vanae (happier you* guide)

i came across this quote by Margaret Young, “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you love to do, in order to have what you want.”

it really called out to me because it’s a realization that i’ve absorbed through the years. understanding and being the real you. and i AM doing what i love. and i’d add this to my list of ‘what makes you happy?”

vanae’s tip of the dae: today, spend time thinking about someone in your life who has passed. it’s okay to miss him/her. but be sure to spend more time thinking of good stuff…memories and what that person meant to you.

already at 9:30am and i’ve already had 2 highlights of the dae.
1) my sis telling me that my brother is here and is protecting her (which brought me to my ‘tip’)
2) someone asking me about my highlight and then we had silly morning convo

who did you think about today? and what is a good memory you’ve shared?

HOT SINGER & ANIMAL LOVER (Date a Rockstar) from vanae on Vimeo.

Bid on Katy!http://tinyurl.com/6ysr3l

She’s hot! She loves animals and can sing her heart out. Don’t miss out on a special date with the lovely Katy!

Click tinyurl.com/68zty8 to bid on Jamie!

She’s a hot female DJ, plays music for good and she can play the guitar.

Money raised goes to Rock Your Awareness.

Happy Bidding!

here’s my quick announcement on who won my design contest. and you should be part of my ‘wishing well clan’ to bring clean water to poor people in africa. everyone deserves access to clean water!

my friends and people always ask me, “why do you blog, do the ‘youtube thing’, and spend so much time to do this? what motivates you?”

i do it because i love connecting with people, sharing lessons that i learned that may save others, express myself and spreading lighted-heartedness and open deep dialogue. THIS completes the part of me who wants to be a counselor/therapist.

most of all, i do it because it may impact others in a positive way. here’s a sweet note that makes it all worth it:

subject title:” You have no idea how much you have helped me.”

“Hi, I’m _______.

I grew up in the bay area, but continued to move all over north America. Im now working as a makeup artist in Toronto. I was talking to an old Friend in Oakland and she told me about your vlog on youtube. My background, with moving, and having a family tree that has Asian, Middle eastern, Native, & European. On top of those oddities ive become a makeup artist for film/TV, makes dating difficult as the schedule and work means any hours and traveling a lot. I often don’t fit into any one click, too much an American for the Canadians, too white for my Asian friends, and something else for everyone else. Always seems the other half of me is wrong.

I just wanted to say thank you, i found you blog and it reminded me of home, gave me some confidence in trying to tackle dating again in a new city. And your so cute ;). Keep it going, your helping people, I appreciate what your doing.”

this was my highlight of my morning, what is yours?

after a breakup, you wonder if you’ll ever be friends again…considering all the pain, mistakes, intensity, love, happiness, and sorrow that you went through.

two highlights of my year are:
1) forgiving my most recent ex-boyfriend, BT
2) more significantly, forgiving the man who broke my heart in 2005, JB

it took me some time to get to this place of zen and realization that holding negative energy, makes your life heavy..it weighs it down. it was a major move to forgave JB, when got in contact with me after 3 years.

then, one of the main things that helped me come to forgive BT, is reflecting back to my most recent relationship with him and realizing how healthy it was. it was the best relationship i’ve ever had. we shared our lives, our love, our friends, our compassion for people, our love for music and our growing pains. WE WERE BEST FRIENDS.

then we lost that closeness once we broke up, because i had resentments for the mistakes he made. now, i think about those mistakes and they are a speck of sand compared to what we can absorb from this world, from each other. to lose a best friend because it didn’t work out romantically…it’s a shame.

but i do have to mention, in order come to this point of forgiveness and peace, you must have spent enough time away from each other to reflect, understand and be at peace with yourself. it took me 3 years to respond to JB and let him know that i forgive him. and tonight (after more than a year), i also forgave BT.

but when i did, it meant the world to me. as it did to them.

have you forgiven your ex? how did you let them know?

vanae (feeling light as a feather)

watching this campaign by matt harding brought me extra inspiration for me to take on the world.
it’s the human connection, the vivid beauty of this planet and it’s cultures, and the smiles across the globe.

i have a plan in mind that i’ve been working on to do a global campaign, that will be released in january 2009. watch out! vanae’s coming to your neck of the world! and you heard it first here.

let’s enjoy matt’s video:

you know i’m always sharing badass music. this is the latest track on repeat on my mind…
boys noize kill it on top of already sweet feist track “my moon, my man”.

can you listen to this and not feel sexy?? not move to the beat? yeah, i thought so.

“Is that a solar eclipse? No, it’s just Vi Vi…” jon makes fun, while we’re having a conversation about eating deep fried twinkies.

“vi vi” is my most recent nickname, which i think is cute and it comes in handy! typically, when i’m at a restaurant or public setting, it’s hard for people to pronounce or spell my name, so i go by ‘vi vi’ just to make some lives easier. i love giving people nicknames (well naming things in general). and when someone gives you a nickname, i think it’s special…gives you some insight on your relationship with him/her.

my past nicks have been:
- nae nae
- vroom vroom van
- caravan, minivan
- vanae nae
- nympho (uh, don’t even ask, =)

what are your nicknames?

ps- when i have kids, i’m going to give them these nicknames…”kiwi”, “coconut” and “mango” because these fruits are awesome. tropical. and carries a great cuteness.

a man whistling a happy tune, when i passed by him.

everyone who knows me, knows that i love asking ‘what’s your highlight of the dae?”.
i believe in it.
i believe it’s an important question to ask and think about.
the few moments it takes to think about your highlight makes all the difference to make your day even better. and you don’t dread the coming day..because there’s another highlight waiting to happen. every. day.

so what’s your highlight of the dae?

have you been to vietnam yet? it’s a gorgeous country with rich culture and deep family roots. a culture that has survived many colonizations and changes through the centuries.

‘together’ is theme in vietnam. from living together, eating together, bonding or sharing together. the culture is rich yet lifestyle is simple. barefeet, honesty, sharing family dinners, working hands, and low red chairs..vietnamese culture keeps you grounded. it keeps me grounded with the values that make up who i am.

vietnam is special and i wanted to share it with you. what’s your cultural background?