A sweet farewell to my fairytale '09...  Welcome Twenty10

For some it might not have been a close-to-perfect year. I heard grunts at the proposed presidential plans as well as at the flashy scandals filling celebrity media news. All this proposed “change” seemed to culminate into a vicious cycle of over-analyzation by many news outlets who seemed to turn so called news into chatty gossip.

In the Facebook and Twitter worlds it came down to interesting shared topics, and some commentary expressed through personal banter. It has certainly been a year for opinions, mindless topics, scandalous behavior, and free-for-all discussion. One positive light came of all this… a wealth of  communication both negative and positive. People shared their minds, raved about their likes and dislikes. It was as though a once-quiet storm erupted into sound—sometimes in cacophony, sometimes in harmony—now it wasn’t just the media who was publicly sharing their issues. The people spoke. Select blogs and Twitter feeds increased their influences or grew a stronger presence this year. 


Some friends felt confused about the meaning of life as economic set backs put a tail spin on their invested well-being.  For a handful, it felt just like another year. And there were a few who had momentous acquisitions.

There is much more I can get into when it comes to this… for now I will speak easy of my magnanimous year as it’s been 6 weeks since I wrote with consistency. My life, in a nutshell, has been a whirl of change, but one that has complimented my outlook and achievements. For me, 2008 was something to leave behind. Though there were sweet memories, at the end, it fell short of my beliefs. There were people in my life that provoked my attention in a manner of disrespect, and as a result I fell into a trap of contemplation. I knew I was alive and well, but my actions did not reflect this. 
So, I sat at the midnight hour of the beginning of this year with my eyes closed listening to the humming sound of deep breaths. I came into this  year of 2009 with sound mind and quiet spirit. It was the first time my lungs expanded so purely at the strike of midnight. 
I began to make manifest the thoughts springing up after enlightening meditation. Yoga is a beautiful practice by which to come into a new year. I highly recommend it in times of contemplation; it can change you.

7 months later my soon-to-be husband and I were sitting at a campfire looking up at the shining stars with the warmth of the fire by our faces, smiling new friends, and sheets of laughter that echoed through the tall trees and gleaming streams of Kern River. I spent most of this year exploring life, love and  friendship all over again. The experience kept my heart beating for more and  my mind full of new ideas. I’ve been inspired and enlightened to the next level. I not only found my soul mate and fell madly, deeply in love, but I also rekindled my faith in strong and solid friendships, ones that I can truly count on. I'm writing this because in one year's time, life can change so dramatically—some for the good and some for the bad. For me, 2009  was a change of a life time, marking 2009 as the best year of my life so far.

When my friends call up with heavy minds and heavy hearts, I look at them knowing brighter days are to come. You just have to have faith. It will not come automatically, but it will come if you allow it to.  My tip: “be real with your actions”, have a good cry, and let it go. Something much more significant will come if you do.

Dear friends of Maharlika, Chris and Is the Balm. Thank you for inspiring us and surrounding us with your friendship. I have much more to blog. This is just the start after a 6 week hiatus.  We (Chris and I) have been off getting married, visiting the family, moving into our new magical place and enjoying our first Christmas and New Years holiday together. Now that the year is closing, we are getting settled. 

The blue sky of 2010 is arriving.  I will embrace it and take each day by the hand knowing each day will be different—some significant and some, just another day. Whatever your 2010 may be,  a wish for Good tidings to you. Happy 2010!!

Battle of the Networking Style

 

 Just the other day I attended Style Wars by House of Diehl in support of stylist and fashionista friends Deoshia Hopkins (known as Dee Dee.. Deedub), and her partner in crime Lisa Davis.   When I checked out the site to buy my tickets ( http://www.houseofdiehl.com/stylewars/ ), I didn’t know what to expect as this was the first time I had heard about this competition. My first thought while scanning through the site was; what a great way to promote up-coming fashion stars and I was all for it. Some of the most talented friends I have are in fashion and most were not formerly trained or schooled. They just seem to have a natural sense of fashion and elegance that proves that training is not a prerequisite for great style. For me there are three kinds of fashion personalities. 1).  The general population- people that look at ads, catalogues, shop at malls in search of what they saw that looked good on someone else. 2). The bourgeois- the seeker of labels (label whores if you will), as if the only way to real style was through designer labels and your pocketbook 3). The uncompromised- seekers of their own personal affinity with good looks and great feel, not dependent on popular vote or price tag. The problem with the third group, the one that most accurately describes our Dee Dee, is that sometimes it can be difficult to catch the eye of the more established fashion machine and get promoted.

 Enter Style Wars--A project runaway type event on a racetrack. Side by side, 2 teams are given design themes, and armed with a small collection of personal supplies and a selection of objects provided by the host, they are challenged to re-invent style in under 5mins. The audience cheers with exhilaration in anticipation of what these stylists will conjure up to dazzle them with their unique vision.

So there I was, standing on my seat, wide eyed and exhilarated as each concoction Team Dee Dub came up with seemed to out style the last and dominate their competitors.  I knew DeeDee possessed great fashion sense but the ability and confidence to whip up cool, edgy, wearable garb in just under 5 mins. WOW!  Team Dee Dub killed it, winning over the judges handily. With each passing challenge they displayed an almost sixth sense for how each swath of fabric, metal screen, strip of tape and even parts of a lawn chair would meld together to create a runway ready showpiece. As the time came for the final round, we were sure that Team Dee Dub would emerge victorious against the more established industry challenger who had competed in previous events. The final theme was "Pimp my Bride" and the last two teams were given a box that contained a secret ingredient that they were to use in their ultimate creation. Team Dee Dub opened the box to find a fully completed wedding dress and the other team discovered a box of trash bags. Now at first glance, getting a completed wedding dress would seem like a blessing, but being tasked with creating a unique look and to think outside the box, it would prove almost useless as they would surely be labeled as cliche. As the other team was hurriedly slapping trash bags all over their model, Team Dee Dub was creating a truly unique wedding dress out of the ripped train from the dress, a colorful armor like chest piece and lace belt. I mean this dress was amazing, it was as if it had come off the runway in Milan and all in under 5 min. As for the other team, their wedding dress looked like, well... trash, layers of clear trash bags, bunched together in an awful mess. The only part that looked like it belonged on a pimped out bride was the head piece and that was something that was provided in the kit.

At this point we were all certain that Team Dee Dub would take it, they had done an amazing job and everyone seemed to feel truly inspired by the work... boy were we wrong. The judges, despite overwhelming audience support for our champions in cheers and applause, voted for the trash bag bride, a look that was decidedly "un-pimped". In defense of their decision, the judges cited the creativity of using trash bags, mind you that was a prop that was given too them to use not selected by them as part of their unique sense of style. We were robbed....

To be fair, fashion is largely a matter of opinion and it would appear that the judges have achieved some degree of personal success in their careers, demonstrating an understanding of what fashion works and what doesn't. What I feel was really in play here was a bias towards a more "trained" veteran designer over an unknown that just has good taste and talent on her side. In the end, much to our disappointment, the judges opted for a familiar face over the renegade newbie.

 Bravo!! Dee Dee and Lisa Davis, your sense of style and sophistication impressed many that were out that night, including me... This was only the beginning, you have a bright future ahead.


     All Photos taken by Justin Johnson

  

Romancing the Style

I have always been an ardent supporter of independent designers.

Whether they are local or not, I have been fascinated by the

creativity they possess when they are truly

passionate about their craft.

On my journey to develop a very personalized look for my upcoming

wedding attire, I stumbled upon a talented artisan pair in a shop

called Lo Boheme .

This wife-husband team creates fanciful accessories

that capture a unique bohemian vintage inspired look that I find

delightful. After just one look, I knew I had to order one of their

beautifully romantic pieces to complete my ensemble. These days, while

many trend followers are going for the rough edged, punk rock, Sid and

Nancy vibe, I opted to turn back the clock to a time period in which

feminine flair was alluring sex appeal. Each head piece design is

uniquely handcrafted with an Art Nouveau sensibility that breathes

life back to an everyday sophistication.

A Lucent Dream awaits…

I’m in dreamy heartfelt state of mind as my wedding in Greece awaits… the next few weeks I will be dedicating my writings to dreams, fantasy, and exploring a period in time of love, passion and romance.

Last week I had a date night with my beloved. In true lovers fashion I was whisked away to a magical castle full of magicians, beautiful imagery, fantastical costumes, songs that made your heart beat faster, and your childlike eyes come alive.

The Lucent Dossier experience steps into it’s own magical world, creating an ensemble balanced by movement that projected grace, strength and flexibility. A collection of wondrous passion brought on by love and inspired hope of a time period that I can only envision when I close my eyes. I was completely enchanted by sparkles that landscaped a candy like utopia of bustiers and tousled hair engaging in titillating acrobatic performances. As the music flowed and songs came alive with vibrancy, I drifted into a blissful atmosphere that delighted my soul. When silence dawned and the curtain drew, I could feel the audiences vibration in time with my own. They felt the experience too.

There were little pit stops before and after the experience… alluring you with the same magical potions and dreamlike state of mind throughout. We stopped for a past life reading at the Lucent “Post office”… As we sat down, an enchanting woman with a beautiful birds nest perched in her curly waves of  hair,  peered deeply and intently into our eyes and with a smile of certainty she pulled out two letters. Each personalized envelope, a “dossier", that was handed to us contained scribes of great insight. As we finished our postal business, in her sweet soften spoken tone, she offered us a spoonful of her magical handmade chocolate and sent us on our way…

I copied our notes for you to read and pictures for you to gaze upon if you should ever want to be enchanted by this dossier experience.

 

 

http://www.curiousjosh.com

http://www.lucentdossier.com

 

So you think you can Truffle?

I am a big fan of chocolate and one of my favorite chocolate delights is a truffle.

Enter truffle class 101—the class took place in a sleek downtown loft that is also home to Learn about Wine.  Paula Page who has vast knowledge on wine paired this stellar truffle class with exquisite wine choices poured. 

                 Happy Birthday to me...

Moving Soul

This journey took place twenty years ago. A young ingénue, who wore many hats as a fashion statement, discovered her journey was the along the path of the many lives she had once lived. She soon realized that each individual she came across was for a reason. Some to protect and nurture, others to inspire and still others to disappoint. The ones who shown her disappointment, shed light on the direction she was headed and in the end gave her a great and powerful knowledge. The ones who inspired were always fleeting, but remained close by, shared admirations and bore the resemblance of a true competitor seeking it’s own recognition. The ones who protected and nurtured were rewarded with abundance, and an insight to a moving soul.

Almost five years ago I came up with the idea to make my own lip balm. Challenging myself to do something like this was a task in itself as I planned to do the entire venture independent of a manufacturer, a marketing team, or any outside funding.

Gratitude

I feel it important to express the fact that I am completely surrounded by the most talented and beautiful friends. I look around and know how blessed my life has been to be around such a caliber of personalities. My sincerest Gratitude goes to so many of these friends who lent their time and energy to my new website and being a part of my lip-balm brand. I will be featuring their talents on my blog periodically, so please be sure to check it out!

Credits:
Website & Hiwa Lani label design: Julie Gesin & Mike Jones, Chris Sage
Hunter label designs: Heidi Fikstad
Cover page photographer: Ming Hsiung and Mat Evanz
Additional photographers: Cory Strassburger and Alain Vasquez
Models: Stacy, Noelle, Heidi, April, Noella, Dominique, Sandy, Liz, Bristol, and Doran
Story Editor: Noella Boudart
Additional Web Edits: Chris Sage

Additional Thanks to Dominique Kunz who designed the first phase of Hiwa Lani labels and Brandon Hickman who shot the original layout.

With my lip balm in full force, I am excited to create more flavors, and am currently testing colors for the Hiwa Lani (pronounced HEE WAH- LA-NEE) line. I am also mixing up some new Hunter flavors!

Please continue to check out my site and my blog for updates on my lip balm making & addiction. plus I am coming out with two more products, a clothing line and a book... there is so much more in store from this girl.. watch out!!.

Sincerely and with affection, Maharlika

The Rare LA Sport

In Los Angeles, with the magnificent array of state-of-the-art gyms, yoga studios, cycling zones, tennis courts, swimming pools, personal trainers, surfing spots, polo fields, martial art centers, golf courses, dance academies and climbing walls, it is easy to forget that one of the easiest ways to burn calories, catch-up on your bronzing and enjoy the gorgeous California weather is also free. It's called walking.

LA's Quiet Entertainment

It may come as surprise to some that the art scene is booming in LA. Unlike movies, concerts, or new TV shows broadcast around the city via digital billboards, radio commercials, and long posters rolling by on buses, art generally announces itself by simply showing up in a small gallery space in an unassuming corner of Los Angeles. While NYC is known for high-end galleries teaming on every block, LA's art scene has grown a considerable following in the past few years with galleries more welcoming and open-minded than ones you may tip-toe up to in the Big Apple.