Anya: Living My Dream

Anya (middle) and two of her winning designs from Project Runway.

Anya Ayoung Chee. Who is she? Well... Let Me Tell You...

Anya Ayoung Chee  is a 30 year old inspiration. Anya grew up in Trinidad and has made a name for herself in the fashion world. Why do I aspire to be like her? Because she has her own flaveur!! Her designs and collections are time and time again captivating and unique. And not only is she unique in the clothing that she makes, but also in the garments she wears as well. During her time on the TV Series Project Runway (Season 9), she stuck true to her style and wore pieces that truly screamed "ANYA!". The fabrics and textiles that she wore and chose to work with were very much Caribbean-esque. They are very colourful, flowing, and sexy.

I think what I like about her is that she is in a world of cruelty and fraud, and she is able to maintain true to herself and is a genuine and kind person. She is modest for a girl with such talent and beauty -- she learned to sew only a few months before being on Project Runway, and WON! Her ideas are remarkable and designs are modern and sexy.

After watching her express her passion for clothing and design, it made me think back to when I was little, designing and sewing outfits for my Ty Beanie Kids. I loved making them so much that I later on made clothing for myself, starting with the basic pajama pant design and working on from there, later making my own gymnastics leotards. A lot of my childhood interests have resurfaced in early adulthood, and are now influencing my choices for possible career paths.

Who knows... Maybe one day you will be wearing Jordana* Couture :). But until then, I will continue to dream, design, and experiment. And continue to look up to the little Caribbean girl making it big in the world of frills and makeup. Camera. Lights. Walk the catwalk!

A Friend Amongst Friends

Recently I have been creeping around some other blog sites and popular informative websites in hopes of being inspired to write about something that will interest the general public. I have been nosing around celebrity gossip sites, cooking networks, world news information centers like BBC, and eventually ended up on Forbes.com.

Forbes. Not too bad of a website, let me tell you. It's main focus is everything business-related and consists of articles about taxes, the government, and the billionaires of the world. Blah blah blah. Most of those articles didn't quite appeal to me. Hell, I tried to read an article about how Mark Zuckerberg is using Facebook as a loophole to get more tax back from the government in a way that is "legal... but barely" (it was about FBook, so I thought maybe it was worth taking a glance at). I read the article and barely understood half of what it was saying.  It was a mumble jumble of political talk, government issues, financial inquiries being made by tax collectors, and stock trade nonsense. Basically, a lot of which I know too little about for me to grasp the point that the author of that article was wanting to make. Needless to say, I won't be rambling about that article today... or anytime soon. Unless they dumb down the complex ideas that probably only interest the billionaires that Forbes writes about (and clearly writes to). Dull.


This experience did not deter me from still having a bit of search in hopes of finding something of interest (for the not-so-business-world-inclined) on this website. So I carried on with my perusing and, low and behold, I found something worth mentioning! Forbes' LIST (hey now, what did I say about successful people making lists before?! Aw yeah Boy!) of The World's Friendliest Countries. Finally something I can relate to. Now, they have a list of 16 countries, but I am not going to restate them all. I just wanted to point out the top 5.

 
1) New Zealand: Alright, I half agree with this. NZ is an amazing country, no doubt about that. How can I honestly tell you this? Well I have been living in the country for over a year now, so I think I am a well-informed individual. It's true that the people here are friendly and always welcoming new comers into their circles. And when I say circles... I 
 mean drinking circles. The only thing bad I would say about this country is their drinking habits. It's borderline national-alcoholism that plagues this country. And I think that this is directly influenced by the number of British people that live here (also a nation plagued with high amounts of alcoholism). I understand the appeal a beer has after a day of work, but they bring a whole new meaning to 1 Tequila, 2 Tequila, 3 Tequila, Floor. Or sidewalk, which is usually scattered with passed out individuals during the wee hours of the morning. Nevertheless, Kiwi's are a fun bunch, always wanting to have a laugh and compare rat tails or mullets with one another. What sounds more enjoyable than all of that?!


2) Australia: A skip, jump, and a hop away from our number 1, Aussie is pretty much the same as above, just with surfer boys instead of bogens. Unlike NZ, I haven't lived in Australia before (nor have I even visited OZ... but I will be taking a trip there in under 2 weeks). My opinions of Aussies can only be made from those I have met in New Zealand, and they seem to be very similar to Kiwis. Laughing, drinking, comparing shark bite scars and snake-wrestling wounds. I am not sure how Australia ranked number 2 for most friendly, but let me assure you, they would be up there if this was a list of the world's most attractive nations. Ya-ow, baby! 2 weeks couldn't come sooner.


3) South Africa: Now this was a shocker!! S. Africa? Really? I don't know about you folks, but when I think of S.A., all I can picture are scenes from Blood Diamond (all of which contain steamy images of Leo DiCaprio with his sexy South African accent... this nation would ALSO be up there for the most attractive). My family physician back in Canada S. African, and I once mentioned that I wanted to travel there because it seems like a great country. Dr. Hey looked at me with horror in his eyes and blurted, "Why would you EVER want to go there? I saved money my whole life so I could LEAVE that place!" Now, maybe I am not good at translating South African (and South African's speak English, in case you didn't know), but it seems like those weren't the most encouraging words one can say to someone else about their home country. S. Africa will continue to register in my mind as DANGER DANGER until I can prove that visiting Cape Town will not lead to my certain death.


4) Canada: Now this is something I can understand completely. Being in the top friendliest countries? YES! Being number 4, behind Australia and South Africa non-the-less? Well, not really. But if I wrote a friendliest nations list, Canada would be number 1, hands down. And I am not only saying that because I am Canadian (but I will admit, I am a tad bit biased on this subject because of my nationality). I have been to 3 different continents thus far in my life, soon to be 4, and not ONCE have I met someone who had something bad to say about Canadians or their experiences in Canada. We are generally a nice group of people! We share a bit in the whole drinking (*cough* and smoking) culture that young people enjoy in partaking in, we have vast amounts of nature that is ready to be explored, we cater ourselves to English AND French speaking nations (this covers a LOT of people in the world), and we make the best damn poutines ever. Like I said, no one hates Canadians.


5) United States of America: I have ONE thing to say. Forbes is an American website. If they didn't put themselves in the top 5, this would look pretty bad on their country. I am not saying American's aren't a nice collection of individuals. Not in the slightest. However, what nice group of people do you know who truely believe it is okay to walk around with hand guns in your constant possession. I would be a bit concerned if my grandma was packing a Colt pistol in her handbag right next to her chewing gum and glasses. Doesn't really give off the whole "I love you" vibe. But other than that, American's can be swell.


The list contains a lot of European countries after that (they weren't really well represented in the top 5...), but if you want to check the details, the website is "found here" and you can click on the "picture gallery"to see the top 16. Well, I can happily say, according to this list, in the next 6 months, I will be visiting 4 of the 5 top countries (not the DANGER ZONE one, clearly). That's a lot of friendliness!

The Creation of Lists

Lists: A beginning to a life of organization and goal achievement.

I am a lists person myself and I make lists for everything. There have been many a time where I sit at work and just list off things that I could possibly make LISTS ABOUT! I am a true devotee. In the past, I have made lists about children names, books I want to read, places I want to go, careers I want to pursue, things I need to buy, a basic to-do list, a half finished bucket list, and on and on and on.

My father, B. Ramble (as I like to call him), was the individual in my life that really stressed the importance of making a good, full capped list. My dad would make lists on the white board that we have hanging in our kitchen about everything! (True fact: My family has a white board in our kitchen... not only is my dad a rambler like I am, but also a bit of a nerd! Surprise!) If we were heading out on a weekend excursion to the lake with the family, a list was needed to know: 1) what to pack. 2) what needs doing before we leave. 3) what we will do when we get there. 4) who is to complete what task by what time. etc. Organization was (and is) a very important thing in my father's life. However, the thing about my father is that I like to think of him as a Type B personality (and no, that doesn't refer to the fact that he is B. Ramble). A Type B personality (so named so by my dear mother and I), is a person who has it all figured out. They know how life should be lead and know all the aspects and components that are necessary to leading a successful life. The difference between a Type A personality and a Type B personality is simple: Type A's know all the keys to succession and put them to good use. People like this could be... Bill Gates, Donald Trump, George Clooney, Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, etc. Type B's know the skills, try to enforce them on everyone around them but themselves. They tend to be a bit hypocritical and in a constant state of frustration because they know what they need to do to reach their goals, but for some reason, don't follow through full heartedly. Aka. My dad.


I would like to think that I am in the middle of the two personality types. I have learned from dear B. Ramble that if you want something enough, there is a very specific fast track to succession that you must follow.

1) Set up some lists: What do you want to achieve? What is the lists' purpose? Lately, my friends and I have been discussing the topic of goal-setting  and we have come to some very good conclusions. One such conclusion was: Dream Big... but within reason. So, by all means, set up some goals (lists) that you would like to achieve. But don't be unrealistic. You probably won't be the first person to live in a house located on Mars, or be the one to prove that Pluto, in fact, might still be a planet (I think we can safely say, Pluto, you got the boot). And if in the future, you prove me wrong, come and challenge this post. Otherwise, I stand by what I say. Be a realistic list/goal maker.

2) How are you going to get there: You now have a list in front of you. How are you going to complete that list? How are you going to go about getting everything done on that to-do list for today? How are you going to reach that career goal of yours? How are you going to lose those 10 pounds before summer? Write down the steps that you will need to follow and complete in order for you to achieve the end result(s) that you are looking for. Once again, be realistic.

3) Timeline you goals: You have your goals and your path to succession, but now when do you want those goals to become realities? If you don't put an expiry date on something, what really motivates you to go out and do it? An important step that people miss is this exact one. Make sure that you remain a realist when it comes to constructing a timeline for your goals. Assess your desires, analyze your path, and give approximations of how long each step should take you to complete. Be firm and don't give yourself too long of time frames so that there is room for slacking. However, don't go the opposite route and cut your timing too short so that your brain registers more failures than achievements. When this happens, it's more likely that you will give up and your goals will fail to become realities.


4) Go forth and become famous!: Or not. But in your eyes, if you complete what you set out to do, usually you feel like a star. This can relate to anything!! It doesn't have to be something big like being the first female president of the USA. It could be simply cleaning your room before dinner that evening. That feeling of accomplishment is worth the effort it took to get there. So congratulations. You did it!

I strive on that feeling of accomplishing something new and exciting. You feel as if you have grown more as a person just because you were mature enough to say this is what I want, and I am going to get it. The road is never an easy one. And if it was easy, well then you didn't aim high enough. If there was struggle to get to the top, to cross that finish line, to achieve greatness (enter in epic instrumental music here), then chances are you will feel that much better about what you just accomplished.


I know I could easily ramble on for days about all of this, but I will leave some rambles for another day. For the time being, I will depart you all, while leaving a couple of questions, more so food for thought:

- Are you a list maker? What do you make lists about? What steps do you take? How often are you successful in your mind? What steps could you take to be more successful?


Approx. Only 5% of the world's population are "list makers" or "written goals" keepers. Do you think these people are the unsuccessful individuals in society, or the thriving small percentage? Not hard to answer. You decide if you're a Type A Personality, or a frustrated Type B.

And So the Ramble Begins

To Ramble: To wander around in a leisurely, aimlessly manner. To take a course with many turns and windings. To grow in a random and unsystematic fashion. To talk or write in a discursive, aimless way.


I LOVE to ramble. And most people might argue that it is my best AND worst attribute. I believe that communication is the key to the heart and mind, and without it, one becomes lost and confused about the world around them. Communication between individuals is highly important, whether it is through a simple verbal conversation, a letter through the post, a quick phone call, a much anticipated skype date, dropping an email to a friend, writing on someone's "wall", or a poorly written chat-speak text message (I can not STAND chat-speak... that is a ramble for another day). Through talking and conversing, we come to understand others, as well as ourselves, a whole lot better. You might be talking to someone about marshmallows and come to learn that they are the world wide Chubby Bunny champion, and you will most likely be able to  honestly say, "Wow, I never knew that about you!" (Side ramble: I tried to Google who was the world wide champion for the Chubby Bunny game with no success. However, I did find another marshmallow-related record breaker: Most large sized marshmallows fit into mouth is 19 according to Wiki-answer. Is this a reliable source though? Highly questionable. Well it's not Guinness, is it?!) Anyways, the point is, communication is a powerful tool that should be used and respected. Just because you have the freedom of speech, people, doesn't mean you can go rip on that CB champion and call him/her a mallow-ugly marsh-man (I was winging it... but still, would you want to be called that? Probably not). Words can make a person or destroy them, so choose wisely. And at the end of the day, a well spoken individual is more likely to succeed and be happy then a ch4t sp34k l0s3r lik3 dis (for the record, this type of writing is NOT cool and NOT attractive. Trust me on this, please!).

So who am I? Why am I rambling? What makes my words worth listening to? Well, I don't quite know the answer to that. Hell, I am just some 20 year old girl trying to figure out what this whole thing called "LIFE" is about. What am I doing here? What am I meant to be doing? What can I do to help others? How can I help myself reach my goals and dreams? And the million other questions that I know a lot of young people struggle to find answers to. But like I said previously, I love to ramble. And I am a true believer in the power of communication. Where there is a will, there is a way. And when a question is asked, an answer will follow. And things might not always turn out the way you expected them to. You might turn upon a road that you couldn't see from afar and later question it, asking, "How did I end up HERE?!" A question is asked... and an answer will follow. Not only do I believe in communication, I am also a FIRM believer in Karma. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Talk to others in the way that you would like to be talked to. (Both are very important points: To quote from the movie Hitch, "90 percent of what you're saying isn't coming outta your mouth!" 30% is tone of voice, and 60% is body language. So listen up, with your ears, as well as your eyes!). Good things happen to good people... eventually. And if you come across as an outgoing, optimistic, and generally FRIENDLY human being, life will come to you a lot easier than, say, if you were a grump who is constantly mumbling curse words under your breathe. It is up to you which kind of person you want to be. It is up to you to go out into the world and shine your light. Get to know others. Talk with them. Learn from them. Experience life! And ramble a bit, because you never know what you might learn. Who am I? I am just that rambling girl who is trying to figure it all out. And I am hoping that my rambling will teach you a thing or two as well. Thanks for reading. And let my rambling begin.