Money CAN buy you happiness

In my late 20's, I rocked the poor mans version of Kimora Lee Simmons' fabulous life. Gucci here, Oscar de la Renta there, and a boutique in Hoboken weren't shabby accomplishments for a semi driven girl. Armed with a slight air of pretension and a penchant for all things designer, one can't help but to justify living like a material girl especially when you feel like you deserve it. Needless to say, the price of possession for a wanna be Simmons meant working 2 jobs and NOT being married to man named Russell! 

I've since shed the need to live like a rockstar as the state of the economy has me thanking the healthcare profession for a over a decade of steady work. I've learned that investing in the future means spending time with people you love and that money IS a means to happiness only when well spent. The Gucci has now gone vintage and by no means have i started clipping coupons but instead enjoy the little things like the free coffee at work and the Barney's outlet at Waikele. Are you spending wisely? Do tell...

Homey don't play that!

A recent run in with an obnoxious droid has me re-evaluating my modus operandi. I play by the  pay it forward school of thought in hopes that when I'm stuck between a gorilla and his wing man that my retribution comes in the form of a brutey 6'4 Samoan ready to beef. The spirit of give and take works for me knowing that a hook up is only 2 phone calls, 1 text message, or a facebook post away. 

What i find incomprehensible is the person that takes without the give and does so without the faintest flinch of a false eyelash. Completely void of human emotion and a persona that screams non grata makes me wonder if I'm missing something here? Does getting ahead mean screwing everyone in the back of the line? Does being at the top mean you've never seen the bottom? It's highly unlikely that I'll ever roll with the takers of the world but i rest easy knowing this...that they're probably the ones on the dance floor with the gorilla and his wing men! What's your MO? Are you a giver or a taker? Do tell...

Apparently, the cat doesn't have your tongue?

I'm very fortunate to have inherited many fine attributes. Good skin, an average BMI, and a wicked sense of humor are just a few things my husband counts as blessings in our marriage. Story telling is a gift as you can see, but catch me off guard with a snide remark and suddenly... a moment of eery silence. Stunned, I find myself ruminating a half second too long and POOF- the window of opportunity for the snarky comeback has passed. What happens when the gift of gab goes south? How do you combat a tackless soul who feels the need to point out things like, "blue really isn't your color" or "i didn't realize you're heavier than you seem." 

I've started a writing campaign to Brita encouraging them to invent the Human Filter which collects impurities and insults for better tasting conversations. I'm not sure that they've gotten to working on my idea yet but i am hopeful. In the meantime, i've accepted that physical violence is never the answer and when the zinger eludes me, resort to name calling. Want some of this, Be'atch?!

Every day is like Sunday

Today i spent an entire Sunday cooped up in my apartment with a barrage of LMN movies, hand fed my finicky puppy all 3 meals, and drank a healthy supply of D&D coffee. It was perfection. As you can see, the word "outdoorsy" least describes my personality. I'd be the last to jump at the opportunity to run a marathon or voluntarily camp in the woods without a bathroom facility or choose to go on a 2 hour hike 'just for fun'. Hands down, an invitation for coffee and dessert or better yet, a lychee martini at Nobu's will guarantee you the pleasure of my company. 

I've made my fair share of missteps with friends who were really just acquaintances and wasted a good amount of effort on things that were never meant to be. Through it all, what i have learned is an invaluable lesson in time management. When something aside from work, feels like work then it's apparently not worth the effort but loving what you do and who you do it with is truly the marker of time well spent. So, if i choose cable over kayaking or caffeine vs. a 5K run, then you know i'm doing exactly what i want to. Are you working when you should be playing? Who are you spending time with? Do tell...

Whatchyou talkin' about Willis?

Hi! I'm Leslie and i'm a Blackberry addict. 

From the moment i wake up until the time i'm forced to click the "manage connections" key to turn off my phone, i'm simply obsessed with what's going on in the world around me. I can check emails from 3 different accounts, update my FB status, check on my blog, and even manage to call my husband every once in a while. But the phone seems so obsolete when you can text that you've made "last minute" dinner plans with the girls in lieu of leftovers.

I'm clearly a fan of technology but have also fell victim to the side effects of mixed messages, insincere apologies, and conversations that should've been 1 on 1 rather than thru a wireless connection. We live in a world where meeting face to face is nearing extinction and the trap of being lost in translation references more than just a Scarlet Johansen movie. Reading between the lines without a certified code breaker can be a dangerous sport and i don't endorse the product. And while my crackberry serves as a touchstone to people like Perez Hilton and Anderson Cooper, i've made a conscious effort to keep the messages simple and show you the real me over cocktails. Do you speak in tongues or a foreign language? Is vague your middle name? Do tell...

Trust Fund Baby

Ask anyone i know and they'll probably tell you that I'm a bit of a dreamer. It's never been too far fetched for me to imagine being handed an Oscar by Steven Spielberg or to win best country album over 8 time Grammy winners, The Oak Ridge Boys. My genetic predisposition was passed down from the ultimate dreamer, my father. He lived a life unlike any other Filipino man i knew. Instead of embracing the stability of a 9-5 and simply living the immigrants dream of owning a home and working in the medical field, he opted to play drums in a band, own a disco in Jersey City, invest in an orphanage in the Philippines, open a restaurant in the Village, and make the best damn t-bone steak you've ever had! At 48, his vibrant life came to an end but he might as well have lived to be 102 since there wasn't much he hadn't already done. 

What I've come to accept is that there's no amount of money or possession that could ever replace the spirit of chance and hope that I've inherited from being his child. I relish the idea of endless possibilities and always strive to live like I'm in my 90's. My greatest wish is that one day when my daughter inherently blogs in her 30's that she'll proudly proclaim that she's a bit of a dreamer herself. The legacy lives on.  Are you living the dream?  Who's inspired you? Do tell....

If it makes you happy...

I won't lie to you- the view from my 16th floor apartment is pretty damn dope! I have a clear shot of downtown Honolulu and can see a smidgen of the Pacific. To my left is the mountain and right below is the super deluxe, kick-ass CP eternity pool complete with jacuzzi and private cabanas. And while many of you are probably cursing the day i was born, wishing to trade places with me in a heartbeat...i can assure you that if you're anyone from the east coast that I'm most likely wishing I were you. 

It's a funny thing to want what you've had or long for what you don't. The sad part of it all is not wanting what you've got. And if this all sounds vaguely familiar..why, yes- I'm plagiarizing a Sheryl Crow song. But the girls' got a point! It's a lot easier to wish we were someplace, somewhere, or something else instead of living in the moment. Certain things like time, death, and taxes we will posses little control over. But the view, YOUR view is something that's all your own. And from where I stand, i've come to realize... oh forget it! I change my mind- i don't wish i were you! But hey- i still want to know, what's outside your window? Can i come and take a closer look? Do tell...

 

I Do!

Now that New Years is 4 months past and the Lenten season has bid adieu until next year, I feel it's time to start making some real commitments without the burden of a resolution or a religious affiliation. I don't enjoy making promises I probably won't keep nor do I find pleasure in having to explain why I can't stop my carnivorous craving for rib eye or how "cramps" have kept me from the gym yet again! I'd truly like to get on the Suze Orman train to financial freedom and finally finish reading the 7 half read books that are sitting on my bedside table. 

Needless to say, it's time to start committing to the commitment. And while I've perfected things like parenting, pet ownership, and my husbands happiness- I've found that there are things you absolutely need to do for yourself. In the infamous words of one of my mentors, "You've gotta do what turns you on." For me, that's simple. Writing with sincerity, loving genuinely, and laughing until it hurts. One day I'll get to reading those books, investing in my 401K,  and refusing red meat but in the meantime, stay tuned- there's more to come! And you, what's next? Are you ready to pop the question? Do tell...

Road Trip

There's a saying that goes, "In order to move ahead, you should never look back." And while I agree that bad relationships, leg warmers, and teased hair should stay in its respective past- i also think that trips down memory lane are good ways to assess how far we've come.  

I myself look back often at my outrageous antics and tickle myself pink at the thought of my youth and not so innocence. My theory is that when you don't know any better, there's always a first time for everything! So, i believe in making mistakes and can accept a 1st wrong impression. I think there's a time and place for bad fashion sense and puppy love. But, I find the ultimate testament to growing old is finding peace with being young.

When i was 9, i told these neighborhood bullies that Hulk Hogan was my uncle and he was going to kick their ass! Call me creative or call me a crackhead...call me what you will but i bet you can't top that! Or can you? Do tell...

Heart Transplant

I wouldn't go so far as to say my upbringing in the JC Heights was idyllic in the Martha Stewart sense. But, the memories of playing with neighborhood friends like the La Sala's, buying cigarettes for our little old Polish neighbor, and cruising Laidlaw Avenue during hot summer nights always brings out the nostalgic side in me. 

When you call someplace home for so long, it's hard to shake the core of who you are and how that environment has shaped you. I moved from point A to B hoping that a change of scenery and a less frenetic pace would be the miracle cure to 3 decades of toxic city living. I arrived on the island ready to claim my new lease on life only to realize I was very, very far from home. There are no drive bys or gang bangs,  and their idea of police brutality is to give out J walking tickets to the elderly. Italian food comes in the form of Pizza Hut and driving at the projected speed limit is strictly enforced. 

And while i'd say my life here in Hawaii has been nothing short of idyllic, i'd still give anything for a Fiore's ham and mozz sandwich from Hoboken and a big hug from my mom. Have you ever flown the coop? Thinking about? Inquiring minds want to know so please, do tell...

This is dedicated to my good friend Claro- thanks for your post. It's all about the full circle! JC here we come!! (eventually, of course!)

GOTCHA!

I typically let my 10 minute walk to work determine the day i'm going to have. For example, today a crotchity over aged lawyer type in a tweed suit cut in front of me at the Paradise Cafe and ordered a cwossaint and large decaf black coffee. Short of shooting her my nastiest Jersey City sneer, I simply made small talk with the counter girls therefore delaying them from serving her majesty's calorie laden French pastry. I won't lie that it didn't give me a small thrill to see her impatience brew as the girls and I gabbed about everything from the weather to our weekend plans, et al...

From that point forward, i KNEW that getting up this morning was worth it. By 8:05am, I had learned that being overly impressed with yourself only gets you slow service and that the stinkeye only works at night clubs! What did you learn today? How do you outwit a nitwit? Do tell...

Who? What? Where? Why?

Anytime i'm compelled to pass judgement or make a rational decision...i ask myself those 4 questions. In times of 1 too many cranberry vodkas or the need to "just be me" I find myself throwing caution to the wind and work the 'you only live once' angle. So here's me...I say, screw it! I'm the girl that does the Roger Rabbit at my cousins wedding,  i'll move 5000 miles from home just to be different, and then i'll find myself wondering- what the hell did I get myself in to? 

So, who are you in the scheme things? Safe or sorry? Decisive or impulsive? Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Who, what, where, and why...do tell!