Miss US Galaxy Interview with the Tulle Project

Every girl, woman and person has the ability to do whatever they set their mind to - breaking stereotypes, changing boundaries and setting the standards.  I believe that girls and women do not have to categorize themselves in behaving one way or another, in fact we can change these perceptions set upon us by society.

Check out my interview with Silvana Favaretto, Founder of the Tulle Project.   In our conversation, we discussed the importance of embracing who you are and breaking stereotypes - everything from what it is like being a woman in a male dominated industry (finance), making a difference by living by example and showing that you can have brains AND beauty!

The Tulle Project is a place for women to look and feel beautiful, feminine, and graceful—and also encouraged, connected, and empowered.  Their mission is to help people make meaningful connections, share their stories and equip themselves to be their best.  For every skirt that is purchased, one will be donated to a child in need!

My take away from what I have learned over the years is:

Don't be afraid to show who you are and take a risk, who knows where it will take you!

IMG_6882.JPG

Happy International Pageant Day!

FullSizeRender.jpg

Happy International Pageant Day!

I am grateful for all of the amazing people I have met and opportunities I have had throughout my pageant career!

Pageantry is more than just looking pretty, pageantry has given me a lot these past years - new friends, new opportunities, but more importantly, the opportunity to get involved with the community.  After my reign as Miss NY US, I became increasingly involved with Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation and now lead their Young Professionals Board as President.

I do not think I would be nearly as involved with the community if it were no for pageants. 

I am so honored to be/been involved with the Miss Galaxy (Miss US Galaxy), Miss United States (Miss New York), Miss Tourism (Miss Empire State), Miss America and other systems.

To all those considering entering pageants, give it a shot!  And if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out!

What Goes Into A Photo Shoot?

I had the pleasure of shooting with photographer Nephi Lim, hair stylist Jon Chao & makeup artist Alani Rasheed in Bushwick (Brooklyn, NYC).  Nephi had the brilliant idea of creating dual persona for me, starting with an innocent, sweet girl persona turning into a dark, goth persona.  The team did a fantastic job making this happen!  

Photo Shoot Team (L-R): Elizabeth Tam, Alani Rasheed, Nephi Lim, Jon Chao

Photo shoots serve many purposes, one of which is a way to be creative and express yourself.  Photo shoots may seem glamorous, with the wind blowing in the model's hair and the flashes shooting; however there is a lot of work that goes into getting the perfect shot.  From the preparation (styling your hair, getting your makeup done and finding the right outfit) to the actual shoot (working on those poses/expressions and snapping the right angles) you are looking at a few hours of work, not to mention the photo editing afterwards.

This shoot was by no means a quick shoot, we had started around 7 PM and shot until 1 AM, but definitely worth it - check out the final product below.

For the first look we went with a sweet, innocent look.  We kept the makeup and hair minimal, not to seem too glamorous.

For the second look we went with a dark, goth look.  We used dark, heavy makeup and gave the hair more volume and scruff. 

Nephi & Lani used their creativity to take this look to the next level - check it out!

Let me know your thoughts on the photos, concept or photo shoots and modelling in the comments section!

 

Photo Credits:
Photographer: Nephi Lim
Makeup: Alani Rasheed
Hair: Jon Chao

Accidental Blind Date

FullSizeRender.jpg

Never thought the words "accidental blind date" would come across my mouth, but at the same time, this would only happen to me... thank you online dating.  

Here's the rather amusing story:

I was meeting with my friend for dinner to catch up at Bea in Hell's Kitchen.  My friend had already arrived by the time I got there, so I told the hostess that I was meeting my friend Jayme, who had made a reservation.  She seems confused, but then points me in the direction of a random man, clearly not my female friend...

The man walks over and says "Patricia?"   I tell him, I am not her.  He continues, "You do not look like the woman in the pictures..."  Despite this, it definitely crossed his mind that I could have been his date for the night - LOL!

We turn to the hostess, clearly not who we both had intended to meet with, and let her know.  After a few more minutes of awkwardly waiting, the hostess finally brought me to meet my friend.

As my friend and I are exiting the restaurant, I see the man with his date, who happens to be Asian, like myself :P  I will say it looked like they had hit it off, despite the mix up.  Congrats to him - lets hope he can spot her out in a crowd for their next date!

Thank you to the hostess for trying to to set me up on an accidental blind date!  

The Art of the Chinese New Year Lion Dance

This past weekend, Chinese New Year was celebrated in Chinatown. One of my favorite parts of the parade is all of the lion dances! 

Lion dances are fun to watch, but what do they symbolize?

What is the lion dance?

The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance, in which performers wear a lion costume and perform a dance to mimic a lion's movements.  The dance is accompanied by soudns of Chinese cymbals and drums. The lion dance is typically performed around the Lunar New Year to chase away evil spirits away and bring good luck and fortune. 

You can typically find lions performing the lion dance for businesses days following New Years.  The lions will go down the street and stop to perform at any store that will have them.  As part of the traditional dance, the lions will reach for a head of lettuce place upon a pole and tied to a red envelope. The lion will then grab the head of lettuce and spit out the lettuce, the red envelope will be a reward for the performers as they are bringing luck with their dances. 

The lion is a symbol of power, courage, wisdom and good fortune.  The lion costume consists of two performers, one for the head and one behind.  This may seem easy to maneuver, however it is quite the opposite as it requires a lot of coordination. The dances have a lot of movement, dancing, jumping on stools and even on type ropes and pure acrobatics sometimes. 

This Chinese New Year, I was fortunate enough to see a full performance and even get to pet and take a photo with a lion!

Chinese New Year Lion

Chinese New Year Traditions

Happy Chinese New Year! 

Chinese New Year Desserts

2018 is the Year of the Dog!

Honest and loyal, those born in the year of the dogs are the truest friends and most reliable partner.  Dogs include those born in: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Chinese New Year is always a fun holiday and filled with lots of celebrations, traditions and the food of course!

Here is a quick 101 on all you need to know about Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year Greetings

  • 新年快乐 - Happy New Year
  • 恭贺新禧 - Happiness & Prosperity
  • 身体健康 - Enjoy good health

    Traditions

    • Red Envelopes
      Red envelopes with "lucky money" are given to younger generations
    • End of Year Dinner
      While New Years Day is when the holiday technically begins, having a bountiful dinner the night before is just as important.  You should have leftovers to bring into the new year as a sign that you will not go hungry into the new year.
    • Tangerines & Oranges
      Tangerines and oranges are displayed everywhere and given to friends and family.  Tangerines represent wealth and oranges are a popular symbol of good luck
    • Kick off the year with something SWEET
      Y
      ou should have a piece of candy or something sweet to begin the new year, it will show you will have a sweet year
    • Hair Cut
      You should get your hair cute before the new year, but should absolutely NOT get your hair cut on the day of or during the 2 weeks following New Year Day
    • Showers
      Do not shower Chinese New Year Day, it is believed that you will wash away your luck. If you are really courageous, it is suggested you do not shower for 8 days (I will not be taking part in that part)

    Foods

    Sesame Ball Cookies

    There are a lot of traditional foods, here are some of the more traditional and my favorites

    • Fa Gao
      Cakes are supposed to bring you good fortune (it also looks like a fortune cookie)
    • Sesame Ball Cookies
      Cookies are supposed to bring you laughter into the new year and are symbols of family reunions
    • Nian Gao
      Cake will bring sweetness into your life, asthe cake is very sweet

    I could go on and on, but these are just a few of the traditions of Chinese New Year.  

    Let me know some of your traditions for the new year in the comments!

    NYFW Spring 2018 - That's a Wrap

    FullSizeRender.jpg

    New York Fashion Week - Spring 2018 has officially come to an end.

    NYFW has changed a lot over the past few years, in fact this year a few major NYFW designers opted out of the official NYFW schedule, including Alexander Wang, Public School Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra and Thom Browne to name a few.

    Budgets for NYFW have gotten smaller and smaller as have the crowds and celebrities attending.  I noticed that the events open to the public and promotion events declined this year. Designers appear to be taking a stance and changing their marketing approaches through:

    1. collaborations
    2. direct to consumer marketing
    3. digital media
    4. off-cycle shows 

    I think these methods, will provide designers to reach their customers more effectively with more relevant/timely collections and brand ambassadors. Despite all of the changes, I still love getting glammed up and checking out all of the new designs and what everyone is wearing (on the runway and off)!

    Last week, I was lucky enough to attend Sherri Hill's NYFW Fashion Show, where she showcased her new Spring 18 collection.  Needless to say, her collection was filled with pastels and SPARKLE!

    Sherri Hill and I on the runway after her NYFW show!

    Sherri Hill and I on the runway after her NYFW show!

    As a pageant girl, you could imagine how much I loved being there and seeing all of the new designs and all of the models, including the reigning Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters & Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach!

    After the show, I head the pleasure of meeting Sherri Hill!  She was so sweet and genuine, which was very refreshing!

    Can't wait until next time!

    Fashion Illustration with Holly Nichols

    IMAGE.JPG

    As part of NYFW, Apple hosted "Live Art: Runway-Inspired Portraits with Holly Nichols" as part of their "Today with Apple" series at Apple Soho.

    One of my favorite fashion illustration Artists Holly Nichols spoke to the audience on a range of topics from how to launch your business, social media and her favorite designers to draw.  After the Q&A, Holly walked us through a hands on step-by-step lesson on how she makes her gorgeous sketches using Apple's iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app.

    Holly's workshop was very informative, I learned a lot about her techniques, how to effectively use the Procreate App - from the brushes, to layering and how to draw hair!  This was my first time trying out the new Apple Pencil, it was a pretty handy tool and great for drawing, painting & sketching my masterpiece with.

    On a personal note, Holly is one of my favorite Fashion Illustrators. Her sketches are fashionable and stylish meets confident and bold. 

    I am not the best artist, but I really enjoyed the workshop and would definitely recommend taking advantage of the workshops Apple offers if you have time.

    Check out Holly's fantastic sketch below on the left and my attempt at a sketch on the right.

    IMAGE.JPG
    IMG_5784.JPG

    Not the best, but not bad for my first attempt at a fashion sketch and on digital media, nonetheless! Now if only I could sketch as well as Holly does!

    Motivation Monday w/ the Eagles

    IMG_5500.JPG

    Congratulations to the Super Blow LII Champions the Philadelphia Eagles!!!

    If this journey does not scream MOTIVATION MONDAY, I do not know what does!  The Eagles have come a long way as underdogs to Super Bowl Champs and it has been a long time coming (at least that is what my co-worker tells me).

    IMG_2492.JPG

    In honor of the Eagles winning the Super Bowl last night, here is a shot from my photoshoot in Philly with Bill of Echelaeus Inc! 

    I was actually in Philly for a charity fundraiser for New Leash on Life USA.  New Leash on Life, also a great Motivation Monday related non-profit, works to both save the lives of dogs at shelters by placing them with inmates, which in turn gives the inmates a chance at redemption, helping both the dogs and the inmates.  It was a very moving cause.

    But enough about football, what motivates YOU?

    My goals & motivations this month are to:

    1. Go to the gym more
    2. Get more sleep
    3. Just focus on being a better me

    Share your motivations in the comments!

    National Wear Red Day

    IMG_5484.JPG

    Today I wear red to support National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness of heart disease.

    Cardiovascular disease in the U.S. kill approximately one woman every 80 seconds. The good news is that 80 percent of cardiac events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes.

    To learn more about Wear Red Day, visit: https://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday

    First Photoshoot of 2018

    IMAGE.JPG

    Today I had the pleasure of shooting with Babs Photography and had my makeup done by Selma Makeup NYC!  

    We shot in studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Things to know when shooting, always be ready for anything, and know there may be a long wait time in between shoots! 

    Barbara and Selma were amazing, I can’t wait to shoot with them again! 

    Outfit: 

    Dress: JCrew

    Shoes: Marc Defang

     Jewelery: Swarovski

    How I spent my weekend...

    IMG_5189.JPG

    This weekend I spent my weekend painting my NEW APARTMENT!!!!

    First off, I want to say thank you to my parents and my friends (Torres & Brohan), who came out to paint with me this weekend!

    Who knew painting would be so much work?   We spent the entire 3 day weekend (we had MLK day off) painting and still have to do a second coat on the walls, trim and doors. 

    I think it will hopefully be done soon enough, but if anyone wants to come and help, I would greatly appreciate it!  

    For those of you who are looking to paint your house or apartment, here are a few tips/things I have learned:

    1. Painting order: Ceiling, Walls, Doors, Trim
    2. Spackle, sand & wipe down the walls (in that order) before you begin painting
    3. 3M Blue Tape & Frog Tape (Green Tape) are your friends - these are used to make sure you paint straight lines or do not paint over unwanted areas
      • Blue Tape - is a bit stretchier and less sticky, this is good for ceilings and is a bit cheaper than green tape
      • Green Tape - is stickier than blue tape, thus it is good for places where the lines are very important, such as trimmings

    Stay tuned for more tips, as I am sure I will learn a lot more as I begin my journey as a homeowner! 

    Torres & I - he's hard core!

    Torres & I - he's hard core!

    Brohan and I

    Brohan and I