compare myself to others and to forgive myself more when it comes to my job; I’m only choosing loving relationships and filtering out toxic ones (‘cause let’s face it, no one’s got time for that!); and making sure I workout 3-4x a week and eat clean with necessary cheat days, because I deserve to be the best version of myself without overdoing it. This year, I’m lovingly choosing myself.

6.     Help the environment

This year I’ll be making an effort to learn more about creating a sustainable lifestyle and making it a goal to work with more sustainable brands. I’ve already made to switch from plastic items to reusable materials, but I want to continue by supporting sustainable clothing and clean beauty—choosing sustainability whenever I can. I plan to choose more investment, quality pieces in my home and closet. It’s going to be a process, but this is the year where I’m going to take the necessary steps to help the environment.

Today, I encourage you to make a list of your intentions for the new year.  It’s never too late to reflect and reconnect with yourself—your purpose. Write it down and share it with someone close to you, someone you know who will support you and will help keep you focused throughout the year! Writing down and sharing my intentions excites me so much for the new year—it gives me something to look forward to and work towards to, and I hope it inspires you to do the same :)

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As you may know, I had my Lasik procedure by Dr. Robert Lin of IQ Laser Vision exactly a month ago. This post is dedicated to share with you my experience, the whole process, and how it changed my life for the better.

My career as a fashion blogger + digital influencer requires me to always be on-the-go, whether it’s driving from meetings to events, or traveling from different states and countries. Most of the time my eyes get dry in the middle of the day or during my flight because of my contact lenses, and honestly, I hated dealing with them. Things that annoyed me the most are: forgetting to take them off after an exhausting day (or after a fun night), dryness that caused headaches, and occasional eye irritations. I've shared my frustrations with a couple friends and they recommended Lasik, saying that it was the best investment they had ever made. It all sounded so promising, so I started asking around and did a little research.

So, what is Lasik? Lasik is a surgical procedure that uses a laser to correct your eye sight, whether it be nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. It reshapes the cornea to allow light entering the eye to be properly focused onto the retina for clearer vision. I explained the procedure more into detail below.

I knew about IQ Laser Vision because one of my best friends used to work for them and got the procedure herself. I went in for a consultation because I wanted to see what my options were. What a lot of people don't know even before getting this procedure is that you must be a good candidate for vision correction, so it's important to get a consultation and run some tests. After my initial consultation, I was told that I'm eligible for the Lasik procedure and I was so happy to hear such good news. The idea of having 20/20 vision made me extremely ecstatic! Next thing I knew, I had scheduled my dilation exam to run more tests and make sure I was ready for the procedure.

The Lasik procedure itself was very short and was less daunting than I expected. Several people asked me if I was nervous, but I couldn't wait to get it over with! The procedure took about 10 minutes total, spending about 5 minutes on each eye. Dr. Lin explains to you the process step-by-step, before starting and even during the procedure. Dr. Lin and the rest of the staff made sure I knew every detail of the procedure and reassured me every step of the way--from running the tests and answering my every question. This made me really trust them and made me feel comfortable all through out.

Before the procedure, the staff gave me detailed instructions for post-procedure care. They went over it with me a few times to make sure that I understood. I was also given the necessary medicine and eye drops to use.

During the procedure, the laser is used to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Dr. Lin opened the flap and the laser reshapes the cornea. In my case, my cornea was flattened to fix my nearsightedness, and then the flap is laid back in place right after. Dr. Lin put numbing drops before he performed the procedure while your eyes are held open and see everything happen. I know it might sound scary, but you don't feel anything at all! It's over before you know it. The staff told me that it's important to sleep immediately after the procedure to allow your cornea to heal itself naturally. It's also important to have someone drive you home and check up on you for the next few hours.

Why I Recommend It

IQ Laser Vision has an amazing staff that genuinely cares for your well-being. They also offer a financing option, which makes it great for some of you that are not able pay the full amount right away and would like to pay over time. If you're interested, I recommend scheduling a consultation to check out your options. The best part is, It's free! I'm so glad I did Lasik, and it is definitely life-changing. I love waking up in the morning not having to worry about my glasses or contact lenses, and being able to do my daily activities without any worry.

For After Care, I was instructed to do the following for two weeks:

• Do not touch or rub your eyes
• Do not wear ANY eye makeup (or anything that can cause infections/irritation)
• Do not let anything get inside your eyes, like running water while washing your face, or sweat while working out.
• Wear eye mask while you sleep to protect the eyes
• Use lubricant drops every hour (essential for the healing process)
• Use antibiotic drops every hour (for the first 24 hours) and every hour the rest of the days until you finish the bottle

If you have any questions at all, please comment them down below!

Ramy Brook Blazer + Pants / Zara Top / Marks & Spencer Bag + Shoes

Photography by Virisa Yong

It’s the new year and we’re given another fresh, clean start. Instead of writing my resolutions, I want to share with you my goals for the year. I believe that these goals will help me become a better version of myself, and help me make 2017 an amazing one.

2016 was so good to me. It was definitely a time of learning and transitioning. Shortly after I decided to quit my job and start full-time blogging, I came across so many great opportunities I never thought would come my way. I worked with brands I only dreamed of working with. I got lost and fell in love with new cities, experienced life-changing adventures, and most importantly, I learned so much more about myself and I’ve never been happier.

So to make 2017 just as great, here are my goals for the new year:

1. WELLNESS FROM WITHIN

This year, I will make more time for to nourish my mind, body and soul. I was so focused on working my ass off this past year that I forgot to take care of myself in all aspects. All I cared about was growing my business, not thinking about the consequences. I was often unmotivated and worn out, and all of this was because I wasn’t nourished from within. So here are a few short term goals to help me:

To nourish the mind, I plan to buy good books and make time to read them no matter how busy I am; to nourish the body, I plan to drink lots of water and exercise daily even when its sounds like a terrible idea; and to nourish the soul, I plan to dedicate my time on a cause close to my heart, and to always try to see the best in others.

2. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

This year, I will shift my focus on things that add value to my life. And if it doesn’t, I will let it go. I’m currently cleaning out my room and renovating it soon after. Looking at all the things I acquired from the past year, it made me realize that one) I’m kind of a hoarder (LOL) and two) there’s a lot off stuff I keep that I don’t need or never even used. So this year I plan to focus on quality, whether it’s shopping for clothes or making/keeping relationships. I will purge the unnecessary and decrease clutter, and most importantly, make time for people and things I really care about.

3. STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

This year, I really want to challenge myself more. Whether its being more open-minded and creative with my style or craft, or doing more activities to face my fear of heights. This will be the year where I push the boundaries, MY boundaries. I know I played it safe this past year because I had some doubts and insecurities. But now that I have a better understanding of myself, it's time to really push myself to the limit. I want to try new things, learn new ways, and become more daring than ever.

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something. So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.””

— Neil Gaiman

I hope that this inspires you to reflect and make your own goals or resolutions for the year because it never hurts! It only set us up for success and helps us become a better version of ourselves. I love listing out my goals not only at the beginning of the year but all throughout, because it always gives me something to look forward to, and I know that I’m constantly working on myself. Each day is a fresh start, so let’s strive to be better than we were yesterday.

Cheers to 2017 and to new beginnings!

(Dress by Lioness c/o Princess Polly + Heels by Missguided)

I’m starting the new year (or I should say this month) with a bang: I’m back on the grind and working harder than ever, booked 2 trips for the next few weeks and a few projects are in the works! 

Couldn’t have started this year any better. And talking about the new year, I want to share with you some New Year's resolutions I have for myself. I hope you’re not tired of this subject yet—but I really want to inspire you to make your resolutions.

So here are some things I want to change this year:

Start a healthier lifestyle.

I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t been taking care of myself for the past year. Having the worst possible diet, drinking out a lot, not exercising, and lack of sleep (which equals to consuming more coffee than water everyday, yikes!) has taken a toll on my body. So last week I finally took the step by buying a gym pass so I can start working out regularly!

Don’t wait for tomorrow and get shit done.

I tend to put things aside or wait til last minute…no more of that. I’m working on finding inspiration daily, and answering my emails right when I get them!

Travel more and see the world, one location at a time.

Talking about traveling, I’ll be going to Chicago this weekend and attending NYFW in February! I had so much fun traveling to NYC and SF the past few months and can’t wait to see more cities (both familiar and unfamiliar) this year.

Better organization and time management.

This is something I need to constantly work on. As more work piles up, I get so caught up and I stress out more than I need to. I want to  use my time more wisely, focusing on reaching my goals.

 Avocado Pullover + Leggings / Nike Shoes c/o Zappos

Photography by Mark Nguyen

Coming into 2015, I told myself that it was going to be my year. I had a really good feeling about it. And as I reflect upon the past year, I see it as a year of learning and growing. It has taught me so many things in regards to my career path, my relationships and myself. I wouldn’t say it was an easy year; it definitely had its ups and downs. However, it was an amazing year overall.

Here’s a few lessons that I want to share with you coming into the new year:

 “Surround yourself with people that are going to lift you higher.”

Spend time with people that genuinely support you in all that you do and have your best interest, and don't waste time on people that do not otherwise. Keep those who matter and learn how to cut those that don’t. I’m lucky enough to have the most supporting family, boyfriend and friends in regards to my career. After all my fears and doubts, they always believed in me and that’s what kept me going. If the people that matter to you the most believe in you, it should be enough reason to believe in yourself. 

“Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.”

One of the things I learned this year was challenging myself to overcome my fears, doing things I didn’t like doing. It made me realize that it’s not as bad as I think it would be.  It made me feel empowered, and made me believe that I can do anything that I set my mind to.

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

Being the perfectionist that I am, I tend to overthink my craft and overly criticize every detail. Is it good enough? Will people like it? Could I have done it differently? Is it worthy? And then I realized, life isn’t about perfection. You learn and become better by learning from your mistakes. Progression > Perfection.

“Learn to be alone and like it. There is nothing more freeing and empowering than learning to enjoy your own company.”

This is my favorite lesson of the year. I’ve never enjoyed my own company so much, and I’ve never been this happy about myself and life overall. You need to know how to depend on yourself and truly love yourself above all else. You don’t need a man or anyone else to make you happy, you can do it all on your own.

Now coming into the new year, I have a lot of expectations for myself. 2015 was filled with many struggles, but I’m ending the year on a good note. Let’s welcome 2016 by giving all that we’ve got. Happy new year!

Top + Skirt by Runaway The Label / Boots by Shoegeeks

Photography by Johnson Le

Exactly one year ago from today was my blog launch. Happy birthday to my blog! :)

"Your life unfolds in proportion to your courage." 

I can’t believe its only been a year since I launched my blog. This past year definitely flew by.

My blog is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life, that’s for sure. It has helped me grow tremendously, and has presented me so many opportunities I never knew possible. I used to doubt myself; I was scared to make mistakes and had my own insecurities. However, I learned to just go for my passion and be true to myself during the process. Next thing I know, I was growing with my blog through persistence and hard work, and what really pushed me was all the wonderful support. I’m incredibly humbled, and I’m thankful every single day for each blessing that came my way. I’m also grateful for all the different brands, agencies and photographers that I got to work with. Its been one hell of an amazing year and I look forward to another great year ahead :)

Cheers! xx

Hat by Forever 21 / Dress by In The Style UK / Coat by 2020ave / Shoes by Simmi Shoes / Backpack by Brandon Blackwood

Photography by Alec Dibell