Category: viberantchic

Knock Knock – Morning Meditation

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Knock Knock where have I been?  I feel like I have found myself continuously saying ” I’m trying, I am trying” but in actuality I’ve been doing and going but not taking the time to be fully present and aware.  Trying sounds so tiring and without an accomplished feeling result.  I am writing this of this revelation today, after a 10 minute mediation. For Cyber Monday I purchased a yearly membership to MelissaWoodHealth.com , after following her on Instagram for quite sometime I decided to plunge and pay for her health based services. One day in the next 365 I am sure we will cross paths in person, whether it be on purpose or not. Seamlessly meeting up with quasi celebrities happens to me all the time and doesn’t quite phase me.  Moving forward I will blog these memorable interactions as this blog serves as a digital memory book of my life learnings and experiences.

My background with Meditation.  At the University of Michigan, I enrolled in a class with Martha called Jazz 450. I took it with my sister, best friend, and a few other people  we knew.  Weekly we would attend class, walk outside in silence, and journal.  We read a book called ” the miracle of mindfulness” by thicht nhat hahn   – I highly recommend it!  I felt a renewed sense of energy each week and genuinely did solo mediations when not in class. Fast forward to end of semester, graduating, and life moving on from the class.  I continued a living a mindful life.

I was all about living in the moment, being in the present, only being present minded. While I thought this hyper awareness was super positive, the harsh realities of adult-ing aka planning things in advance and thinking ahead did not adhere to this in the moment vibe.

Living in Ann Arbor for 3 years after college, allowed me to pop back into Martha’s meditation classes from time to time. Overall it kept my stimulated mind focused on being mentally aware and mindful. I was (still am) the friend you call whose ready to go-go-go and participate in whatever fun activity you want to do.

There was a shift in this mentality when I moved to a more adult job in an adult world in Birmingham, MI. I now have a job that requires tons of planning ahead. Not to mention my social life and coordinating weekends with friends. As we grow older it seems everyones schedules more complex, and while not impossible it has become increasingly challenging to do spur of the moment activities.  We are no longer kept in a bubble cluster that we were used to for the previous 18-22 years of our lives.

Back to meditation – Since moving to Birmingham 3 years ago, I dabbled with the headspace app and just found the robotic act of using an app on my phone as a digital distraction to the goal of meditation. Ultimately leaving me to ditch meditation all together.  I am excited to get back into this journey and feel more at peace with myself.

Namastay, have a good day!

Linz

 

Detroit x Hygienic Dress League

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Mid-October 2019 – the Hygienic Dress League husband & wife duo took over the closed Conners Creek Power Plant in Detroit. It’s adjacent to the Edison Boat Club at 100 Lycaste Street sitting on 75 acres. It was the former DTE power plant.

The exhibit was called “Value Proposition”, which references the diamond-water paradox of value, which asserts the contradiction that although water is more useful regarding survival than diamonds, diamonds are considered more valuable on the market. Hygienic Dress League put up three installations – the first and largest was the suspended from a crane Diamond called “Diamond II”.  Of course this one was my favorite as I’m all about the DiamondLyfe !

We visited pre – dinner at Lumen in Beacon Park.  Obviously it was an outdoor exhibit on a freezing fall weather night.

xx

Linz

 

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Barshawlona x The Art is Trash

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I couldn’t even believe my eyes. Here I am 7 years later walking the streets of #barshawlona (my home). My heart beats feverishly out of my chest of with loads of joy. Déjà vu like whoa. It’s even more special because I have the reign to showcase my city to my lover for his first time. All the feels of feels being felt.

Honestly, it has taken me a little bit of time to even begin to digest everything that I have just encountered and experienced. First with my fellowship and then post fellowship adventures in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. I’ve hardly scratched the surface and don’t quite know what to share first and/or what medium to share on.

I’ve found that face to face conversations have barely even covered my true experience. The questions have been basic and straight forward … I let the other person lead the conversation and get their questions squared away before launching into my own topics of choice.

Today I want to share with you the art life on the streets [in Barcelona]. The thing that makes everyday the best day ever and one day better than the next is the urban lifestyle of being on the streets and wandering through different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a unique sense of architecture, persona demonstrated through retail shops/ bodegas and overall vibe. Leading yourself left and right and through and straight straight … taking you on a new sense of adventure every turn. You experience the noise of a variety of languages vibrating in your eardrums. And seeing how to capture the moment with even a half sense of what it feels to be physically present.

While studying abroad in 2011, I enrolled in a Photojournalism class. After learning 101 abilities with our hand held point and shoot cameras we were to hit the streets of Barcelona. Our teacher Photo Fred enlightening us that the true life of Barcelona is on the streets, witnessing the people and interactions. Assignment 1 : create a Photo essay. Sounds simple enough, pick a time and a day to go out and collectively take a series of related photos (5 to 7) that will tell a story.

☆ being the over achieving Michigan student I was … I wrote a 4 page essay and had the photos to share as well.

Low and behold, the “photo essay” was truly just meant to be photos and no words. (Insert- monkey with face over eyes emoji). With seeing the photos the viewer was able to understand a story or the photographers point of perspective. LOL. Needless to say I did get an A on assignment 1 & lesson learned for assignment 2 … no worded essay necessary.

Taking the photo journalism very seriously I spent the semester working on my photo skills. It worked to my advantage as I could use the photos for my Journalism 2.0 class as well. The class was all about best practices for blogging and creating quality content.

Long story long … because I can’t help myself but to share all of the details and back story. Scroll back up and take a look at the first photo, and now scroll back down and see this photo from 7 years ago March 2011 taken by my Verizon Wireless Blackberry.

Do you notice any similarities ?

One day when walking home from school alone I came across this comical ” piece of art ” by the garbage can. It cracked me up. While it meant something for a short while, the image escaped my mind for years to come.

Before my euro trip I purchased a new camera to improve the quality of my photography skills. As it has been a hot minute since my days of photo Fred class. A cool thing we learned when booking our AirBnb for Barc was that they now offer “experiences”. We signed up for a session for Photography & Street Art of El Raval, a neighborhood that has been gentrified since I was last in barc.

Flash forward the artist that resonated with me 7 years ago is a featured artist at Base Elements gallery. Base Elements gallery was the final stop on our “photography and street art tour of el raval”. The artist’s name is Francisco De Pajaro! My man. I’m sure you find this as cool as I do. He is an emerging older artist who is taking the streets as his bitch. Unfortunately he was in Valencia when we were in town and did not get the opportunity to meet him. We happily purchased a piece of his to add to our art collection.

I’ve been having many full circle moments recently. I believe that if you live your truth you will be more mindful of how many full circle moments appear to your consciousness.

Do you. Refresh your skills. Re learn to excel.

Keep on…

Livin The Life,

Barshawlona

Chef Lshawtay x Summer Rolls ( Vegan )

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Chef Lshawtay is back in the house and bringing you a dank Vegan summer recipe ! Now I say summer not only because it is basically “summer” – but also because they are consider to be Summer Rolls – light and refreshing and easy to make. You are going to be blown away at the ease of this delightful snack/meal. There is a wide variety of what you can do with these Summer Rolls, but this is how I did it.

Ingredients/ Tools:

  • Mandoline / Spiralizer to get your veggies looking fabulous
  • Sharp Knife to cut stuff
  • Big Bowl
  • Coconut Oil Spray ( or Olive Oil whichever you fancy or conveniently already have)
  • Parchment Paper
  • Banh Trang Spring Rolls Skin – see photo below – you can buy at Kroger !!
  • Asparagus
  • Watermelon Radish
  • Cucumber
  • Jicama
  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • (red) Cabbage
  • Red Leaf Lettuce
  • Vermicelli Noodles
  • Jalapeño
  • Cilantro
  • Bean Sprouts ( missing from photo )
  • Pickled Ginger ( missing from photo )
  • Kimchi ( missing from photo)
  • Egg ( missing from photo )
  • Green Pepper ( suggested item )
  • ….. whatever you fancy to put in your roll !!

 

Veggie Prep :  feel good about the way you prep the items ! It is important to keep in mind the 1) visual appeal and 2) functionality of their form.

As you can see from the photo I chose to spiralize : watermelon radish, cucumber and beet. The lettuce was lightly chopped as was the cilantro. The jalapeño was diced. The carrots were cut thinly, this is important because you do not want any sharp veggies ( it’ll break the skin of the wrap). At first, I tried to spiralize the carrots, but they were too thin and didn’t come out well ! If you have wide carrots, you may be able to spiralize. The jicama was done 2 ways : diced and thinly sliced. Used here was thin asparagus from Trader Joes.

Vermicelli Noodles – follow the directions on your box/bag. But typically, boil a pot of water, place in noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Then rinse for 3 minutes.

Banh Trang Spring Roll Skin –  YOU ARE GOING TO BE SURPRISED – they are super hard and look like discs. You are going to be confused – what the heck ? am I missing what they are? are they peal able between the layers ? did I really buy the right thing? Don’t fret – if you bought what I bought in the picture, you are good to go !!  You will fill your Big Bowl ( or pot) with water. Place the discs ( I do 3 at a time ) and submerge in water. They will loosen up – I promise !

The first photo shows the Spring Roll Skin melting into its true form and ready to roll. You’ll feel it when it is ready to be rolled ! I ring them out a bit, because they have been sitting in water !

Lay out the parchment paper on your counter, and spray the coconut oil on the paper, this will help the skins not stick down.  Lay out your skins and get ready to fill up your roll ! I like to lay down pretty veggies first then a layer of noodles, then a layer of lettuce, this is for purely aesthetic purposes!!

It is up to you on how you lay out the veggies and which ones you want to go together. I’ve been working to find the perfect balance of crunch. Honestly, it will probably turn out good either way !!  Cooking is all an experiment anyways, just feel good about what you are doing !

The far right photo will show you the inside of a roll and how the veggies are layered out. Under are the two dips we’ve experimented with : a peanutty sauce and a hoisin sauce. Of course there is Sriracha there too ( not pictured ) !!

Rolling Tips : I’ll be posting a YouTube video soon !  but off hand here on the blog … place your veggies and noodles in the lower portion of the skin, tuck the veggies into the roll to secure them in, tuck in the two sides as well (think chipotle employee) , and roll on up !  Practice makes perfect with these Summer Rolls.

Highly recommend eating right away !! They are more likely to break if you keep in Fridge over night.

T B H – to be honest – you can put whatever you want in them. I did this version, because it is vegan and gluten free. A majority of the veggies are my most favorites. Mix & match what your heart desires and your belly will be happy !!

If you have any questions, comment on the blog!

Enjoy your tasty delight Summer Roll – you are totally going to be obsessed and going to want to make them everyday !!

Bon Appetite!

Chef Lshawtay

PS. it’s okay if you have like 4-6 for a meal !

THE HOME GOODS

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Have you been wondering where I’ve been for the last 6 months ? Wow where do I even begin ? I’ve been traveling a ton : Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Costa Rica, New York, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Las Vegas,  Los Angeles and more! And of course spending loads of time in my local city Detroit.

I’ve been attending Art Gallery openings and new exhibits, engaging and hanging with Artists, seeing live cooking events, restaurant friends and family openings (lots of new good eats to post about), the fisher theater, film festivals, sporting events, an acupuncturist, a chiropractor and a cyro spa to name a few. Even learned how to drive a stick shift !!

I’ve been trying out new recipes which I’ll share soon on the blog and via YouTube. I’ve decorated my new home wonderfully & learned more about flower arrangements. I’m currently working with a local Detroit company to have custom frames made out of recycled wood from the D.

After being in Ann Arbor for nearly 8 years I made the move to 48009 .. Birmingham, Michigan !
I live next door to my best friend Erika in a cute townhome where I have a front and backyard !  I’m going to start planting more of my own flowers / plants and extend my knowledge beyond succulents. Did I mention I  attended a Zen Center and mediated with Monks?!

Life has continued to spark and shine … just not translated on my blog. Now that it has been 6 months I feel more settled in my new home and new life I’ll make more time to get logged on the blog!!

Peace and Love,
Lshawtay

Note the planters in the front of the house … my mom and I put that together ourselves!

#BBOTD #NP #Tunesday New Era || VOL.2 ||10.TwentyFifteen

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It’s Tunesday October Twenty Six Twenty Fifteen !  27 Minutes in your ears will be dripping with eargasms. The BUMPiNG BEAT oF THE DAY #BBOTD is BigThanks To : Deeper Beat  for new Era. 

Check a Listen …

as quoted from Soundcloud Profile 

“The mixtape is the VOL. 2 by MBP Official to anticipate the forthcoming EP New Era. It’s a mixture of emotional deep vibes to chill your minds in the summer, introducing some promos of well known producers and the new vibe of MBP. Enjoy and feel free to share

Tracklist New Era Vol.2
1. Cleavage – Can’t Get Enough (Original Mix)
2. Pingpong– The Garden (Bassmelodie Remix)
3. Dastish – Sensor Love (Nicolas Hannig Remix)
4. Otto Knows – Next To Me (Pingpong Remix)
5. Super Flu – Chee Pso Ng (Original Mix)
6. Brame & Hamo – Parish Rumors (Original Mix)
7. Vanilla Ace – MDF (Yves Murasca Remix)
8. KlangKuenstler feat. Linda Muriel – Thinkin Bout You (Original Mix)
9. Josh Butler – Be True (Original Mix)
10. Pitto – You (Noir Remix) (Edit)
11. Samuel Dan & German Brigante – Sweet Home (Original MIx)
12. Moonwalk – Just You (Original Mix)
13. Groove Armada – Paris (Andhim Remix)

Follow MBP Official: @mbp-official
New Era Vol.1: Mbp-official – Mbp-official-new-era
FB: www.facebook.com/mbp.musik”

Feel the vibes piping up around 23:54 +

Vibe On,

Lshawtay

Food Photography x What it is like to be an Instagram Star

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People sure are eating with their eyes these days! It is like you’ve got your whole meal planned out thanks to Instagram or Yelp prior to even calling for your Uber.  Not saying I am not guilty of this first hand, because I do my fair share of Yelp scouting prior to dining in.

I do have to say that I give back to the Foodie Community by Yelp Reviews and Foodstagrammin’ ! & if the spot is truly giving me a coregasm i’ll post a Google and Facebook review too.

My fair share of taking pics of food began with Yelp – where i’ve earned the honor badge of being Elite for a number of years now. Check out my dank delights by clicking here  – gotta give good graces to my @Miami_FoodPorn pal & contributor for kicking me early on about joining in on the Yelp community.  This was WAYYYY before it became @Tr3ndey

Yelp is just the gateway to what detonated the internet  into a world of food images on Instagram. The foodstagrams can take a number of forms and specialties – relating to veganism, raw diets, burgers only, city specific, or just a simple this food is fucking great and u NEED it NOW.

People feel compelled to share their good eeeeats and let everyone know they are doing it ! But some really just do it better than others – and what makes one Insta star versus another?? The PHOTO – duh!

Here are a few things to consider while taking a stellar shot –

Lighting : To use flash ? or to not? Is your natural lighting on fleek? or does a friend need to use their flash light app?

Angle of shot : this is VERY important – make sure you get the money shot

Placement : do you get up close and personal? do you take an overhead shot? do you get the drinks in? are the drinks the focus?

Fingers : are they manicured! why are you even showing the fingers? hands? DO NOT include your face, or your friends.

Props : are you putting your favorite sunnys in cuz it plays into the vibe of the image? are your kicks in the shot because its a photo of coffee? what are you really trying to showcase here – the lifestyle or the food?

Exhibit 1 - above view, drinks in view, props on set

Exhibit 1 – above view, drinks in view, props on set

Exhibit 2 - larger zoomed out above view ( famed of @ChicksonChairs) , Yes props and yes drinks,

Exhibit 2 – larger zoomed out above view ( famed of @ChicksonChairs) , Yes Props and Yes Drinks

Exhibit 3 - a bit closer view point, more exclusive look into the food itself, minor props

Exhibit 3 – a bit closer view point, more exclusive look into the food itself, minor props, poor plating set up

Exhibit 4 - zoomed in, solo food shot of specific item

Exhibit 4 – zoomed in, solo food shot of specific item

Exhibit 5 - you get the whole view of the star of the photo

Exhibit 5 – you get the whole view of the star of the photo

THE MONEY SHOT !!!

THE MONEY SHOT !!!

Now you have an inside look on what it’s like to Live Like Lindsey and be a FoodStaGrammer. This collab went down in Wynnwood @ZakTheBaker one of my must haves and go-to ‘s while in Miami!  If you are down there you gotta check it out !

Keep on Eatin’,

Lshawtay

#BBOTD : The Weeknd Beauty Behind The Madness

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Kayne West collab’d on the track embedded above.

TheBananaBoat Saturday Morning I cruised around with my squad in Stevensville, Michigan bumping The Weeknd’s new Album !  Photo’d is The Banana Boat selecting the dopest track to rock out to with the ceilings missing.  Follow on Soundcloud for the best beats to make your day.

If you are looking to really feel the deep vibes of a great track that moves not only your soul but your body – turn it up a bit louder for “The Hills”

Keep on Vibin’

Lshawtay

OOTD : Farmer’s Market Uniform June 10 Twenty Fifteen

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Shoe Cam#1307daily features the outfit of the day

Step into the morning light ! Wednesday Mornings I’m UP & atta um’ to get to the Kerrytown Farmer’s Market in Ann Arbor. Even though the market starts at about 7 AM I don’t aim to be the first one there. Spotted here I’m rockin’ my new Aldo Flatforms which compliment the Essie Bikini So Teeny toe polish. I’m really into the hashtags #FromWhereIStand & #FromWhereIStood – look for a feature on my @Tr3ndey Instagram account.

Creepin’ in the shot the bottom of my BoyFriend Jeans by JBRAND  – this was the first time that I let the bottom go unrolled.

Full View ShotSunnies On Fleek   The most classic basic outfit for spring time is this – perfect for work or headin’ to the Farmer’s Market.  A tight black basic T Shirt is one of the most essential items you need in your closet.   I’m kinda digging the unrolled look for the Jbrand Boyfriend Jeans !  This outfit requires little thought and looks sharp.

Wouldn’t leave home with out my dope new Dior shades !  Here’s an up close and personal shot of me in the sunnies from @Lshawtayy on Instagram

Keep it Klassy Ya’ll

Lshawtay

Only YOU can make it better

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Start UP your day with a bumping playlist of tunes or just simply one song on REPEAT

Today’s Eargasm has got me going all day ( granted it’s only 215PM) ! Pump up the volume for this Bumping Beat of The Day: Revolution by Diplo ! This remix will most def turn up your day.

Maybe the music to your ears isn’t enough to make your day better. If you happen to be in Ann Arbor walk on over to your nears Arbor Bike Stop – mine happens to be the Library Lane located on South 5th Street between East William & East Liberty.  You can slide in your credit card and for $6 you get to pop out a lovely blue bike to ride for the next 60 minutes. Ice Coffee & Arbor Bike I didn’t really have a plan of where I would go on my bike ride … just let the sunshine and day take me to where the road led.  On my journeys I got a bit thirsty and remembered the Jefferson Market & Cakery was near by.  The Jefferson Market was voted Best Local Cakery in Michigan more than 3 times. Today, April 15th happens to be their 8th birthday! To celebrate they were rolling out Free Slices of their famous cakes. Balloon Cake Although the pic of the cake is not featured you can find one hear on my @tR3NDEY instagram account.

Inside Jefferson MarketTo celebrate today was the official opening day of their re-model of the interior of the shop. The Jefferson Market is located on 609 West Jefferson Street in downtown Ann Arbor.

HOURS

Monday they are closed but are open : Tuesday – Thursday 8-2PM and Friday 8-5. The best time to go I think is for the weekend brunch : Saturday & Sunday 10-1 PM. Floors at Jefferson Market

I was totally feeling this authentic wood floor and had to take a snapshot.

Here is a photo of my lunch ” The Enlightenment ” on a Pretzel Roll & the Arbor Bike i Rode over. Lunch 4.15.15 It was totally fabulous and did provide me with some enlightenment that it is up to you to make your day better !

It was really fun to hop on a bike! I probably haven’t biked since my last bike share ride in Miami Beach. I love that I was able to get in a few miles walking this morning, a few miles biking this afternoon and later on will go to Yoga down the block.

Vibe On, Walk 10,000 steps, and eat things you love,

Lshawtay