Self-explanatory

Notes for my future husband:

You are not going to do what he did to me last night.

You are not going to use the fact that you are tired to be an excuse to treat me bad.
You are not going to let me cry in public.

Oh wait.

If we love each other so much that we got married, I think you won't make those stupid mistakes & break my heart like what someone else did last night.

I love you.

♥

Love,
N

On True Love

I watched the movie 500 Days of Summer, again.

The girl in the movie doesn't want to settle and have serious relationship.
She never believes in fate, soulmates, true love or people who are made each other.

Her name's Summer.
She meets this guy who seems to be interesting enough for her, Tom. They have a great time together.

He falls head over heels for her but she is not ready.
One day, she says goodbye and breaks he heart.
Then all of a sudden, she got married, to someone else.

Then Tom doesn't believe in love, until he falls into love again.

We've all heard about this story in real life.
People who are afraid to commit, who yearn for freedom than a shared life.
Oh yes, the runaway brides.

Question: What if true love really don't exist?

 Weheartit

What if it's just the result of us reading too much fairy tales and romantic fictions?
What if it's because we have limited intelligence?
What if it's the trick of our neuro-chemicals & hormones?
What if we aren't meant for each other & just compromise/ settle with the one we thought to be the best?

What if I'm never good enough for you?
What if everything we did turn out to be nothing important on our courses of life?
What if we are meant to be but we screwed up?
Sometimes I'm really scared.

Knowing that I'll never know the answer for sure, the only thing I can do is keep trusting & keep loving.
Trying hard not to let those automatic negative thoughts affect me.

JustaSimpleFeeling

Keep trusting & keep loving, everyone.

Love,
N

Before I die I want to....

The idea of asking people to complete the sentence 'Before I die I want to...' is nothing new.
But still, it's so cool!

It's incredible to know what is important to people; their aspirations and dreams.

What people come up with are always surprising, inspiring and personal.

Candy Chang's a public installation artist, designer, urban planner and co-founder of the Civic Centre.

Her projects make good use of public space; make people think again on what really matters, connect people with the city they live in and make it an even better place.

A few months ago, Candy Chang from Civic Centre started off a project in New Orleans.
This particular project made use of an abandoned house, installed blackboards with chalk available and allowed people to just fill in the blanks.

I think she's awesome.

I wish more people can make the world a better place in such a creative, inspiring and peaceful way.

I think my city needs this, for a change.

I think people have all the right to fight for the better but the means are equally as important as the ends.

Here is another project (by Nicole Kenney & ks rives) that asks the same question 'Before I die I want to'.

Um...the idea of starting one myself is really tempting.

So, before you die what do you want to do?

Love,
N

To Don't List

We've been too obsessed with To-Do Lists, thinking that by writing up a list of things we should do, we could follow through.
Yea, a to-do list does help making priorities clear.
But to be honest, sometimes we're too ambitious and end up leaving the majority items on the list undone.
Andrea from CaffeinateMe made an interesting list: the To Don't List. 


This is mine.


 1. Don't hate
 2. Don't be rude.
 3. Don't be proud.
 4. Don't complain too much
 5. Don't believe in everything
 6. Don't insist on being perfect
 7. Don't be afraid to be yourself
 8. Don't lie (to others and to self)
 9. Don't take yourself too seriously.
10. Don't be afraid to make changes
11. Don't be ordinary or try to blend in.
12. Don't give up on love/life/hope/yourself.
13. Don't take things/people for granted, especially those you're close with.
14. Don't have sex when you aren't ready to be married. Don't have too few when you are married.
15. Don't forget that there are millions out there suffering and that you can make a difference 


What is on your To Don't List?


P.S. not in a good mood today, but feeling lucky to have my boyfriend, who's already exhausted, to buy me mint choco ice-cream just to comfort me. R, you're the best. 


Love,
N

Summery Collages for a Rainy Day

Raining cats and dogs today.
With all that heat and humidity, it's perfect for a lazy day indoor.

I came across these lovely collages by Violet May on Etsy.
Who can resist them? Simple, vintage-looking, summery and puts a smile on your face!
My crush of the day.

Young Love

Disco Ball

What do you do to cheer yourself up on a rainy day?

Love,
N

Dear Birthday Girl,

You told me that girls are prettiest when they hit 21.
It's true, I think you're glowing now, looking gorgeous in short hair & tan.

We've known each other for years now.
I like how different our personalities are and yet I appreciate how you inspire me all the time.
And (probably you know this already), I think you spark off my motherly instinct which makes me act like I'm your 2nd mother.

I've seen you cry and you've seen me frown.
You've seen me wasting time with the wrong persons and I've seen you with jerks.
You know what made me very happy lately?
Seeing you being crazily in love with the right guy who treats you like a princess.
I'm so very happy for you.

 Girl, be happy & love life.

Love,
N

Let them eat cake...

What do you do on a date?

Going to the malls, movies, romantic dinners...these are okay but it gets boring & becomes a routine.

Doing something new as a couple can spice up the relationship & create memories.

We all hear too much about developing a common habit, a group of mutual friends & take part in activities that both enjoy. 

So, I'll stop the preaching.

Yesterday, we went to our 1st cookery class together

What we made: Tofu cheesecake (1 Original and 1 in sesame flavor)

 

It's one of the easiest dessert to make, but the experience of making it with my boy is nice.
P.S. The sesame one tastes better.

Love,
N

Personal Shopper

Personal shopper isn't as popular here as in other places.

So I'm quite excited to help a lady on her wardrobe makeover, especially it's my first time.

She works for a local political organization and might stand for an election in the coming year.
The day I went shopping with her was the first time I met her in person.
I'm not being mean here, but to be honest, she doesn't look like she's in her early 20s, nor does she looks like she's a city dweller.

Couldn't post photos here because of her job.
Goal: 1) Create a more professional look  2) Smart casual wear that suits her age & needs of her job

Before: oversized clothes that hide her figure, baggy pants, midi skirts

Bought:
1) Fitted Blazers
-buy navy, dark grey, be careful with black: black shows the quality of fabric, cheap ones look too intern-like
-longer, not cropped: slightly-boyfriend blazers look better & more fashionable
-versatile: a must-have item that looks good with skinny jeans, dresses
-Got her something like this, in navy

Maison Martin Margiela blazer 

2. Skinny jeans: bought dark & white
3. Chiffon shirts & silky tops: my current favourites of the season
-Keep it simple & elegant, no excessive lace or frills

4. Crisp white shirt: a good fitted one is a fashion staple, must-have & goes with everything

With her height, most items look good on her, but I spent some effort to convince her try different styles & colours.
At the end of the day, it's all worth it.

Love,
N

5th Anniversary

We've been together for 5 years now.

It's interesting to think about the fact that we've spent a quarter of our lives together.

Thank you for being so unbelievably wonderful (most of the time :P)

Things I learnt from us:

1) Be yourself. The right person loves you for who you are & inspires you to be even better. 

2) Keep trusting & have faith

    At times we have our share of unhappy moments, it feels awful every time we have a fight, no matter how trivial the matter is. But knowing that we still love one another & that fights only strengthen us and make us know each other deeper, that's what get us through. After all, we average on everything, joy and misery alike. That's what relationship is all about.

3) Honesty is the best policy. Our rule No. 1. Relationships don't built on lies.

4) Never take your partner for granted, always be grateful & appreciate

LaughPaintCreate

5) I can have it all, just not all at once.(Oprah was right about this.)

    People have asked me if I regret giving up some chances, I said no.

    I know if I'm all alone in a foreign land, I might have get used to life without you but that's not what I want. 

    I want more than a degree that I've wanted for a lifetime/to graduate from a better university.

    I want a life that we both create. I want to be a part of your life and you being a part of mine.

    And it's not like my life is over without going abroad. We still have a lot of chances & opportunities ahead of us. That's for sure. :]

 Life is an adventure and the journey couldn't be perfect without you.

Thank you for being you and loving me for who I am.

I'm still madly in love with you.

Deepest love,
N

Simple Pleasures of the Day

Appreciating small things in life & be grateful :]

1. The moment when I slipped into bed
    Bed sheets & blanket covers of 100% cotton & over 600 thread count, heavenly!

from eclecticrevisited

2. Having a great time with my grandparents
    Every time I see them still being very healthy/ have a nice chat with them/ seeing them happy, I know what genuine happiness is.
    Gave them two of my paintings, their smiles are precious & priceless
 
3. Spending quality time with people I love

4. Doing well in what I'm interested, knowing that it's worth to take a risk

What made you happy today?

Love,
N

Fast fashion

Lifestyle & Fashion Challenge: Be a Minimalist

I don't mean that one should excessively worship frugality by sacrificing one's quality of living.
But, spending on impulses & creating waste isn't any more glamorous either.

Be a Minimalist doesn't equate to minimalistic fashion style.
It's not about dressing yourself just in black & white, all shades of grey, navy and brown.
It's way more than that.
It's a lifestyle pursuing excellence in quality over quantity. 

It's buying items that suit your body shape/personal style/needs and investing in high-quality items that can last for decades.

It's finding your style & assimilating trends instead of buying what brands want you to.

Impulsive buying is all about greed & desire, the short-lived high when you got something you don't actually need.

What made purchases even more easy/tempting is fast fashion. 
Most people (especially ladies) living in major cities are well-acquainted with fast fashion, selling affordable fashion of the latest trends
Best-known fast fashion brands include Zara, H&M, Topshop, Forever 21, American Eagle, American Apparel, Uniqlo, Next.
Buying from these brands is absolutely ok, but maybe it's time for people to rely less or addictively/too-frequently shop at chain stores.

I'm quite a fan of Zara, occasionally H&M and Topshop.
Yet, I have had enough of the highly-addictive-and-equally-sinful consumerism: too much impulsive buying & hoarding in the name of collecting.

Here are a few things I hate about fast fashion: 

1) Cheap fabric
Lace is the No. 1 on the list because it screams: CHEAP, nothing about elegance, girly-ness or being delicate.

2) People blindly conforming to styles (remember leopard prints? anyone?)

3) H&M Beach Pop-up Store

Does anyone really NEED to do some shopping at the beach? Again, it's all 'just in case'.

Interesting Fact:
Do you know how long does it take for Zara to design, produce, and deliver a garment? 

From a Harvard Business School article,15 days. (Well, in terms of efficiency it's pretty amazing.)

Love,
N

I don't own any the photos, but couldn't remember where I found them.

Decluttering

(from Greenhouseart.com)

Every year, decluttering is top on my summer To-do list.
I'm not someone who is obsessed with certainty or order, so a 'large-scale' decluttering every 6 months or once a year is already fine for me.
Every time I clear things out from my room, the study room and my closet,
I'm surprised by the number of things that I shouldn't have bought, things that I don't need anymore.

Not every woman is a shopaholic but I won't be surprised if someone tells me that females are more likely to be compulsive hoarders.
No no, I'm not a compulsive hoarder.
But I've got to admit that I have excessive amount of things, and which do not necessarily improve my quality of living.

How you ever...
1) Bought clothes that you think you'll wear it someday, but end up putting it in the deepest corner of your closet, not even wearing it once?
2) Kept something that you can alter to fit/ wait till it's coming back as a trend (maybe after a few years or decade)/ look good in itself (point: but doesn't make you look better)
Worse still, that dress or anything you bought to wear when you shed some weight, it never happened, isn't it?
3) Stored things 'just in case'? For example, empty glass jars, paper, paid bills, books.

The list of how we hoard things are endless.

We feel secure to own things. Sometimes, we even feel very good about what we own too.
Sometimes, our possessions make us feel like we're better/more well-off individuals.
That's human nature and we all know that very well.

'It's still in good condition.'
'I can make it into something useful later.'
'It carries precious memories of my (1st date/graduation/wedding/birth of child/you name it).'
Sound familiar, right?
Another thing that encourage people possessing too much/too many is the guilt of tossing things out.
The feeling that we aren't using things at their best potential, creating waste by discarding them.

Especially true when people nowadays are conscious about environmental protection.

Think again. You could live a simpler, equally happy (if not happier) life but owning less.

After all, there is just a thin line between collecting and hoarding.

Love,
N

P.S. I feel so good tossing and donating bagfuls of clothings & piles of magazines away.

It's so refreshing, almost like losing a bit of weight.

Painting by Numbers

I'm really into painting & drawing lately.

One day, something called Number Painting kit packs caught my eyes.
In each pack, there is a canvas with lots of numbers, a few brushes and paint.
Basically everything you need for painting.

I gave it a try.
Largely because of the fact that it is invented in the 1950s, one of the eras that I'm crazy about.
When it came out in the 50s, some say it offers a chance for the mass public to own art.
Some say it allows people to go creative & make different versions of famous art pieces by using unconventional combinations of colours.
Some, especially critics, describe it as 'mindless conformity'.

Not that the final product isn't attractive, but it's more like an adult version of kids' colouring books.
The numbers on canvas don't make sense.
When you finish painting all the 1s, what appears are just patches of colours on the canvas.
The same happens when you finish the 2s, 3s, 4s, etc.
Everything make sense ONLY when there are no more numbers on the canvas.

Nothing to do with creativity.
Nothing related to the sense of fulfillment or joy during the process of creating an art.

Love,
N