Not letting fear win.

Shima 0 comments 12.06.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.

Today’s MCM title belongs to Steve Robles who jumped back into the ocean just six weeks after being attacked by a shark in hopes of teaching others not to let fear stop them from doing what they love.

Robles grew up in Redondo and Hermosa Beach and is currently residing in Lomita. At just six years old, he began to swim competitively after his older sister signed them up for a swimming team and continued until college.

Today, he likes to swim regularly in the morning with the masters group from 5:00am-6:30am. He goes to the pool about 3 days a week and for the past 3 years, on Saturday mornings, he swims with an open water group and swims from Hermosa pier to Manhattan pier

On July 5^th, 2014, Robles was attacked by a shark when he was with 14 of the swimmers from his open water group. 10 of the swimmers were ahead of him by 30 seconds and didn't know what had happened until they were nearing the end of the swim. Three of the other swimmers were behind him by about 5-15 seconds. They were the first ones to rescue him from the encounter.

Robles says, “I did see the shark from underneath me. It was about 12 feet underneath me and then surfaced right in front of me.” However, he quickly realized it was too close to him at that moment and it bit him.

He says the bite held on him for five seconds while he grabbed its nose to pry it off. “I did think that it was one of my last moments so I had no time to be terrified and just had to fight with everything I had in me,” he says.

He had deep lacerations on his right torso area and a deep cut into his right thumb which cut into his artery. The bleeding from the artery didn't stop until about 3 hours later and he lost sensation to his thumb for about a month. He says his torso area still itches like a mosquito bite when he touches the scars, even to this day.

Fortunately, Robles recovered from the bite and was back in the ocean within six weeks. He says, “I felt it was important to get back in right away to overcome the experience and to let others know not to give up something they love doing because of one freak event.”

Others can see the reckless actions of the fisherman who agitated the shark on video. There are over 2 million hits of the actual event on YouTube, and can be found by simply typing in "Manhattan Beach Shark Attack"

Since the incident, Robles has continued to swim and is going to publicly speak about the shark attack on the Catalina Channel swim as a spiritual testimony. He says, “I want to share with people how God is always present and ready to provide his hand of protection on all of us. We in turn need to give our lives to following him. Once I experienced this miracle, I began to clearly understand I am here for a higher purpose!”

Steve continues to swim because he says it is one of the only things that keeps his body from feeling the process of aging. “I am 52 and I can clearly see that I don't move around like I once did at age 30,” he says.

This week Steve will be on a new TV show called, "To Tell the Truth.”  It is a revised variety show from the 60's with a modern day twist and will air on ABC. There will be 3 celebrity panelist trying to determine who is the "real" shark attack survivor amongst 2 other impersonators. The sneak peek to the series begins Tuesday night at 8:00pm and his segment will air at 10:00 p.m.

You can also listen to his radio interview with the former mayor of Manhattan Beach on Monday June 13th from 1:00pm-2:00pm "Powell to the People" here. They will be discussing the multiple recent shark sightings along the coast and my encounter with the great white shark attack.

Despite the challenges Steve has faced, he is able to remain positive. Here Steve is in a costume he created for Halloween.

Thank you, Steve, for using your “freak event” as a way to bring positivity, change and hope to others.

*Photos have been given by Robles in addition to various downloaded from websites*

Touching others through the essence of nature.

Shima 0 comments 04.05.2016

Every Wednesday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.

Today’s WCW title belongs to Ferial Itani who at 54 years old bravely decided that it was time to pursue her heart’s greatest passion and begin a fragrance and soap line after styling hair for over 18 years.

Ferial, 54, moved to the U.S. when she was just 12 years old from Beruit. Her family moved with hopes of building a better life in the “Land of opportunity.” For her early life, she grew up in the South Bay and later graduated from Hawthorne high school.

After marrying her husband, Ferial owned several businesses including owning Aladin Café restaurant. She was the cook and says that she enjoyed creating dishes with passion. Upon closing the restaurant, she cut, dyed and styled hair for 18 years at her brother’s hair salon in Redondo Beach, Zouhair Salon.

No matter what business, hobby or passion she followed, she took her heart fully in it and she says, “It showed.”

For many years, Ferial began mixing her favorite perfumes with natural essences such as orange blossom. She says that wherever she went, whether the grocery store, airplane, or just walking past a stranger, she was stopped and asked, “What perfume is that?” After informing them that she made the perfume herself, she found it comical that many would beg to buy the already used bottles from her.

She says that she would freely give them away just because it brought her so much joy to see others happy with her products. Often times while at her brother’s salon, her clients would complement her as well and ask her where they could purchase the perfume.

She was constantly asked, “Why don’t you sell them?” At the time, she felt she was too busy to pursue a business in creating the perfumes so she dismissed the idea for a long time. That all changed three years ago when she became severely ill from headaches and was rushed to the hospital.

After being released, her brother insisted that maybe she was exhausting herself from the salon and that it may be time for her to follow a new passion or just simply take a break. Ferial says that she loves to embark on new journeys, such as one day hoping to move to Tuscany. Yet, she says that no matter what new phase she enters in her life, she remains herself…honest and true to her most authentic self.

While home recovering, she found that she wanted to reach more people. She says that so many people have helped her throughout her life and she has helped so many as well, yet knew there was more for her. She was entering a phase in her life where she wanted to be able to “touch” others. So over the course of three years, she quit her job as a stylist and began creating soap products.

Growing up, she would store and save hand soaps she’d receive from Lebanon. She says they were very precious to her for they looked rigid and smelt good. She wanted to use the soaps as a way to connect with others and share the same love and passion she had in her heart through them.

She began mixing ingredients such as peppermint oil with other natural essential oils. After making only one batch and distributing them amongst her five children and their friends, she was surprised to find them so pleased with the products.

“My kids and their friends would beg me to make more and so I did,” she says. She says that although physically she created the products, she finds that the emotional support of her loved ones was what made it possible to create the products. “A smile on a loved one’s face alone was my inspiration,” Ferial says.

Soon after, she decided to begin creating the products for others to also purchase and designed Ferial Essence. The perfumes and soaps can be bought directly from her Etsy website here.

On her website she says, "I began making perfumes and soaps wanting a product that doesn’t exist these days, because of the impurities and toxins added into them. Ferial Essence products are kept in their original state, starting from the ingredients used to the way they are crafted. Each product is unique, different than the rest, blossoming into its own character. Like a jewel in the rough, they are not buffed and do not contain any chemicals or fillers. When you close your eyes, you will be transported to a different time, where the fields were free and pure. You can smell the essence of nature that soothes your body, mind and soul. An honest, good product – that’s what I wanted to make."

. She says her personal favorite product is the orange blossom scents as it takes her back to a place in time where things felt innocent. “I like how it reminds me orange fields where what you see is what you get. Not many things are organic anymore, but orange fields are real,” she says.

When Ferial is not spending time with her family or creating perfumes, she enjoys gardening and spending as much time with nature as possible. She enjoys calligraphy and often draws beautiful symbolic letters, images and creations with them. She pays it forward by knitting beanies for premature babies and children in Lebanon. In her room, she has a wide range of beanies in different sizes and colors in a storage container waiting to ship.

Ferial is enjoying creating perfume and soaps for her clients and says that she can’t wait to see where the next phase of her life takes her. Thank you, Ferial, for reminding us that it is never too late to follow our dreams and reach our destiny and as you say, “Tomorrow is not promised, so do it today.”

“I don’t believe I have talent, I have passion…everything I do is from the heart and it shows.”

-Ferial Itani

Gas or Electric?

Shima 0 comments 05.04.2016

I am often asked when showing homes whether it allows for GAS or ELECTRIC washer & dryers and I wanted to share the difference between the two.

GAS:

• Gas dryer operates on both 110 electricity and natural gas.
• Has a flexible gas line connected behind or around their dryer and also plugged into the wall with a 110 outlet.

 

ELECTRIC:

• Works off of 240-volt outlet that can either be a 3-prong or 4-prong.

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According to Sears.com, “Both types deliver comparable performance: both do a great job of drying your clothes, and both come in a variety of capacities with a range of special functions. The main differences are related to installation, cost, drying speed and energy efficiency.”

Sears has also shared advantages and disadvantages of both below:

Advantages of gas dryers

• Less Expensive Upkeep- Gas Dryers are usually a bit less expensive to operate than electric dryers, although this depends on the cost of gas and electricity in your area.
• Faster- Gas dryers heat up and dry your clothes faster than electric dryers do, making them a little more energy efficient and gentle on fabrics.

 

Limitations of gas dryers

Vent Required - All gas dryers require a vent to the outside.

• More Expensive Initially- Gas dryers tend to be a little more expensive than comparable electric dryers.
• Gas Line Required- Gas dryers require a dedicated gas line that must be professionally installed.

 VS.

Advantages of electric dryers

• No Gas Line Required- Electric dryers do not require a gas line.
• Vent-less Models- Some electric dryers do not need to be vented to the outside, making electric your only choice if you can't vent your dryer.
• Less Expensive Initially - Electric dryers tend to be a little cheaper than comparable gas dryers.

Limitations of electric dryers

• More Expensive Upkeep - Though it depends on the energy costs in your area, electric dryers are typically a little more expensive to operate than gas dryers.
• 240 V Outlet Required- Most electric dryers require a 240 V outlet, which most laundry rooms will have. If yours doesn't, however, you'll need to use a converter or hire an electrician. A typical wall outlet in the United States is 120 V.
• Slower- Electric dryers tend to heat up more slowly and take longer to dry your clothes than gas dryers do, which means that electric dryers use more energy.

  

Source: http://www.sears.com/articles/appliances/washers-dryers/gas-vs-electric-dryers.html

Photo Credit: Ashley Winn Design

Honey, don’t forget the dog!

Shima 0 comments 27.05.2015

One of the most forgotten steps when preparing to sell a home is to remove any signs of pets. While some believe that pets should be completely removed from the home during the listing, I beg to differ.

Pets are common to have in households, however, having yours in a home during a showing may lessen your chances of finding a buyer.

Pet owners who are looking for a home that will complement their needs will seek amenities such as a large backyard vs. a home that has a dog mat lying on the floor.

My suggestion when showing your home to buyers who also have pets is to show them the large backyard, grassy areas, and extra rooms. While we adore our pets, not all are accepting of our fur babies and we want buyers to feel as comfortable as possible in what may potentially be, their new home.

There are many ways to have your pet feel comfortable with doggy day camp, such as Dinah’s Doggie Daycare or having the pet stay with a family member during the showing. Also, there are many reliable dog walking services that could keep your dog happy while you’re busy selling your home such as, Walk the Dog and Purfect Companion.

It is best to stage your home so that viewers do not predict there are any pets in the home. This can be simply done by removing pet beds, kennels, and water and food bowels. However, it is also important to remove any scents that may scare away potential buyers.

A deep cleaning will remove loose hairs and wipe away any sign of pets. Another easy step is hiring a carpet cleaner to come in and remove any stains and remove deep rooted scents in the ground.

Although our fur babies are adorable, it is best to keep them away so that we can get our home sold the fastest!