Miseducated

Ponies and Cotton Candy Tea

10/07/2009

As important to me as any adorable childhood hero.. and as adorable as.. My Little Pony carried me into a land of friendship, rainbows and smiles. I absolutely loved the cartoon because it swept me away into a sweet-filled land of sundae houses and happiness.

For this reason I have many more 80s goodies planned for the future and waiting to be uploaded. What’s your favorite 80s toon? I’m thinking it’s about time for 80s toon style catchers.. (like star catchers only they catch cute 80s creative ways of inserting whimsical nonsensery into your wardrobe)

If you have an 80s toon you feel is not being represented here in Miseducatedland, let us know! In fact, why don’t you write an article about the said toon and submit it?

Now for the sweets!

Ice Cream Tea

3/4 cup black tea
1 scoop milky ice cream (any flavor you love that mixes great with tea!)

Pour the tea into a cup. Add ice cream. The ice cream melts quickly into the hot tea, slowly in cold tea.. depends on how flavorful you’d like your tea and how sunny or blustery it may be. This can be quite a treat on both occasions!

Cotton Candy Tea

2 teaspoons rooibos tea
2 teaspoons mixed-fruit herbal tea
1 teaspoon oolong tea

Heat water to just before boiling and steep the teas and blends for 2-3 minutes. Add rock cane sugar (or use a rockcandy lollipop to stir!) while cooking to sweeten to your liking. Pour over ice. Top with a colorful fluff of cotton candy for extra sweetness.

4 Comments

The Need in Speed

10/05/2009

Here’s the deal; the facts are in. At least 50% of marriages don’t make it—which, if you’re a gambler, is slightly better than a crap shoot – this is what I told RadarOnline, when asked for a comment about Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s marriage.

And it would seem obvious to many people that marrying someone you have only known a few weeks would increase your odds of failure…among other things. So perhaps a better question to ask is not what are the downsides, but rather…why? Why get married? So you can have a party? Show up your sister on TV because you are profoundly insecure or desperate for ratings? What’s the rush? It’s not like love has a shelf life. Unless one is deeply religious, which is not evident in this case (correct me if I am wrong; I don’t think so), there are so few reasons to rush into nuptials before we have taken time to do a minimum of due diligence.

What I do know about these two people is they know something about success. It takes discipline, skill and focus (and perhaps a little luck) to turn your desire into reality. Hence my concern, again, about their haste. I am not convinced that these two people understand the game they are in. I feel whatever their motivations for wedlock—“looks good, feels good,” ratings, or whatever—they would benefit by focusing on the fact that the same commitment, discipline and skill that supported their success is needed to enjoy a successful relationship; particularly a healthy, fulfilling, sustainable one.

With all due respect, if these two people love each other, or feel a strong connection and want to jump into marriage (which I likened to jumping out of a plane, considering, well…that they have just barely met), they should strap on a parachute. Which is to say, they should strongly consider checking under the hood to make sure they have what it takes to make the journey before Sunday. Many things are very difficult, if not nearly impossible, to re-negotiate after they say “I do.”

While celebrity marriages may seem qualitatively different than the average boy-meets-girl scenario, all relationships thrive best when they rest on a solid foundation. In some ways, the celebrity relationship needs to pay even greater mind to this, as their relationship is subject to stresses, pressure and scrutiny that on a good day most of us cannot even fathom.

So I would say to this couple, go for it! IF they have managed in this three-week period to establish the following, at minimum:

Their top three non-negotiables.

If this person is worthy of their unconditional devotion and respect.

A strong “out” clause or good consciousness agreement.

If they themselves are a strong, loyal, devoted, trustworthy partner.

They have revealed all their deep secrets or habits that have the potential to destroy the relationship if not revealed and healed.

They have cleaned up all their past relationships.

Have the capacity to tell the truth despite the consequences, and see the value of truth as a cornerstone of their relationship.

Love each other’s friends and current daily lifestyle.

Have agreed upon children and child-rearing responsibilities.

Understand and are in alignment about money.

They are confident in each other’s ability to negotiate their feelings and concerns responsibly.

Know what each other values most in life.

Have shared and are in alignment and support of their 10-year plan.

Have agreed to see someone (either within the family or outside) to act as an unbiased counselor, to help support the relationship should they get stuck or feel they cannot resolve any matter that has the potential to end the relationship.

This, I believe, would afford them a good start. While relationships are a great breeding ground for personal development, chemistry as a litmus test for the potential of a relationship is too often a crash-and-burn method & can be quite painful. Rather than each failed relationship being a lesson learned, the pain becomes either fuel for the next one or a barrier to intimacy.

In our 20s we are at a peak in some ways, in terms of learning about who we are and who we are not, and oftentimes get into relationships based largely on chemistry—without having acquired some essential relationship tools and turned them into skills. Life will teach them soon enough. The good news is, if they really want a healthy relationship they are in a position to develop these skills, provided they have interviewed each other and revealed their shadows and non-negotiables to each other. Some of these deal-breakers, like infidelity or drug or alcohol addiction, are things that you want to know before you get married, not after!

Hard to establish trust when you have had so little time to see if the person’s words and actions match up. If you are in a rush, and clearly Khloe and Lamar seem to be, I’d advise them to take some time before Sunday to drop in with each other, because having a success plan is important! Bottom line, at least half of marriages end in divorce. If you want it to work, make sure you are prepared and have what it takes to make that happen.

To Re-cap

Hard to negotiate your needs after the marriage ceremony; double check your non-negotiables, you two!
What do you want and expect from each other & the marriage: do you both want kids, how will you share your money, or not? I call this a consciousness agreement.
What kind of relationship skills do you bring to the table? Do you have issues with commitment and intimacy, do you have a track record of being able to stay and hang in there when things get tough? “Looks good, feels good” isn’t going to cut it when things get sideways…these things are very difficult to negotiate after you already have established a pattern. Talk about it. What are you committing to?
Happily Ever After is not a place, and chemistry is not enough to keep a relationship together. They say that, in unconsciousness, the thing that brings you together in a relationship will be the thing that pulls you apart. What is your foundation for your relationship? I recommend spirit, God or the divine, and having a real practice.
Love is a choice and a privilege, not a sentence, so act like it!

I recently explained my take on the Khloe/Lamar situation at a book signing. You can watch it here.

2 Comments

Mew for Today: Where in the World?

10/03/2009

It’s been quite a terrible week! What better reason than that to go shopping in Japan? Another department store no less, this one, tailored for us online shoppers! It’s a big stop for Japanese and Americans alike~

I’m a little speechless today because all I want to discuss is the features coming up soon and I’m trying to wait.. 😉 You’re probably not as silly as I am, but if you love toys, cuties, and more you’ll be happy!

Speaking of toys, cuties and more… let’s get a load of the goodies I found while searching high and low in the wonderland of Japanese whimsy splashed product. I’m certainly feeling the urge to go back to my heartland soon… Where do you feel you belong in the world? I’ve been questioning this a lot recently as we’ve been prepared to move for quite awhile and yet we find ourselves unable to make a move.. or should I say ME. Until very soon.

So to relieve my worries I’ve always found happiness in being surrounded in cute, lovely, well-designed items.. I’d love to hear your ways of coping with stress and anxiety as well! Feel free to leave them below — much appreciated~

Did I mention How Magazine added us as one of the Top 10 Sites for Designers this month? It’s funny because I *love* that magazine, always looking hot on the shelves begging me to dive into jumpstartworkmode.

0 Comments

I Love Pandas and Printable Toys

10/01/2009

I Like Pandas

A film by myself, Jessica Borutski.

Printable Pandas

The fun doesn’t stop there! Put some pandas into your own world~

Grape Panda (108168 downloads )

Orange Panda (110483 downloads )

Show your Panda Love

Take a photo of your panda? Send it in so we can build a community gallery — the most creative photos will win stationary goodies from Miseducated & myself!

(Photo by Amber Renee)

6 Comments

Decadently Decorate your Camera

09/30/2009

Once I saw the milk chocolate camera on Fuji’s official website, I knew I had to decorate it with sweets and delicious desserts as much as I could! haha

Here I bought some very cute plastic sweets (cabochons) from shops at Yu Chau Street in Hong Kong. The street is very popular for its accessory shops. You can find a broad variety of components with different styles, which can be used in DIY (such as earrings, brooches, etc.) or to customize anything you like!

WOW… yummy!!!

This is my nude camera and the components.

Finally I squeezed all the sweets and cream on it! haha!!!! Love it so much! 😀

My boyfriend nearly cried after seeing the new look of the camera (that HE had bought me). He thinks it is to abnormal for one to carry such a cluttered, exaggerated camera to take photos. hehe.. but then I read the information about Miseducated, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss, hoho! That’s right! I know my boyfriend really doesn’t mind my crazy works. It’s really important for us to be who we are or else we will lose our own personalities and the ability to imagine and create new things! 😀

14 Comments

Mew for Today in Kiddy Land

09/29/2009

Now it’s time to go to one of my absolute favorite shops to visit in Japan, Kiddy Land. I love going there with friends and wondering through the 7 floors of toys, color and fun. I can never get enough and I usually don’t leave until my basket is overflowing into my arms. Small weakness: cute and whimsical characters.

It’s a great girl date *and* a workout too, especially if you climb the stairs and oogle the gashapon (capsule machines) along the way. They capsule machines taunt you with miniature collectables, keychains, toys.. all of them are cuter than the next (if possible). All limited edition, once they’re gone they’re gone.. so if you happen to be a huge fan of a certain character you might purchase a number of capsules to get your favorite. Absolutely addictive. As are the arcades. Prizesprizesprizes. Collectcollectcollect. They’re trying a new thing in Japan (new in the USA) and it’s called offering high-quality prizes that people actually want. Haha.. to be fair I’ve noticed Japanese capsule machines popping up around our malls as well but the selection must have been tailored more for American kiddies.. no Sanrio!

As with any shop-a-long you get my gab to accompany you as well as the sometimes painfully-bright rainbow colors of Miseducated’s world.

Did I mention I recently seem to have become a fan of RUN-ON sentences? According to my writing the sentences. articles and explanations get longer and longer. I apologize for that. *bonk*

As we’re shopping remember to grab a cold drink so you don’t get too tired gazing at everything you want to play with! It’s easy to get fatigued here. Best to have a sugary drink or coffee for a more speedy trip (burst of energy). Or you could be healthier than I happen to be.

What was it you said you were looking for? Hot pink toenail clippers with your initials on them? 😉

I’m currently addicted to the girly-style boy briefs! The waist bands are adorable.. !! Check out the finds below and see what I mean.

1 Comment

Develop Great Mate-dar!

09/28/2009

You’re single and want to meet that someone special NOW! Especially since we are on the cusp of the holidays, right? So naturally your Mate-dar (your ability to suss out a great mate) is turned up a notch. Or so you think. Truth is, Mate-dar is only as good as its end user.

So, whatever the reason, you’re on the prowl for a significant other. Maybe you feel you’re ready for a commitment. Maybe you’re looking for companionship. So you feel like your “Mate-dar” (your ability to suss out a great mate) is in full force, turned up top notch. But the truth is – even if you have the purest of intentions for seeking out a relationship – nobody’s Mate-dar is perfect.
The problem—or, should I say, one of the many challenges— with being human is knowing the difference between who we are and who we are not. Making the all-important distinction between our unconscious persona and our authentic, healthy, whole selves. Until we have addressed this process it is likely that our wounded little kid has a hold of an adult tool, waving it around like a toy, and then BANG! somebody gets hurt. Our Mate-dar, when operated by our 5-year-old wound, can get us into a lot of trouble—as would any part of ourselves we have not made peace with, healed or become aware of on some level.

In the case of seeking a great partner, when we are seeing through the eyes of a wound we are less likely to see clearly! This can show up in different ways (boy, can they be tricky, slippery and subtle all at once), most of them falling under the guise of denial or rationalization.

Here’s a great story to illustrate how elusive accessing our very own truth can be.
My husband, David, got on the scale this morning. I could hear the clang and distinct argh. “How can that be? I gained four pounds? I have only been eating lettuce all week, for crying out loud.” I tried to comfort him by saying that muscle weighs more than fat, and then burst out laughing, realizing that’s what I told myself last time I got on the scale. After we lavished one and another with a few more excuses, we decided that the scale was broken and we needed to get a new one. One that told us what we wanted to hear! That we were not fat!

I have learned it’s one thing to sit around and bitch and moan wishing things were different, and another to do something about it. So I went for a run, then later we went to get the scale. Apparently doing a little of both.

“It’s never a good idea to weigh yourself late in the day, sweetie” I reminded him as he stepped off the fancy glass scale in Bed Bath and Beyond, that seconds before had held such promise. “Yeah, but this one says I weigh even more than the one at home—did I gain four more pounds since we left?” I wasn’t laughing, as I was about to climb on. Mind you, I don’t make it a habit to get on scales—I know all too well they are not my friends, because I almost never feel better about myself as a result! How bad could it be? I thought. I run and eat well and anyway I would know if I… “What the…? A hundred and…? Wow, I don’t know what to say, except …that scale can’t be right!” I leapt off like it was a bed of hot coals.

“Oh, look, here’s one that tells you how much muscle versus fat you have, and it will show us how much water we are retaining! Let’s try it. You go first!” I said. David placed the Ferrari version of a scale on the floor, took his flip-flops off again and stepped on. “Uh oh…uhhhh… Wait, try that one, that’s just a regular old scale,” and quickly pointed to another. He put the Ferrari one back, put the next one on the floor and hopped on. We both waited as it calculated. “Well, this one says the same thing as the one at home does,” he shrugged. ‘Which means—uh…we’re fat, right?” We both laughed, let it sink in for a minute, and then decided that since we were ready to admit the truth, that we weighed more than we wanted to, we might as well buy the really cool one that told us in great detail all about it.

What the heck does this have to do with relationships? That’s a very good question, and if you answered “Everything!” you are definitely smarter than the average bear!

Pay attention, ‘cause this is some heavy. It doesn’t get any more real than this kind of reality. A huge contributor, if not a top ten reason so many of us don’t have a GREAT relationship, is—we don’t tell ourselves (or others) the truth. It’s an exact proportion, as a matter of fact! Think about it. Let’s say I asked you right now to write down your name, how much you weigh, how much you make a year, the color of your eyes, hair, your shoe size, how tall you are, where you live. Nine out of ten of you would lie about at least half. The rest of you would at least exaggerate or minimize. Don’t believe me, go grab the next person you see and tell them how much you really weigh. How tall you are, to the centimeter. What color your hair really is. How old you actually are. Go down the list; if you are honest with yourself, you will see how often we lie about the most mundane things. Why? Because of what we make it mean:

I weigh X = I am fat = no one will want/love me
I am X years old = I am too old = no one will love me
I am five feet X = too short (or tall) = no one wants that = no one will want me
My real hair color is X = I am unattractive = no one will love me
I make X amount of money = I am poor = no one will want to be with me/love me

So we do what my husband and I tried to do. We slip right into the old river called Denial. We begin with some simple rationalizations, adding or taking away a zero here and there. What harm can it do? we think, Who cares? If I don’t care, why should anyone else? Well, that’s the problem. You do care, or you wouldn’t bother lying—especially to yourself!

You can see how easy it is to miss cues, red flags and warnings or signs from another person that they really aren’t interested. Our agenda for love can be so strong, our wound-ology so ingrained, that it actually distorts reality! Here are some recommendations to help develop or adjust our Mate-dar.

One of my favorites is to interview people who have the kind of relationship you want. If you can’t interview, at least pay attention and jot down some features that stand out for you!

Date yourself seriously. Yes, seriously…date yourself. Make a date, get ready for it, pick the place you want yourself to take yourself, the whole nine, and do it. How do you like your own company, what do you notice about yourself?
Interview yourself. Yeah, why not? Who are you? What do you want out of life? What’s your five-year plan, what is your relationship history? Ask yourself all the questions you would ask of another, and see how you react or what comes up for you.

Have a few practice dates with real people to see how well your intuition is working. Yes, a date where you actually try and work on your weakness. Maybe you even ask the person for feedback about you and see how your perceptions compare. Could be very enlightening, if you have the courage!

Look, if you don’t take care to do these things, or things like this, for yourself, why would you expect anyone else to? Awakening to consciousness is not for lightweights—it’s hard work, and you got want the good stuff! Like I always say, great relationships begin within. Don’t kid yourself!

3 Comments

Words of Love Association Game

09/28/2009

Everyone feels love differently and understands it in a way that is special to them. We’ve all probably played a word associaion game.. if not, it’s definately time!

So what is a word association game exactly?

Complete the phrase ‘Love is…’ with your own associations of love.

Love is…

Benjamin Amick
good.

Jeff Ackenback
a monkey in a trench coat?

Kiley Kellermeyer
my kittens!

Ashley Nordin
all around you.

Chelsea Ling
all you need.

David Cunningham
blindness.

Jennifer Oquendo Vasquez
soooooo complicated… but true love can overcome anything. =)

Bluey McBlue
Love is something you cannot put into words. Real and true love is something you can almost touch. You feel it throughout your entire body and to your very core. Love is something that tests you, good and bad through trials and tribulations. Love is a gift yet a curse.

Kris Arnold
a pint of rum, plane ticket to el paso, and a dwarf companion named frito that is skilled in square dancing.

Charlie Clark
a fruit basket.

11 Comments

Create an Owl to be your Pal

09/24/2009

So you want to create a ‘fuggly’ owl to be your pal? Though yours doesn’t have to be fuggly, that’s just the way I sew! (hehe)

1. Cut out two triangles (one small one, one bigger one) with slightly curved edges as seen.

note: it’s not an exact science, so you may like to experiment with longer, shorter, wider, thinner, curvier triangles.

2. Face the fabric inwards and sew up one side. As you sew, pull the two fabric edges so that they are together. There will be a gap where the ‘A’ triangle ends. Continue sewing up along the side of B triangle, then back down along the other side.

3. Sew around the bottom opening so that you can pull on the thread and draw the bottom closed like a drawstring bag. Fill it with filling and pull the bottom closed.

note: I use grain but wool or polyester stuffing is also good. Do not fill it up too much!

4. Fold the top down and secure it. This makes the beak.

note: This is why you don’t want to fill it too much because you wont be able to pull the beak far down, though some people like very small beaks. If so then fill it up lots!

5. Add eyes.

note: Beads work well. Fabric has a tendency to fray when cut too small. Don’t learn this the hard way!

12 Comments

Minimalism vs Hoarding and Decadent Interior

09/24/2009

If I could just… if this was.. it still doesn’t *feel* right!

I’m often finding myself stuck when designing new layouts for Miseducated — it started so collage heavy as I was using tons and tons of popular icons.. then I started seeing the collage thing EVERYWHERE and it was feeling cluttered so I obviously cut it down… :p I always feel that deconstructing and ridding of any excess is a positive thing.

Now why is this?

My room was very cluttered as a child and I hoped for a day when I would have my own modern, minimalist house.

As you can see my minimalism kind of lost the battle with whimsical nonsense and fantasy candylands. Obviously I find my *greatest* satisfaction in cuteness, well-designed, minimal yet colorful homes (Jeu de Paumes went RIGHT UP my alley, didn’t they yours? ^_~).

.. but is deleting and deconstructing making it better really? Is it just my fucked up sense of things?

I *know* hoarding isn’t healthy, it’s very hard to overcome like any addiction… so does that mean that minimalism is the goal? We simply *must* know! I’m very familiar with hoarding regarding my own life and have studied it extensively in my obsession with psychology and helping myself and those around me.

(… and while we’re at it, why do you *insist* on using asterisks *everywhere*?!

Because I often despise italics, use bold for other things and have a strange need to use the only flower on my keyboard over and over and over! As well as inserting random thoughts that have no relevance to the subject at hand –if anything this NEGATES minimalism–because of course, I am a crazy rambler. With all positives come negatives. ^_~)

Hoarding

Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them.
Hoarding, also called compulsive hoarding and compulsive hoarding syndrome, can be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
People who hoard often don’t see it as a problem, making treatment challenging.
– Mayo Clinic

Minimalism

A twentieth century art movement and style stressing the idea of reducing a work of art to the minimum number of colors, values, shapes, lines and textures. – ArtLex

Funny thing is.. minimalism is many times regarded as ‘rejective art’ and I think of it as ‘perfective’ art — it’s a very tough thing to master correctly — it can be done both very right and very wrong.

A minimal lifestyle… now that’s exactly what I admire. When applying the rules of minimalism to your life and home it helps a lot if you’re moving (I was) or organizing absolutely everything — it’s good to do yearly (*spring*cleaning)!

1. Evaluate your possessions that sit on shelves.
2. Find a place for everything.
3. Enjoy what you have.
– Christian PF

Zakka

Another design movement, but in Japan. Generally means improving your environment and seeing beauty in the mundane.

When I see zakka it reminds me almost of a minimalist cuteness and innocence, it is completed with the sweet kitschy illustrations and/or designs that are *just enough* to add color and sweetness into the room. It’s very natural and inspired by country lifestyle.

Which lifestyle do you lean towards? 😉