9 Tips to Thrive in the Real World

1. Be Healthy

2. Be Professional

3. Be Sincere and Compassionate

4. Set Goals

5. Keep Improving

6. Promote Your Strength

7. Be Unique and Memorable

8. Build a Support System

9. Offer Help & Give Back

Last year, I was invited to be a guest speaker at two different classes in two different schools. I felt I could do a little more than just talking about my personal story. I got inspired to put together the 9 tips above. I feel strongly about each of the tips. So, after the two presentations, this gets a permanent spot here on my blog.

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Gift Guide

Whether it is for the holidays or for other occasions, unique gifts lets the recipients know how special they are.

Body Regalia
Renee Ridosh
Being a professional interior designer is not enough for Renee to let out her creative energy. She had created her line of decorative jewelry using a combination of stones, minerals, art glass, crystal, fittings and wire. Her works can be purchased from her Website.

Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles
A permanent craft market place featuring the work of over 100 artists and craftspeople. Please visit the Website for information on the marketplace and links to individual artists.

FMCDesigns
Michele Conn
Michele makes adorable knitted goods for babies and adults. Please visit her Etsy Shop.

MADE by DWC
MADE by DWC’s unique products are handmade by women overcoming homelessness in Skid Row. Shop at their Downtown Los Angeles shops and Online.

Nadia Star Interiors
Nadia Startseva
Nadia decorates wooden eggs with paint, jewels, beads, Swarovski crystals, and other decorative materials. Each one is hand-crafted, and no two are alike. $25 – $50 each. Please contact Nadia via Email or her Facebook Page.

bohimianchristmas eggeggs 004

Soapy Soaps
Morgan Yen
Soapy Soaps wishes to bring healthy, sustainable, luxurious and nourishing skincare to all. Besides handmade soaps, lip balms, lotions bars, and face creams are also available. Customization available. Please visit the Website and the Etsy Shop.

Michelle Chiang Signature SoapMichelle Chiang Signature Soap
Michelle Chiang Signature Soap

IMG_1393Studio Channel Islands Art Center
A group of talented artists offering unique arts in all forms and mediums. Please visit the Website.

TwoPalmsKreatioNs
Karen Norman
Karen is passionate about the art of leather carving and all artistic leather creations. Please visit the Facebook Page.

Visual Meanderings – by VT Fine Art Photography
Virginia Dudasik
Virginia’s photographs are like poetry without words. Please visit the Website.

White Peony Style
Michelle Chiang 
Michelle wants to share her passion for art and culture. Especially to introduce the beauty of her home country Taiwan. Some of the Le Vert thé products (high-quality tea from Taiwan) are available now. Please visit the Blog.

2013-12-18 15.14.14 2014-08-03 13.09.46

 

The Bridge Bible Fellowship Missions House

Back in June, after learning that a local church The Bridge Bible Fellowship was remodeling their Missions House and could use some design help, I jumped at the chance to organizing this community project for IDS LA/Ventura Chapter.

The beginning of the story (from the church’s blog) can be found HERE.

I was able to gather four volunteer interior designers quickly. The project had already began when we got involved. Unlike projects our designers are used to dealing with, this one comes with many limitations. The design team had to make many compromises, and many design suggestions had to be altered. Although the finished work is not Architectural Digest worthy, but we feel great that we were able to give back a little to our community.

I was amazed to see these four designers work so harmonically and efficiently together. (Maybe I will start calling them “Fab-4” from now on.)  Personally, I want to thank these four ladies for volunteering their time and talent and tolerating me as an inexperienced coordinator.

Judi Doling of JA Design

Jennifer Hutton of Jennifer Hutton Interiors

Eva Olip of Olip Interiors

Renee Ridosh of IntenDecor

The project could not have been done without the contractor Kiko Castro and his team. FunTime Cabinet Factory fabricated the kitchen and hallway cabinetry at a extremely low price. Joanna Forbes of Closet Factory made the master bedroom closet more efficient and functional.

Update of the project (from the church’s blog) can be found HERE.

Thank you for reading all the details. Enjoy the photos!

TBBF Mission House
From the Front Door
TBBF Mission House
Living Room
TBBF Mission House
Dining Room
TBBF Mission House
Dining Room
TBBF Mission House
Dining Room
TBBF Mission House
Kitchen
TBBF Mission House
Kitchen
TBBF Mission House
Master Bedroom
TBBF Mission House
Hallway
TBBF Mission House
Hallway
TBBF Mission House
Bedroom 2
TBBF Mission House
Bathroom
TBBF Mission House
Bathroom
TBBF Mission House
Bathroom

Social Media Coaching – August 13

Our third and last Social Media Coaching workshop took place on August 13, 2013. We want to thank once again Archer Weiss  for providing the space.

Social Media Coaching
It is important to provide some refreshments to keep the attendees going!

This time, we took on Facebook. My personal social media experience started with Facebook. I believe it still has the most users compared to other websites. Facebook has a lot to offer for businesses. Susan Leinen explained to the class how Facebook works, clarified some privacy concerns, and offered some tips on how to plan our time for social media marketing.

Social Media Coaching
Ready to start!
Social Media Coaching
Marc Weiss welcomed the class and briefly introduced the company.

2013-08-13 10.20.36 2013-08-13 10.20.53

We concluded our 2013 summer series on a high note! Our attendees were satisfied what they took away from the workshops. We are looking forward to continue to grow and expand our Social Media Coaching program.