Hi guys! How y'all doin? 

I've had quite a busy month, lots of working and lots of performing, and I've loved every second of it (well, the music work, not so much the traditional working lol...)! I also have some exciting news!! I'm happy to announce that I'm going on US tour with artist Sam Smith! 

I'm so elated and blessed, and thankful for this opportunity. Without friends in my corner and support from them and my family, none of this would have come into fruition. And God, I prayed that I wanted an opportunity to travel, I didn't know how, but a way, and He made a way. Thank you!

Topshop

top,

Uniqlo

pants,

Zara

heels,

Co-lab

via

TJ

Maxx

 leather backpack

I leave NYC Sunday, and the first stop of the tour is Boston, at the House of Blues. I feel like I'm coming full-circle, as I went to college in Boston, and I know that venue very well, from attending many times, even having thrown an event there my senior year! I'm hoping to see some professors and friends when I get into town! I've posted the dates so far on

my website

so check it out! 

Coming to a city near you :) 

I really am going to try to document the tour and take photos, and share my experiences with you all! I'm bringing my camera!

Hope you all are doing well, and thanks for all the support via my blog, instagram, emails... No comment goes unnoticed! Stay with me on this journey!

-Kris

photography by:

KeVain

Zara blazer, F21 jeans, earrings, & necklace, TJ Maxx blouse (similar here), Tory Burch booties (old), Super sunnies.

I uploaded a photo on instagram yesterday showing the location where I shot these photos. I felt like I was in The Hunger Games, and joked with my mom, stating that we needed to listen out for a running stream just incase. I then proceeded to whistle that 4-note tune to the non-existent Mockingjay's... Not surprisingly, there was no response.

How is everyone? How is it already December?! This year has definitely flown by.

I am now a Lucky Magazine contributor, which is pretty exciting!! A couple of my blog posts have been published so far, so please check them out, and vote them up for me! :) 

On another note, Monday's are such a drag, but it's supposed to be 60 degrees today, which is quite strange (global warming is real)! Only 2 weeks until holiday break (yes I'm counting down the days)!

Until then, have a great work/school week!

-Kris

The Limited Blazer (similar here), TJ Maxx blouse (similar here) & pants (similar here), F21 boots.

It was absolutely freezing cold outside when I took these photos yesterday, and flurrying too! I don't know why or how, but that episode of The Babysitters Club popped into my head while I was outside. The episode when one of them gets casted as a model for a photo shoot, and had to man up and shoot in the dead of winter with no coat? Does anyone remember that episode? I'm sure a lot of you reading were probably too young to tune into that show! So random, but that's what kept me going in this cold haha!

Everyone came over to our house for the holiday, and it was great to see everyone! My mother THREW DOWN (as usual). I can't stress enough how well she can cook! I of course still have a seat at the kiddie table, and although 24, am asked if I'm old enough to buy beer lol. (I also dyed the tips of my hair recently). You like?

My plate. #gluttony

Cousin awkwardness...

I don't know how the second half of this post turned into a hair ad, but let's just roll with it lol. I have a giveaway lined up for you all once I hit 300 readers via GFC! If you aren't already following, and you're a fan of my blog, please join! I'd appreciate the support!

Enjoy this last day off before back to work & school on Monday!

-Kris

Good morning guys, and welcome Fall!  As I've stated in my last post, this is my favorite season!  It has been so beautiful outside!  The leaves are starting to turn, those autumn colors are surrounding me...  And the weather - the mid 70's is my jam!  Sunny and cool, but not cold (there's a difference lol).  But let me stop sounding like a weather woman...

H&M sweater (old), Target denim vest (old), Gap belt (old), ASOS pleated skirt, Joan & David leather boots (old), Chanel eyeglasses (similar here).

How are you all doing this week?  

I spent last weekend in New York with my dad's side of the family.  Although this was under unfortunate circumstances, I can't tell you how great it felt being surrounded by my family.  I love them all so much, and I was actually sad to have to head back home.  One message that we all took from this past weekend, was that we have to work to stay in touch, and to see each other.  Once a year is no longer acceptable.  My father is one of 10 children, and each child has a family, and many of their children have children as well.  We have a big family, and it's hard to coordinate with everyone.  Especially since we live all over the US, even some in Canada!  

But you make time for the things that are important in your life, right?

I think Leilani is getting better at better at her photography- I think these turned out great Lei, thanks for shooting again!

This week on instagram (you can follow me @krisbliss), I also feed the photos daily to my FB page here:

Lei and I attended an Allen Stone concert the other night, and it was PHENOMENAL.  He had an opening act- Tingsek (who is also another one of our faves), a soulful guy from Switzerland (lol), and his keyboard player was reallly good.  I first saw Allen Stone at Firefly Music Festival this past summer, and I was very impressed.  But let me tell you- he shut it down again!  Leilani and I are still recovering LOL!  We listened to his records after the concert, and it was wasn't the same.  I urge you to look up his live stuff- let me know what you think!

On another note, I'm getting my hair done today- something different that I haven't done before, and I'm pretty excited about it! I hope it turns out well!

Another video up, based on the most frequently asked question I get about my hair!

: 

-Kris

The other day, I was just breezing through my archives, and came across a blog post I wrote on my opinons on dating called "It's been on my mind."  I reread the post and comments, and it had me reflecting.  A little shy of a year later, have my opinions changed?  Do I still hold the same viewpoints and values then that I do now?  Before proceeding, you may want to read or breeze through the earlier post.

Where I was emotionally at that time was single, frustrated, and confused.  My main questions were:

                                                    1. Technology and social media negatively impact how my generation communicates.

                                                    2. Why don't men want to date?

                                                    3. Does traditional dating exist in my generation?

Based on my experiences and the feedback I'd received since then, I feel that men do want to date, but there are factors that can negatively attribute to their perspectives on relationships.  "Due to outside pressures such as (popular society culture) men are not allowed to express such thoughts... If one can not express his own thoughts publicly, may he neglect to think of those thoughts personally? -Bernadette


I was speaking to my friend Bernie about how our generation is so heavily influenced by the media and technology, that it can be a hinderance in regards to in person communication.  She stated, "When actually on a date, smart phones might as well have their own seat, as people pay more attention to their phone than their own date."  There's just that lack of attention and connection, and we need get to get back to being able to communicate on a functional and personal level comfortably, without hiding behind the keyboard.  In a metaphorical sense, worrying about outside elements that have nothing to do with your relationship, can also bring cause to issues, as your focus isn't between you and the person you are with, more so on what OTHER people are thinking about YOUR relationship.  Of course in long distance relationships, the use of technology is a great way of staying connected and closing the distance gap between you and your partner.  Skype, email, instant messaging, etc. makes distance and separation easier to handle, and actually increases that element of connection between both people. 

Moving on to re-answering my three main questions, here are some of the comments I had received from men in regards to, "Why don't men want to date?"



My family friend Aaron stated: 


"Some people might have to grow in several dimensions. For example, a man who wants 'instant gratification' today, may very well be a family man in the future. Question is, do you want to follow a path with that amount of growth? If yes, make the adjustments, define some boundaries, and be patient."



My friend Mario actually had written his own blog post in response to mine.  Here's an excerpt: 


"I still believe in dating, and good conversation and true compatibility through non-sexual communication. I think it's essential to find that connection, because it is what will keep that relationship afloat when good looks and bedroom antics get old.  I do think more mature men care about finding the right match. It is sadly true that us men do mature a bit slower than women do mentally, so good luck finding that maturity in a man under 25-27 years of age, but it exists.  Men Still Want to Date."

Wearing a blazer & jeans from F21, gifted leopard scarf, The Loft snakeskin clutch, Franco Sarto shoes via Marshalls, Old Navy t-shirt

I've also received feedback via twitter from my blog readers on their relationship experiences...


"Me and my boyfriend have been dating for 5 years now. Only after a year of dating each other, I moved out of town, making our relationship long distance. At first everything was good. But then after a few months of us being separated, things got really hard between us. We started fighting and our trust between each other was not as strong as before. This had been going on for a few more months, until we almost broke up. This scared the s*** out of me because we were friends for so long, and I realized that I can't lose him to distance. So I had a serious talk with him about how I was feeling, and we agreed that long distance shouldn't break something so valuable. We started to communicate more, which led to us trusting again. All in all, my advice is: If you know you really care for someone, work to make it work. Three years has passed since then, and I don't have one regret in my decision." -Nicole




"I wasn't much of a relationship type of guy. Honestly, you could have called me a "player." This all stopped when I met my girlfriend (now fiance) through a friend. We instantly hit it off, becoming close friends within a couple months. Knowing my "bad guy" ways that used to lead me to these "not so good girls," I realized this was something more, and didn't want to mess it all up. I told her about my past and she (thank God) was willing to stick it out. I'm not going to lie, it was NOT easy, but I have to give it to her... Her patience was everything.  Seeing her commitment and having her by my side made me want to change for the better. A little over 2 years latter, I decided to ask her THAT question!" -Craig

My last original question, "Does traditional dating exist in our generation?"


A factor could be our current society.  Many women (at one point, including myself), questioned if men truly want to date us today because of how we see our parents, who grew up in a generation of young marriage.  We are now the same age as our parents were when they got married, so we're wondering why we're not at that point in our lives today.  Example: The average age of marriage in the 1970's-1980's was 22-25 years old.  Today, it's 28-33 years old.  We may have expectations in that regard, as well as the traditional standards of which dating should entail.  Opening doors, paying for meals, walking on the street side of the sidewalk...  Furthermore, another contribution to slower maturation rates between women and men are the way society raises them.  Women are raised first as dainty girls with Barbie and Ken dolls,  instilling in them the importance of marriage and finding a husband, dreaming of their wedding day, etc.  Men are raised as tough boys to be strong, non-emotional, and to grow up and get a good job.  So naturally, women get to that place before men ever have to think about "settling down."

 So then I ask Bernie, "So given all these outside factors that play upon a relationship and may potentially destroy a relationship (depending on an individual's sense of stability and knowing oneself)... How do you make a relationship work?  How do you save a relationship from breaking?  How do you keep a good relationship going?"

Communication As I've already mentioned, communication is key.  Without it results in increased assumption, misinterpretation, loss of focus and levelness between each other, and all around confusion, if you don't communicate with your partner!  Remember, your partner canNOT read your mind.  Establish communication from the beginning.  HEAR and LISTEN to your partner and respect and realize their needs and desires. P.S. Leave the pride at home.  Pride does not work in relationships.  Too proud to communicate?  Too proud to show affection?  Too proud to step down and abide to another person's needs?  As Bernie would say, "You are not ready."  LOL!

Trust One thing I've realized from my personal experiences is that people trust at different speeds.  I myself am a pretty good reader of people, so I know off the bat whether I can trust you or not.  Some may trust a person after being at risk in a situation where they see that other person came through for them.  Other people just continue to spend time and experiences with that other person which ultimately leads to their trust.  In the meantime, the best you can do is be yourself, be there for that person, and in time you should gain their trust.  However, trust is not merely, "Will this person hurt me? Will this person cheat on me? Will this person lie to me?"  If you look at trust in this way, you are going down a path that will always lead to distrust, furthermore, never giving that person a chance to earn your trust in the first place.  Trust is far beyond any of that.  "Will this person help me grow? Would I trust this person with my inner most fears? Will I trust this person to tell me when I need to fix a negative trait, and not only point the finger, but be there for me when I need help confronting this problem?"  Trust involves willing to risk your emotional abilities, realizing that you can't control everything, and that you do have to rely on somebody else.  Additionally, a lot of people don't look at an individual for themselves.  Past experience has a lot to do with a person's general outlook in regards to trust, but people easily carry on pain to the next person they get involved with, and never treat that next person as their equal.  For instance, if a woman has a bad experience with a man she thought was genuine and ended up just wanting to get in her pants, why wouldn't she think the next guy wouldn't do that?  Generalizations are no good going into new relationships because right off the bat, just by being in that person's presence, you already have something going against you, from those past experiences. 

Commitment/Work There is no such thing as "the perfect relationship."  A relationship is work between two people, not a domination of one person to a subordinate other.  Relationships won't always be even, but when they become uneven in any way, it is you and your partner's job to realize that and figure out how to balance it.  BOTH people involved have to WANT to make it work.  After establishing YES I want to work, there is mass effort that must be done, because there is also no such thing as an effortless relationship.  You two may be effortlessly compatible, but it is effort that elongates compatibility into an ongoing relationship.  When hitting these rocky roads, you have to see them as speed bumps, not stop signs.  Long distance relationships require more work and commitment, and no you don't have to be in the same place to build trust, but you both have to have it on your mind.  Both people have to be committed to increase trust,  and be involved with getting the other one ready.  Again, putting your emotional vulnerability out there for the other person to see... Demonstrating support, willingness, etc., that will ultimately grow into love. 

Compatibility Many people believe you have to be the same type of person to be compatible.  Not true.  I naturally tend to go for someone who has the same values as I, but not the same personality or job field.  If not, what are we learning from each other?  Things I personally find important are values, energy between my partner and I, long term goals, being a driven individual, creativity... Others may believe that once in a relationship, you turn into one person.  Not quite, and no thank you (lol).  A relationship is two individuals complimenting each other.  Where one has a fault, the other tries to help.  You help each other grow.  You learn to love the strengths and the weaknesses.  You don't eliminate each other's individuality, you love the person for who they are and who they can be.

Room for Growth People grow and learn life lessons at different times, different speeds, or may not recognize certain insights at all.  Remember and respect your partner's ideas and opinions.  Although you may not agree, get to know the deeper issues of your partner.  Many times, superficial issues that you may see and deem as fault, may very well be a result of a bad experience in the past.  Have compassion and understand why people do certain things.  How do we do that?  ASK.  OBSERVE.  GROW TOGETHER.  Confront the issue to your partner in a genuine manner, and work together in finding WHY he/she feels that way.  Continuously work with your partner in flushing out the negativity so that he/she may grow.  Not just for the relationship, but as a person.  That is why there is such importance in time, focus and effort... If you see potential for growth in your relationship, be that companion for the betterment of each other.  Using the tools of communication, trust, commitment and work, your compatibility, and room for growth will keep you in the right mindset for potential sustaining a healthy relationship overall!

I'm obviously no relationship guru, but in all this reflecting, I am finding that there are things that I do well, things I can work on, and things I wasn't even aware of before writing this post.  By sharing this knowledge, I hope you all reading, will be able to get something out of this post as well.  Relationships are a constant work in progress, that involve many elements... But all we can do, as humans, is try the best we can to make them work  :-)

-Kris

Hope you enjoyed the post!  Let's open another discussion.  I want to know your thoughts and opinions, so make sure to leave a comment!

Happy New Year!

I know, it sounds weird and awkward for me to say it, being as it's almost the end of January... But I'm giving myself a "grace period" (if you will) since my last post was technically in 2011!  I am very excited for 2012!  I have so many plans and goals I want to achieve, and it's just nice to have that fresh feeling of a new start.  A lot of my personal goals are long term, so the key for me is to continue striving towards attaining and maintaining these goals.  Looking back on 2011, most of my goals are the same now as they were, though some have changed.  There's always a few new editions as well, lol, but overall I think resolutions are healthy, NOT cliche!

Excuse my umbrella, but it was pouring raining yesterday!  Of course it decides to rain right as I walk outside lol.  I just imagined the whole time that the umbrella was a cute accessory to my outfit.  This is actually the first snow we've had this winter!

Wearing a Calvin Klein trench coat with faux fur collar, H&M sweater, F21 skirt, and Donald J. Pliner leather boots.

taken with instagram

I would also like to say a big hello to all of my new readers!  HELLO THERE! *big wave + cheesy smile*  Thanks for joining me, and don't be afraid to reach out!!  Happy Tuesday!

To end this post with a quote that has been inspiring me lately...

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” 

― Martin Luther King Jr.

-Kris

Hey guys!  Do you see my summer glow?  I've been getting my sun on as much as possible.  The weather here has been beautiful (with the occasional random thunderstorms usually once every week lol), but besides that I am just enjoying summertime!  Can you believe it's already July?  Time is flying right past me!

I styled my hair in an afro by putting my hair in chunky two-strand twists left in overnight and picking

my hair out the next day.

Wearing a top from T.J. Maxx, Topshop skirt, vintage Art Deco piece circa 1970's London via my BFF Sasha, Rachel Roy gold chain heels, and my nail color is "Lickety-Split Lime" by Sally Hansen.

I am obsessing over this nail color.  I've been wearing it non-stop for 2 weeks straight!

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend, mine was low-key, but enjoyable nonetheless!

Have a great rest of the week!

-Kris

This weather has been such a drag (RuPaul reference)!!  But all I ask is it be nice on my birthday weekend.  I mean, it's not for another few weeks, but I'm speaking it into existence ahead of time.  That is all I want! lol

Since my official decision to choose NYC vs. LA, I've been applying for full-time jobs in NYC for the past few days intensely... All I can do is apply and follow-up until I get that interview k!  I will not give up!

Besides that, same routine... Work, working out, socializing on social media venues lol... Oh and I made the Facebook Page.  I hope you like it... LITERALLY.. (leaving the link below)!!

I've also been trying to "juice" more to get my daily servings of fruits and veggies.  I make good juice ya'll!  I can make kale, broccoli, apples, & carrots taste delightful!

The juicer actually does all the work, but hey, I come up with some pretty cool combos!

No outfit post today, but next post will definitely include one :)  I wanted to add some photos that have been giving me life lately:

I'm gna rock the natural hair all summah long baby!

I really want to do dye my hair, but I'm a wuss!

I love me some Julia Styles and I think this top is so awesome haha.  I figure this photo was taken in the late 1990's.

Willy Cartier.  Get to know him.

My mother's HS graduation photo.  She didn't smile because she had braces LOL!  I'm going to grow my hair this large one day!

I really want to try this hairstyle.  It looks hott on her!

I've also been obsessing over gel manicures.  It is a polish that can be applied on your natural nail that is dried by a UV light in like 5 minutes.  And it lasts for a good 2 weeks!  I only get it done every 2 weeks because my nails grow out by then.  Here's a pic of how bomb it looks, PLEASE EXCUSE THE ASH:

Discoveries:

-gel manicures (as discussed).  Uh-mazing.

-gaudy jewelry (I'm loving statement fashion jewelry pieces more and more each day).
-Blogger makes your pictures look like ish and grainy and gross.  I will be uploading via Photobucket from here on out.

-making short-term goals keep me hungry and always striving to achieve something greater than myself.
-I want to change my banner and my whole blog layout, so work with me here while I get it together lol 

-Kris

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(inspiration images via tumblr)