My Little Box August Reveal

My Little Box is a rapidly expanding French subscription service that sends you a little box of surprise essentials each month, from beauty products and accessories to stationary and magazines. It is among the latest and most successful monthly "box" subscription startups (which nowadays includes anything from beauty samples to jewelry, clothing to even socks...).

I just got my August box, which following the "Little Summer Box" is appropriately named the "Little Sunset Box". Here's a peak inside:

A deck of "My Little Cards", beautifully illustrated likely by the famous Parisian illustrator Kanako.

Gel exfoliant that promises not to dry your skin from Laino. Haven't tried yet but will!

A gorgeous little pouch to place items. Illustrated by no one other than Kanako.

Bracelet from Medecine Douce. 

Chapstick from My Little Beauty.  Works great.

A sample of the famous L'Occitane Precious Cream. Very rich, perfect for the coming fall season.

POSTCARDS!!! illustrated...by Kanako.

My Little Box's core concept is to send you essentials that you may happen to need that month (here we have the very much needed chapstick, face/hand cream, a Kanako pouch to collect the always scattered little things, and postcards to send to girlfriends after the summer vacation). 

I was also delighted by the little deck of playing cards, perfectly cute for an afternoon girls get together with tea and biscuits, no? 

I took the pocket magazine with me to read while riding on the metro. Another easy way to brush up on French!

A wonderful magazine containing everything from recipes, DIYs, to interviews with fashion bloggers and the likes!

Currently, My Little Box is only available in France (and soon the UK). 

What do you think about My Little Box? What are some other top subscription services you love?

Monday French Reading

I woke up today to the sound of obnoxious morning traffic, unusual for our quiet little street off of the main boulevard. September 1st, also happening to land on a Monday, unofficially marks the end of glorious summer vacation for the French, and the beginning of nothing more exciting than the daily grind of work… 

I got up, tied my hair in a bun, put on my glasses, and sleepily made myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. When I came back to the salon, I came across my boyfriend’s French version of the Harvard Business Review. 

What better way to get ready for school than a proper dose of Business French!

Let me tell you, the French translated version of the review is a wonderful way to brush up on your French. Here’s why:

1. Due to the international nature of business, French business words are similar in roots to their English counterparts, with some even adopting the word itself (“marketing” and “business plan”, spoken exclusively in a French accent of course). For this reason, especially for those with a business background, it’s easy to decipher the meaning of foreign business words.
2. Business writing prides itself in simplicity, both in verb usage and vocabulary. French written verb conjugations are notorious for their variations, with some changing up the verb so much that it can become indecipherable. Verbs are kind of important in understanding a sentence, so having conjugations in mostly present and past with an occasional conditional?  It can’t get better than that. 
3. The review is translated from English after all. Even though my boyfriend claims it’s perfect French, I still find it oddly similar to the sentence constructions of the English language…

So there’s my Monday French reading with a business twist. Any other recommendations for brushing up on French?

Topkapi Palace, Turkey

The Ottoman Empire was one of the grandest and most powerful in the world, and the Topkapi Palace was a testament to its influence, size and power. Separated into two main parts, the main palace housed the Imperial Council, Treasury, libraries, schools, courtyards, mosques, and gardens, while the Harem was the private residence of an extensive royal family where the Queen Mother (the Valide Sultan) reigned. She, in many ways, was the most powerful of them all, influencing her son in politics while also regulating important relationships within the royal family. 

The palace functioned like a mini city, where the royal family lived in general seclusion rarely ever stepping outside its grounds. 

In the Harem, hundreds of concubines, hand picked as the most beautiful and talented women in the world, entered the royal palace at a young age. They were educated music, art, dance and royal manners, in their preparation to become Guzdas, or the future wives of the Sultan. 

Black Enuchs, who delivered messages and carried out royal orders, held considerable power, with the Chief Black Enuch being the fourth most powerful in the political hierarchy, closely attending to the Sultan and involving himself in daily affairs both in and outside the palace.

I soon realize that the royal family, palace, practices and hierarchies of the Ottoman Empire closely paralleled those of the Imperial Dynasties of China. The Sultan was 皇上, the Valide Sultan 皇太后, the Harem 后宫, the concubines 佳人, and the eunuchs 公公, all of which had nearly identical roles, traditions and relationships within the royal family. 

As I looked out from the palace, I couldn't help but wonder how two distinct civilizations on earth could independently produce such extraordinarily similar customs, values and traditions. This, for me, was history’s attestation that despite human nature's perpetual need to differentiate “us” from “others”, all of us, regardless of race, origin or religion, will forever be more similar than we will ever be different. 

Feeling like Home

Once you've stayed in one place long enough, it begins to feel like home. 

~*~*~

We landed in Paris. Outside in the drizzling rain, flashed red and yellow lights while Parisian police cars scouted the runway. The plane erupted into a clap, the children happy that they've arrived home. It was 10pm and landing procedures went faster than ever. The French were efficient, when they wanted to be. 

We exited the plane into the airport. And for a moment, I felt oddly safe and secure. The familiar rhythmic hum of French conversation, somehow always a notch softer than English speech. The sound of cheeks kissing among reunited friends and relatives. The faint smell of smoke lingering in the air. French children dressed like miniature adults, who were expected to behave no less than such. And their impatient French mothers who didn't blink an eye before insulting their little ones, always followed by a s'il vous plaît that sounded more like a threat than a nicety.

"Hurry up!", a French mother once yelled impatiently at her two young children in the bathroom. "What are you two doing! The whole table is waiting for you to eat CAKE!" nearly screaming the last sentence under her breath. "But Maman, please, the toilet has not been flushing," her five-year-old daughter replied calmly, entirely undisturbed. 

I walked out onto the streets and realized that I had forgotten I was in a foreign country. Everything seemed so normal and exactly how I thought it ought to be. I had to remind myself that I was actually in Europe, a land far away from where I came from. That's when I knew that I was finally feeling like home.

On Instagram

here's the world through my eyes. 

ever wonder if what we record will ever be exactly the same again?

Hidden Passages

They say the best way to discover a city is to walk everywhere. You'll discover things you never realized was there.

After lunch one day, I decided to wander around the 9th. It soon began to rain and I came across Passage Jouffroy, a little pathway with skylights that connect two main streets through a building. Perfectly made for a rainy day. 

With a wax museum, a vintage bookstore, a tea room, a home decor boutique, an art gallery, as well as a store selling miniature homes and furnishings (from mini tables to kitchen appliances, paintings to little pastries, flower pots to silverware!), this passage had it all. 

Passage Jouffroy

At the vintage book store, I found all these great discounted books - on architecture, photography, interior design, food, history, science, short stories, the list goes on. There was even one with full page pictures of Audrey Hepburn for just 10 euros. The perfect addition for our coffee table. :)

As I'm furnishing our apartment right now, discovering new shops is the perfect way to collect things to fill the home. Although our style is more on the minimalist-modern-contemporary side, there's nothing wrong with adding a little bit of rustic vintage to the collection.

Passage Jouffroy

Musée Grévin wax museum

While the passages are not long (though Passage Jouffroy does have this wax museum), there are also many other ones nearby that you can visit along the way, including:

• Passage 53
• Passage Verdeau
• Passage des Panaromas 
• Passage des Princes

Happy discovering!

Flight to Venice!

Before you think I'm finally going to explore the far distant lands of Venice, Italy, I have to first manage some expectations and tell you that we are merely spending the morning here. 

Venice is a major port on the mediterranean, and that is the only clue to where I am headed for the next week! While it's is no long distance trip from Paris, here are some essentials I always bring with me on the plane (and elsewhere on vacation ;) ). 

The Essentials

• Bag - this will fit everything!
• Wallet - in my favorite tuscan yellow, perfect for spring, summer and fall
• Sunglasses - oh there will be sun!
• Frames - contacts can get dry on the plane
• Passport - can't leave without this one!
• iPad with Next Issue Magazines
• iPhone & headphones

For Last-Minute Touchups

• Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Rosé - color and moisture all in one
• Cover FX Powder Compact - for a perfect shine free complexion right off the plane 
• Coco Chanel Mademoiselle Perfume - packed in a travel sized container from Muji
• Mentos Gum - favorite mint now in gum form!

For Comfort

• Kusmi Tea in Earl Grey - this gift size container is the perfect travel companion!
• Contact Case - with solution already inside!
• Tissues - I'll be happy I have these
• Fuzzy socks (not pictured)
• Eye Mask for sleeping (not pictured)

Good bye Paris! See yah in a week! 

PS. I have two scheduled posts coming this next week, so be sure to check it out. <3

Flashback

I was reading on the bench in Union Square when the camera crew asked me to move over.

They were shooting a scene from a movie. Trying to capture that all too cliché moment of a guy bumping into a girl and they lock eyes for a second before continuing in their respective paths. They would meet again, of course, as the story would continue. 

Some people believe in destiny. That certain events are destined to happen to certain people. But from a psychological perspective, the myth of destiny is nothing more than the predictive story of personality.

That is, our personality traits that dictate a consistent pattern of behavior in response to the situations we face. These situations can be as simple as the decision to drive (or not to drive) across the street before the turn of the red light, to the more complex like the pursuit of a risky but potentially highly rewarding career versus one that is conventional but stable with a minimum guarantee. 

Traits dictate the relationships we involve ourselves in, the events we decide to go to, the lifestyle we want to lead, the person we want to be, and when we are faced with a life changing decision before us, not only the path we ultimately choose, but the people, situations, baggage, and rewards that come with that choice, which then continue to impact us as we live and develop and change. 

The director made the two do the scene over again for the third time. He wanted a perfect moment, a moment of change that happened, but could have not happened. That changed everything, but almost didn't. 

Three years ago, I submitted my summer school application for London on a whim (two weeks after the deadline), hoping that the school would be kind enough to let me by. I ended up going. My last day there, a French boy asked me to go on a bus tour with him around London. And 12 hours later, we began a three year long distance relationship. That was the moment of change that happened, but could have easily not happened. That changed everything, but almost didn't. 

Today, as much as I want to believe that it was destiny that brought us together. I know that it was our personalities that led us here. The lens through which we saw the situation. Our temperament that moderated our actions. That gut instinct inside us that told us yes, it feels right. And our decision to listen to it.

Everyday, personality influences us to make decisions that shape the course of our fate ahead. Some we will look back on and realize they had changed us, others we may never ever discover. 

There's no right or wrong path in life, merely different consequences that come with each. So we can be sure that as long as we stay true to ourselves, we will end up somewhere where we will, at least happily, belong.