Never Judge A Book By It's Cover

Seriously, NEVER judge a book by it's cover. I couldn't stand Russell Brand, but this interview truly changed me. It's just his job, his work. Loved it.

Peacefulness

I seriously began to relax after watching this. Pure awesomeness and it's all for a phone advertisement.

Unusual Creative Ads

Unusual Creative AdsAn interesting collection of unusual creative ads.

Dear Flower...

{hitrecord.org}

Ampersand

Love this!

{Marc Johns}

35 of 365

Quote on the to-go bag at Denica's in Pleasanton, Ca. Enough said.

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Typography Love

I love this video on typography. Simple & cute.

The Alphabet from n9ve on Vimeo.

Self Promotion

I seriously think this self promotional mailer, done by Camila Drozd is too cute.

He Touched Me & Made Me Whole

I just had to repost this from my friend Vasa's blog. One word can only describe this...beautiful...

It's now on replay for me. You guys did great.

Tis the Season for Giving

I was in the middle of working on my Christmas wish list for my blog when I got a call from one of my cousins. She asked me if I was planning to go to Breakfast with Friends at my church again this month. Breakfast with Friends is a program at my church where every Sunday, a small group of volunteers come to feed the homeless breakfast.

Last year, I brought that same cousin and her 2 little girls there so that the girls can learn how to help others. She told me that she had recently told the girls not to expect anything for Christmas and explained to them what the true meaning of Christmas is. They should learn to help the less fortunate and just be grateful and thankful for what they already have. I still want to give them something for Christmas, so she suggested the Dollar Store, just not the Dollar Store in Union City. (About a week ago, a child was sexually abused at that Dollar Store.)

Needless to say, that small conversation made me think again about my own Christmas wish list. So, with that said, instead of creating a list of what I'd like to get, I was inspired to creat a list of programs/foundations that help others and that mean something to me. I may follow up with a list of gift suggestions too though. I love giving gifts to other people. I love it. This season should be about helping others and giving, not what we'd like to get.

• Alameda County Community Food Bank - Help donate some canned food to those in need. I believe you can even purchase a bag of food at every Safeway that will go to the food bank.
• Salvation Army - Help donate clothing, furniture & household items to those that need it.
• American Cancer Society - Cancer tends to show it's ugly head in my family, so I love how the ACS  help people reduce their risk of cancer; provide free programs and services for cancer patients. 
• Heifer International - I found out about this program through Foodspotting. Foodspotting is having a Holiday Spotathon. For every challenge completed in Foodspotting, they'll help donate a gift to a family in need. Heifer International basically allows you to choose a gift to give a loved one and help children and families around the world receive. For example, you can choose to donate a goat to a family. That means the family can get tons of milk from that goat every day. They can make cheese, butter, you name it. This foundation is great! I am now obsessed with trying to food spot items in the various challenges.

Neat Organization

Okay, I must make a small confession. Every now and then I have the tendency to have some OCD traits. It definitely has gotten better, but I do notice them here and there. Pieces I own have to be in its own spot. The weird thing is that I'm not as organized as I'd like at home. (Our bedroom is becoming a war zone!) Well, that's something that will slowly come into place.

As I looked through Black Eiffel's blog, she posted some fantastic pictures that led me to a great blog, Things Organized Neatly.

Here's one of my favorite pictures from Things Organized Neatly. Beautiful color & completely organized. This truly made my OCD traits jump out.

Fancy Nails

YSL line for 80's Purple

This picture completely inspired me. I love colors, and I love the different mixes you can come up with. I think the next time I go get a manicure, I'll be asking them to do this.

Inspiration Boards/Wires

I love inspiration boards. I had a cork board on my bedroom door at my parents house. I'd tack on anything I liked on there. Now that I've co-inhabited with my husband, I'm trying to find a great way to begin my new inspiration board in our office. I have so many ideas on how I want the base to look like, but can't figure out on the final version. Of course, the inspiration on it will just be a whole mishmash of items.

Here are some great inspiration boards that I love.

House & Home August 2009

unplggd.com

Lovely Design

Now who says your inspiration board actually has to be a board? What about an inspiration wire?  Geninne's Art Blog

Oh, decisions, decisions. What does your inspiration board look like?

hello again, my friend.

christina and i were thinking about re-creating this blog because we miss having something to share and look forward to. i mean... for the past year we've been way too busy with work, school, life, family, friends--the college life!--that we have rarely had time to keep in touch and talk like we always used to these past six years. so let me begin...

i had a revelation today.

i don't know what the hell i am doing with my life! i know that i've become really addicted to things which have held me back from doing other things. i know that i've become lazy and just don't feel like i really need to do anything at all right now except live everyday the way it comes. but today, i didn't just know those things, i saw those things for what they really were. i've simply lost sight of who i am and what it was i set out to do for myself and the world, ever since i was a young girl.

so im going to make changes gradually. the first, starting with my diet.

eating right, i've realized, is not just for my body but is for the world. i love animals and have felt bad for consuming them ever since i became aware i was killing to eat, but really, i need to cut down on my meat intake. i've been telling myself that i need to start eating healthy and start losing weight for years, but what has compelled me to really try and become a vegetarian is the recent oil spill in the gulf. honestly, i'm scared of whats going to happen. the environment is becoming so fragile that i don't even know what to think or how to feel--how to even explain how i feel. maybe this whole 2012 scare is getting to me and i'm simply just noticing the earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis and natural disasters that happen all the time more this year. or maybe something really is happening. i don't know. all i know is, i know i can do something to make a difference in pollution and slaughter, and i'm going to do it. me going vegetarian is not going to stop the thousands of cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys from dying every day, but atleast i can say that i'm not part of it. atleast i know that no matter how small of a difference it makes it still makes a difference.

i'm going to do it. dieting has always been hard for me, but i've realized, that if i can't commit myself to a simple diet then i really am not going to be able to commit myself to anything important in life.

on another note. i'm waiting to hear back from the new job position i took up. i kind of left them a hectic voicemail last week... so i hope they don't think of me differently and decide to not offer me the job because i already gave i love teriyaki my two-week notice!

i'm going to really miss working at i love teriyaki. well... probably not as much as i feel i am going to right now, but i'll miss it enough. i've had some crazyy horrible times there with customers and co-workers, but i've also had some crazyyy good times there as well. for example, i'm really fond of this one regular. he's extremely sweet and used to always come in and order the same thing every single day. he kind of disappeared for the past few months and i kind of missed him and his friendly hello that put me in a good mood all the time, but i got over it. he came back however! lol. yes, he came back. he came back about a week ago and told me he changed locations for his job so that's why he hadn't come by for so long. today he came in again and he finally, after these past nine months of working at i love teriyaki and serving him, accumulated 650 points on his bonus card and got the $70 gift card. i told him i was leaving and that it was nice to see him finally get the $70 gift card he wanted to get so much for this past year before i left. in return, he told me he was also leaving soon. he told me that he was going to go to the army in four months. it was kind of a sad moment--i don't know if on his part but definitely on my part--because i had grown so fond of him and it seemed like we almost had become friends. we always learned a little more about each other with every encounter. in the end, however, it was simply a "it was nice knowing you." he said that. and what made me feel even more sad was the "take care." i'm not sad because he said it in an emotionless way (which he didn't, despite the way i make it sound), i'm simply sad because we will probably never see each other again. i'm grateful that i love teriyaki was a place that connected me to so many people, even if it was just in the form of a "hello, how are you doing today?" and a "have a nice day! thank you." i'm going to miss having that small connection to others. i really wish i wasn't so stupid and had more to say to him about him leaving for the army though. i really do appreciate all that soldiers sacrifice for this country, and i wish i was able to let him know that. hopefully he comes in again before i leave so i can let him know. and hopefully i'm not an awkward mess like i always am--need to work on that!

goodnight. i should be sleeping already because i do have work in the morrow! :) i think because i know i'm not going to be working there any longer, i really am enjoying work these days. haha. my coworkers are probably nicer too, since i'm leaving and they're going to miss me, lol. i'm real nervous about my new job though. ahh. i don't know what to expect...

just trying to get myself together, again. not going to stop until i do.

- pancha

A Spoon. A Story.

A woman met with her pastor to discuss her final wishes, as she only had a very short time to live. After they discussed the plans for the funeral, she remembered one final request that was very important to her. She said, "I want to be buried holding a spoon in my right hand." The pastor gazed at the woman, at a loss for words. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "You see, Pastor, in all my years of attending potluck dinners, I remember that when the dishes were being cleared, someone would lean over to me & say, 'Keep your spoon.' I knew then that something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish apple pie...something wonderful to end the meal!" As the pastor listened a smile came upon his face. The woman continued, "So, I just want people to see me in the casket with a spoon in my hand & I want them to wonder, 'What's with the spoon?'" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your spoon--the best is yet to come." The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged her good-bye.

So, the next time you reach for your spoon, let it remind you, oh so gently, that the best is yet to come.

My friend, Julie, gave this spoon & story to me before I left Washington. It is such a sweet gift & I wanted to share it with you. (I am not sure who to credit the story to.)

I have a big stash of vintage spoons & I'll be making them into ornaments like the one Julie gave me, for the ladies of my church on Sunday. I love the hope in the message & the reminder of good things ahead. Not only when my days here in this world are over, but every day there are good things to look forward to. And I keep in mind & heart the important things that matter.

Especially this season.

Merry Christmas!

♥