So my sister sent me the link to this video this morning and she told me that I would love it ... well, she knows me so well. I love this song and this video.

This song is basically an "in between" love song ... it's not a crying about not having love song, and it's not a celebration of love. It's just a patient and nice in-between song about being content with life but being ready for whenever that special person walks into it. It's just got a cute bit of spirit to it that I love. It's a great mindset and I love the concept for the lyric video as well.

I've been a fan of Tori Kelly for quite some time. I remember seeing her perform on America's Most Talented Kid years ago. Well since then, she has one other song that I really love as well, All In My Head. I'm almost surprised that she isn't a lot bigger than she is because she's crazy talented in my opinion ... but then again, I'm kind of happy that she isn't mainstream. I love her simplicity. Anyway, hope you enjoy this song and video as much as I did.

Dress: Brandy Melville | Hat: Topshop 

Today I attended a community garden party on campus. It was hosted by the Black Law Student Association, but it was a great networking event for other graduate students as well as a few undergrads. The president of the university was also in attendance so it was really great to get to chat with him and other faculty members. I always enjoy these little kick back days ... not to mention, the food was phenomenal! Nothing like some good soul food. I really wish the weather was warmer though because as much as I love a nice garden party, the wind was really killing my vibe. It's a blessing and a curse living so close to the ocean. Everyone was freezing by the end of it and we sort of had to wrap up a little bit early. Overall though it was a great time and I got to meet new people and make new friends. Hopefully we'll actually keep in contact as the school year progresses. After that, I stopped by Starbucks on the way home for a much needed Chai Latte (with an extra pump of vanilla of course) to warm me up. I gotta say, even with all these Fall drinks on the menu right now, nothing beats the Chai Latte when you really need some warming up :)

I thought I'd share some of my favorite online finds this month. Some of them are articles to get you thinking and moving, others are just "beauty" finds that I thought would come in handy with Halloween right around the corner. Hope you enjoy! Let me know if there's anything that you've come across and that you've been loving this month. Look forward to hearing from you all!

1. Thought Catalog | Why Being In Your 20s Is Awesome
2. Cupcakes & Cashmere | Career 101: Interviewing
3. Pursuit of Shoes | Halloween Nails
4. Twisted Sifter | 40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World
5. Andreas Choice | Easy DIY Halloween Costumes Ideas

Knee High Boots: Forever 21 || Black Leggings: Forever 21 || Knit Sweater: H&M || Laptop Bag: Aldo || Gold Watch: Michael Kors 

Barrister's Ball

So last night was my law school's Barrister's Ball and it was so much fun. Some of my classmates and I met up earlier at a friend's condo in Santa Monica to get ready before heading to Marina Del Rey. Before we even arrived at the dock I could already tell that it was going to be an amazing night. Everyone looked phenomenal and was in such a great mood. The real party started when we were finally on the yacht. We danced the night away, took crazy photo booth pictures, and enjoyed the ocean view from the top deck. I also played poker for the first time in my life and as you can tell from the above photo, I didn't do too badly. It was great to get away and hang out with law students for a while, without actually worrying about law school. We're already past midterms and although this semester seems to be flying by, a night out on the town was just what we all needed. Barrister's Ball was perfect. Can't wait for next year!

Business Attire

Blazer + Skirt + Top: H&M - Shoes: Zara

This evening I attended dinner with the dean and the Black Law Student's Association (BLSA). We had such a great time and it was really great to actually get to sit and talk with the dean one on one; not to mention that dinner was amazing! The dress code for the event was business casual. If you know me, then you already know that it's really hard for me to not include any kind of color in my professional attire. I just hate hate hate the greys and the navys and the black. It's far too plain and just not at all an accurate representation of myself. I always try to spice it up in the most tame way possible. H&M is probably one of my favorite places to shop for business clothes. It's important to have clothes to wear to events such as these while in law school, but being a student means that I'm still on a budget. H&M is just so affordable and I always feel like the pieces look a lot more pricey than they really are. If you're looking to expand your business wardrobe, it's really great to know what your options are depending on your budget. Where do you like to shop for your 'grown up' clothes? You can let me know in a comment below. 

Chilly Weather ...

Now that the weather in Malibu is finally cooling off, it's about time that I make some adjustments as well. Apart from needing some new fall clothes, or at least a jacket ... I thought I would start off by making my warm and cozy chicken soup. It's basically something that I threw together one very chilly day in Baton Rouge. It's super quick and easy to make and most importantly, really delicious.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Chicken seasoning

Chicken stock

Virgin olive oil

Water

Ground Coriander

Cilantro

Black Pepper

Salt or Seasoned Salt

Lemon

1 Avocado

Celery

Chicken:

• Wash the chicken and season with chicken seasoning. I normally wash the chicken with lemon, but that's just something my mom always did; you can wash it as you would normally do
• Bake the chicken at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

Soup:

• Bring about 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water to a boil
• Add about half a cup of virgin olive oil
• Season with Coriander, Black Pepper, Chicken seasoning and Salt to taste
• Add cilantro ( as much or as little as you like)
• Add about 2 stalks of celery (chopped)
• Squeeze in lemon juice from half a lemon
• Remove chicken from oven and chop up ... add to soup 
• Allow the combination to boil together for another 5 minutes
• Serve with avocado slices and enjoy !!! 

#makemegreat My Work Area

So this video was actually part of a guest post for a new vlog that my eldest sister is launching soon. It's called #MakeMeGreat and will actually be geared towards helping people realize what it is that they want to do, while helping them do just that. It will basically be somewhere that people can go to get inspired and motivate others while making themselves great.

My post was pretty brief and it's just a little preview of some of the content that will be on her vlog. I will let you all know when it launches. This post follows me back to my work area (it's more academic)  ... but she'll have vlogs by people from all walks of life and that focus on different things. There will be some following artists and about music etc. It's a pretty neat concept and I'm excited for when it all comes together. In the meantime, you all can enjoy this little preview, which is hopefully a nice change from my usual photo blog. 

Therapy

It has honestly been about two months since I've been to a mall or purchased any sort of clothing item for myself. To be honest, I've really just been too busy and after being in class all day ... I just want to hang out with friends or read. Lately though, I've really just been needing some retail therapy and online shopping just would not suffice. In a way, it's great to live on the beach and not have access to malls like I normally do. It is most definitely saving me money and now when I do get to go, it's a treat. I love it. Anyway, I bought a few more things than this, but these were my favorite purchases. Some more flats from Forever 21 that I feel would be perfect for the fall. I absolutely love the color of these flats. Some heels from Zara with an ankle strap. I love these. I actually own the strappy sandal version to these ones that I wore a lot in the summer ... now that the weather is getting a tad bit cooler, I thought these closed toe pointed pumps would be so cute. Also I bought a blush from Make Up For Ever and a dress from Love Culture that I can't wait to wear.

Top: H&M, Leggings: Garage, Loafers: Forever 21, Bag: Aldo

I also had the cutest black & gold bracelet on that I literally bought the day before and by the time I got to class (never mind getting home to take these photos) the bracelet was gone! I am so sad that I lost it within an hour of putting it on :(

Letting Go of Undergraduate Habits: Drink Like a Responsible Adult

Disclaimer: This photo is actually from Tripadvisor. I didn't take it myself but I thought I'd use it since Duke's in Malibu is where my fellow law school friends and I usually go for drinks after class :)

No, I am not saying don't drink at all. Let's face it though, we've all had those nights. For the majority of us, going off to college was our first taste of real freedom. We answered to no one (except here and there when our parents called to make sure we were still alive) and we finally got to do things our own way. It was our chance to experience things and have fun ... to be the life of the party. For the most part, it wasn't completely frowned upon to get completely wasted and show up to class the next day (or not) barely able to function. It was our rite of passage ... and we took full advantage.

When you graduate though, things do get a little bit more serious. You can shake off your undergraduate reputation. You were fresh out of high school- everyone gets that. The reputation you create for yourself post-graduation though is different. It will stick with you. When you're in graduate school, the people around you are your future colleagues. This is your professional network. So be aware of how you portray yourself. When you're out interviewing for jobs one day or need a recommendation, you don't want your name to be associated with some super entertaining drunkard stumbling out of the club after a two hour table dance. It's memorable, but it's not what you want people to think of when they see your name. Instead, maybe you can just be that student that had a drink or two, still had a good time and engaged in some pretty good conversation. You can still be funny and entertaining while maintaining your blood alcohol level. Just remember to stay in control of yourself and let go of the bad habits. You're an adult now. Don't be that guy. 

OH YEAH .. I'm also not endorsing underage drinking. Just sayin'