BooBoo on the Staircase

Of course, before we set off and leave our poor baby again, he HAS to show off just how adorable he is. Rubbing in the guilt and making our hearts so heavy for leaving him.

Here he is posing on the staircase landing whilst we snapped from the living room below.



WE MISS BOOBOO.

Weekend Bake-Off

Ah the joys of giving! A friend requested for some sweet things to sell, and here is what I came up with:

1) Castella for the lactose-intolerant or weight watching;


2) Brownies for chocoholics, made with Van Houten chocolate buttons (sorry, can't afford Valrhona this time, I daresay I taste no difference)



3) Dorie Greenspan's triple chocolate mini bundts - made with cocoa, melted chocolate and topped with chocolate icing!!

Here's hoping that it's a beginning of greater things :)

Rediscovering JB

I never thought I'd say this.

After living in Miri - Oh JB, how I love thee.

I love the food.

I love Tebrau City Mall - it's has all the necessary outlets (Guess, MNG, a big well-stocked bookstore, dozens of interesting food outlets, except no Zara)

We have been feasting well - fish head curry, Snow crab, prawns, Korean barbecue and some really excellent rib eye at the newly opened Thistle Hotel. Oh, and the durians and mangosteens and rambutans. And seedless grapes.

I am even warming up to the traffic jam - 45 minutes of traffic ain't so bad when you got Hitz.fm to supply a couple of laughs.

And shopping, of course. So far I have (or we have) bought the following:

1) A pretty Bohemian dress from MNG, blue floral pattern with bell sleeves, 50% off!
2) A short-sleeved satin blouse that can be worn up or down, with a skirt, slacks or shorts
3) A thick yoga mat
4) A premium cotton, travel friendly (aka wrinkle-proof) green long-sleeved jersey, 50% from British India. I plan to wear this on flights, it's super comfy.
5) An aqua-coloured bikini top (haven't found the suitable bottoms yet)
6) A long cotton top with embroidery on the collar line, for beach vacations (as a swimsuit cover up)
7) A brown bean bag for home

Aargh how I long to leave Miri.

Self Care

I've been a lot more conscious of taking better care of myself. It's all about balance.

I was too insecure, too self doubting to actually take better care of myself. Stupidly, I used to believe that people would not take me seriously if I indulged in a little self pampering - that face masks and massages are for dizzy, rich ladies with nothing better to do.

But now, older, wiser, I realize that I can have my cake and eat it too.

So here's my list of things I do, that I regard as self-care, that I have not been doing since I started working, actually:-

1) Curl up on the couch/bed with a Jodi Picoult novel and a cup of steaming green tea
2) Applying my L'occitane Shea Butter Lotion all over my legs and arms before bed
3) Yoga - I've restarted my daily sun salutations that was my daily staple at university. And it is 6 years overdue - really, what took me so long?
4) Eating high quality chocolates
5) Eating a good breakfast - oats, with milk and sugar and cinnamon.
6) Getting AK to help me clean the house

More additions to the list, I promise.

Missing BooBoo

When we got back after two weeks in JB, it took us two days fo trawling back lanes and driving around before we finally found him sleeping like a vagabond in one of the uninhabited houses opposite ours.

AK gave him his bath - twice! to get rid of all traces of the alleyways.

And here he is claiming his spot on the bed, and on AK's foot:

Sigh. Only one weekend, we're already here in JB, and BooBoo is once again left in the care of our wonderful neighbour.

We miss him already.

Sexy Shirt Dress

I don't know what's up with me and white cotton dresses.

Here's another one to put on a wish list. By Twenty8Twelve, that Sienna Miller and Sis company (her name's Savannah)

There's a masculinity about it that I like...you know, the morning after-white shirt that doesn't actually belong to you?

On Fullfillment, Living a Full Life

Lately I've been having thoughts.

I recognize the patterns - the brood moods, the quiet asking of "What if I jumped...."

That feeling of a heart so empty, yet manages to feel so heavy.

The thoughts that wander into spaces never been.

Lately, I have been unable to find happiness in anything.

I buy stuff and eat to make it go away. It does, but only for a little while.

I MUST DO SOMETHING, before I drown.

Before it's too late and time slips by and the choices disappear.

It is NOT about making the best of what you have sometimes, it is about making tough choices, of breaking free so we can live our BEST lives. To put one's foot down and declare that I will NOT take this anymore. It is OVER, it is DONE, I have tried, believe you me, I have tried to make the best of it. But the best is just not good enough.

It is time to rediscover myself, what and whom I truly am and stand for, instead of compromising. Because it is, pointedly, now or never.

Dear God, give me strength, to do the necessary.