Twenty goals to accomplish in my twenties

1. Earn a Master's degree. Education is very important to me because it has allowed me to expand my scope of knowledge and increase my skills. While I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in finance in May, I definitely don't want to stay away from school too long because I know that obtaining a higher degree will allow me to advance my career.

2. Save at least $5,000 per year. I want to purchase a home at some point in the future and saving now will make that possible. I also enjoy travelling, which costs money. Thus, I want to be able to see more of the world without being limited by my finances.

3. Travel to twenty countries and/or cities that I haven't visited before. This may be a stretch with my work schedule, but I promised myself that I'll always make time to travel each year. Even if it's only for a few days.

4. Become financially independent. I have the luxury of living with my parents right now and plan to keep our living arrangement for at least two years because it allows me to live rent-free and save money. However, I want to be able to get an apartment in a couple years and be able to spoil my parents.

5. Expand theysayash.com. This blog is both a passion and outlet for me. I wanted to start a style blog ever since I began college. However, I never had the courage nor devoted the time to making it happen until last September because I was afraid to fail. Since, I've started this blog, I've been able to share my passion for fashion, travel, and life with you, my lovely readers. Hopefully, I have inspired you along the way and want to continue to inspire you to explore your style, travel, and do whatever it is that you want to do.

6. Stop letting fear hold me back. This will be ongoing for me. Fear has caused me to miss out on what could have been great opportunities. Everyday I pray for courage, strength,wisdom, and discernment. Those four things have already allowed me to overcome some fears and gain wonderful experiences.

7. Start a service program or organization. Aside from fashion and travelling, community service is one of my biggest passions. Helping others was instilled in me from a young age. All throughout high school and some of college, my family a few families from church, and one my best friends served food at a homeless shelter in New Jersey at least once a month. I also spent many Sundays over the past eight years volunteering at my church's soup kitchen. While my schedule has made it hard to engage in these activities as regularly as I would like, I still find ways to give back whenever I can and I want to encourage other young people to do the same.

8. Expand my network. There is something great about being around bright individuals who genuinely want to see and help each other succeed. I want to meet new people, share ideas, and be a source of support and even a friend to them.

9. Overcome obstacles. Life will always have obstacles. Starting a new job has taught me that obstacles will always come your way, but it is important to devise ways to get over them. Then, help someone who may be struggling with an obstacle that you overcame.

10. Love. I love to love and be loved. I want to continue making people feel loved. Sometimes it's hard to show love when people get under your skin. Remember that love is an action word.

11. Become more spiritual. I'll be the first one to say that I am not the world's greatest Christian. It's easy to get caught up in the rules of religion and still feel far from God. I want to read the Bible more and grow closer to God.

12. Grow. Growth is crucial for personal and professional development. I want to continuing entering into situations that will allow me to grow. I never want to become stagnant.

13. Learn. I firmly believe that if you're not learning, your not living. I strive to learn something new everyday and I always do, not matter how big or small it may be. When I make mistakes, I try to reflect on what I did wrong so that I do not make the same mistake again.

14. Maintain a positive attitude. I smile often and do my best to think positively and say positive things. I find that when I smile a lot and maintain a positive attitude, my day tends to go better. I also love to brighten other peoples' days. Simply smiling and being nice to people can really brighten their day.

15. Exercise gratitude. It's so easy to get caught up in the problems of life that we forget to be thankful for all the goodness we have.

16. Exercise. You've only got one body, so treat it well. I'll admit, I don't like exercising, but I value myself and I want to get into shape.

17. Help people. I am where I am today because people have helped me through this journey called life. People help me everyday with their kindness, sharing knowledge, giving encouragement and support, etc. I want to always find ways to help people.

18. Give. I think it's safe to say that everyone has given at some point because they expect something back in return. However, someone once told me that the best kind of giving is when you give without expecting anything back in return. I have given without expectations, and it's actually a wonderful feeling.  Sometimes it's hard not to want something back in return. So I want to give more just for the sake of giving.

19. Get promoted. My career is important to me and I want it to thrive. Work hard even if no one is watching. I firmly believe that good things come to those who work

20. Enjoy life and have fun! Life is too short not to enjoy it. I encourage you to make time to do something at least once a week that you enjoy doing.

Travel Recap: Port of Spain, Trinidad

1. This castle was built by the British in the early 1900s.
2. I don't know his name but the fresh coconut water he sold was quite refreshing.
3. Our friend and tour guide for the evening.
4. I LOVE coconut water, so I was ecstatic when I got my hands on a fresh coconut
5. Queen's Park Savannah is a park and is Trinidad's largest open space. It's also the largest traffic roundabout in the world.
6. These buildings were also built in the early 1900s.
Hey everyone! I hope you're having a positive and productive week. My week has been extremely busy so I'll keep this post short and sweet:) As you know, I went to Tobago a few weeks ago. However, I had a layover in Trinidad before flying to Tobago. As a result, I was able to tour Port of Spain (capital of Trinidad &Tobago) for about 5 hours. A friend was gracious enough to be our tour guide for the evening. The above pictures are a few shots that were captured along the way. I'll update this post with a few more shots of the other sites that I visited in Port of Spain by the end of the week so stay tuned!

Weekend Adventures: Hanging in Harlem

Dress (old)-Doru Oluwu for JC Penny
Shoes-Me Too (similar)

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great week. It was a struggle finding time to write this week as I was training in Arizona for work. However, I do my best to post on here at least once a week so thank you for patiently waiting for me to publish a new post. Being a real adult (haha I now consider myself one since I'm 21, recently graduated college and have a full-time job) is very rewarding but also tiring. I have the opportunity to use my skills, grow as a person and professional, and learn new skills every single day. However, I also have less time for myself as a result of my busy schedule. Thus, I like to spend my weekends going on adventures and doing things that I don't typically have time to do in the week. The above photos were taken last week in Harlem while my friend Kia and I did some exploring and running around.

Our first stop was the Malcolm X. Shabazz Harlem market, which is an African market with beautiful fabric, clothing, and accessories. We then ventured to a soul food restaurant and later ended up by some brownstones where Kia snapped a few pictures of me. Afterwords we spent some time at the Studio Meusem which primarily featured modern and black art by American artist. I apologize for the lack of pictures from the market and museum as my pictures didn't come out very well, but I encourage you to check them out if you're ever looking for something to do in Harlem. Our last stop was the Harlem Meer, which is the northeast corner of NYC's central park. This day was extremely hot, hence my shift dress and lack of makeup (Sidebar: I don't wear makeup often because I barely know how to apply it and I hate wearing makeup when its extremely hot, but I'll gladly accept any make up lessons you lovely folks have to offer:). This dress was perfect for the weather because it's loose and made from linen. I like to wear dresses that show off my figure from time to time but I can't resist a good shapeless dress aka a shift dress. Shift dresses sometimes have a way of hiding curves, yet still being cute and comfortable which is a plus for me. I found this dress last year at JC Penny on sale during their designer collaboration with Doru Oluru. I love designer collaborations with affordable stores because it allows you to experience the designer's work at a fraction of the cost.

Here are some shift dresses I'm loving at the moment:


Sunset in Tobago


My last evening in Tobago was beautiful. We picked up some friends and drove to the beach to watch the sunset as the sun was literally setting on our vacation. I'm so grateful for my time in Tobago and thankful for my boyfriend who invited me on the trip. It was truly a privilege to meet and spend time quality time with him, his friends, and family. Everyone was so kind and welcoming towards me. Also, the food was always amazing! I love doubles and I got to have doubles for breakfast two days in a row. I'll never forget my fist Time in Tobago, the love I felt, the people I met, and the memories I made. I definitely plan on visiting Tobago again when time permits. Now its back to reality as I start my full-time job on Monday. Please pray for me and send positive vibes my way as I embark on this new experience in my life.

Travel Recap: Tobago Day 4

Dress-Lord & Taylor
Shoes-Me Too via Marshall's
Headscarf-H&M
Sunglasses-Aldo

I spent my last afternoon in Tobago at the Botanical Gardens. As you can see in the pictures, the ground was extremely dry. This is because Tobago's six month dry season just ended. I can only imagine how lush and beautiful the garden must look during the height of the rainy season. Despite the dryness of the garden, I still enjoyed the surroundings. The garden is home to mango, palm, coconut, and other fruit trees, along with various plants. I decided to wear a loose fitting dress as the weather was extremely hot that day.  My trips to the beach and waterfall eventually took a toll on my hair, which resulted in my head wrap. My head wrap consisted of two scarves from H&M. Following the trip to the garden, my boyfriend and I spent some time with his friends. 

Travel Recap: Tobago Day 3

We took an evening ride to see Buccoo Reef, swim and party at Nylon Pool, and No Man's land. Buccoo Reef is Tobago's most popular reef and is home to different kinds of coral and fish. Nylon Pool is a shallow area in the middle of the ocean. No Man's land is a tiny island where boat tours stop for tourist purposes. After we saw the various sites and swam and partied at Nylon Pool (my favorite part), we watched the sunset as we sailed back to shore. 

Travel Recap: Tobago Day 2

Everyday I spent in Tobago was good, but this day was by far the best day of my trip! My boyfriend and I rented a car and convinced his father to drive us to the country and be our tour guide. Soon, we ended up in the rain forest and hiked to Argyle Waterfall. The Waterfall has three pools that that get shallower as you climb higher. If I recall correctly, the bottom pool is 18 feet, the middle pool is 6 feet, and the top pool was about 2 feet. This was my first time visiting a waterfall and jumping in so I was beyond excited. The tour guide told us that sitting under the waterfall is a natural back massage that will make you 10 years younger. Well none of us got younger lol, but I will say that my skin felt amazing after leaving the waterfall. The water was also very clean so I took the opportunity to wash my hair under one of the waterfalls. After we hiked backed down, we drove through a few villages and stopped at a restaurant on the side of the road. FYI, the food on the side of the road in the Caribbean is usually the best food you will ever taste during your stay. So if you ever get an opportunity to get some food at the side of the road, seize it! Anyway, the restaurant was operated by three nice Rasta men and the food was amazing. I had fish, rice, vegetables, and gungo (pigeon) peas and those were the best gungo I have ever tasted in my life. I regret not asking the cook for the recipe The men were also nice of us to walk us around their property and pick some native fruit for us to carry home . Afterwards, we drove through various villages and I got to meet some more of my boyfriend's family.