Be the light.

Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. Dallas PD. Wurzburg-Heidingsfeld, Germany. Munich, Germany. Nice, France. Sagamihara, Japan. Normandy, France.

I could go on and on. But those are just a few of the injustices that have occurred in the past month alone. Every day I turn on the news, and hear about another tragedy. Another stabbing. Another shooting. Another bombing. Something. It's always something. Sometimes it's terrorism. Sometimes not. But there's always hate. This world is falling apart. Instead of looking at each other with light and love, we look at each other with venom and malice.

I joke around a lot about never getting married or having kids. Not because I'm against it; I'm not. I believe in marriage and having a family. My parents have been married 39 years, and have been amazing examples of what it takes to be great spouses and parents. I'm simply not at a point in my life right now where I'm ready to take on that journey. And to be honest, it's a little scary to think about raising a family in this current climate. Because how do you raise a family in a world with so much hate?

Many choose inaction, unless tragedy strikes us personally. We like to stay in our little bubble and pretend that we're not affected by what's happening in the world. I know I've been guilty of just that. But it's foolish to think we're not all impacted one way or another by recent events. So what do we do? How do we fix this broken world we live in? Go to war? Protest? Pray? I don't know. I don't have the answers, because there isn't a quick fix. Change won't happen overnight.

We will always live in an imperfect world. But we deserve to live in a world not ruled by fear and hostility.

We can't just sit here, and do nothing.

We must be the light and love we want to see in the world. Maybe that's romanticizing it a bit. But it doesn't make it any less true.

Be compassionate. Be kind.

Spread love.

New York Cares: Love Brooklyn Day

Love Brooklyn Day

As I have stated in a previous post, I am a volunteer with New York Cares. & today was a special day, because it was "Love Brooklyn Day."

WHAT IS "Love Brooklyn Day?" It is a day of service designated to encourage others to take action and give back to the Brooklyn community.

I signed up for a project that involved taking children from Coney Island to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center.

I have always wanted to go to Top of the Rock, but had yet to go so I was pretty excited for this trip. :) There are only a few things that can beat being up 70 stories high with 360 degree views of New York City!

There were about 20 kids and 10 volunteers, so we paired up and each had two little buddies. We took a school bus from Coney Island to Rockefeller Center. Just like when I was their age and riding the bus, they were all excited to see who could ride at the back. My buddies ended up taking the seats at the very back, which of course meant I felt every bump the bus drove over for the duration of the trip. Haha! But the kids had great stories to tell, and I got to chat with other volunteers.

Admittedly, Top of the Rock may not be a perfect field trip for children. Our kiddos were excited and enjoyed being able to see NYC landmarks, like Central Park and the Empire State Building, from up high. However, this tourist attraction is not very interactive nor does it have a ton of things for kids to do so they got a little bored after awhile. But I am fairly certain that they still had a great time, maybe some more than others. They seemed to like comparing what they saw on a map to what they were seeing right in front of them.

It was cloudy today but the view was still pretty amazing. I look forward to going back one day and seeing how beautiful it looks at night with all the city lights.

Thank you New York Cares for always providing great opportunities to enrich the lives of others, as well as our own. We do not need a designated day to be able to give back, but days like today show us how fulfilling giving back can be. The day was not perfect, but seeing our kiddos smile and bringing them to places they have never been.. well, it is and will always be worth it.

If you are in the NYC area, visit www.newyorkcares.org to learn how you can give back and help make NYC a better place.

#WODW: Musical Memories

This week's #WODW prompt brought to you by Vashelle & Mia!

*NSYNC

The 12-13 year old me loved anything and everything *NSYNC. But, let's be honest: I still do. :)

My first concert was *NSYNC. Then I went to 3 or 4 more. Even went on road trips to see them. I knew every lyric to every song; and all the dance moves, too! To this day, all their albums are must-haves for any road trip playlist :)

I was thrilled when they reunited for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Now, if they could only make another album or just a song. Maybe a reunion concert, perhaps? Wishful thinking, I know.

LES MISÉRABLES

I sang Les Misérables songs with my junior high choir many years ago. It's always been one of my favorite musicals.

Last December, I was lucky enough to see it on Broadway. My first Broadway show, ever. & let me tell you.. it was absolutely amazing! If I could, I'd watch it every day for the rest of my life. But then I'd be broke, haha! So I'll stick to singing all their amazing songs instead :)

My Favorite Things: March 2015

My Favorite Things is a monthly linkup hosted by Raisa and Eirene.

Come join the fun! :)

Here are some of my current faves.

xx Vanessa

Poland Spring Sparkling Water, Lime

I've never had sparkling water until my auntie introduced me to it recently. & now I'm obsessed. I stopped drinking soda a long time ago, and I've come to realize that sparkling water is a nice, healthier alternative. The ingredients are: spring water, CO2, natural flavors. So there's no sugar or calories. & you still get the same fizz and bubbly action.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, Central Park

It's one of my favorite places in the city. I can't wait till it's warmer with the flowers in bloom and trees with some leaves :) But it's just as beautiful when it's a winter wonderland, too.

My Brilliant Life (Korean movie)

I'm on a Korean movie/kdrama kick again. :)

My Brilliant Life stars Kang Dong-won and Song Hye-kyo as young parents to a child with Progeria Syndrome -- a rare genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly. Their son is a resilient young man despite his struggles with the disease.

There are some funny moments, especially between the son and an older neighbor.  But it's definitely a tearjerker. I cried buckets. Buckets and buckets.

#WODW: Adventure

Life is full of so many wonderful adventures. You just have to be brave enough to take the plunge. It can be scary, but some of life's best moments come from taking risks and having faith that everything will work out in the end.

I recently moved to New York City. I've always wanted to experience living here but was always too scared to try and make it happen. But I'm not getting any younger and I realized that either I make this move now or I may never do it.

So here I am.

Ideally, I would've moved after finding a job and having everything perfectly settled. But life's not perfect. I worried that if I kept delaying (if even for good reason), I would continue to find excuses not to move and my dream of living in NYC would never happen.

Moving here was absolutely the right thing for me. I'm in love with this city and everything it has to offer. The food, people, culture. All of it. But that doesn't mean there still isn't a little part of me that's slightly terrified that I made a mistake. I'm still currently unemployed and we all know that finding a job is a job in itself.

So it's been tough. But while I continue my job search, I started volunteering with New York Cares. Part of my time is now filled working with some of the sweetest 3rd grade students to enhance their reading comprehension and creative writing skills. Sometimes they struggle, but their desire to learn and read is so inspiring.

My NYC adventure hasn't gone exactly according to plan, but that's okay. Happiness is a choice and I choose to find joy in the little things. A smile on a kid's face. Coffee and a good book. Finding a seat on a busy and crowded subway. Not falling in the middle of the street because the weather still isn't warm enough to melt all the ice/snow (Seriously. Big win in my book! HA!).

I'm still trying to figure things out but that's the great thing about life: it's a continuous adventure of self-discovery. Enjoy the journey.

xx Vanessa

P.S.
I got the newsletter for #WODW, which apparently means I've participated in #WODW previously. But this is my first time. I hadn't even heard of #WODW until I read the newsletter. So I don't know how that happened but I'm grateful for it. I've contemplated starting a blog for years, but was too scared of having my words judged. It's one to write a school paper, or write strictly for myself.. but to willingly put words out there for anyone to see and criticize is intimidating.

But it was Aristotle who said: "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing."

Can you imagine living life being nothing? I know. It's not a life at all. Therefore, I've decided to throw caution to the wind. Thank you Vashelle, Mia and #WODW for being the inspiration I needed to take on another life adventure. I don't know how it happened but maybe it was meant to be :)