Surviving Mid-20s

For every college/ university student, planning for the long summer vacation is always top on the agenda.

Filling all the gaps and dates with activities, internships and everything else seems to equate with having a life filled with good memories.

Ask anyone who is in their 20s to imagine their future, most probably they will think of career, marriage, family, investment and so on.
Probably anything but being seriously ill or death.

What if my life isn't long enough for me to build an established career, getting married, having children and everything else?
What if I don't have the chance?

My dearest cousin who is in his mid 20s has a brain tumor. He had it removed by a surgery a couple years ago.

But due to the surgery, he began to show abnormalities in his brain functioning; memory losses etc.

And because of that, he is gradually losing his ability to work and even the ability to drive. At his mid 20s.

His family could afford the best doctors in the city or the region. He has no financial worries.
But, I guess most of us trust modern medicine so much that we thought medicine and doctors can bring people back to their healthy state or even bringing people back to life, no matter what they suffer from

Not that work is of huge centrality to him, but losing the chance to be the best he could at this age, could he (or anyone) deal with it?

What am I supposed to say to him?
What would I feel if I were him?

He is just like a brother to me. I couldn't describe to you how heartbroken and sorry I feel for him.
I just want him to have a truly happy life filled with love and hope.

Love,
N

Hello, sunshine

Now that exams are over, my summer officially begins.

Nothing compares to having a boyfriend who makes you steak with veggies for brunch.
And then let you sleep in his room while he does all the cleaning & dish-washing.

For the night, we went to a studio for art jamming.

The studio is not as spacious as we thought. 

But still, it's really nice to have a cozy place with bossa nova music that you can just relax and lay back.

I didn't have an idea about what to paint. 

Then, inspiration came from the British poster Keep Calm & Carry On.

This British poster was made by the British government in 1939, when the WWII began, to raise morale.

But now, anyone who is interested in home decor or typography knows that this poster is widely commercialized for decorative purposes.

 

I'm no expert in typography or art. 

But for me, the beauty of typography lies in the simplicity of words & the meaning they carry.

Another reason why I love this poster is that, visually, it is simple & structured.

Keep Calm products no longer stick to the line Keep Calm & Carry On anymore.  

I have got a pack of badges, among some write:
1) Keep Calm and Rock on
2) Keep Calm and Drink a Beer
3) Keep Calm and Make a Tea 

Okay. Now this is my work. 

The last picture is still not the final product, words of my final work has white borders, but still.

The deer looks like a sheep in disguise somehow.

This is for all of you out there, Keep Calm & Love Life.

Love,
N

Mother's Day

There is a small passage on my favorite perfume. It goes like this:
'How you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain.
And, so it is in life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson.
In the end, it all comes down to one word. Grace.
It's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.'

To an incredible woman who lives by example.

My very first attempt to not-so-french French cooking.
Well, I'm no Julia Child. But I'm gonna buy her published-in-1960s-but-still-timeless cookbooks very soon.

Menu of the Day
1. Tomato Cold Soup with Mint & Basil
2. Asparagus, Red Beets Salad with Turkey ham and Smoked Salmon
3. Garlic button Mushrooms & Shrimps
4. Bacon Spinach Oyster Roll
5. Sole Filet with Squid & Shrimp Mousse
6. Perfect summer drink made with raspberries, blackberries, black and red currants

Love,
N