Happy New Year! 

It feels incredible to be back after a long hiatus. 

I'm not sure about you, but I feel as though the past two to three years have been bit of a blur, and that I've just exited the thick of it. 

That season of my life was filled with bittersweet moments in my personal life, career, and family. I wrestled as I tried to adapt to a revised path and timeline for my life that I didn't quite understand, which left me exhausted. 

Somewhere in the midst of it all, I lost sight of the simple things that bring me joy and perspective on life, like travel, photography and blogging. 

I'm grateful that I made the time to take a step back and rest this Christmas. Here's a few photos from my trip to Cape Cod with my family. 

There's nothing like the crisp ocean air to clear the mind and restore the soul.

We took the time to reminisce about life, acknowledge our progress, and to get excited about our future together. 

I have no idea what this new year will bring for me, but I'm confident and hopeful that there is goodness, beauty and growth in store for 2023. I truly believe that the things that we don't understand in isolation will all come together for good. It's just a matter of time!

"Life should be an extraordinarily enjoyable experience... day, by day, by day." - Brendan Burchard

Hey friends!

It's been a while. But I made this post extra special for you. This post is on the subject of wellness, and the importance of doing something extra special for yourself every once and a while.

Treat Yourself

We all do it. We find ourselves at 100% capacity with succeeding at work, in school, and with our personal projects. However, you'll soon find that your Friday evening treat (you know, that glass of red wine) just isn't cutting it anymore.

Three reasons

Rewarding yourself is so essential to your overall well-being. In fact, studies say that we:

• work harder
• achieve more, and are
• happier 

when we have a reward system set in place. But in order for it to feel like a reward, it needs to be on a "large" enough scale so that:

1. It actually feels like a reward because it's clearly defined (i.e. you anticipate it, it's satisfying and memorable)
2. You feel rejuvenated at the end of it all. 

Some may argue that treating yourself is too costly, but I'm a firm believer that doing something "extra special" doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket. Splurging can be as simple as dedicating a block of your time - let's say, an evening - to go off on your own and do something that you love and not feel guilty about it. That last part is the key. You have to truly believe that your positive actions have made you deserving of something great.

New York City

I recently went to New York for a few days with my best friend on a sort of grad trip/girls trip hybrid. Our goal was to check out some key food spots, monuments, and museums that we've been storing in memory after years of perousing blogs, reading books - and more generally - from seeing in pop culture. We constructed a hefty excel spreadsheet that outlined our activities by day, while keeping fully aware that Manhattan is arguably the largest metropolis in North America, and that we can't see everything in one go.

Despite the fact that we had a jam-packed schedule, some rainy weather, and a 24hr flu; the trip was a great, and felt like a nice way to cap off four years of undergraduate studies. Also, I managed to squeeze in one extra special event: Carnegie Hall.

Dream Fulfilled: Carnegie Hall

125th anniversary (left) Stevie Wonder and other celebrity autographs (right)

Attending a concert at Carnegie Hall has been a huge dream of mine for the past few years, and even moreso in the last two years, as my knowledge and appetite for classical music expanded. The dream was realized in excellent timing too, as 2016 marks the 125th anniversary of the hall's opening.

Emanuel Ax 

I attended a piano concerto by Emanuel Ax, a musical mastermind with warm face and humble demeanor about him. We all watched in anticipation as he walked onto center stage and took his seat.






Mr. Ax played an assortment of pieces from Beethoven's Grande Sonate Pathétique. He started the evening with Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio, a piece reminiscent of  beautiful despair (shrill almost). However, my favourite piece by far was the Adagio cantabile, a slow, delicate and majestic piece that is played with extreme attention and care. It has a way of lifting your spirits and transporting you to your happy place. Isn't it just beautiful?




So please. I highly encourage you, my fellow workaholics, to do the same by taking a break every once and a while :)