Life Lessons From a Stranger

Hola, friends! I'm still here! It's been a busy month so far with moving as well as releasing a new fall/winter line for my clothing line which you can check out here (if you haven't yet!). Last Sunday, I took part in a little show that celebrated Vancouver as well as raised funds for Cystic Fibrosis research, it was called the "We Love Vancouver" festival. A young guy passed by my table, stopped, back tracked then asked my friend and I:

Guy: What is this about?
Me + Friend: It's the "We Love Vancouver" festival
Guy: *leans in and gives us a suspicious look*...... Do you really love Vancouver?
Me + Friend: Uhhh... yeah.
Guy: F**K VANCOUVER!!!
Me + Friend: O___O

To try to break the ice, I asked him "Oh, are you Filipino?" which turned out to be a huge mistake b/c after that, I guess it did break the ice... enough for him to tell my friend and i his life's frustrations for the next 20 minutes. I won't bore you with the details of his rant but in the end, he left us with some pretty valuable life lessons. SO valuable that I thought it would be wrong not to share it with you... get your pens and papers ready for note taking. (these lessons are not exaggerated)

1) To survive in life, you must always lie. 
2) Always be negative, never be positive. 
3) If someone asks you for money, beat them up instead. 

It was a very awkward and uncomfortable conversation... actually, it wasn't even a conversation as we couldn't get a word in (we were trying to tell him that the answer to his problem is to MOVE if he hates our city so much). I feel for the guy as it's evident he has some real hurt and anger in his life but I hope you know that that really isn't the lesson I want you to depart with... the real lesson is:

Use your energy to fix the problem instead of complaining about it!

Have you learned a "valuable" lesson 

from a stranger lately? 

tweet, tweet // i design clothing: www.herrohachi.com // book of faces // tumblr

Dad Knows Best

from my brother and sister-in-laws engagement photo session, taken by good friend abotz.

Time to get personal.

I started dating at a very young age, even dating guys behind my parents back when I was in my tween years. As I got older, I started to realize that... hey, maybe my parents are on to something when they don't approve of someone i'm dating. As I continued dating, I started looking to my parents for red or green lights... my parents were obviously older and had a lot more wisdom than I did... which is probably why my previous relationships never lasted that long b/c if my parents didn't approve, i didn't either. When I started dating my current boyfriend, I again looked to my parents for guidance whether this was a great idea or not... I got the green light. 

Through the almost 3 and a half years we've been dating, there have been good times and definitely bad times. My parents are like my best friends - I go to them whenever I need advice on life... relationship advice especially.

Last night, I learned something huge from my Dad... it sounds like common sense but it's surprising how so many people make this mistake.

"Love is not a feeling, it's a choice" 

I've been making the mistake of relying on my feelings all the time and what my dad said made total sense. It can be applied not only in romantic relationships but in relationships in general. 

When you're frustrated with someone, choose to love. 

When you feel like giving up, choose to love. 

When your relationship is seemingly hopeless, choose to love. 

I guess that's why i got the tattoo I got 4 years ago - "Amor Vincit Omnia" (Love Conquers All)... doesn't it?

What's the best lesson you've learned from your Dad?