Write

One of the most beautiful things about writing is that it coaches you to sort your thoughts into some form of coherence, 

untangle your mental mess, 

crystallise your ideas, 

and approach situations in a critical manner.

Whenever I find myself having too many encumbering thoughts swimming around in my head,

I sit down and write after letting my thoughts sink for a bit.

The words don't always flow easily.

Sometimes they tumble out in drips and drabs.

But at the end of the day, 

clarity comes to me once the thoughts translate into tangible words. 

It's almost as if I can explain myself better to myself upon reading my written, somewhat organised thoughts.

And that, is why I write.

Isn't it strange?

That the most fleeting moments in life are perhaps those which create the most imprinting memories.

Post Trip Thoughts

Post NYC days have been fabulous except for the first few days where I had to try really hard fight off jet lag.
(Jet lag is horrid thing by the way, I totally overestimated my body's ability to overcome it.)
I came back with a fresh frame of mind, new perspectives and a renewed sense of motivation.

To be completely honest,
I have been floundering and wandering lost when it came to work for few long good months.
I was dragging my feet to work every day and I had other things on my mind clouding my vision,
which shouldn't have been the case.
Instead of lying awake at night coming up with inspiring ideas for the business like I used to,
I laid awake with incoherent, trivial and unimportant thoughts crowding my mind.

It was painfully obvious to people who were watching from the side,
just that I didn't want to admit it to myself and instead of picking things up,
chose to submerge myself in a state of oblivion.

I was always my own motivator when it comes to running the business,
and all of a sudden I seemed to have lost the ability to set directions in moving forward.


Decided that I needed a break to get away from everything, so tickets to NYC was booked on a whim.
The idea of going on a solo trip was both daunting yet exhilarating.


Made it back safe and sound despite the initial protests and worries of my family and some close friends.
Most importantly,
this trip did great things by allowing me to find my focus at work, regroup my thoughts, and in setting new goals for TTR once again.
It also taught me that when things within you fall apart,
it is entirely up to yourself to pick up the shards and pieces, mend yourself and move forward.
No one is going to do it better than you do.
I've been mentally absent from the business for way too long and it's going to take time to rev the engines back to full force, but I'm trying and I'm certain that I will get there soon enough.


Will share more pictures and places in NYC which I love here soon.
Just waiting for my new blog layout to be ready!
;)

Always be Thankful.

Whenever the stress of work or life gets to me,

I turn into a perpetual grumbler.

You'll be surprised at how much I can whine and grumble (to the ones close to me) when I feel that life is too much for me to handle or when I'm feeling upset.

However,

I'm growing to learn that life definitely has its ups and downs.

I also try to think of things in my life that I have to be thankful about to make myself feel better.

I find that this works for me most of the time and you should try it on your bad days too!

Here are some of the things which made my week a much better one!

Such as...

Going home to my cute babies













There's no way anyone can still feel crappy after seeing their cute furry little faces!
Instant mood lift when I see Xiao Bai dashing and barking excitedly whenever anyone comes home.


Getting my nails done at Milly's









Aren't pineapples just too extremely cute on nails (and my Naked Glory watch)???
Thought that it would be a good idea to have pineapple nails instead of red-ish/CNY-ish nails.
Anyway, pineapples means "good fortune come" in dialect,
which is apt enough for new year.
And I love pineapple tarts!
Genius interpretation of CNY nails if I can say so myself.
LOL.

Chloe (my manicurist) did such a good job of them!
Couldn't stop telling her "OMG 你很厉害叻!" after she was done drawing the f irst pineapple for me to see.

Book your appointments NOW because they don't have time to do walk-in slots anymore!
And I also heard that bookings are all full...
But you can call and try your luck in case anyone cancels their appointments!
:)


Having a nice afternoon break on a weekday afternoon

Chye Seng Huat Hardware
150 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207563

So you see,
it's not that difficult for me to find things in my life to be thankful about every day.
:)
Have a happy Friday everyone!

I'm happy to be spending it at home with my two baby girls!

Of resolutions and letting go.

Chanced upon this article sometime ago from my friend's Facebook page.
Thought it makes an interesting read and several note worthy points for the new year and so I'm sharing them on my blog.

20 Things to Let Go Of In Order To Achieve Happiness 

1. Let go of all thoughts that don't make you feel empowered and strong.

 2. Let go of feeling guilty for doing what you truly want to do.

 3. Let go of the fear of the unknown; take one small step and watch the path reveal itself.

 4. Let go of regrets; at one point in your life, that “whatever” was exactly what you wanted.

 5. Let go of worrying; worrying is like praying for what you don’t want.

 6. Let go of blaming anyone for anything; be accountable for your own life. If you don’t like something, you have two choices, accept it or change it.

 7. Let go of thinking you are damaged; you matter, and the world needs you just as you are.

 8. Let go of thinking your dreams are not important; always follow your heart.

 9. Let go of being the “go-to person” for everyone, all the time; stop blowing yourself off and take care of yourself first … because you matter.

 10. Let go of thinking everyone else is happier, more successful or better off than you. You are right where you need to be. Your journey is unfolding perfectly for you.

 11. Let go of thinking there's a right and wrong way to do things or to see the world. Enjoy the contrast and celebrate the diversity and richness of life.

 12. Let go of cheating on your future with your past. It’s time to move on and tell a new story.

 13. Let go of thinking you are not where you should be. You are right where you need to be to get to where you want to go, so start asking yourself where you want to go.

 14. Let go of anger toward ex lovers and family. We all deserve happiness and love; just because it is over doesn’t mean the love was wrong.

 15. Let go of the need to do more and be more; for today, you've done the best you can, and that's enough.

 16. Let go of thinking you have to know how to make it happen; we learn the way on the way.

 17. Let go of your money woes — make a plan to pay off debt and focus on your abundance.

 18. Let go of trying to save or change people. Everyone has her own path, and the best thing you can do is work on yourself and stop focusing on others.

 19. Let go of trying to fit in and be accepted by everyone. Your uniqueness is what makes you outstanding.

 20. Let go of self-hate. You are not the shape of your body or the number on the scale. Who you are matters, and the world needs you as you are. Celebrate you!

Extracted from the website http://www.mindbodygreen.com/


On a personal note,
2013 was definitely not the best year for me.
I felt that I underachieved for most aspects of my life and I'm still struggling to resolve some issues now.
I failed to resolve those issues by the end of 2013 but I've made a promise to myself that I will face up to my problems and find my way through this 2014.
I guess new years are good in this way.
They make you full of hope and faith that everything will turn out for the better.


Some resolutions that I've made for 2014:

- Stick to a budget every week and DO NOT OVERSPEND.
I chose to determine my budget according to weeks because some weeks require more spending,
such as special occasions etc.
I really need to start saving up for the flat which is coming our way in 2017,
renovations and furniture are no joke.
BOO.

- Exercise at least once a week and stop indulging in so much junk food.
Healthy body, healthy mind, positive mindset!

- Stop being so short tempered and negative and give out more positive vibes.

- Update my blog at least once every week.
I think I've achieved this for most of 2013 and so I'm going to try not to break the streak!

- Make sure that I have savings of at least $__________ by the end of 2014.
MAKE SURE MAKE SURE!!!

- Be a better person to everyone around me.


That's all!
Decided to keep it short and simple so that I can focus on achieving them.
Have you set your new year resolutions yet?
;)

YOGYAKARTA, 2013

This shall be a semi-wordy post because I have too many photos to post and too little time to type captions/thoughts for most photos.

Spent the last of my 2013 and the start of my 2014 in Yogyakarta.
For the less initiated,
it is a small city within Indonesia.
Definitely not my first choice when it comes to holiday destinations,
but Thom wanted to visit this place so I thought I should be the accommodating one for once.
Heh.












Airport outfit of the day:
Boyfriend Swag Denim Shirt in Dark upcoming on TTR,
black maxi from BKK,
bag from Sandy Trove,
flats from Steve Madden


















Outfit of the day:
Edelweiss Skorts Romper in Mint upcoming on TTR

Come to think of it,
I should have taken more photos at the balcony!
It's just really really pretty.

I love the entire colonial feel of the hotel.
It makes an extremely stark contrast as compared to most parts of Yogyakarta.
The service of the staff was also impeccable and made a great impression on me.

In fact, I told Thom that the part of the trip that I enjoyed the most was the hotel stay.
LOL.













The Phoenix Hotel, Yogyakarta
















Prambanan Temple

One of the MUST GO places when you're in Yogyakarta.
I would have enjoyed taking in the sights more if it were not for the heavy downpour that we experienced when we were there.
Was not a pretty sight when we had to hurriedly throw our umbrellas aside while taking photos in the rain.














Malioboro, shopping street of Yogyakarta

I wouldn't really call it a "shopping" street because there's practically nothing to buy.
I think it's more for the locals.
The entire place was swarmed with people because we were there on NY's eve.
I left way before the clock struck 12 because the crowd was getting too massive for me to handle.

Spent our countdown watching fireworks from our hotel balcony instead.
:)


















Borobudur Temple

This was the place which I wanted to go to the most but unfortunately the crowds were crazy!
Just look like the ant-colony-like photo that I posted of the people making their way up.
It was also dreadfully hard to get a decent shot without having anyone walking into the photo.
Oh, and it was also raining when we were there!
Major bummer.
:(
















Food at our hotel's restaurant was great.
And really cheap if you convert the prices to Sg dollars.
Other than the Mcdonald's meal, KFC meal and a random dinner at a random eatery that we had,
we ate most of our meals in the hotel because I was extremely afraid of getting food poisoning from the food served on the streets.




























Spent our last afternoon wandering around random streets of Yogyakarta.
Had fun taking street snaps of this unconventional holiday destination.
Unconventional for me,
at least.
This would definitely not be a place which I would suggest to come for a holiday if not for Thom's interest.

In fact,
I whined a whole lot during the trip and I felt more than a little miserable about being in Yogyakarta for a holiday.
But thinking on hindsight,
this trip really taught me a lot about myself as a person, and in turn make me realize which areas of myself I ought to improve on in year 2014.

Being overly self-entitled and self-centered are some of my biggest flaws.
I fail to realise that compared to so many other people in this world,
I have so much to be thankful for.
Instead of complaining about the trip,
I should have realized how lucky I am to be able to jet off for holidays without much advance notice/applying for leave,
I should have thought about how much Thom tried to make me feel comfortable and making sure I stayed happy throughout the trip,
I should have appreciated the fact that I am financially well enough to travel places and see the world.
Most people in Yogyakarta have never even set foot outside of their city.








Pretty pink sunset I caught on the flight back

This 2014,
I wish for myself to be more easily contented,
to be a happier person,
and to achieve more for TTR.

I also wish happiness for all of you!
:)

More on my past year reflections/new year resolutions in another blogpost!