Happy 2016

Here's a blog I have been trying not to post. But I finally did.

Dedicated to all the people who never understand about my relationship with my furry children. And who's been telling me that "It is not the same with being married and having real children."

I won't argue with that.

Closet Cleaning

I have completed.... (drum roll) some closet cleaning earlier this month! Yay!

Why is this such a big deal? Because you really need the willingness to do it. And of course, time.

After reading some tips, I applied the simplest rule of thumb by asking myself these two questions:

"Have you worn this (top/pants/skirt/dress) the last six months?". 
If not, chances are you never will again. Or at least, until we have the next generation of fashion designers starting to bloom.
The next question:
"If you see this article in a store today, will you buy them?"
No? You know what to do.

After three hours, I managed to gather around six pairs of pants that no longer fits me (thanks to boot-camp sessions, I am shrinking from size 4 to size 2 #fistbump), ten tops (t-shirt, blouses and cardigans that I answered NO to the above questions) and five dresses (Was I not realizing my age when I got them?!). All will be donated.

My closet suddenly seems to be breathing fine. And the amazing thing is, I suddenly have more ideas on how to mix and match with less clothes! The logic must be because since I now have space, I am able to see clearly of what I have instead of gazing through a pile of mess that makes me feel like I have nothing to wear. With less clothes, I have the energy to color-coordinate them. Therefore, my eyes will automatically look for matching bottom after I spot some blues hues, for example. 

Isn't that a cool yet easy trick? I wonder if you can apply the same rule to contact list on your phone tho :-). 
E.q:Have you contacted this person the last six months? Do you want to? If you bumped into them today, will you have something interesting to say and or hear?

Here's a chart I got from Pinterest which you may find useful.

Be Ready to Be Copied

As an amateur blogger, I am reading plenty of other blogs and discussion forums too. Therefore, I am fully aware that I am influenced by them. Topics can be the same as interests and trends might be similar as well as vary.

But, we must have different style, and habits of using certain phrases or notions, orders, expressions, or even instagram hashtags. They cannot all be the exact same... Can they?

Here's to inspiring bloggers I have learned a lot from and somehow keep me sane to be my own self: Refinery 29, Miss Moss, Hello Giggles, The Dish Daily and many more!

ps: Well said, someecards!

What are your guilty pleasures?

Fashion magazines, pop music, Justin Bieber, or a very salty-and-creamy-delicious-butter. Guilty pleasures, people say. Something to savor after a long day; simple things to indulge, just cause. Everybody's got them. Me included.

At first, I never really thought that "Guilty Pleasures." is actually a thing. Until a few years ago, when preparing to pack my life leaving Jakarta... I found myself coughing in the midst of dust when cleaning my closet that is filled with... fashion magazines. Yep. You name it; Glamour, People Style, Vogue, ELLE, and more Vogue. 

1. Yes fashion magazines. I know...I know... you cannot just follow what magazines tell you to do, or worse, advise you to buy hand bags you cannot afford because it goes with that new hairdo. But, to thumb through fashion magazines gives my eyes a good rest, and my mind a well deserved "pause". I can be present. Just, be there. I can actually stop thinking about work, news, and problems just by staring at a picture of a well structured hand bags; admiring the details, imagining the texture. Do I go online and check the price, no, never. I just enjoy the view and sometimes sniff the smell of the paper before they turn dog-eared.  Also, when flipping through the pages, there will always be styling tips I can memorize to someday try to copy.
2. Watching movies I have seen for the umpteenth of time: Good Will Hunting, Remember The Titans, I am Sam, Men of Honor, The Mighty Ducks sequels, Lion King... Why?  Because I enjoy knowing how things ends. It's safe and comforting to know that this bad and sad scene will soon be over with a good ending. The same rule goes with books. I re read the ones I love. Weird, yes? And it scares me to think if this is also how I see most things in life, especially relationship. I like to know. It gives me pleasure to know. Not knowing kills me.
3. Salty butter with sprinkles of truffle that melts in your mouth in a second. Oh yes baby. And I am fully aware that it is bad to fill up on bread (with butter!) while waiting for your steak dinner to be ready... But I cannot help it. I am just relieved to be dating someone who does not think I am a human elephant. Tho, he loves to tease me by calling me "A black hole."
4. Trashy serials that makes me feel like I have nothing decent to wear in my closet. It is horrible, ya ya ya and yet I can tell you exactly what happened at the end of 90210. Or, Gossip Girls. But I am a religious follower of Private Practice too, so I guess that should make me a bit smarter? 
5. Buying the same stuff(s) again and again just because I know it works. Evidence: A serious galore of striped tops, white shirts and tees, dark-blue of everything, and a pile of gingham pattern). I swear to you I will never be able to buy myself a flower patterned blouse... Nothing wrong with it, it is just not familiar. It does not give me that tingling feeling of "guilty pleasures".

PS: A different take on Guilty Pleasure which I like!

Savory Sweetness

What I am looking forward to in 2016

Instead of listing down resolutions, this year I just want to continue an approach to share about what things, events, occasions that I am looking forward to in 2016, from personal life to fashion industry, from movies to what hair style to rock, and from sports and fun and games to politics.

Here goes!

1. My project. Oh my project. The progress is being stuck with my excuses since last May but I just had creative juices jump start in my head and is ready to continue for good.
2. The long awaited Finding Dory! I was stoked when Ellen officially announced it!
3. Trip to Tanjung Puting. Was meant to leave end of November but due to the forest fire math, it has been postponed to March 2016. I am begging the Universe to make this happen. A travel and lifestyle publication have asked me to do a story on this trip and I am thinking of interviewing one of the rangers there who has been doing the most selfless job ever. Find out (and support) them via Orangutan Foundation International.
4. Aesthetic department: Do you think this bob and bangs will suit me? Also, I want to style up high waist jeans more often. Like these ladies! In colors, to rock this rad combo of camel and red. What do you think?
5. Euro Cup 2016 Baby! I still have the heart for Espana, I mean look at them the past years! They failed the World Cup 2014 which was heartbreaking but I will still be rooting for them. And the Oranje!--- Update: Their nightmare sets in as the team failed to qualify Euro Cup. #heartbreak.
6. US Presidential Elections 2016, tho it is more because I am so into the brilliant campaigns they always have. Intriguing and interesting to watch. 
7. Continue supporting animal welfare cause and ask my families to join me.
8. Another career growth. In Jesus name. Amen

And the utmost thing I am looking forward to... A better world to live in. There has been so many sad news the past year and I do not even have the heart to mention them. For those affected by world's hatred... I am sending your all the prayers to stay strong, just stay beautiful as you are and do not let those turn your back away from believing that we can still work to make good matter again.

Grateful Heart for 2015

As it is, in a speed of a bullet, time flies.

For the next weeks before entering 2016, I will be taking time to reflect, evaluate and mostly to be thankful.

Especially for below...

1. Always and forever will thank God for my health. Two years ago, I started running and gradually increasing my kilometers and speed up my time every month. Since last June, I added boot camp to the menu. It is a combination of cross fit, circuit, tabata and pyramid training that rotates to build your muscle and develop your core strength. It is painful. And I almost gave up on it for so many times. But I did not. Running influence my mood in a good way whilst Boot camp helps me to stay motivated. The combo of both somehow has a magical power to help me focus even more at work and in other projects I have. 
2. Marilyn and Mahoni, my girls. My good side, my remedy, my daily dose of happiness and my strength. I do not need to say more. 
3. My siblings and my Mom who continue to make me feel appreciated and needed. Not because I have it all figured out (because I don't), but simply because we are family. 
4. The past year with the company I am working for has been great too, praise the Lord. May I continue to shine His work through me.
5. Friends I have lost and gained. You have taught me a lot about growing. "Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop."- Rumi. It's just that simple. 
6. I finally re painted my washed out house, built a simple kitchen cabinet in my alfresco dining area and a floor to ceiling closet in my room. I keep making a big deal about it as it really is a big thing for me. For I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now. So again, thank you God.

Especially For You

I know all of you will be reading this and will probably cringe realizing that this girl who listens to Kasabian and The Cure can be this cheesy!

But this song is the one that is playing in my head now. 

"Especially for you I wanna tell, you mean all the world to me
How I'm certain that our love was meant to be

You changed my life
You showed me the way."

xx