Forgotten Dreams

On By Rebekka LienIn art, Fashion, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Lately I’ve been having dreams that have caused me to cry in my sleep. This afternoon I have a dream where I’m teaching my beautiful students how to sew. My mom steps in and tells me she is not going to pay me for my time, I’m outraged and leave.

Now this actually happened.

In my career in fashion, I often felt underpaid and overworked. I felt no value. I left the industry because of it, I needed to find my worth first.

In the dream I start watching a scary movie but one of my students is still there, she cries. I hug both of them and start crying, I say it’s going to be okay. I am sorry, I won’t do it again.

There is so much fear, competition and intimidation in industries and I am reminded that we must live out our power and faith by remembering we were put on this earth to create freely, not to step on each other, but to empower and create in support and love.

I want to bring back the power of nurture and freedom in industries that have been taken over by the power of fear.

Come on.

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If I Had Listened To the Naysayers…

On By Rebekka LienIn entrepreneur, solo travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

If I had listened to the lies, I wouldn’t have believed that all things were possible.

I found a list of things I wrote- 5 star hotels, free travel, free hotels….and this day, I can say all those things are happening. Yes, and I get to do things I love, creative projects I am proud of. What changed for me?

I believed. 

When you pray, God does not expect you to pay. That is actually what grace means, it means it is not something you work for. Of course, you prepare yourself by being always excellent with your word (read the 4 laws of agreement (I think that’s what the book is called). This is more about being a good steward of what you’ve been given, in effect, being totally GRATEFUL for everything you have already been given – shelter, food, love, family, friends. How can God give you more when you grumble about the things He has already given you? 

Throughout the 5 years since I’ve been self employed, I’ve had to erase some beliefs I had about myself- things like “I’m worthless, I can’t, I don’t have enough money to, I’m not pretty enough”. God adjusted my worth level internally.

Once I started to let go of disappointments, bitterness, thoughts of unbelief and lack, things started happening. I also had to let go of the hustle. 

I let go of things that felt forced, like I was striving, things that pulled me down, drained me of energy, had little return in joy or investment. I let go of regrets, what I could have or should have done, I let go of the past. 

God told me to let go of the little gigs, you know the little opportunities that was not worth my time, the ones that paid little or had little exposure, you know, the ones that people think will forever give them a big break.

I let go of LITTLE THINKING people. Negative people are energy drainers. People who talked crap about me, who didn’t see my vision and said that I was just playing, just fooling around, being a bum traveling- I also refused to meet with them, because I knew they would drain my dreams.

I learned to think of abundance, I said “I am rich, I am beautiful, I am the daughter of the Great I am”. I changed my words, I no longer spoke in “I can’t, but, that’s impossible”. I no longer complained, I knew that every word I spoke was creating my world and it says “by your words you are justified”. 

I aligned myself with people believed in the truth, not “reality”, which is always just a manifestation of the past.

I forgave. I released relationships that no longer thrived. And I believed that I was worthy to receive the good God has for me. Thank you Jesus.

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Souk Shawarma {Restaurant Review}

On By Rebekka LienIn food, travel2 Comments

“If you find yourself in a foreign land for the first time, and want to learn about the culture and the people, find you way to the local market and you will expose yourself to the food and culture of that foreign land in the best possible way.”– Matt , Celebrity Chef and Avid Traveler.

As a traveler myself I had to try the newest Middle Eastern foodie paradise, Souk Shawarma (opened on November 30, 2015) . The restaurant is located in Downtown on 1111 Wilshire Blvd, close to the neck of K-town.

What is unique about Souk Shawarma is that the owners/chef are passionate about the food they create. As a 20 year expert chef, Matt has lived and traveled in the Caribbean and all over the middle east. His co-founder is Andrew, also a chef and food enthusiast. The delectable dishes are inspired by tastes of Eastern Mediterranean, North African, Moroccan and the Gulf Region (duck) and flavors from Lebanon (chicken) and Turkey (beef).

“It is a journey home for those with childhood memories laced with family trips down to the souk, you eagerly await the meat as it is shaved and layered into piping hot pita bread, topped with chopped salad, tahini, fries, pickles. It is a trip inside your scrapbook for the traveler, the explorer who took a moment to rest and refuel, while navigating the never-ending maze of the souk, and the tried shawarma for the first time. It is the perfect balance of timeless tradition and modern fare for those experiencing the flavor of the Middle East for the first time, just a small window into the vast culture and the flavorful cuisine of the region.”

After 4 years of planning, Andrew and Matt successfully founded and opened a restaurant with delicious and savory shawarma, meat roasted over open fire, wood-fired oak.

When I visited, there was a huge line of people.

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http://www.soukshawarma.com/

1111 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 104
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 935-8373

 

 

 

Tabbouleh- tomato, parsley, mint, scallions, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, spices. My favorite. Fresh salad sides are ready to go and are a great refreshing side to the shawarmas.

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Popcorn Fallafel image2

Hummus

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Shawarma fries, this is one of my favorite dishes, green onions, your choice of shawarma and some cheese with their signature sauce. image5

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Different meats with signature sauces and grilled veggies, remember only Souk Shawarma actually roasts meat over open fire created by oak wood, while most restaurants use gas. The fire creates a special chewy texture which makes the meat even more tasty and adds to the unique spices. A + for making my stomach happy and my taste buds fired with love.

What Is Happiness?

On By Rebekka LienIn faith6 Comments

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Catba Vietnam

10 years later I find myself sitting at the orthodontist and looks me straight in the eyes “wear your retainers 24/7”, I’m like are you serious? And then I get some hot cheetos, my favorite magnum ice cream and some horchata, none of which is that healthy, but enjoying these snacks while walking a mile home, I suddenly am filled with delight.

I was always easily amused growing up.

In fact, you could put me in my room and I’d play with my barbies with a whole day, making up stories and have them talk to each other. 

I could spend days on end imagining and living in my own world. I was happy.

Then all of a sudden, I found myself comparing my life with others. Well, they have a bigger house, oh I need a cell phone too? The truth was, I was already content because my mind was filled with fascinating delights. But as I got older, I started to see that “success”, you know by means of hustle was important to 99% of people. Though my mom encouraged the arts, teaching us piano, sending us to cello lessons, at the end of the month, the stress of bills seemed to outweigh the joy of creating.

I found myself wanting to help, to be independent. I worked all throughout college, my parents didn’t have to pay one cent of my college tuition. I climbed the corporate ladder, only to very fast, find out I hated it. And I hated structure because I needed my own space to create and to be myself. 

What frustrates me with human beings these days is that they see sitting at a desk, being unhappy a sign of productivity.

What frustrates me with human beings these days is that it never seems to be enough.

What frustrates me with human beings is that they (or I) often worry about tomorrow when today is just as beautiful and the human beings you love are right in front of you, while you are staring at your Iphone trying to figure out when your next client will call.

So in the midst of being a walking sage these days, I find myself saying hello to animals, plants, finding potholes, secret pathways, stairs, and I’m fascinated, I’m excited, I’m overwhelmed with the beauty that is all around me and I’m happy. 

What has it cost me to be happy?

  1. Getting rid of my car
  2. Not having a sim card
  3. Letting spirit lead.
  4. The need to control
  5. Having a lot of friends who don’t really know me.

It’s an act of returning to childlike joy, and though it cost me a great deal, reverting to who I am, a creative and joyful child, I am filled with the delight of God.

Prague: The Great

On By Rebekka LienIn solo travel, spirtual, travel, writerLeave a comment

Prague: 2014 

I rode a Euro Bus to Prague, this was an overnight bus from Berlin. We were startled by the bus as it jerked to avoid a ramp, the Polish girl next to me claimed that Polish drivers are reckless (as they get paid shit) and that the driver is probably drunk. I’m not scared. However, when we first got on the bus we were scared because there was the probability that the bus driver wouldn’t let us use the bathroom. I had to make this gesture of wiping my down there since the bathroom didn’t have toilet paper. The driver spoke no English and waved his hands “NO NO NO bathroom”. My bladder is my first concern when I get on buses that have no toilets. “Where am I going to pee?” is my first question when I board a bus.

I don’t drink liquids hours before a long bus ride…like in Thailand and Vietnma the buses don’t have toilets and you have to ask the bus driver to stop for a toilet break. Of course few people ask out of embarrassment.

I arrive around 5am in the morning, my 4 wheel duffel bag from Target reluctantly gets on a tram as I pull it with great difficulty (should have stuck with a backpack). Mind you, one of the zippers had already broken at my first destination (London).

The night is dark, and even though I often have doubts and fears, I have to get to the hostel first (this is my first instinct of survival when I’m traveling). A Czech lady helps me to the hostel, actually she walks me there. My first impression- a good one, they are kind here, they help strangers.

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Be willing to change

On By Rebekka LienIn forgiveness, philosophy, psychology, Relationships, self- reflection, self-helpLeave a comment

Be willing to change.

As I walk through this season of being with my mom, I am challenged with my ego, pride and hubris and am releasing the defensive mechanism I had for most of my life.

This defensive mechanism came from my need to protect my ego. To protect my core.

Her criticisms often made me feel unloved and not enough, never good enough.

As I grew in my spirituality I started to release old mentalities and thought patterns. I released things, attachment to the material world, the need to control…but as I spend time with her, I am reminded again of the not good enough monster. In addition, in my opened eyes of seeing her inability to release things like a table from 25-30 years ago, I am noticing why she is stuck.

But I also am challenged to love in a greater way, to love from a place of- I accept and love you as you are, not when you release these old wounds, but just as you are. I accept you even in your inability to love yourself or to see that not releasing past wounds hurts you.

Today after I washed my hair, my mom kept doting “dry your hair, dry your hair”. It really didn’t matter to me, I usually air dry it. But I replied after 30 minutes “okay I’m drying my hair because I love you”.

Perhaps that was my first training for my future marriage…something might not matter to me, but if it matters to someone you love, you may just do it out of love.

And instead of incurring more annoyance, I did it out of love for her, even though I could care less if my hair is dried.

So I suppose I am maturing. I used to blame her for many things, but now I’m learning that I must overcome the annoyances within me until her words becomes only a reflection of her own spirit, not mine. And in effect, I can love her just as she is, and allow that love to change her.

Hidden Gem of Malaysia- Melaka D’Riverside Inn

On By Rebekka LienIn travelLeave a comment

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“Malacca (also spelled Melaka) is a Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula’s southwest coast. The capital, Malacca City, has a colonial past seen in its preserved town center, the site of 16th-century, Portuguese St. Paul’s Church. It’s also home to Christ Church, built by the Dutch in the 18th century and converted to the Anglican denomination under British rule in the 19th century.”- Google

Over the last month, I’ve been analyzing and regrouping what I want my website to be, I want to stay completely authentic to my vision because it is my business and life!

Well, when I was in Southeast Asia, I felt led to visit Malaysia after a month in Vietnam. I was at Hanoi at the moment and basically had nothing booked. I managed to be my own booking agent and found 2 flights connecting in Bangkok, which would save me approximately $50 since I was booking a day before. Here’s a tip, any flight coming out of Bangkok will be cheaper since Bangkok has such a large airport (flights are cheaper!). 

I spent a week in Kuala Lumpur at a bed and breakfast and proceeded to look up buses to the next city. I had never heard of Melaka, but the pictures looked old world, vintage. I was the only one in the van. I stayed at the most expensive hotel since I had nothing booked and really needed to recharge (after walking around the whole city with a broken luggage). Later, I remembered Discovery Cafe and Hostel, a bright dutch looking building. I walked over with my heavy backpack and I guess mentioned I had a blog, but TOTALLY forgot about it.

Anyways, the manager approached me and asked if I wanted to write about a new hotel they had opened up. IT WAS SUCH A GEM, with such love and history by the owner David.

D’Riverside Inn – click here to visit the site! 

 

This boutique hotel is a 3 level beauty tucked away just half a minute walk to the peaceful river of Melaka.

Why is this hotel different from any other? The colors are vibrant, every antique and vintage beauty is from David (the owner’s collection). The hotel has character, is built from the heart of the owner, and sparks nostalgia in any visitor’s hearts.

The color scheme is inspired by Greece with white, red and sky blue. In 1999, Discovery Hotel was a 3 story building with a cafe. An Aussie suggested “why not have rooms?”, from that day on, the business has expanded to hostels across the cafe, and of course D’Riverside Inn, the unique boutique it is today.

ROOMS- there are single bed rooms, duplexes that fit 1-6 people. There are only 9 hotel rooms in this boutique hotel and it is catered towards families, solo travelers, friends and colleagues. You can even book the WHOLE hotel if you have a company of people. The architecture of this hotel is meant to build community, friendship, and ease for travelers. The first floor is functional and easy for grandparents that have trouble climbing stairs. There is a cute garden on the top floor where I would write in my journal. 🙂

David is a self proclaimed china-man whose grandparents immigrated to Malaysia. He worked for a travel publisher for 18 years and came to love the world of travel. Not only is he owner of Discovery Cafe and Hotel, his business is a family one. I had the opportunity to stay at D’Riverside Inn for more than a week and felt like a queen in my own palace.

The staff also welcomed me with open arms. After traveling for two months already, I was worn out and felt home sick, but I regained energy and peace again in Melaka. In fact, I felt like I had been adopted to a Malaysia family. Some staff were from Philippines, some from various countries, but I always felt at home.

Below: These amazing rides that takes you around town and plays any music you want. 2. Dancing with ladies at a temple. 3. Eating with the family, did I mention MALAYSIAN FOOD IS AWESOME?!!!! THE FOOD IS RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. Seafood especially.

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Christ Church

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Beautiful Mosque by the sea

Visit the website at http://www.d-riversideinn.com/

https://www.facebook.com/driversideinn/

 

 

On By Rebekka LienIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I am completely overtaken with love.

This time I feel possessed with the spirit, captured, drunken with love. I was so heavy with burden, laden with grief, like a widow who lost her husband, her kids.

I cried in comedies even. I finally understand my journey and why I went through such a wilderness. The last two nights I felt a passion and courage I’ve never felt before.

I felt a joy I haven’t felt in ages, I am standing up on the inside, I am dancing on the outside. I am high off of spirit and I’m burdened with love and there is something I’m imparting soon. I am focused, no longer distracted with other peoples’ fears.

Where the spirit is there is liberty. So I was purified of fear, because spirit cannot overtake you if fear is within you. But when spirit overtakes you, it is no longer you dancing, it is spirit dancing, it is spirit writing, it is spirit speaking through you.

That’s why they say the greatest talents on earth are godlike, because God has overtaken their abilities and it is no longer striving, it is being, resting in spirit of God.

Put Your Dreams First Not The HOW

On By Rebekka LienIn entrepreneur, UncategorizedLeave a comment

   
My analysis of faith

 I am releasing faith today. 

Those of you who know me have always known that I put the dream first, not the how. 

Because of this, I rely heavily on faith. 

Not on my own ability. 

And miracles have conspired to help me. 

Resting in grace is for the brave.

I never thought I would have the opportunities I have today, getting on tv shows, traveling, writing, everything I love doing. And to be honest, it never manifested because of one big break….

I just believed I could live that way without being a slave to the system of work.

Today I’ve untangled myself from the needs of western society, you know the propaganda of the american Dream, white picket fence and 2.5 kids….I want marriage, I want kids, but that doesn’t have to look like the jonnesses. I haven’t had a car, one apartment, laptop for one year. I’ve been SIM card less for almost 3 months. 

Before I feared that I’d miss a call from my agent or casting directors but today I know if it’s for me, it’ll reach me without me having to be on my phone 24/7. 

Setting healthy boundaries on love. 

I get to live the way I want because it’s my life. So that means traveling with family, working from home, relaxing when most of society is striving under the lie of not being enough, helping the world by empowering people with stories of hope….

I thank God everyday.