Wednesday, March 20, 2013

I've Been Tagged: Five Things

I am sure that most of you know that there is this things called Five Things floating around on many different blogs, I was tagged by both Albertina and Viv, so here goes! Now my turn to tag - Holly, Amy, Daisy, Nadia and Elle.  Good luck ladies!

My relationship with NYC: I call Manhattan my first love – I moved here when I was 20 and fell head over heels for the energy, the glamour and the infinitive amount of opportunities at your footsteps. I moved away for 2 years and continued my education in Charleston, SC and then Paris to happily move back when I was 23.  I admit after bad (BAD) jobs and even worse living conditions (roommates, apartments, you name it -  I have a story and then some) I grew very tired and frustrated with a city that  used to make my heart skip a beat.  For a period of time I was one of those disgruntled, unfriendly New Yorkers that never smiled and huffed and puffed on their way – where do all of these people come from, why do people walk so slow, why doesn't the subway ever come, etc – it was the little things that added up.  Recently though I had a New York renaissance if you will, I got out of my funk and realized just how much I love this city – new restaurants, the architecture, and how you can be whatever you want to be here.  I think that it might have been our move across the East River to Brooklyn that really set me straight and I realized one day that if you give the city some love, it will definitely return the favor.

My Family:  I come from a large family – I am the second of 7 children, I know, a lot of kids! There are 5 girls and 2 boys.  Growing up, whenever we all went anywhere people would either stare or ask – ‘are those all of your children?’ Growing up it was chaotic at times, especially when there are so many girls in a household, but I am thankful that I have such a large family.

On Student Loans: I like to keep everything happy and rosy around here, but are you anything like me drowning in student loan debt?  I graduated college almost 7 years ago and I am still paying off my debt and will be until the 2020 Olympics.   I admit, I took out a lot of loans to fund 5 years of school and a life-changing study abroad experience in Paris, but I didn't fully realize then just how much it would effect and cost me after graduating. I thought I would get a job just like that and pay just a small portion of my paycheck each month, but boy I was wrong.  I will tell you though when I do finally pay this off I am going to do something crazy like sky dive (okay, maybe not really since I am deathly scared of heights and falling from them) or book a trip to somewhere amazing to celebrate my freedom!

What I Collect: I adore anything made of capiz shell and mother of pearl. One of my most treasured assets is my gold coffee table that has capiz shell inlay that was handed down from my late great-grandmother, it is from Palm Beach circa 1950. I also collect vintage cosmetic compacts, preferably made with mother of pearl and fashion magazines, both current and vintage.  

My Thoughts on Blogging: I will be completely honest about this one, sometimes I freak out about my blog, but luckily I am not the only one. I have read many posts about other bloggers pondering the purpose and meaning of blogging so thank you to everyone that has written something about this.  I started my blog nearly two years ago because my job at the time left me suffocated and incredibly depressed. I always knew that I had a lot of interests,  I just didn't know where to put the effort since my career wasn't leading me in the way that I wanted.  Through blogging I have discovered my love of photography, food and reconfirmed my love for fashion and beauty.  I will admit though that it sometimes stresses me out (this is partially due to my perfectionist tendencies) – are my ideas good enough? Is my content intriguing enough? Will there be enough good lighting to photograph my recipes, let alone where do I think it will go?     At the end of the day though, I blog because I am passionate about the things above and I want to share this excitement with you and hopefully inspire you in turn.  

*Photograph by Alison

20 comments:

  1. So fun to learn more about you. I feel you on the student loan debt. My college cost about 38,000 a year, so multiply that by 4 years and that's how much I owe. It's so hard, something really needs to be done about it in the future.

    Isn't it crazy how blogging can be such an outlet? Although it definitely can be stressful, I find that it's a great creative outlet.

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  2. I loved learning more about you, Alison! We're so similar–in our love affair with NYC, in our stress over student loans (seriously, they are simply the worst and can be such a cripple sometimes) and in our personal blogging pressure. Just know that you do an incredible job with your blog. I look forward to it each and every day!

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  3. Thanks for sharing, Alison! My love affair with NYC goes through ups and downs, like yours. I'm on a down right now with this weather! xoxo

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  4. Hi Alison! It was nice to know more about you!:) Wow, your family is really large, love it!!:) I agree on what you say about blogging, feel the same things so often!:) Kisses dear! xo

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  5. Oh wao!! So many interesting things Alison! I love learning more about you. I cannot believe you are one of seven! This is amazing. and I agree with you about blogging....its fun and pushes you to be creative and stay current but gosh, so much hard work..and like you I always wonder...is this going to be interesting? what will people think? I think everyone has this on and off love affair with NYC....but in the end its one of the best places on earth. So I'm glad you are enjoying it! xx

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  6. Love this. So fun to learn more about you! You do a great job with blogging so definitely keep up with it!! (I know what you mean when you say you freak out about it sometimes; I think it happens to many bloggers!). xo, Julie

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  7. I love reading these and am always interested to hear why people started blogging.

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  8. These are so much fun! What an amazing experience to live in Paris! I can only imagine. I was super scared of the whole student loan thing, which is why I went to an average state school and most def never lived in Paris! There's pro's and con's to everything, when are you ever going to have an opportunity to do that again with how crazy life gets?

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  9. I always love learning more about the bloggers that I follow. What a wonderful post. Be sure to hop on over to Lynn and Lou for a wonderful Giveaway!
    Link: http://www.lynnandlou.com/2013/03/garnish-ed-kettle-corn-garnish-giveaway.html
    xx. McKenna Lou
    http://www.lynnandlou.com

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  10. Yay, I love getting to know you! Wow, one of 7? That's amazing, especially since I'm an only child. That's like a whole new world to me. :)

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

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  11. I love getting to better know the bloggers behind the blogs I ready everyday! Thanks for sharing this!
    Paige
    http://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com

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  12. I think we all have a relationship with our city where it is love/hate love/hate all the time... San Diego does that to me sometimes! Right now, San Diego and I are in love just like you and NY! Cheers to a fabulous relationship! ha! Thanks for the tag! Can;t wait to get started on my questions!

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  13. i love this! your coffee table sounds AMAZING! pretty sure we need a picture. and i'm with you on the student loans debt - it's ridiculous we are saddled with such high amounts and interest rates. i think tuition is out of control and something MAJOR needs to change. otherwise, i'll never be able to afford to send kids to school!

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  14. I loved reading this about you and I'm not-so-secretly excited you tagged me too :) I'm always a bit jealous of anyone who lives in NYC - its such an amazing city, but I'm not sure if I could handle it. I'm almost positive my budget couldn't!

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  15. i can sooo identify with you on the student loans... I could buy a tiny house with the debt I've accumulated. :(

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  16. Loved this post and learning a little more about you Allison! Wow, big family! I grew up living with 2 sisters and a brother and those were some fun, but chaotic times indeed. Fun to hear about your collections and I can totally relate to your feelings about blogging as well.

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  17. Great to know you a little bit more Alison and honored that you tagged me!!!
    I'll post 5 things that people don't know about me ...!
    Anyway, NY is a wonderful city so lucky you but I'm sure that many people think the same thing about Paris the city I live in, that it's beautiful, romantic ... but I understand that sometimes you can "hate" the place where you live.
    Let's say that it's like a love story, with good and bad moments!

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