Category: Weekly Links

I enjoy reading biographies and autobiography.  Getting a more intimate look at the life events that have contributed to shaping the present of that particular person can be very inspiring.  And one that’s going to be exciting to read it’s Meghan Markle’s biography American Princess: The Love Story of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, by Leslie Carroll.  I was quite surprised to find out in this excerpt that at the age of eleven Meghan was already making a positive impact in the world.  “It was at that moment that I realized the magnitude of my actions.  At the age of eleven, I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality.” Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle’s biography, the best road trips in america

Traveling abroad brings a world of excitement and expectation but taking road trips also has its fair share of adventure without the stress of flying.  We are planning a couple of road trips this year, so we may take a cue from The Year’s Best Road Trips in America.

If you are a coffee drinker, I am, and I don’t feel sorry about it and neither should you, at least not if your consumption is within the usual average one.  Here are Five Myths About Caffeine, my favorite of all is the fact that a serving of espresso coffee doesn’t have more caffeine than a regular cup of coffee.

Do you get the feeling of frustration every time you hear of another gun violence at schools? You can help to make a difference.  Everytown for Gun Safety has partnered with home design brands to raise money for its fourth annual Gun Violence Awareness Day.

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The remedy to Global Warming once and for all may be found in certain rocks capable of capturing a lot of carbon dioxide from the air through a natural process called carbon mineralization.  It’s comforting to know that there are countless scientists trying hard to find a way to halt or reverse our world’s greatest threat.  Experiments of this natural reaction may start being conducted in California.  “They remove planet-warming carbon dioxide from the air and turn it to stone.  In theory, these rocks could store hundreds of years of human emissions of CO2”.   How Oman’s Rocks Could Help Save the Planet

Schloss Hollenegg Castle

Do you want to know how a modern 21st Century family adapts their modern way of living to a 12th Century Castle with 52 bedrooms in desperate need of a major restoration?   When a 21 st-Century Family Moves Into a 12th-Century Castle.

Chrissy Tiegen

If there is one Instagram account that I’m glad I follow, it’s Chrissy Tiegen’s.  To say she is hilarious is a understatement… I saw her post yesterday morning where she was making fun of the fact that she didn’t attend The Met Gala in her own funny way.  To see her other posts trolling those who attended the gala go here.  It’s pretty funny.

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In most buffet type restaurants in Germany, people eat out of porcelain plates, silverware and drink out of glass.  Of course, that excludes Starbucks take out.  I was delighted to read about how bans on plastic straws are growing.  Plastic is not chic.

Is minimalism overrated? Some people confuse the reality with an idea.  “It’s unrealistic to expect people to live completely in empty boxes and to think living that way makes us more pure”…

I read the book Gut by Gulia Enders a couple of years ago, and it’s interesting to see how science is taking so long to catch up with the concept in the book, which is how much our gut is linked directly to our brain and how much it affects our overall health.  ” Science is piecing together how the trillions of microbes that live on and in all of us – our microbiome – affect our physical health.  But even conditions including depression, autism, and neurodegenerative disease are now being linked to these tiny creatures.”

You know the saying French do it better, hence if you are looking for a cleanse you may want to follow the advice of How to Cleanse for Spring, the French Way.

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This new digital-native generation has proven to be smart and overachievers.  Many young people are achieving millionaire status before they even reach their thirties.  This article gives an insightful look into what it takes to become a millionaire and the pieces of advice given in the article can be applied by anyone, even by those who are not millennials.  Hint, you should be prepared to sacrifice social life and friends, and yes that includes Instagram.  At least for a while…

There are different opinions about whether or not alcohol is indeed beneficial.  On one side the industry claims that a glass of wine, especially red wine is good for the heart on the other side, studies show a direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer.  There have been over 100 studies that have confirmed the link with steady results.  This journalist claims that drinking alcohol gave her breast cancer.  I found the article very compelling and full of information and research conclusions I never heard of before.

If you like modern design and stay abreast of what is happening in the design world… you don’t have to love modern and innovating design to be able to appreciate it.  Inspiration can be anywhere.  Salone del Mobile 2018, the annual celebration of global design which happens for one week every April just took place, but you can see 9 of the Most Captivating Installations at Salone del Mobile.

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It’s hard to avoid mentioning Amazon at least once during the day.  Amazon has become the daily supplier of everything to millions of people.  Who doesn’t receive a package from the online retailer at least once a week?  We get one almost every day…  Now Amazon is also offering cleaning service, really… read more about it here.

Who is ready to start winding down at an outdoor restaurant terrace while enjoying good food.  Food and Wine recently listed The Restaurants of the Year 2018.  “The restaurants we fell in love with this year were the ones that offer a rich portrait of the people who made them.  They remind us that a good meal can capture the spirit of a place as sharply as a postcard” F&W.  Get to know them here.

One of my favorite authors has always been Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  I have read many of his books and One Hundred Years of Solitude about three times in my life.  Twice in Spanish and once in English.  If you haven’t yet, you have to read it.  If you don’t believe me, believe William Kennedy when declared that the novel should be required reading for the human race.  It’s that good.  And while you are there get to know other Latin American authors by reading one of these 7 Life-Altering Books by Latino Authors, here.

Mother and Child book

Sometimes I feel that I became an adult after giving birth to my son.  After having him my whole life perspective and feelings changed for the better.  I feel I have to thank him for the maturity I owned today.  Claiborne Swanson Frank’s new book Mother and Child captures motherhood by photographing 70 iconic modern mothers.  In this interview, she explains what motivated her to make this book.

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Milan is one of my favorite cities in Italy.  It’s artistic, modern and the architecture is beautiful.  No wonder it is Italy’s fashion capital.  One of my favorite places was hands down Fundazione Prada.  The architecture of the Founzione feels like an otherworldly place emanating from the past.  Everything feels pretty surreal, especially its restaurant that resembles a Wes Anderson movie.  Fashion houses are leaving their marks in more forms than just fashion, commissioning amazing architectures that represent their brands to house their foundations.  This article lists 8 Architectural Wonders of the Fashion World.  It’s inspiring to see these fashion-forward structures.

8 Architectural Wonders of the Fashion World belle vivir

Louis Vuitton Store at Place Vendome

Even when I don’t consider myself Catholic anymore ( I am more spiritual than anything else), there are certain teachings that I still live by very strongly. One of them is to not eat any animal that is considered impure. So no crickets, or snake or anything of that is “considered” not good for our bodies.  When I read this article about foods nutritionist won’t eat I felt more confident about my choices on food. I steer away from everything artificial.  Growing up I used to love coffee mate until I found out that nothing but absolutely nothing in a coffee mate is made or derived from nature. Every single ingredient is made in a laboratory.  So since I stopped consuming coffee mate with my expresso, I’ve been using almond milk instead.

steven volpe belle vivir

Steven Volpe Design

If you are remodeling your home, chances are you might have encountered one or two unscrupulous contractors.  Read here about how to find the good ones, how to choose one, what you should stipulate in the contract and if things go south, how to file a complaint. Learn more about how to avoid remodeling nightmares.

Success is liking yourself,

liking what you do,

and liking how you do it.

Maya Angelou

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