Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

{#WordlessWednesday} @mallatbayplaza #RetailTherapy {#Photo}



The Mall at Bay Plaza in Bronx New York went from completely open air to partially enclosed with some stores still open air outside of it, thought I'd share a picture of the new look for Wordless Wednesday!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Could you use some retail therapy right now?

(Bloggers feel free to link us to your photos, but no giveaways here please!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

{#WordlessWednesday} #Flowers in Bloom! {#Photo}





Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Feel free to link us to your WW post, by posting the link as a comment here, WW only, no giveaways please!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post. However any Photography company or brands interested in partnering with us to host a Photo-Centric Wordless Wednesday, please contact our editor! DSLR's welcome!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

#WordlessWednesday - Devoe Park #Bronx New York - Polar Vortex anyone? {#Photo}














Bloggers feel free to post a link to your Wordless Wednesday Photos as a comment, no giveaways please!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post

Friday, October 11, 2013

For one night, America's favorite fast food @McDonalds went highbrow! #Photo Highlights from the #McDChefEvent



For one night America's favorite food went highbrow and gourmet, and I stand pleasantly surprised. Not that I'm surprised that McDonalds wasn't afraid to re-invent itself, but when I think gourmet they are not necessarily the first name that would have come to mind... Until now that is!

New York City Tastemakers, Press/Media, Bloggers, Nutritionists (and I even met a few dietitians and nurses in attendance) were all presented with a three course gourmet meal where Chefs came together to put a creative spin on the ingredients we all know and love.

Check out the menu:


Menu for the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event
Menu for the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event!




































Don't worry if the menu is a bit hard to decipher, here are the photos of the dishes with captions naming each dish below:

Kicking things off!


Table 15 Centerpiece at McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City
I had to focus in on the floral centerpieces at Table 15 where I was seated!


Old Fashioned Cocktail with Applewood Smoked Bacon by Chef Jessica Faust, RD
Old Fashioned Cocktail with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Chef Jessica Foust, RD prepared the Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres for the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City
Chef Jessica Foust, RD prepared the Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres for the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City!

Above: This was the best Old Fashioned I have ever tasted! It Featured McDonald's Applewood Smoked Bacon as a Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry too and it was super flavorful and really delicious! So good in fact I forgot to sample or even photograph the other cocktail which was the Mango Pineapple Mojito that used McDonald's Mango Pineapple Smoothie as the Base! If only they added this to the menu at my local franchise location! LOL! This cocktail really does prove the theory that everything is better with bacon!

Chef Dale Talde discusses the inspiration behind his dish
Chef Dale Talde discusses the inspiration behind his dish, the Kung Pao Chicken Appetizer Pictured Below:


Kung Pao Chicken Appetizer by Chef Dale Talde at the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City
Kung Pao Chicken Appetizer by Chef Dale Talde!

Above: Chef Dale Talde presented us with a Kung Pao Chicken Appetizer featuring McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar, Peanuts and Iceburg Lettuce. YUM! (and I thought I could get creative in the kitchen at the end of the month!)

Chef James Tahhan discusses the inspiration for his dish pictured below
Chef James Tahhan discusses the inspiration for his dish pictured below

Entree One: Tortilla Española with Garlic and Saffron Aioli at the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City
Entree One: Tortilla Española with Garlic and Saffron Aioli with an Apple and Cucumber Chipotle Salad by Chef James Tahhan.

Above: Entree One by Chef James Tahhan was a Tortilla Española with Garlic and Saffron Aioli featuring McDonald's Hashbrowns, Eggs and Onions paired with an Apple and Cucumber Chipotle Salad with Cucumbers, Red Onions, Chili Lime Tortilla Strips, Fresh Limes, Spring Mix and Chipotle BBQ and Honey Sauces. Um, YES PLEASE!

Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. discusses his inspiration for the dish pictured below at the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City
Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. discusses his inspiration for the dish pictured below at the McDonald's 2013 Chef Event in New York City!


Entree Two: Bold BBQ Chicken by Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr.
Above: Entree Two was Bold BBQ Chicken prepared by Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr which featured McDonald's Crispy Chicken, Hashbrowns, Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Espresso, Cheddar Jack Cheese, Onions, Eggs, Applewood Smoked Bacon and the Salad included: Cucumbers, Red Onions, Tomato, Fresh Lime, Cilantro Lime Glaze, and Grill Seasoning! 

Entree Three: Slow-Cooked Beef with Blueberry Pomegranate Sauce prepared by Chef Jessica Foust who was already pictured above as she also prepared the Hors D'oeuvres and Cocktails.

Above: Entree Three was a Slow-Cooked Beef with Blueberry Pomegranate Sauce and Mac Fry Gnocchi featuring McDonald's French Fries, Eggs, Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie Base, Carrots and 100% Beef Ground that is the same that McDonald's uses for their hamburger patties!

McDonalds 2013 Chef Event New York City Dessert Pumpkin Spice Biznut Biscuit Donut by Chef Jessica Foust
Dessert Pumpkin Spice 'Biznut' (Biscuit Donut) by Chef Jessica Foust

Above: For Dessert Chef Jessica Foust prepared a Pumpkin Spice 'Biznut' (Biscuit-Donut hybrid) which featured McDonald's Biscuit Mix, Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup, Praline Topping, Cream Cheese and Whipped Cream. For those that know me I don't eat pumpkin flavored stuff and I don't tend to like Pralines much but I really enjoyed this and that was my absolute biggest surprise of the evening! Kudos to Chef Jessica she worked her tail off with the Cocktails, Hor D'oeuvres, Entree Three and Dessert all being done by her!

Big Mac inspired macaroons
Check out the Big Mac inspired macaroons in the little gift box on the left of the coffee cup for us to take home!

Above: See the cute gift box to the left of the coffee cup? That little big mac inside which replicates the details of an actual McDonald's Big Mac to the tee, is actually comprised of Macaroons! The pain staking detail was off the hook, and it was really good too! (and odd for me because I'm usually not a big Macaroon fan).

Left: ME! Ascending Butterfly, Center: Melanie from Melanie in the Middle Blog and Right: Rick Wion, Social Media Manager for McDonalds!


My Jacket and Dress pictured above are both by IGIGI by Yuliya! I am wearing the Aileen Dress, and the Jacket is the Monroe Jacket in Black. You can tweet with Rick and McDonalds on twitter at @GoMcD - and because I like to keep things entirely transparent, this is NOT a sponsored or compensated post in any way. Ascending Butterfly and Melanie are both RMHC Ambassadors, that Ambassadorship is a pro-bono one as well and it is NOT compensated! I was excited to be reunited with my team-mates from my recent Chicago Immersion Experience!

My Take:

I love events that help you see a brand you think you know in an entirely new light. This was unique, super creative and fun. I have always been a creative cook and that's what I appreciated most about this event, none of the ingredients weren't something you can't find and they were all ingredients that McDonald's uses daily, just prepared in a whole new way!

They have also been offering more 'healthy' choices on their menu and we learned that for 2014 you will have the choice of getting a side salad as an alternative to French Fries with an Extra Value Meal! I know many people have been asking about this for awhile now, they really are listening folks!

Which Dish would you have loved to try most? (Sorry it's been so long, hopefully they will come back for a giveaway soon!)


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post. No monetary compensation or other form of compensation was exchanged for our event recap coverage. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Weekly Moment of Gratitude: My newest #Blogger Brand Ambassadorship, Getting Home and Not Getting Shot and stay away from @Optimum Edition!




Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ My Newest Blogger Brand Ambassadorship! - I am a member of the Family Arches Community, (You do NOT have to be a blogger to join the community!) and they put out a call for members of the community to apply to become an RMHC (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Brand Ambassador. The community is over 6,000 members strong and I was one of the bloggers selected to become an Ambassador! My fellow Ambassadors include: Brittany of The Domestic Geek Blog, Melanie from Melanie in the Middle, Meagan of Sunshine and Sippy Cups, and Kathy of Sparkles and a Stove. All of us have made a year long commitment to help support the efforts of Ronald McDonald House Charities and immerse ourselves in volunteer opportunities and fundraising activities for our local houses. We are NOT being compensated for our efforts, and I want to applaud my fellow Ambassadors for making such an incredible commitment of both time and resources to support this cause and help families who are experiencing the stress of having a child in the hospital stay together at such a daunting and emotionally draining moment. This is a labor of love for us all, and I promise to share about our immersion trip to Chicago. I am grateful for the opportunity to be of service, especially since I can empathize with what it feels like to spend a long period of time in the hospital! Touring the hospitals and the houses has a way of putting our own day to day petty problems into perspective that's for sure!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Making it home safe last night! - As a life long New Yorker, this is something I actually never take for granted, it's a dangerous City, but last night cops were chasing a perp and opened fire in a crowded public area, I was on the crosstown bus at the moment and we saw people running and screaming and had no idea what was happening. (After surviving 09/11 many of us on the bus assumed the worst). 2 innocent bystanders were not so lucky and were shot by the officers, not the criminal. And after getting off the crosstown bus to connect to an express bus that takes me home, which I just missed by a hair because the crosstown couldn't get through traffic, the weight of all the stress and pressure I've been under lately hit me, and when I finally got home at almost one in the morning in a City that boasts itself on it's fast and supposedly reliable public transportation, it was all it took to keep myself from just bursting into tears! When I saw the news and found out that two people were shot I thought a bullet could have just as easily hit the bus I was in as we were right in the thick of all the running and chaos. I am grateful I made it home, but am aware that two people didn't. Two people ended up in a hospital shot. Shot by the folks that our parents tell us to trust, a cop. This is a gritty city for sure and sometimes just making it home safely is a lot to be grateful for.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Lousy Service! - Sometimes bad people, places and things, help us appreciate the good ones even more. My Cable Company has tested every ounce of my patience this past month as the expensive high speed broadband internet I pay good money for hasn't been working. The tech made me stay home an entire day and NEVER showed, they didn't have the courtesy to call and I'm considering sending them a BILL for not showing. But their lack of professionalism has made me realize it's time to change providers. I should get what I pay for, and if they can't provide it, you can best believe I will find someone who will. When I have called them and contacted them via social media, their actual attitude is 'so we didn't show up, what do you want us to do about that, that's the past.' (the past is Friday by the way). I'd like (1) for the service I pay for to work, (2) when a tech makes an appointment he should keep it or call to promptly cancel 24 hours in advance and (3) I'd like an apology when you f*%k up. Simple as that. So those of you toying with having Optimum Online from Cablevision installed in your home, do yourself a favor and DON'T!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Events! - A very mixed bag of non-stop events that I will recap shortly.

This month is moving super fast and somehow October is almost here!


Stay tuned more great giveaways coming soon!

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 What are you GRATEFUL for this week Butterfly?  Is it a lesson learned, or a random act of kindness that you gave or received?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Was I somewhere over the rainbow or @elementsshow Rooftop Beach Party? #elementsnyc



Everytime I spot a rainbow I get a bit excited! I was lucky enough to snap a picture of this rainbow behind The New Yorker sign while attending a Rooftop Beach Party as part of Elements Showcase in New York City. Elements was fantastic and will get a full recap with all the brands I met in another post!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Bloggers feel free to share the link to your Wordless Wednesday Photo as a comment to this post and we will go visit you too! (Sorry, but NO giveaway links please!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post! (Although compensation does always make for a lovely find at the end of a rainbow! Any Rainbow Coalitions that want to buy this shot, feel free to email me!)

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Just Checking in from Stonehenge! {#Photos) #HumanNature


Tracy from Ascending Butterfly poses in front of one of the Stone Figures in the Human Nature Exhibit at Rockefeller Center in New York City

Left: Mama Butterfly and Right: Ascending Butterfly pose in front of the Human Nature Exhibit at Rockefeller Center in New York City

OK so technically I'm not really at Stonehenge, but it was fun taking these shots at Rockefeller Center in New York City!

Ugo Rondinone, a Swiss-born, New York Based artist has created a major work of public art for Rockefeller Center, the exhibit, called Human Nature, includes nine colossal stone figures that range in height from 16 to 20 feet and weigh 30,000 pounds EACH. He used rough hewn slabs of bluestone from a quarry in Northern Pennsylvania and gave each figure a distinctive personality. It's like a 'Stonehenge Forest of Giants' whose immovable legs form gateways through which visitors may pass. They run the full length of Rockefeller Plaza in New York City between 49th and 50th Streets. Mostly everyone is familiar with the location because they have watched the annual Christmas Lighting from this very location each holiday. This exhibition is free to the public from April 23rd through July 7th, 2013, so if you are coming into the city anyway for the annual Fourth of July Fireworks you should also take a quick trip here to see the Human Nature Exhibit! Human Nature is presented and sponsored by Nespresso and Tishman Speyer and organized by the Public Art Fund.

By the way, this is NOT a sponsored post and as usual for me, not entirely wordless! I happened upon it by accident between events in the city and thought it would make a fun Wordless Wednesday! Bloggers feel free to link to us to your photos as a comment below!

REMINDERS: Don't forget about super awesome Jewelry Giveway for all Fab Fashionistas of an Intention Cuff Bracelet by BuDhagirl. The Bracelet retails for $395 and there will be ONE winner, it closes SOON so if you haven't already done so, enter HERE. And I could certainly use your help on two contests I am in the final running for so if you can spare a second for a one time only quick click vote HERE and a daily quick click vote HERE I would definitely appreciate it!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Find something fun to do today in YOUR city!

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 FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Weekly Moment of Gratitude + New York City + Tony Awards, cc @ConeyIslandFun, @WonderWheelPark, @TheWCS, @LunaParkConeyIs







What I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Time Spent Re-Exploring my City! - I'm super grateful to the Alliance for Coney Island and the Wildlife Conservation Society for inviting us over to Brooklyn to visit the New York Aquarium, Coney Island's Luna Park, and Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. I will post a full recap of my wonderful experience with pictures very soon! Thankfully post Hurricane Sandy, Coney Island is back and stronger than ever!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tonys! - This has been an amazing year at the theatre, and I am super excited for tonight's Tony Awards! I am Team Kinky Boots and I hope they come out on top tonight!

I have been keeping my own daily list of things I am grateful for and taking time to acknowledge my blessings daily. A bit of concentrated focus on what you do have, instead of on what you lack or need, can make a huge shift in your life!

What are YOU most grateful for today Butterfly?

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What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me on Twitter here (@Tracy_Iglesias) Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Active Giveaways!  - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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Winner Announcements Upcoming!


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - As I have had back to back conferences, meetings and events both evenings and weekends for the past two months, I have not had a chance to process the entries for our Got Milk? Giveaway Basket, entries are currently being processed and I hope to announce the two winners very soon and have a fun new giveaway posted this week! Thanks so much for your patience butterflies!


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Gratitude Journal Reco:

For those of you who are interested in keeping a gratitude journal this year, here is my recommendation and where to purchase it (I love that it gives you writing prompts for when you feel stuck on what to say!):

















Make this Your Best Day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, all opinions are 100% my own. Journal Recommendation uses an Amazon Affiliate Link. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Soup's On! + The Winter Market at Bryant Park’s Fountain Terrace! cc @DuaneReade @CollectiveBias #cbias #cbiasNY #DRAsianMeals


Perhaps it's because I was born in April, but I am a total Spring baby. There is something about the mere thought of Spring that makes me perk up! Me being ever the optimist, I was ever so hopeful when Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early Spring. And I have tried to find signs of Spring being on the way, I really have, but when your streets still look like this:

Snow very much still on the ground around here!


It's a bit hard to think Spring!

Even with this little cutie on the windowsill:

Check out that sweet little birdie on the windowsill!


It is still FREEZING out! The wind was actually so strong today it was pushing me along and I kind of felt like I was skiing along as I ran my errands today!

On my way home I decided to stop off at Duane Reade to pick up some stuff:

Duane Reade, Bronx, New York


Not sure why that happened, but these shots were actually taken at the same time back to back but one looks like it's darker than the other, I guess it's the shooting angle:

Duane Reade, Bronx, New York

This isn't my regular Duane Reade shopping location so I had to check the Aisle names to find what I was looking for, in my usual location I have all the Aisles pretty much memorized. (I could probably shop my usual location blind-folded!)

Aisle 1, Duane Reade, Bronx, New York

I am trying to change my eating habits so I bypassed those tempting bags of chips and since my fingertips still felt like ice cubes I thought I'd check out the soup aisle! And I spotted something new!

Asian Meals Malaysian Noodle Soups are sold Duane Reade!

Asian Meals currently offers 3 varieties of Noodle Soup being sold at Duane Reade, Sesame Ginger, Shitake Mushroom and Lemongrass Noodle. The Sesame Ginger was not available at this location or another one I tried, so I was only able to purchase two out of the three varieties.

Asian Meals Malaysian Shitake Noodle and Lemongrass Noodle Soups

While most soups are way better than any bag of chips, some can be very high in sodium, and while I don't have any dietary restrictions when it comes to sodium, it's still something I try to be very careful not to over consume, so I am definitely a label reader.

Asian Meals Malaysian Lemongrass Noodle Soup
What I loved about the label:


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 0 grams trans fat
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No MSG
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No preservatives
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No artificial color
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No 3-MCPD
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Non-GMO
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A portion of every AsianMeals purchase helps children with cancer.

Asian Meals Malaysian Shitake Noodle Noodle Soup

You know just how much I love 'give backs', when I can do something good for me and my family and also give back to others at the same time, it's a total win/win in my book!

Feeling artsy and created a cute vignette with my soups!

A soup that will warm up my heart and my tummy? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! As you can see I decided to bring them both home! They are super easy to prepare, they can be put in the microwave, or you can just add boiling water.

Asian Meals Malaysian Shitake Noodle and Lemongrass Noodle Soups

I chose to heat mine up in the microwave, don't you just love getting home cooked, simmered all day taste in just minutes?

Asian Meals Malaysian Shitake Noodle Soup

It's B.Y.O.C, yep, bring your own chopsticks, it's that easy! I'm definitely going back to Duane Reade to try and find the the Sesame Ginger, I might add some of my own extra chicken or shrimp to that one, I added a few extra mushrooms to my Mushroom Noodle! Soups are my favorite place for leftover proteins!

My Take:

These are warm and perfect anytime for dinner, you might want throw in some extra proteins or vegetables if you have something in the fridge leftover, or add a nice crusty bread to it. They are also perfect if you brown bag your lunch to work, since you can make them even if your office doesn't have a microwave with just boiling water! I do like to keep readers fully informed, and I think it's important that you are aware that they are manufactured in a facility that uses wheat, peanut, tree nut, soy, fish and shrimp, while they do follow good manufacturing practices to segregate ingredients to help avoid cross contact with allergens, I just thought I'd be sure to point that out. They contain soy and oyster so if you or your children are allergic to either you may want to avoid these. But if you are not allergic to any of the ingredients, go for it!



EVENT:

Just wanted to be sure my New York and tri-state area readers got the heads up about The Malaysian Winter Market at Bryant Park’s Fountain Terrace! On February 20 - 21, 2013 Malaysia Kitchen for the World will host The Malaysian Winter Market at Bryant Park’s Fountain Terrace, featuring a variety  of signature Malaysian dishes and traditional Malaysian food products by restaurants and vendors in New York City and the Tri-State area. The event will be held in the heart of Bryant Park, under large, stunning heated tents near the iconic Bryant Park fountain and skating rink, surrounded by colorful umbrellas and lanterns reminiscent of the street markets of Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The Malaysian Winter Market will be open all day, but be sure to stop by for lunch and dinner on both February 20 & 21 for great Malaysian dishes for up to $8 each:

Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm (or until sold out)
Dinner: 5:30pm – 9:00pm (or until sold out)

The event is open to the general public. Chef demonstrations and special performances by an authentic Malaysian dance troupe will take place on an elevated stage throughout the day. 

Participating restaurants include:

Laut 
   
Participating vendors include:


Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Malaysia Kitchen USA on Facebook
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @ on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Visit the Malaysia Kitchen Website
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Duane Reade on Facebook
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like @DuaneReade on Twitter

Check out a few more photos that didn't make this post on the Google + album of my shopping trip!

So butterflies, SOUP it's what for dinner! What are you making today?

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FTC Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®Duane Reade and Malaysia Kitchen #CBias #SocialFabric #DRAsianMeals

Monday, August 6, 2012

Today's Words of Inspiration - Re-visit your Life Path! #MotivationMonday

Photo Credit: Tracy Iglesias, Ascending Butterfly taken at New York Botanical Gardens


Butterflies, BlogHer12 was over-whelming and I am probably still trying to process it all, I will spread my recaps out slowly so they can be truly thought-filled and insightful.

I did like the fact that a Healthminder and Pathfinder track was added to the conference, I'm not sure I like that they were a separate price, but I do think that they were equally helpful to both newbie bloggers and still had something to offer more 'senior' bloggers in attendance. (By senior I mean 'experienced' and at this point that would include me!)

Those panels and tracks inspired me, they forced me to have a re-think both personally and professionally about where I am and where I want to be!

One of the biggest take aways for me was geting back to the writing that makes me the happiest. And truly having a look at where I want to be as a blogger. To many of us our blogs probably started as just our 'life' or at least much of it as are willing to share and for some that becomes a Brand. But is that brand genuine? Does it still truly reflect the real you?

At heart I'm a Coach. I motivate people. I help people in my circles and my life to solve problems. I like to inspire. And my medical setback this year coupled with what I learned during my time at BlogHer has made me realize that I was much happier when I focused on Today's Words of Inspiration. Somehow along the way, and I guess it's because as this community, people wanted to know the face behind the inspirations, people wanted to make sure this wasn't a bot but a real person they could relate to, that I opened up more. And when I opened up more, this site went from 'inspirational' to 'lifestyle'. And for awhile I love that and it fueled me to. But I realized after this very long conference experience, that I miss 'inspiration'. I missed the motivation. This community was founded on learning on to take time for yourself each and everyday and just breathe. Saying your breathing affirmational excercises once to start your day and once to end it.

I will admit that the self -reflection as well blog-reflection has made me realize that I am also a passionate travel writer (I did work for an Airline many moons ago) and I need to explore this more in 2013, but I don't ever want Ascending Butterfly to lose it's 'roots', inspiration is our foundation and it's high time we re-explored it here!

Todays Challenge: Re-visit your Life Path.

Pretend you are going on a job interview for the job of your life, and you get asked these three questions:

(1) What are you most passionate about?

(2) Where do you see yourself not just in five years, but NEXT year?

(3) Are you happy? (OK this one might be a stretch on a job interview, but it is appropriate to ask yourself to help re-evaluate where you are right now)

Here are my answers:

(1) Writing - It started with Poetry as a kid, and never stopped!

(2) Next Year - Transitioning to travel blogging. Five Years: Writing a book about those experiences!

(3) I'm grateful, but haven't quite been as happy as I could be lately (<-Perhaps I need to do more breathing affirmational excercises daily myself!)

Today's Words of Inspiration and Breathing Affirmational Excercise: Take a deep breath, hold it and say to yourself 'Each and everyday I pursue my true passion, I move closer towards my goals.' and then exhale. Changing a behavior or thought comes with repitition, it helps to repeat affirmations in blocks, so say that out loud or to yourself three times in succession multipe times per day. While we will post new affirmations frequently if one truly resonates with you above others, then stick to that one as your daily so you can really manifest positive and powerful changes in your life.

Will you re-visit your life path today? Did you re-visit it and find out you want to change it? If so, how? Where do you want to be headed?

Happy Motivation Monday Butterflies! More BlogHer recaps and a BlogHer 2012 Pinterest Board coming soon!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received.