She Brings Him Good, Not Evil, All The Days of Her Life

“When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearl;

She brings him good, not evil, all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31:10,12)

That’s it. What caught my eye was not that a worthy wife brings ‘good’ to her husband. Oh no! Even though I’m not married yet, I’m pretty confident that most women will be able to bring good to her husband… at least once in a while.

How difficult is that to be a nice person with cheery disposition when you are in a good mood?
Is there any challenge to say sweet words to your husband when you just got your way in getting that white house with picket fence?
Isn’t it easy to cheer and support your husband proudly right after he just got a promotion or score a big deal in his business?
What about when you have dreamed for months about that nude Chanel lambskin bag, and one day after work, you found it on the dining room table with a note: “To the best wife in the world.”?
No sweat.

But what about when you’re in a sour mood after a long back-breaking day in the office?
When all you want to do is just to collapse, but the baby cried, and your husband want you to listen to his complain about his ‘insane customer’, and on top of that he forgot to bring home bread and coffee for breakfast the next day, and you absolutely cannot start your day without a cup of coffee?
When your husband is out of job, money is tight, yet he came home with yet another new ‘cool’ gadget because he ‘definitely cannot live without it’ and ‘it’s not that expensive, honey’?
When you have meddling parents in laws and you cannot do anything because you live at their house and you cannot secure enough money for a house down payment because your husband insisted that what the family needed was a new car, not a house, and you – to avoid fights – finally agreed with a heavy heart?
When during a supposedly romantic anniversary dinner he checked his blackberry every two seconds and told you over and over in a very detailed, meticulously, technical way about this new Apple gadget that he dreamed about?

She brings him good, NOT evil, all the days of her life.

There it is again.

Good, NOT evil. Kind words, not complain. Sweet disposition, instead of sour mood. Being understanding, not judgemental. Supportive, instead of throwing a bucket of ice water to his dream. Putting him first, not the laundry, not the TV, not the blackberry, not your friends, not your relatives, not that new sandals you just bought. nor that new reality show you’re dying to watch.

All the days of her life. Not just when you’re happy and buoyant. Not just when you get your way. Not just in health and wealth. Not just during a vacation or a honeymoon (or second honeymoon). Not just for the first year of marriage. Not just until the first child. Not just until the children graduate and leave the house. But until the day you die.

Now that’s something else.
I wonder, when I am a married woman, would I be able to bring my husband good, at least, most of the time? Would I remember to bring him good, not evil, everyday?
I hope and pray that I could, and would.

Office hour look:

Black blazer: Brooks Brothers Woman (USA). Batik shirt: Batara Batik. Black slacks: office uniform by Invio. Gold skinny belt: unbranded. Gold sandals: Yongki Komaladi. Mustard yellow bag: Sogo. Earrings: from Bali (gift).

After office hour look:

Minty green swing cardigan: Marks & Spencer (got it on sale, at a very reduced price, very warm and comfy for cold airconditioned temp!)

Linking up to:
 
Wednesday's Unveiled Wife Link Up

Pink Cotton Candy: In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

"You look like a fluff of cotton candy!" my colleagues said when they saw me wearing these all-pink ensemble.

You might think how come I'm wearing this ultra-girlie outfit to the office. Well, actually these pictures were taken before leaving work! I'm having a night out with a girl friend at Pasar Festival Kuningan, and I'm not feeling like wearing something too corporate-like to go there.

PINK is my favorite color, so naturally I have tons of pinks in my closet, and wear them often. Actually, I did plan to wear more of other colors, but then I stumbled upon Blogging for Breast Cancer Awareness at A Working Mom's Closet, and decided to jump in! October is a Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It doesn't mean I'll be wearing all pinks for the rest of the month. On this post, though, I wear all pinks in honor of that. We all have something to contribute to this world. And for a little, insignificant blogger like me, the least I could contribute is by spreading a bit of awareness of this disease through this pinkie post!

For the past few weeks I've been trying to change my looks from office wear during the day to casual wear for meeting with friends in the evening. I get bored easily and thought the change might give me a little something to jumpstart my day. Something to look forward to at the end of an otherwise mundane, ordinary, so-so working day.

Life is wonderful as it is, and I'm grateful to God for giving me this precious gift everyday. However, it doesn't hurt to sprinkle some cherries or cranberries or strawberries or even some chocolate sauce on top of that sundae to make it even sweeter. A lovely ribbon and pretty wrapping paper do wonders to make a present look much more interesting! You might want to try it for yourself and see if it will give you that extra boost. It definitely has for me!

It was also the first Friday of the month, so I wore this all-pink ensemble for mass during lunch hour at the nearest Church.

This is how the ensemble looked during office hours.Pink flower top: Fashion Bug . Diagonal striped pink skirt: unbranded. Pink heels: Yongki Komaladi. Pink skinny belt: unbranded. Blazer: Brooks Brothers Woman (USA). Pink cardigan: Marks & Spencer. Earrings: Aldo. Bag: Guchi Collection. Bracelets: from Plaza Semanggi and Jerusalem.We ate at Mie GM that evening. Simple meal, cheap prices, good company. What a life. I'm one lucky girl!

Linking up to Monday Mingle.

Love Letter: Miracle Still Happens, No Matter What People Say

Just when I thought nothing was going right for the past few weeks, God sent me a little love package to lift my spirit up a bit!

Life has been crazily busy in September since I got back from my Holyland vacation. Ow, I forgot to tell you though, of this little miracle. I have had problem with my right ankle for, I don't know, two or three months. Actually, I was pretty worried about it because I knew I would have to walk a lot in Holyland, and up till D-1 I still couldn't walk up and down the stairs properly. So, imagine my surprise when I realized that once I stepped out of the plance, my ankle healed. And so they have been, until now. Yup. Just like that. Suddenly. Another tourist I met in Holyland also told me his amazing story. He was supposed to have a knee surgery prior leaving, but postponed it for the Holyland tour. He was quite prepared to spend his tour on a wheelchair. And guess what? His knees got healed. Just like that. None of us expected it. I'm sure there are some logical explanations. Maybe the body adjusted. It knew it couldn't afford to get sick during vacation. But I also believe that it was, somehow, miraculous.

Anyway, back to what I was telling you about my hectic month. My boss was planning to take a long vacation off, and prior to his leaving, we worked like crazy to catch up with everything, and after he left, I got stressed out with all the 'homework' he left me and so many problems which suddenly occured in the office, that I had to tackle by myself. Now, I'm not the kind of person who get stressed out easily, being a sunny-happy girl most of the time. I didn't even realize that I was stressed out, until all the syptoms began to appear: pimples on my forehead, less quality of sleep, aching joints, appetite lost, and late monthly usually-regular-like-a-clockwork period. My hormonal balance just flies out of the window! And I didn't even know it! Duh!

Now, eventhough I'm new in blogosphere, I'm not new to writing. I've been writing a journal since I was a little girl. Writing is the perfect media to channel my feelings and thoughts, because I'm not good in verbal communication. So imagine my despair when I found out that my old but trusty friend, my laptop, decided to give up on me! It was dying, bless its Dell soul. On top of that, I got sick yesterday and couldn't get out of bed.

In the midst of all these minor-but-many glitches, there was an unexpected surprise. My post titled Just Jeans! got featured as Kileen's Color Brigade's favorite, at Cute & Little. Yayyy!!!
Cute & Little is one of my favorite blogs. I love Kileen's feminine and colorful style. Though I'm not petite like her, but her blog has provided me with lots and lots of creative fashion inspirations to try. And best of all, her style is real. It's not like too-Voque style, or everything-designer-style, or too-edgy style. It's something that I could definitely wear everyday and look nice without drawing TOO much amount of attention. Attractive, not attracting!

So yeah, I know it might sound silly ,and all but it brightens up my gloomy day, a lot. Thank you, Kileen! Thank you, God! And thank you to all of you, my dear Readers! ^__^

Thus They Call It The Promised Land (Part 4): Via Dolorosa

Finally, the highlight of the spiritual journey: Via Dolorosa or The Way of The Cross! It means we walk through the narrow streets and alleys of Old Jerusalem where Jesus was presumably walked and carried His cross to Golgotha.
We start at one of the seven gates of the old city, where it was believed where Mary were born and used to live, now St. Anna Church. (St. Anna was mother of Mary)

My heavenly Mother, Our Lady, St. Mary.

Cannot believe Jesus used to walk on these alleys and saw the same sky, perhaps even touched the same sandstone walls when he fell down, while people jeered at him and mocked him. I know I should have felt solemn and remorseful, but people had warned me before I left for Holyland: "Beware of Via Dolorosa. Most likely you cannot concentrate because right and left you'll see stores and old city market with many many beautiful things spread out." Shamefully, I had to admit, though my tongue mumbled prayers and Hail Mary, my eyes darted around from pretty scarves to antique lamps to incense sticks, and oh, those dates look so fresh and yummy! Forgive me, O Lord. The soul is willing, but the flesh is weak. Indeed...

Finally we reached Golgotha, now also a church, and tomb of Jesus where thousands of people were waiting in line of six to take turn entering the tomb and pray. You might wonder, what did I pray at this holy place? What did I ask? Well, nothing. I didn't ask anything. I didn't even feel like it was proper or I was worthy to ask for anything, but to say over and over:

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, for being my saviour.
Thank you, for loving me THAT much."

Yep, the feeling of gratitude, gratefulness, and thanks, were overwhelming.

Comic top (isn't it cute!): unbranded (ITC Mangga Dua). Turquoise bead necklace: DIY project. Blue and green scarf, tied as a belt: thrift, from Miami. Turquoise earrings: from Sydney. Red patent bag: from Makati, Philippines. Sneakers: Nike, gift (Plaza Senayan). Shade: Oakley.

This is where we had lunch before leaving the Old City of Jerusalem. It was called The Gate, since it was right before the Seventh Gate, which is the last gate, of the city.

Everything held Christianity-theme here, even the plants!

Jerusalem is a hilly city, as you can see here, from this spot right outside the Seventh Gate.

Naughty wind! I just sat there, minding my own business, and suddenly, whoosh, the wind blew like crazy and ruffled my hair all over the place!

Linking up to:

Can't Make Up My Mind On This Extra Day Off

Thes pictures were from about a month ago, right after I came home from holiday, and I forgot to post them. Duh!
Most offices in Jakarta had a full week off for Lebaran holiday, but my office had two days extra. So, on Monday, when most people had gone back to work, I doned on this cheerful off-day outfit to hangout and catch up with friends at Starbucks Sarinah!

Pink top: Carolyne Taylor (USA). Peasant skirt: old, cut short from ankle-length skirt. Red wedges: Mon Cher by Lolly. Teal bag: unbranded. Earrings: from Bali.
I just love the patchwork pattern on this skirt! And the cute lace detail. I'm glad that now it's knee-length, instead of the original ankle-length. It looks so much cuter this way!

But wait! I'm not ready to dash out the door just yet!

Not sure about the red wedges, so I changed into these blue wedges.

Which look do you like better, with red or blue wedges?

Now I'm ready to run to Starbucks Sarinah! One thing I love most about this famous coffee chain is their cozy atmosphere. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love Starbucks because it's such a comfy place to hang out with your friends. And their signature hot chocolate is rich and yummy, compared to other similar casual coffee shop chain.

Now, wait a second! Do you see those white sandals I'm wearing? What happened to the blue wedges?

I guess these extra day off made me dizzy, I couldn't make up my mind which pair I'll put on my feet today! Nevertheless, I like how the result look. ^_^