Monday, September 19, 2016

What Are You Focus On?


There you go again! You want that newest glittery, shiny, sparkly object that you don’t have. How marvelous it would be to have that small addition into our lives! Surely it would beautify us, makes us feel like a million bucks, attractive, successful, wonderful, luscious, in love with life! How can you not have that!

Uh oh. Sounds too familiar, isn’t it?

That new shiny-sparkly-glittery object could be a new eyeshadow palette, on sale on Sephora. It could be that brand new oh-so-lovely rose-colored lipstick that hold a thousand promises to bring glamour to our look, and therefore, excitements to our lives! Perhaps it’s the new knick-knack from Dollar Tree, a colorful glass ornament, a new planner, new stickers for our projects that might get us to be more… crafty. Or, on a more dangerous path, it could be a dazzling smile of another man. A man who is not our boring, selfish, unattentive husband. A man who is willing to listen, flatter us and say we look beautiful, shower us with attention. A man who is already married. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Now let’s shift our focus a little bit. Look inside your drawer. You have, what, five eyeshadow palettes that you have not touched for months, because you are already comfortable with the one neutral palette that you keep using every single day. Instead of torturing yourself thinking about THAT one palette that you simply MUST buy, why don’t you think about what are you going to do with the five palettes already stashed in your own drawer? Watch some tutorial videos on YouTube and think how fun it would be to play with those five palettes?
Mix two tones of lipsticks that have been kept idly in your stash and see how it would come out. You can create your own, unique, custom-made-especially-for-you, shade of lipstick. You can even name it to whatever it is your heart desire! Coral Frost. That’s what I came up with mixing two a pale frost shade that is too pale for me, with a matte warm coral shade. Coral on the bottom, frost on the top layer. I got even a better surprise when I mixed the same shades but changed the layers: frost first, coral on top. It came out satiny instead of frosty! I felt a bit like LeeAnne Lauder or LeeAnne Revlon. Or maybe not. But you know what I mean.

What about finally really get down to it and create craft from your mountainous amount of craft supplies in the basement? Invite the neighborhood kids if you feel like feeding your inner Peter Pan and spend an hour or two being creative in your own Never Neverland! You will forget about shopping for new stickers on Etsy if your hands are busy having fun.

If you think that THAT man is much more charming and understanding than your own husband, well, change your focus to what you’ve already had. Yes, Ladies. The man who will be coming home to you tonite may not be very exciting, but he is yours and yours only. Focus on what he has done for you all these years. Think of what he has not done for you all these years: he has not let his eyes and heart wandered to other women, for example. And think about all the wonderful things you would want to do with him, for him, and for both of you that would make your marriage felt alive again. Want a picnic in the park but he never initiates it? Why don’t you prepare the picnic basket, wear a nice autumn dress and invite him along with you? You cannot suddenly kiss the random handsome guy you saw at the grocery store, but you can do so to your dear husband. You can even tickle him a bit and have a laugh!

Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Focus on what you have, and suddenly you will realize that what you’ve already had is nice and wonderful, just as well!


For today’s look, instead of coveting a new dress, I had a bit of fun by giving this old dress a new, fresher look with some layering. Check it out and let me know which look you like best: the original look, or the layered look.





Thursday, July 14, 2016

Bucketlist 2016

The things I want to do, buy, or achieve in 2016:

1. Tryihg out one new (to us) fancy restaurant.
2. Go to one non-mall, non-neighborhood-park/restaurant outing with Michael, every quarter.
3. Afternoon tea in a nice establishment.
4. Take evening walk around the neighborhood after dinner with Hubby, once a week.
5. Attend a cultural event or visit a cultural place, once every quarter.
6. Cook one home-made dessert type of food for Hubby, once every quarter.
7. Pack lunch for work for me and Hubby four days a week (Monday-Thursday).
8. Buy a new pair of sneakers to replace the old, tattered ones.
9. Buy one new fashionable jacket for plane and traveling.
10. Family prayer time every evening with Hubby and Michael.
11. Purge 6 old purses, 4 old shoes, and 10 clothing items.
12. Purge one box of stuff, once every quarter.
13. Close one unused insurance.
14. Go to bed 22.30 every night during weekdays.
15. Investment target.
16. Close one unused bank account.
17. One overseas travel.
18. Get pictures of our family with extended families (parents and in laws)
19. Attend one holy mass overseas.
20. Meet up with friend.

And no, it doesn't have to be January to start a bucketlist. What's YOUR bucketlist?

Monday, May 30, 2016

Blessed & Grateful: Thoughts From A Family Outing

 
I was wearing a batik skirt for the outing. Batik is a traditional Indonesian fabric, made by hand, either hand0-stamped or hand-painted by local craftmens.
 
 
As Michael grew into a toddler, I started to notice similar theme on my friends' social media: pictures of them as parents, with their toddler children, visiting places of interest of our childhood.
 
You see, when we were little, our senses were much more atuned. Any new spectacle, smell and sound will hold us enthralled and mesmerized. The color of a new toy, the cheerful songs of a circus, the feel of petting a neighbor's dog, those all excited us and gave us joy. As we got older, everthing felt much more mundane and even what we used to think as spectacular became ordinary.
 
Logically speaking, I know that an otter who can count and a parrot who can spell are extraordinary, but having seen them a lot in the circus and numerous shows growing up, they no longer hold excitement for me. I no longer experience the same excitement as I used to as a child.
 
For that matter, theme parks, circus, and dolphin shows are less interest to me now compared to experiences that I have not had before, such as new Broadway shows and art museums. You know, boring, grown up attractions. Oh yeah, and traveling and occasionally - don't judge, it's just a woman thing - shopping.
 
 
A while back, both Hubby and I took a day off and took Michael to watch dolphin and sea lion shows at Seaworld. The venue is only twenty-minutes drive away, and there's no way we would take Michael on a weekend because the place turned into a zoo with throngs of people from all over Jakarta as well as tourists from other towns.
 
 
It was a successful family outings, and there were so many things I was grateful for. Very much.
 
Seeing Michael enjoying the shows.
 
Poker face. That's what Michael is. He rarely shows emotions nor excitements, well, except when he plays, of course. When he likes something, he will just say with a blank expression, "I like it, Mommy." No jump-up-and-down-excited thing from this child. However, during the sea lion show, his serious face lighted up, he cracked into a wide grin, laughed merrily, and exclaimed in cheerful glee, "Look, Mommy! The sea lion is so cute! I want to come here again one day!" That, generates a warm feeling and glow from deep inside my heart.

 


A husband who has grown into a better and better, more involved father.
 
It might be a simple gesture. It might be a small thing to some. But not to me. For me, there is nothing sexier than a man who is patiently and willingly take care of his toddler with such tenderness and manliness at the same time. From teaching his son to punch another boy who tried to bully him during the show (I'm a big believer that anyone is entitled to stand up for him/herself from bullying), to taking him to the male bathroom instead of having to go to the female bathroom with Mommy!



Michael was borrowing his father's sunglasses, striking a "cool" pose.

 
That we can really, really afford to go there again, and "take it for granted" should we have to.
 
 
This might lead some of the readers to critize me, and I have no intention whatsoever to boast. I am fully aware of how blessed and fortunate I am to be born in a relatively well-off family and married to a man who is a very good provider for the family. Not to mention that I myself also have a relatively good career with lots of perks, benefits, and flexibility.
 
Here's a background. Indonesia is not a developed country. It means, you will find very very very wealthy people here, and lots, lots and lots VERY poor people. The venue that we went to, is considered expensive for most Indonesian people, and a lot of parents will save and treat an outing to the place as a big excursion. Which means, quite often, it's like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend such money, which will warrant the toddlers and parents to take in as much shows and attractions as they could squeeze into in one day. To go in, you need a pass that will cover all the shows, and if you don't have much money, you have been saving for a long time to enjoy the venue, not to mention that you are from out of town and most likely if you will not visit the capital again you won't get the chance to go, you have to take as much advantage of the day, as possible. So even if you are tired, and your children are tired, and in the tropics it could be as hot as a furnace, you will drag your family from show to show to get most of the money. Because you have been saving a lot for the occassion, and most likely, it would be many many years before you get the opportunity ever again.
 
For our family, it doesn't have to be that way. Because thanks to the income that my dear husband brought in every month, and my income, and the fact that we don't live far from the park, we could well afford to visit again should we want to. 
 
Though it was not a holiday, the park was jam packed. We started early in the morning, and at noon, Michael was tired already from only watching two shows, there was a lot of queing and walking going on. He didn't complain, but we noticed. Afterall, he is only three years old, and it was summertime in the tropics, in an outdoor venue. Seeing the excited faces of the children and parents around us, but also noting the worn, overheated, and tired expression on them, yet the determined look that they will keep going until the last show of the day, Hubby and I looked at each other and silently sent a little prayer of thanks to the Lord.
 
"Michael, are you tired already? Do you want to eat here and watch the dolphin show later or just leave to the mall to eat something?" Hubby asked our son.
"Will you take me back here one day to watch the dolphins?" Michael asked.
"Of course, when Mommy and Daddy have a day off and if you want to, we can."
"Then let's leave and have lunch, Daddy. I'm tired."
 
So that's it. We blew three full-priced tickets that could have lasted us for one full day, and left. We could go back after lunch, but Michael fell asleep already, so we headed home and tucked him in for his usual nap.
 
Let me tell you, Friends. I don't believe that money is evil. The love of money is. Money is only a tool. It cannot do anything. We can put it to good use, or bad use, either way.
 
And reality bites, I am thankful that eventhough we are not wealthy family, we lack nothing and God provides for us abundantly.

Now, there is an example of how we could put the money that the Lord entrusted to us in a good way.
 


We had fish and chips, New York style, at Fish&Co. I'm not a big fan of spending a lot on mineral water, but they only sell overpriced Equil, so we had no choice for Michael. Tap water is not drinkable in Indonesia, by the way.


Instead of spending money on Easter basket, Egg hunts, or Easter party, some coworkers from Catholic & Christian Community at my office joint forces together to visit an orphanage, as well as donating money and groceries. We deliberately picked an orphanage that is not well known, because the more "popular" ones have no difficulty getting donation.
 
At first, it seems like we could not collect enough money to make a sigificant contribution among ourselves. I suggested that they also spread the words to other coworkers outside the community. "Kindness has no religious border, " I tried to convinced them. "In my previous office I spread the words about donating feminine pads for an all girls' Catholic orphanage, and everyone, from any religion, gave something that my car was overflowed. I am sure that many many people want to donate should there is a possibility, it's just that they don't always know the way, where to send the donation to, or basically just too lazy to visit the orphanage themselves."
 
On the D-day, the money collected for donation was three times from our initial target.
 
It's so good to know that despite everything, there is still a good amount of kindness and love all around us. We just need to seek it and reach out.
 
And yes, a little bit of money won't hurt. ^__^
 



Monday, May 23, 2016

A Birthday of Concious Choice



Here in Indonesia, when one celebrate her birthday, she can expect two things: presents, and treat her friends to dine out. That's the tradition that we have here.

I read somewhere:

"Life is inexpensive, yet brand make it expensive.
LIfe is simple, yet pride makes it complicated."

My point is, for some with pride bigger than her wallet, this kind of tradition is something that will stress them out days before the actual birthday. For the birthday girl, AND for the friend. Why? Some think that birthday presents should be expensive. And some also think one should treat friends to expensive restaurant. Simple present and simple food hurt their pride.

Well, I personally think that's silly. Of course we are all have some pride, and we should, in a proper portion and in good way. Tell me one new parent who doesn't feel at least a slight feel of pride for her child, and I will tell you that's not very healthy! But pride should be under our control, and not controlling us.

Months before my birthday, I already hinted to my coworkers, and I don't want nor need "another thing to dust". I love decorative objects, yet one can have so many in her house without starting to feel suffocated! And I love dresses and bags and shoes just as much as the next woman, but I already have a closet full of them, which I am still in the process of purging and editing.

I am not lacking anything.

Yet I also understand and respect the custom of giving gifts for one's birthday. So this year, I make it easy for everyone. Weeks before my birthday, I told one coworker, that all I wanted for my birthday is fancy toiletries. Surprise? Not really. I don't like perfume, and I never wear deodorant in my life, but I do love wonderfully scented body lotions, delicious soap, sweet smelling shower gel in pretty packaging, and scented candle whose fragrant can light up the whole atmosphere of one's bedroom. I especially love Bath & Body Works products.

But there is one problem: I am way too stingy, ahem, frugal, to justiying spending the amount of money one needs to spend on such luxury at any Indonesian BBW stores.

You might laugh at me for writing this, especially if you live in the US, where BBW holds annual and semiannual sales regularly, and you can get pretty good deal online with coupons and sites as Retail Me Not dot Com. In Indonesia, with different currency and somebody in the marketing department deciding that BBW products should be positioned "up there" as luxury brand, the prices are ridiculous.

So I never have the heart to splurge on their products, for myself.

Hence, I told that particular coworker that I would love to receive something that I can enjoy, but won't create new clutter in my house. Such as fancy shower gel. Of course, I didn't know at that time that the whole team would pitch in to buy a basket chucked full with products from my favorite brand! I got the whole she bang: a body lotion, a shower gel, a bubble bath, three hand sanitizers, a body creme, and a scented candle. All in beautiful shades of pink, in the wonderful and lovely scent of Japanese Cherry Blossom. Yayyyyyyy!!!!

My coworkers also noted that I don't like extra waste. I am frugal and I don't like being wasteful, either. For my card, they bought a card that's handmade by a little girl from recyleable materials. The little girl made many cards which she sold and then donated to the proceeds from the sale for the needy. Isn't it sweet?

They also opted out of buying me a birthday cake, noting I don't care for cakes. I love chocolates, but whenever anyone has a birthday, I never eat the birthday cake, giving my share to someone else with sweet tooth. Instead of a birthday cake, they got the office chef created my favorite sandwich with french fries, put them in my own food boxes that have been kept at the office pantry, and put a spare candle on top of the box! Now, that's my kind of birthday cake! Want not, waste not! Too bad I don't have proper picture of the unique "cake"!

For lunch, we went to a nearby restaurant called Sanjaya. They serve good food, lots of it, with reasonable price. And the dishes are delicious.

In the evening, Hubby brought out a heart-shaped melted brownies, made of dark chocolate, which is the only brownies that I really really like, put on some candles, and ordered some noodles from a nearby noodle shop. Noodle is a must for birthday, for it signifies long life. That's pretty much my birthday celebration this year.

It's simple and unpretentious, but I was so happy. I felt blessed and in such abundance. I felt loved and cared for and celebrated.

Thank you, Lord.

My men and my birthday cake of melted chocolate brownies.

Love, love, love this scented candle! Thank you!

Monday, May 16, 2016

Life of Experiences, Not Stuff



 
Hubby and I can be like two children at times. I mean, look at the collage of pictures taken when we were bored and sleepy, waiting for our 7 am flight from Jakarta to Singapore for our mini getaway.
 
The end of April is our anniversary, while the month of May is my birthday. We decided to combine the two celebrations and went for this three-day trip to Singapore. If you ever lived in South East Asia, once upon a time, Singapore is well knows as a shopper's paradise. While we do plan to purchase some clothings for Hubby - after all, the last time he updated his wardrobe was four years ago! - I am not into shopping mania whatsoever.
 
On the contrary, I'm trying to shed layers and layers of stuff from my life, our lives, getting rid of things that we no longer need, clothes that don't fit my body or lifestyle anymore, decorative items that no longer define my style, and yes, even thoughts and relationships that create negative influence in my life. You might know about this new habit I am acquiring of getting rid of one thing per day which you can read here. I don't aim to become a minimalist, which has been getting a wide following worldwide, I am just trying to simplify my life, though many said that is quite simple already. Hubby and I are simple people who loves simple life.
 
I have never been a girl who loves shopping too much. However, as I got older, I realized more and more that I'm the type who is more willing to invest and spend more resources - time, money, energy - on experiences instead of stuff.
 
In Singapore, we just walked and walked experiencing the tiny country. We ate. We took pictures. We tried out their excellent public transports. We visited the humongous, ultra modern malls as well as their local hangouts.






 
By the way, we left Michael home with my parents, who are overjoyed to have him all to themselves for three whole days. Michael and I have this tradition of placing fridge magnets for the number of days that Mommy and Daddy are away. Every morning after he wakes up, he will move one magnet to the other side of the fridge, and when all the magnets have been moved, that would be the day Mommy and Daddy are going to be home again.



Whenever we travel overseas, I always wear something in traditional Indonesian batik. Like this one here. It's a hand-stamped batik dress, with details around the collar, which I love. The fabric itself is not extraordinary. Afterall, it's not handpainted batik. But the craftmanship and tailoring is just exquisite.




Also although we stick to the budget for eating, opting for street food sellers and stalls most days, once in a while we will splurge. This time we went to Ce La Vie, a posh establishment on top of the famous Marina Bay Sands, on 57th floor.



This is Marina Bay Sands. Can you believe that the whole complex, not just the skyscrapers, were finished in only 3,5 years? Ce La Vie is located at the top, on the "ship" part of the three skyscrapers.

Marina Bay Sands in the evening - 20101120.jpg

Singapore is a melting pot, so naturally one can try a good variety of dishes: Malay, Peranakan, Chinese, Indian, and we tried this one restaurant next to the river at Clarke Quay that serves Spanish food. I don't remember the name of the dish, but it's like a Spanish omellete.




 
Going home on Saturday late in the evening, we woke up early on Sunday to pick Michael up, as well as meeting my family. My older brother and his wife, who lives halfway around the world in the US, were in town. We don't see each other much, considering the distance, so it warrants a special effort to hold a family reunion.







Monday, May 2, 2016

One Can Do A Lot With Old Office Uniform

Sometimes, the good things in life really come for free.
At my previous office, uniform is a must. Hence, every year, we girls receive a uniform set consists of two short-sleeved plain black shirts, two white ones, two black blazers, two pairs of black slacks, and one black pencil skirt. Now that I've moved to my current office, I'm free to experiment and be creative with this free, versatile piece: the black shirt.

I can wear it belted with a scarf, like in this post.
Accented with this huge purple bead necklace, like in this post. Ow, forgive the squinted eye...

Wear it under this Missoni-inspired baggy tank, cinched with a belt, like this.

Layer it with a lavender vest like I did here, like a school girl!

Pair it with my Mom's vintage skirt for dinner and watching sunset at the beach, like this.

Ooooor, even spruce it up with a children's necklace for casual days, like here!

See? Free stuff, Ladies! And it works wonders in terms of versatility!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Our Praying Corner


This is our praying corner. It's actually just a tall drawer counter top located on the corner of our living room, but we think it will suffice. The polished high-gloss drawer is of Vinotti brand, which is not the most expensive brand out there, but definitely the most 'glam' furniture in our house, which mostly consisted of mix-and-match of different furnitures from various brands. In other words, any frugal finds that we managed to secure for the home!

Some family dedicated a spesific corner or even an entire room for the praying nook. We picked this corner for some reasons.

The first one is practicality. Basically it's the only place where we could build one without any renovation. While having a special place for family worship would be amazing, the main point is to HAVE a praying corner without procrastination of saving the money to build one, not to mention the renovation time, etc. It's not a Pinterest project for us, and what we have now already served its purpose. There is room for improvement, of course, but I would urge anyone who plans to build a praying corner to focus on the reason WHY you want one in the first place, and its purpose for your home and family, instead of aiming for perfection. For us, this is it. We've got everything that we need.

The second one, is of course, as I mentioned, the drawer that we used for praying corner is the most beautiful piece of furniture in our living room, and one with the highest elevation, which could be easily seen from every corner of the room. Surely a praying corner deserves the best spot in the room, rite!

The third one, we spend a lot of time as a family in the living room, which also serves as a dining room and an extension of Michael's playing room. It's the biggest area of our home, where we converse a lot as a family, though it's not a quite place with all the comings and goings, TV, DVD player, table, Michael's toy chest, etc.; for us, it's just a perfect place for the purpose. Other family might treat the praying corner as an altar, a place to pray, but to us, it serves as a daily reminder. More often, we pray in the bedroom instead of near the praying corner. Also at the table before meal times, of course.

In the morning, before leaving for work, we grabbed something to eat from the table and we will see the praying corner. During the day, Michael will always see it, as well, while he is playing. In the evening, when we come home from work and sit down to eat dinner, we will see the praying corner again. It's a daily, constant reminder for us to pray, to spend time with the Lord.

We placed some icons on the praying corner.

A standing crucifix, which we got during Church bazaar. We spent a long time looking for the 'perfect' standing crucifix. During our trip to the Vatican and Assisi, we scoured the shops looking for one, yet we could not find anything suitable. It's just apt that we happened to stumble upon 'the one' literally on our backyard, aka the Church backyard! The crucifix had served on numerous Friday Mass at my office, so it definitely has a good vibe, with all the praying and worship happened around it!

A statue of Mother Mary that we received as a wedding gift. She also graced the altar for Friday Mass several times.

An empty Cana wedding wine and the prosperity ceramic bowl that I got from Holyland trip. The wine was especially bought to be consumed on our wedding day to remind us of the first miracle that Jesus did. The bowl was the first decorative object that I specifically bought for our home and it had a special lesson for me. The bowl represented the multiplication of bread and fish by our Lord Jesus Christ, yet the chapel to commemorate the event, which signifies prosperity and how Lord provides for all of us, was the simplest and humblest place of worship that I saw in all Holy Land! It didn't boas intricate architectural designs nor opulence, it doesn't scream wealth and glam, it was a serene little place. So there you go, glam does not equal wealth, in money and faith alike.

Then we also have a small orange candle that was Michael's baptism candle, and a bigger red candle with Our Lord prayer emblazoned on the glass container - a gift from Hubby, which means a lot to me.

Everyday, we see this praying corner, as it calls gently to us that above all the business and importance of day to day matters, family matters, work matters, financial matters, politics, tax, government, gossip, materialism, stuff, and everything, there is a high beauty and power out there that is forever and untainted by all the worries of life here on Earth.

That as we should live well for our lives here on Earth, let's not forget to prepare for our forever home in Heaven.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Love Your Parents, and Show Them That You Do

What I learned during my month of absence from this little blog...

Love your parents, and show them that you do

It's so easy to take our parents for granted. In fact, it's a convenience. Though I had spread my wings and left the nest to live on my own at the young age of eighteen, had been paying my own bills after graduating college, even bought my first house when I was twenty six, in the back of my mind, I always feel like I can depend on my parents for emotional support, and that they will be there for me no matter what.

The problem is, I am not always there for them no matter what. 

Last month, my over seventy-years-old parents were sick, and for the very first time, I was reminded that we are not guaranteed forever. My parents are old, and the Lord had been blessing them with good health and work through old age when many other friends of them have been hospitalized or spent their days in wheelchair.

Well, it's true that I had been showing the world that I am a dutiful daughter. My parents could boast to the whole town that their daughter had paid for their trip to the Holyland, and also to Lourdes. But that was only the highlight. the pendant of a necklace. And necklace is not a necklace with only a sparkling, glamorous pendant. It needs a solid chain, in order to make it useful and wearable. In this case, the chain is regular, constant, consistent way of showing one's love. Not just once a year big bang.

Shamefully, with busyness excuse, I had failed to keep giving them regular attention over the past year. I paid so much attention to myself, my husband, my child, my work, my life, that even I fail to stick to my once-a-week phone call.

Well, let's face it. No one is too busy for anything that is important enough for them to prioritize.

Not until my parents became ill, did the reality hit me.

Hubby was being a champion and reminded me to call my parents every single night, during their recovery. He believes that the love and attention will speed up the recovery process.

I don't know and I don't care about that, but I did call every single nite, just to check on them and make sure that my Mom goes to bed on time. Yeah, she has this bad habit of surfing the internet until the wee hours of the morning, then wakes up daily at five o'clock. So I made myself sort of her chirpy alarm and call her every night around 9.30 to rHave emind her to log off soon and go to sleep.

Do you love your parents?
If you do, have you shown it to them lately?

Perhaps you can make a phone call. Or a visit. Whatever.

Just show them. Trust me. It's not only for them, but also for you, and for the Lord.


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

A Quick Update

Once he was only a tiny bundle that I could carry easily with just one hand, and with a blink of an eye, Michael turned into a three-year-old little boy. This is just a picture of Michael's birthday in January. I knooooowwww.... I'm a terrible blogger. I've been having so much trouble uploading pictures to blogspot, and since I don't earn a living from my blog, I am too lazy to research on how I should cope with the technical difficulties. Usually I just upload from my Facebook pictures' URL, but for some reason, it didn't work anymore for blogspot. Anyone knows how to fix this?

We are not the kind of people who like to throw big, elaborate birthday parties. I admire, well, perhaps a little bit jealous, of those Pinterest mommies whose talent rival Martha Stewart in DIYs, cooking, baking, and don't get crazy planning such beautiful themed parties for their children; but as much as I love entertaining, I gravitate more into casual, informal entertaining. No fuss, no theme, just some family members and friends gather together to eat from mismatched diningware! Good food, good company and good conversation. Not very Pinterest worthy, but it seems like the guests (and the hostess) are quite happy with my limitation and lack of creativity!

 

So many things happened after that: my husband's sister got married, my father in law's birthday, my parents got sick, changes at work place where Hubby and I were both assigned more responsibilities, then all of us got sick in the family.

Hopping to last Sunday, which was Easter Sunday. It was the first time after several weeks that we as a family was able to worship together, after long illness, so it was really special to us.

Meanwhile, the Lord had continued to use every comings and goings in our lives to teach us something. Many things. I read somewhere, that in the Lord's economics, nothing is going to waste. Absolutely right!


Monday, February 15, 2016

Purple Rain: A Simpler Life



Hi Friends!
 
Rainy season is visiting us again here in Indonesia, hence the title, though it has nothing to do with what I am about to write.

Lately I've been loving following some glamorous mommies on Instagram, who looks like being fashionable 24/7 in 4-inch stilletos and being followed by personal photographer everywhere they go while carrying a newborn baby is as easy as a duck jump into a pond.

I know these glamorous pictures are not real. Or at least for most of us. The only way I can achieve all time perfection like those pictures, I would imagine, it to have a small army cater to me at all time: photographer, hairdresser, make up artist, personal trainer, chef, cleaning lady, chaffeur, manicurist and full-time nanny! Long, manicured nails with dainty sophisticated design doesn't go well with cleaning, cooking and potty training. If I'd like to be glamorous 24/7, I need to outsource a lot of daily duties to third party.

I love seeing those pictures for inspiration and motivation. Some lady bloggers are so angry at Megan Fox being featured on magazine cover, looking slim and fresh as a daisy just several months post partum. Well, I admire her hardwork and want to get to the gym! Not neccessarily to get Megan Fox body, come on, her body is her asset to make a living and it's not the case for me, so two-hour workout daily is not worth it for me. I'd rather spend the two hours for, well, for living! Yet, to me, the pictures are inspiring.

My look and wardrobe had become much more streamlined and simpler after having a child. Looking good and presentable is a priority to me, but looking smashingly flawless and dolled up is not. I'm striking a balance among a lot of people and things that need my attention.

I learnt to say no not only to bad things, but also to good things. Being fashionable, included. I still dress up everyday. I still wear makeup everyday. I still take a good care of myself everyday. But I no longer change my purse nor my shoes and accessories everyday. That's just an example.

And that's OK. I deliberately make my whole life simpler, so I'd have time to take care of myself, because when I'm running on 100% or close to 100%, I'd be able to give as much to the people around me. 





I'm linking up to these wonderful Ladies:

Monday


Tuesday

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Friday

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