November 2009 – Yannisms

Back to the grind

November 30, 2009 yannisms

I can’t believe it’s Sunday night, or rather, Monday morning!
Where did the weekend go?
As Tim Gunn would say, EGADS!

It’s just less than four weeks to Christmas, to the company shut down, to a nice break of festivity. All I have to do is to grit my teeth and get down to it.

Once Christmas is over, the New Year arrives and oh my God, it means Mr Thick and I have been seeing each other for 10 whole years. Where did the time go? It’s been 10 years! Unfortunately, while he still looks the way he did when we first met (with just a few more wrinkles around the eyes), I look older and wearier than when I was 18. It’s definitely true that men age gracefully like wines and women just AGE. Period.

Anyway, to make myself feel happier, I like to look at the Krispy Kreme box that I made husband bring home from Japan in his suitcase. Don’t you just love the polka dot goodness and retro fonts? I still haven’t a clue what I am going to do with the box – perhaps frame it on a wall that is still bare.

Which, strangely enough, is hard to find in this household.

Giving thanks

November 29, 2009 yannisms

Something is missing from my life.

But I am thankful for all that I have.
I am not a deeply religious person but recently, I have started this habit of reflecting on my day and giving thanks every night before I drift into slumber land.
If it is a bad day, I am thankful that I got through it.
If it has been a good day, I am thankful that everything is smooth sailing.

I thank the powers that be for the man I call my husband – even if he doesn’t turn the lights off when he leaves the room.
I am thankful that even though I have to wear a mouthguard for the rest of my life, I discovered the problem before I lost my teeth.
I am grateful that I can still swim and exercise, even though my right back, right leg and left shoulder blade aches so (I’m so injury-prone!).
I am happy that I can finally breathe through my nose, even if it means using a nasal spray for the rest of my life.
I am grateful for the gift of sight, even if I am allergic to contact lens and have to wear glasses forever.
I am thankful for the extra 15 minutes of sleep my husband thoughtfully indulges me with while he makes breakfast.
I am grateful for a great boss who guides me with so much patience and freedom.
I am thankful for a good cat who doesn’t scratch our furniture and who makes us laugh every single day.

More importantly, I am grateful for the chance to live life.

(Photo from my trip to Kyoto)

Health Goddess

Sweating it out

November 28, 2009 yannisms

It may come across as propaganda-ish but honestly, nothing gets me going like a good workout.

Some days, I may be spent and worn out after getting off from work but I almost immediately feel better after dragging my unwilling body to the gym.
Yoga gets me all calm and stretchy, like someone’s pulled out all the kinks from my body.
Pump makes me feel strong and empowered.
Swimming clears the cobwebs from my head, and I feel refreshed and new after a plunge into the cold water.
RPM gets me pushing boundaries of my physical endurance like I have never done before.

So what better way than to start the long weekend with a grueling session of pump?
75 minutes long – with a dash of cardio madness.
Followed by a comfortable swim of 10 laps. I even got husband to swim two more laps so yay to him.
Chilling by the pool with my favourite boy (not husband!) and whispering to each other conspiratorially about how unseemly it is that our partners are on the weightier side.

Little Miss Shopaholic

Everyone needs boots

November 24, 2009 yannisms

I always hate it when fashion mags in Singapore tell us what they think are fashion dos and don’ts. Don’t wear boots because it’s too hot in Singapore and you look like a poser, don’t wear a fedora because it’s so yesterday, don’t wear leggings because you look short/fat/ugly in them. Who cares about what you think?

Magazines that I like to read include Nylon, Frankie, Lula and Lucky – and they never come up with silly lists like that. Instead, they just tell you how to work it better. A little positivity never hurts, right? It’s more constructive than reading something that’s condescending.

I got meself a pair of leather boots with flat heels when I was in Taipei earlier this year and that $150 was definitely well spent. These boots have kept my feet dry on rainy days and they kept my freezing toes from turning blue and dropping off when we were in Tokyo (of course I exaggerate! But it was cold at night!). I trampled all over Tokyo and Kyoto in them on an average of 10 to 12 hours a day and they did an amazing job in keeping my feet comfy and happy. Even my Converse caused them tootsies to ache a little.

So yeah, I love these boots of mine with those rockin’ buckles. Cos these boots are definitely made for walking. And they make me look good!

Little Miss Shopaholic

What I wore in Tokyo #1

November 21, 2009 yannisms

Jacket - Uniqlo; Dress - Muji; Scarf - Loan from Trev, Leggings - Forever 21; Sneakers - Converse; Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs

This was taken on our second day in Tokyo, after a horrendous 11-hour flight onboard Malaysia Airlines. When we bought the tickets, it was not stated that there was going to be a one-hour stopover at Kota Kinabalu (!) and we had no clue until we boarded the plane. But it was partly our fault – we didn’t even wonder why the flight would take so long when looking at the itinerary, despite being aware that flying from KL to Narita would not take longer than seven hours. Sigh.

Anyway, back to the outfit. The weather was nice and breezy, and the sun was out! So as we walked and walked around the Imperial Palace grounds, the layers came off.

First it was the jacket and then the scarf came off shortly. Gah. Talking about the weather in Japan just made me miss the place more. The torrential rain in Singapore may be a welcome change from the sticky, sultry humidity of everyday but it’s drowning my plants and my shoes! Can I have some sun and less humidity please?

Thanks for the photos, Mr Thick!

Photography, The organised chaos

Tokyo raves: Meiji Shrine

November 20, 2009 yannisms

Since this was my first trip to Japan, I decided that we should get all the touristy places out of the way. One of our first stops was Meiji Jingu, or Meiji Shrine.

The gravel path leading to the shrine was long but because the path was lined by trees and the weather was cool, we had a nice stroll.

When we were there, we were lucky enough to spot three wedding parties! I loved seeing the bride and groom dressed in the traditional outfits – they looked so elegant and beautiful.

We also saw lots of little children being blessed. They were so cute! It’s apparently a custom for children aged three, five or seven who are coming of age to be blessed by the priests at the shrine.

There was also some sort of procession going on when we got there. The priests were preceded by guards, who would clear the way and warn people to get out of their path.

At the shrine, we decided to spend 500-yen to buy an ema: a wooden tablet where you write your wishes or prayers. The ema is then hung at the shrine for the gods to receive them.

Despite the hordes of people at the shrine (we were there on a Sunday morning), there was still an air of serenity which was not dispelled. Exactly what we need on our holiday!

Photography, The organised chaos

That time of the year again…

November 17, 2009 yannisms

We’ve bought our first Christmas tree and it’s been a blast putting it up.

Instead of gaudy bright colours, we’ve decided on a rather subdue and classy palette of black (just $1.50 from the Ikea sale a couple of months back!) and red with a tinge of silver.
The lights blink in the dark, and it’s beautiful and peaceful.
Coco, however, thinks that it’s her personal treehouse and has been scaling the branches, knocking the baubles out of the tree.
Too annoying and too cute!

In the meantime, I am in love with the toffee nut latte from Starbucks.
Every Christmas, I will go into a Starbucks store and gaze longingly at the merchandise that they have on sale.
So quirky and lovely and festive.
But I end up not buying anything because it just seems too frivolous.
It makes me happy, though, sipping the nutty, aromatic hot coffee listening to jazzy carols in the store as the rain pours outside.

Little moments of peace and happiness.

The organised chaos

10 things that make me happy

November 15, 2009 yannisms

1. Coming home and hearing the kitteh going “meow meow meow meow”, as if to say, I’m so happy to see you!

2. Watering my ickle plants and watching them grow taller and strong

3. Waking up to toast and Ovaltine made by husband

4. Picking up my parcels from the post office

5. Walking in the rain, my bright pink brolly keeping me dry and feeling snug and warm in my wellies and Uniqlo +J jacket

6. Holding hands with husband

7. Putting up the Christmas tree and letting the lights twinkle in the dark

8. Inhaling the lavender scented air coming out from the Muji vapourizer that we got from Tokyo while tucked in bed

9. The laziness of Sundays

10. Sinking my teeth into an Original Glazed donut from Krispy Kreme

The organised chaos

Being a grown up

November 11, 2009 yannisms

Some days, I feel terribly old.
I wonder why I don’t get the things I want, and why it seems as if I have to try and fight so hard to get to where I am.
I don’t understand why my journey is so long.
And I think, am I doing it wrong? or, what if it’s not meant to be?
I wish I could be more patient or more confident. Kinder, gentler, wiser.
I’m 28 and I’ve yet to hit the many milestones that I thought I would by the time I reach this age.
I haven’t become the person that I wanted to be since I was a little girl.

And then I remember, I am only 28.
In the grander scheme of things, I have many more miles to walk.
That means, I still have a lot of time to grow and work on becoming a better person.
I may not be the person of my dreams but I am still a person that I love and who is loved.
My milestones may have changed but I am content with the ones that I have reached.

Nobody knows what being a grown up means until we reached that stage.
Some of us ease gently into the role but not all of us are able to be perfect grown ups immediately.
It takes lots of time and tonnes of practice.

Next time when I get disappointed, I will remember to stop being hard on myself and let it go.
Talk it out and turn it into something that works.

We just need time.

The organised chaos