Birthday Suit

Yes guys, I have turned 27! I have said “bye bye” to my mid-20s and I’m treking my way to the 30s (oh boy).

A few months ago, when I realized that I was getting closer to my birthday, I started to experience what some may call “The Quarter Life Crisis.” I started reflecting on my life and hammering out all the things I haven’t accomplished. Why haven’t I traveled the world yet? Why haven’t I gone deep sea diving? Why haven’t I bought a house yet? Why am I not engaged yet? Why, why, why, WHY! I was comparing myself to my peers who I thought have been experiencing a better life than me.

Then I stopped myself and made an effort to get out of my melancholy state by reflecting on things I HAVE done in these past 27 years. I graduated from college, working in my career field, and took a risk in moving to one of the most beautiful (yet very expensive) cities in the world! I may not have traveled as far and wide as I’d like to, but there are areas in the US that I’ve gotten to see. For example, I traveled to the East Coast and fell in love with a wonderful man. Not only was I able to explore cities that were foreign to me, but I became vulnerable to someone that I deeply cared for and, in return, cared for me. These life experiences may seem small at the moment, but looking back I will realize that it was a step towards growth and maturing into the woman I am today.

I also realize that I value certains things more than I did when I was in my early to mid-20s. I value my alone time more. I’m okay with staying in on a Friday night to revive myself after a strenuous work week. I’m not afraid to shed “friend fat”, and bring those who I believe are genuine closer to me. And I value my relationship with my family members more. I make an effort to make it out to family events. Cosmopolitan really couldn’t of said it any better; they did an article on being in your late-20s and almost everything applied to me! Check it out here.

Don’t live your life in the timeline that you think is the norm. Live life at your own pace. Follow the beat of your own drum. You’ll be happy because you’ll know that you did things when you were ready.

I am proud of what I have accomplished. But I also know there’s so much more room for growth. If there is anything to accomplish this upcoming year it is to travel more and meet new people. I’ve always strived to be a well rounded individual, and I feel cultural experiences and diverse encounters can help acheive that. I never want to look back at my life and realize that everything that I’ve done was predictable. I want to push my bounderies, try new things, and continue to learn. I want this blog to be a testimonial of all the new things I’ve tried. One day, I’d like to look back at this blog and say, “Yes, I have lived.”

I wore this outfit on the weekend that I went out with a friends for my birthday. I’m definitely diggin’ culottes right now. What are culottes you ask? Culottes are women’s knee-length trousers, cut with very full legs to resemble a skirt. Since I’m shorter (5’0 to be exact), culottes fall far below my knees. So I wore these strapped silettos to elongate my legs.

Unfortunately, my obligatory birthday drinking forced me to be in a state where I wasn’t able to snap pictures. So here are some pics that Rich took with gorgeous Pacific Heights as the backdrop.

OOTD: Zara Trafaluc top, Zara Trafuluc pants (similar, similar), Steve Madden heels