Taya Starling

OH WHAT A WEEK.

I left LA last Sunday after a whirlwind few days wrapping up my life there to prepare to head back to Asia for a few weeks of work and play and here I am now, one week later after two days of travel and 3 days of jet lag and endless adventures.  Adventure, always.

It’s been an incredible week.

Recently I’ve discovered Oh Wonder and I can’t stop listening to them! So excited to hear the new song they’re dropping every month! Give them a listen, I promise you won’t be able to get enough of them either:

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I found one more reason to fall in love with Natalie Portman- she has no idea where her Oscar is.  I’ll be auctioning mine off someday so I can build a few schools for Pencils of Promise.

I began reading Adam Braun’s “The Promise of a Pencil” on my flight from LA to Seoul.  I was so captivated I didn’t even want to put it down to eat, let alone to watch movies (but I did both- flights are when I get to catch up on all the movies I missed in theaters).  I’m down to the last few chapters now and I highly recommend you pick up a copy for your own reading pleasure.

The MET Gala happened and stunning celebrity after stunning celebrity graced the red carpet showing the world that fashion is indeed art in motion.  Here’s a brief list of some of the gorgeous gowns that sauntered the red carpet including that unworldly number by Asian Couture Federation designer GuoPei worn by Rihanna.  All hail GuoPei! And yeah BadGirlRiRi ain’t bad either.

I found this stunning video on Vimeo this week and can’t stop watching it in utter awe of our planet and how it moves. I move, therefore I am.  The Earth moves, therefore it is.  We are all a part of this collective energy that pulses through the Universe.  I hope you’re using your energy for good.  I hope you move this beautifully.

Move from Aaron Keigher on Vimeo.

I came across this cheeky alphabet illustrated guide to author wardrobes

and consequentially found Kate Gavino of Last Night’s Reading and swooned.

Robert M Drake (better known as RMDRK)’s new book, Black Butterfly, finally hit Amazon and bookstores almost everywhere making our instagram dreams a physical reality.  Snag your own copy and settle in for a night or two of poetry.  It thrills me that poetry is making a comeback.

I arrived in Bangkok just in time to show the incredible Lewis Howes how to get down in Thailand and we filled two days up with adventures and amazing conversations.  If you haven’t heard of him yet you’re sorely missing out on his wisdom and his School of Greatness.  Check out his website and his inspiring podcasts, along with one of my favorite recent ones:

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In honor of Mother’s Day this sunday May 10th, here’s an article featuring advice from 18 mothers from 5 different continents.  My mother has given me so many nuggets of priceless advice over the years… most recently she said, “Most of life isn’t as serious as we think.  Sometimes we need to just let go, forgive, and move on to focus on the more important things like who we can help next.”

On that note, call your mom, your surrogate mom, your older sister, your grandma, your female mentor, or any strong female figure in your life who has made an impact on you.  Call her and say thank you.