#TheMeetupSpot

Spot Dessert Bar, St. Marks / East Village, NYC.

This past Sunday, there was another Instameet happening, and as much as I wanted to sit this one out, I couldn't pass up another chance to connect and network with other creatives. I was a tad late, but that didn't stop me.

We started our meetup at Spot Dessert Bar in St. Marks and spent around 2-3 hours there, just hanging out, taking photos, and talking. I knew just several people there from the previous meetups, so I didn't feel as on edge this time around, thank goodness.

When it came time for us to leave, we were on our way to walk towards the Williamsburg Bridge, and my goodness. From there, I did not prepare myself for what was to come.

See more photos and read more about my experience, after the jump!

Cafes | Press Tea - Food Ver.

Press Tea, West Village, NYC.

It took a bit of time for me to have this up, but here it is. When I visited Press Tea they let me sample some of the things they offer there, and they really didn't disappoint!

Like I wrote in my last post about this place, they make everything in house, and all of their pastries/baked goods are "mostly organic" as it says on the labels.

See more photos and read about what I had after the jump!

Connecting

Third Rail Coffee, East Village, NYC.

Sometimes you need to sit down and just collect yourself.

It's been awhile, and I've missed posting my "photo diary" entries. The passed few days after the Instameets, I've been meeting other Instagrammers and have been continuing the networking and such. People are so interesting and intriguing, how they all have their own stories, own habits, and even their own styles of taking photos. Socializing, and actively trying to meet with people, is not usually what I do, but I've been trying to do it more often, while balancing having my alone time at home.

Connecting with individuals, as an introvert, is such an important thing that a lot of people usually look passed. But we know when there's something there, and for myself, the desire to go deeper into that, rises.

As much as I am tired, I'm excited to meet other people and creatives who resonate with me. There's this mild adrenaline rush when things click between people, and that's what keeps me going and helps motivate me. Don't settle for people who just bring you and your creativity down.

Photo by Kyle.

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#WWIM11 - #BushwickMeet

Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC.

Words cannot describe yesterday's emotional rollercoaster of a day. If you follow me on Instagram (@cafechild), you'll know what I'm talking about. I got to experience things I never thought I'd experience, and was thrust into situations where I had to get out of my comfort zone in order to grow as a person. Unlike the meetup on Saturday, I came to this one alone, and it was seriously so terrifying. But as the day progressed, it got immensely better and getting to Bushwick was worth all of the anxiety and fear from earlier on in the day.

Thank you so so much to @acupofkeen, @emptyreyes, and @canahtam for hosting such a wonderful meet with this community of creatives! If you're not already, follow them on Instagram because they're all wonderful people.

Hear more about my experience, and see more photos after the jump!

#WWIM11 - West Village

Chalait, West Village, NYC.

Today I woke up at an absurd time, for an app. But not just any app, the app that's been a major influence in social media, and the app that we're always on, majority of the day. And I woke up to meet and hang out with some people that are a part of this app's community.

Overtime, Instagram has become more than just a social media app to me. It's become this beautiful place where you get to grow as a person, not just by yourself, but with other people as well, as a community. It's become this personal space for me to go back to, to relive the great moments I've had whenever I'm feeling down, or to relearn things I've forgotten about within my captions. I've been meeting more people, and making valuable friendships I never thought I'd make, all because of this wonderful app.

The majority of this meetup consisted of walking around a bit of the West Village, exploring, taking photos, and sometimes pretending to be tourists, all while networking and just talking casually with eachother. It was almost as if distant relatives all gathered together, and got the opportunity to spend time together and reconnect. I also realized that this type of setting was a lot more intimate than usual InstaMeets. But it was a great preparation, especially since I'm going to another InstaMeet tomorrow as well, where I'm anticipating it to be full of people. Everywhere. As someone who has serious social anxiety, just the idea of it is scaring the living hell out of me. But at the end of the day, I have to remind myself that everyone has gathered for one sole reason: to connect, and to experience what this community is like.

If you aren't following me already, you can head over to @cafechild on Instagram and do so! And to see some more photos of the meetup, search the hashtag #WWIM11WestVillage! I hope to see some of you guys at tomorrow's meetup in Bushwick; come along if you can!

(WWIM11 - World Wide InstaMeet 11).

Photo by Kyle.

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Cafes | Press Tea

Press Tea, West Village, NYC.

Earlier in the week, I stopped by Press Tea to visit, and was able to sample a lot of what they had to offer. In an area that has many a cafe, this place doesn't fade into the background once you walk inside. From the comfortable seating, to the unique products they have to offer, this will be a place that I come back to time and again.

I had heard of this place before from friends, but never got a chance to check it out until now.

See more photos and read more about my experience, after the jump!

Tired

Home, NYC.

It's been several days, but I'm still here. Just a bit tired is all.

I've started to realize more and more now, how easily fatigued I get. I'm so unfit, I can't even run one block without having to catch my breath. I always try to tell people to take care of themselves, but I think it's time that I start trying to take care of myself too.

Because I live in a city where you need to hustle all the time in order to survive, it gets overwhelming really easily. Sometimes I feel this heaviness of the pressure of wanting to make it, and wanting to get through and not be left behind. But in the end, you need to remember that life's not all about that. If you can't take care of yourself, how are you going to go out there and try to take on life, let alone trying to care for other people. It all starts with these realizations that you can't do it alone, and as much as you can try to take care of yourself, you need that community, whether it be small or big, to be there with you, taking on life together.

With that said, I'm going to have to re-hydrate, relax, and re-evaluate some things. If you're in this same season as me, join me and breathe in, and out. Everything's going to be fine.

Photo by Kyle.

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Anxiety

Cafe de Cupping, Flushing, NYC.

Thinking about your life and your future puts you in a really vulnerable place. But it's a place we have to go to sooner or later. Often when I'm just at home with nothing to do for the day, I end up thinking a lot, sometimes too much. I get anxious about my life decisions, or what I'm going to be doing later on. It makes me unnecessarily nervous, and frankly just freaks me out. Because at the end of the day, I don't really worry too much about things, but in the moment I start having an existential crisis.

Many people don't know, but I struggle with social and general anxiety, quite a lot. In this particular situation, I've been comparing how my life is going to that of others who are fairly successful, or look like they "have it all together." I know as well as anyone that everybody has their own struggles, and not everyone's life is going to look or go the same. But, it's a human, natural response to look at your own life and wonder what you're doing.

I've been coming to the realization that this life I'm trying to pursue is really unconventional for someone my age, and this is just the beginning of the struggle. But it'll all be worth it in the end, because it gets better. Remember guys, don't let the pressure of life and society bring you down. If you don't love what you're doing, stop digging your own grave and start living.

Photo by Kyle.

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Siblings

Home, NYC.

Siblings are often a reflection of some part of you.

Being home often allows me to spend a lot more time with my younger sister, and although I don't show it too much, I really love that. When it comes to siblings, there are tons of pros and cons, and some outweigh the other. But no matter what, you both are somewhat a reflection of each other. There's some part of you that's in the other, and some part of the other that's in you. As much as I fight with her, I'll always unconditionally love her, and I'm learning to get to know the things that make up who she is, apart from being my sibling.

If you follow me on Instagram (@cafechild), you'll know that my sister made these oatmeal raisin cookies because we had the ingredients lying around. Little things like this, I've learned to appreciate and be proud of.

Never downplay what your relationship could be like with your siblings. If you see an opportunity to really get closer, or to start a nice conversation, go for it, because our siblings are often the ones that we spend most of our time around. Don't neglect your step/half-siblings either. You may have a lot more in common than you think. If you're related to me and you're reading this, I love you, and never forget that.

Photo by Kyle.

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Stay Hydrated

Home, NYC.

I've been going out consistently for a good amount of days, and today I finally got my time of rest. I love getting to stay home and be in my comfy, cozy space. I ordered some clothes online, and a few of them came in, which I was really excited about. For those of you who don't read Japanese, the shirt says "Stay Hydrated," with a water bottle next to it. It's very fitting for the warmer days, hopefully, to come. It's a simple reminder to be healthy and drink a lot of water everyday, because, as my mother always says, beauty is skin deep.

I hope you guys don't mind this really short post, because I'm going to use the rest of this day to relax and be my typical cat self. Have a great rest of the day, wherever you are right now, reader.

For more information about my outfit, check my Instagram @cafechild.

Photo by My Sister.

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Warmth

Iconic Cafe, Nolita, NYC

The warmth of the sun brings comfort that there's life.

I caught up with an old coworker and we discussed our dreams, future life goals, and such. Catch-ups like that remind me that everyone is in their own season, and in their own stage in life. Whatever any of us are going through, we can always remember that we're not alone, and that, just as the night comes, so will a new day.

The sun came out today, and it actually felt really nice to step out of my always dim house (I don't like really bright lights) and take in the vitamin d. Although it's sometimes too bright for me, sunlight re-instills in me that everyday is a new day, and it can either be full of life, or full of dullness; it's for us to decide.

At the same time, living in a culture where we hope that the next day is exciting, we also need our times of rest. Admittedly, I always catch myself having too long of a rest, but it makes it just that much more revitalizing when I actually do go out and have some quality time, whether by myself, or with one or two people.

Photo by Kyle. Poured by Keen Malasarte (@acupofkeen).

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Tedious

Home, NYC.

Sometimes, it's a tedious thing, but still very much therapeutic.

It's been awhile, but I've started to regularly clean my brushes again. I know that it's really disgusting, but I used to not clean them for months at at time. Evidently, a whole lot of bacteria build-up happens, so I'm trying to pull it together now.

The way that I think about cleaning my brushes is the same way I think about a lot of different things in life. Sometimes there are things that I just don't want to do, but when I actually go about it, I end up enjoying myself. It challenges us to take on the little things in life that we think won't really make a difference, but actually will in the long run.

Such is life and beauty, they go hand-in-hand.

Photo by Kyle.

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Venture

NYPPC, Port Washington, NYC.

It was an eventful, and also very tiring, day, seeing as how I came home around midnight.

Today's adventure kept me thinking about how much I'm starting to venture out of my comfortable zone, physically. The me a few years ago would think that leaving my borough so often is just crazy, but look at what's happened now. I've become more accustomed to having this desire of wanting to step out of my home and into places where the afternoon light hits like a halo. As much as I love sleep, there are some days when I want to actually leave my house, although not many.

It's a funny thing when I think about my wanderlust, and my love of beds and sleeping. Two polar opposites, yet still both are parts of me that I can't deny. Balance is always key.

On another note, Daylight Savings is today, and I'm not excited in the slightest. I don't even know why it's still a thing anymore, ugh.

(12:40 AM)

Photo by Kyle.

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Society

Flushing, NYC

When you blur the societal lines, the stakes get higher.

Today I was reminded that majority of the things I do, the way I act, and how I look outwardly, directly challenge many of societies norms. As a creative person, it dawns on you that it's hard to be wholly, and fully who you are a lot of the time. But it makes it just as sweet whenever you meet another person and can be unashamedly yourself.

The stakes get higher because all eyes are on you, and people are looking to see what you'll do next. Will it be controversial? Will it challenge beliefs? Or will it just be insanely crazy?
At the end of the day, you can't satisfy everyone. We're not here to pursue the approval of every person we meet. Be yourself as comfortably as you can, but remember that, in the end, its not about us, because there's a bigger picture to look at.

"Remember, if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?"
- RuPaul

Photo by Kyle.

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Perception

Home, NYC.

This passed weekend I went on a trip to my local Marshall's to see if they had any new and interesting things. You know what they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

I love stepping into the home and furniture section, because I'm always able to find something, whether I end up buying it or not. I saw this plate and instantly fell in love. I'm someone that loves looking at form over function, but I still make sure that it'll be of some use. This plate is just feeding into my obsession with flowers.

When I look at this plate, it reminds me that there is beauty in everything, young and old, new and abandoned. It doesn't matter if it's antique, or if it's modern. As a human being, being "beautiful" doesn't go away with age. You're never "too old;" if anything your perception of what beauty is becomes more mature and you realize it's an unconditional thing. It's inside every single person and creation.

More photos after the jump.

Progress

Cafe de Cupping, Flushing, NYC.

A true work in progress is a labour of love.

Soaking in all of the afternoon light, before the snow hit yet again, really makes me appreciate having alone time. It's liberating, and helps you find solace after sorting through everything that's been on your mind. As much as I hoped to bump into someone, at the same time I had to remind myself that before you worry about meeting other people, worry about yourself and your own well-being first. Go back into the secret place that only you know about, and find rest there.

As much as this blog is a "work in progress," so are we as people. The process never ends; we'll always have something to learn, but it's a fulfilling and exciting journey. We have to keep moving on, even if it means taking one step back, and two steps forward.

More photos after the jump.

Growing

Two Hands NYC, Little Italy, NYC.

Real friendship is like wine; it gets better with age.

The nicest feeling is catching up with someone, and feeling like you picked up right where you left off. A lot of things happened during your time apart, and now that you're together again, you can finally share the current events of your life.

Time passes. Some friends grow up and move forward in life, and some are comfortable where they are right now. And as a real friend, it should be part of our nature to either walk with them, or pause and meet them where they're at.

'Till next time.

Photo by Kyle.

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