tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45390168976780221402024-03-13T23:21:07.167-04:00built-in lenses0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-3288310501831895652021-02-07T14:01:00.000-05:002021-02-07T14:01:01.720-05:00there's no other way<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvVy37Puqsu3uUegcDEzS9kQkD0VINRGiLjMwgPsFnghis_QdFyJ1fsUyiui-CBwcse8F1g7cr55Rf1SkgdVaTHoNP9yEu69zVHvwtwoYbayWureiaFpLpFeQTOhKxmJN5Z9b6cGp3G8/s1658/DEBA3AF7-71DD-4E6A-B66E-5B6DE8C8BB93-16215-0000163B3083CBC7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1658" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvVy37Puqsu3uUegcDEzS9kQkD0VINRGiLjMwgPsFnghis_QdFyJ1fsUyiui-CBwcse8F1g7cr55Rf1SkgdVaTHoNP9yEu69zVHvwtwoYbayWureiaFpLpFeQTOhKxmJN5Z9b6cGp3G8/w640-h457/DEBA3AF7-71DD-4E6A-B66E-5B6DE8C8BB93-16215-0000163B3083CBC7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>this was the last time i was in a restaurant<br />SEP 2020</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />i wonder if i should've documented more of 2020. <br />i don't think (at least i hope) i will go through anything like this in my lifetime again. </p><p>but what would i even say. <br />i don't think i've let myself go into the details of how i'm feeling about it all. </p><p>beyond the pandemic, a lot of other things have happened<br />both expected and unexpected<br />and i think i'm still trying to process those as well</p><p>it was all bad<br />there were things that went well, things that are looking up, things that are changing<br /></p><p>i think my biggest worry right now is, "what's next?"<br />it's scary and humbling to have little to no control </p><p>all i can really do from here is to keep going<br />trust & obey</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><i>ps. follow up to the previous post:</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>audiobooks stuck!</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>i got through a total of 54 books last year (audio and ebook)</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>im on track to double that this year. </i></div><p></p>0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-71209089275587832272020-01-11T15:44:00.000-05:002020-01-11T20:27:35.479-05:00changing my tunei legit had four hours of sleep last night.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3KJRgNdvDCV6AhZD-oJsmz_UhlRVhTGY-OAzNpBZGIIW55gTS0XHFy2GYQCU75r03dgQeVul34EXNheFFLnSRwZAlTmxD_aMZmKNhY_8RR2oEmzv34__P6gYgqBbLml6Z6cYRl4OX5U/s1600/CB6AFB86-C748-4D4C-8EB2-BEA1293F2431-19516-00001E32426EF1BA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3KJRgNdvDCV6AhZD-oJsmz_UhlRVhTGY-OAzNpBZGIIW55gTS0XHFy2GYQCU75r03dgQeVul34EXNheFFLnSRwZAlTmxD_aMZmKNhY_8RR2oEmzv34__P6gYgqBbLml6Z6cYRl4OX5U/s400/CB6AFB86-C748-4D4C-8EB2-BEA1293F2431-19516-00001E32426EF1BA.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is what today has been like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
it's saturday, it's raining and i don't plan on going anywhere. why did i wake up so early when i slept so so late? that's right, i slept late - i did not GO HOME late. i was home last night - swallowed by a book.<br />
<br />
a few posts ago i talked about challenging myself to read 12 books a year. i did really well in 2017 and 2018. but 2019 was a weird one. i started SO MANY books but i just never finished them. i spent so much money on books that i never finished.<br />
<br />
yesterday when i was driving to work i thought maybe i should use the library more often. this way i save a bit of money and #NoRagrets if i dont finish a book. i KNOW i had library cards for TWO cities (perks of working and living in different cities, i guess) - i just don't know where i put them. i figured i threw them out or moved them around during one of my purges. so i just started researching how to get new ones.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VF5sJ2Lo_GHITtXQzP2GhlvoJjn91z0iMBCQVLYP6S6tpqB86mR2pJM4YW__plb5Ro3OD0Xzpta8PoyKkFdRCTlkBeTpXMrG7rmuw42p19x81YN_2vqVdvSXkKE5LdDho2vELBz34_4/s1600/9F93B51C-7020-400C-A45C-4AB9514D9B9B-19516-00001E3278E911A3+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VF5sJ2Lo_GHITtXQzP2GhlvoJjn91z0iMBCQVLYP6S6tpqB86mR2pJM4YW__plb5Ro3OD0Xzpta8PoyKkFdRCTlkBeTpXMrG7rmuw42p19x81YN_2vqVdvSXkKE5LdDho2vELBz34_4/s400/9F93B51C-7020-400C-A45C-4AB9514D9B9B-19516-00001E3278E911A3+copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here's some of the dead trees i decided to keep through multiple purges.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
i knew that i would have to physically go to a library and replace my lost ones. what i didn't know is that there is such a thing as virtual library card (!!!). it took me all of five minutes to sign up for one, download the app, and access my local library. now the virtual library card is only good for the electronic catalogue - ebooks, audiobooks, music, etc. i've owned ebooks but i've only ever listened to one audiobook, "World War Z." it was highly recommended so i decided to give it a go.<br />
<i>aside: it's an AWESOME audiobook. the narration is on point. </i><br />
<br />
<br />
i think one of the reasons why i don't usually reach for audiobooks is that they are quite pricey. also, i'm quite picky with the type of narration i can stick with (i learned this as i sampled many many podcasts over the last year). i've thought about Audible before and always decided against it cause, even though it might be a bit cheaper than buying audiobooks outright, i definitely DO NOT need another subscription.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK4P5cAPWCs-DyZ34n8Twzk9AXH02Td1s0b-C-CYiQnQJefQSeR7sqrLjVkT5bMx8a24Xh4QzBD5qVBPe5YPd0R5OZwajf4nl4rmd0v06V2d2weD_KtNjxvo6o8Qe5B-rRwRV1XHjvTU/s1600/FC5BC217-F660-404E-B062-D0F8B1DBB237-19516-00001E3214C377C0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1061" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK4P5cAPWCs-DyZ34n8Twzk9AXH02Td1s0b-C-CYiQnQJefQSeR7sqrLjVkT5bMx8a24Xh4QzBD5qVBPe5YPd0R5OZwajf4nl4rmd0v06V2d2weD_KtNjxvo6o8Qe5B-rRwRV1XHjvTU/s640/FC5BC217-F660-404E-B062-D0F8B1DBB237-19516-00001E3214C377C0.JPG" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"the chair"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
with my brand spankin' new virtual library card, i looked up the books i've been sitting on and checked if they had audiobook versions. i wanted to see if it's something i can listen to and finally finish. i drive every day to work so i figured i can really use that time to get through a serious chunk of a book every week! so here we are, 12 hours later, i am 1 loan, 6 holds, and 7 tagged in for books.<br />
<br />
i have a chair that i used to pile my clothes on instead of actually putting them away. i've been working really hard to remove that habit of mine so i can actually use the stupid chair. it's a great chair! i feel like i'm IN it and not just on it, you know? i used to get some serious reading done on this chair. but today. i was listening to a book while i was making breakfast, cleaning, doing laundry, and taking that picture above.<br />
<br />
since it's super new, i'm quite excited about it. but maybe i've been sleeping on a gold mine. maybe this will be the year that i can get through more than one book a month!<br />
<br />
we'll see.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>do you have a preferred method of "reading"?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>what are your favourite audiobooks?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>do you have your version of "the chair"?</i></div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-34377719228800220312019-12-28T12:21:00.002-05:002019-12-28T12:21:58.306-05:00it's loud when it's quietive always been scared of listening to whats going on in my head.<br />
<br />
first off, i am SO thankful that my job takes a break between christmas and the new year. ive been getting a "christmas break" since 2015 - just like school. this time has allowed me to do so many things - spend time with family and friends, purge my life ala marie kondo, travel, rest, read, and so many other things.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzxhyK431TeoQzOHVc831EBHhtXCAYtKsbmyxZ1B0Rd_pwOOBPXP_JjrZdPnzwx8LDgSv7J3qV0rM_bvwNH4gy9-xOkYBwnGNHKQ4Vwf5QBP3GkhEn2rAxf8reurOe5JarZsD2KnlFRk/s1600/IMG_3173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzxhyK431TeoQzOHVc831EBHhtXCAYtKsbmyxZ1B0Rd_pwOOBPXP_JjrZdPnzwx8LDgSv7J3qV0rM_bvwNH4gy9-xOkYBwnGNHKQ4Vwf5QBP3GkhEn2rAxf8reurOe5JarZsD2KnlFRk/s640/IMG_3173.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kyoto, Japan - APR2019</i><br />found this photo in my phone when i was backing it up.<br />aka. distraction number 5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
this year, i didnt plan <i>anything</i>. i just wanted to free up my calendar so i can say yes to me even if it means saying no to other things.<br />
<br />
we are more than halfway through the break and ive only managed to do the things i <i>wanted</i> to do - family time, clean, catch up on netflix, finish up a project, back up my phone, learn something new. to others the two lists might look the same. i admit, they do sound similar, but the <i>feel</i> different.<br />
there was no schedule, no pressure, no list. i just did the things i wanted to do when i wanted to do them.<br />
<br />
this is a good a bad thing.<br />
this meant that i had A LOT of time with myself and my thoughts. some days i was really good at distracting myself from listening to myself. some days, not so much.<br />
<br />
today was one of those days. hence, me being here. welcome to my brain.<br />
<br />
i cannot count the times ive said <i>"im not creative."</i> however, i know that for each time i said that in front of another person they would "call me on my bullshit."<br />
i <b>know</b> my definition of creativity is SUPER limiting. or is it that the creative people i see are just so massively so that any morsel of creativity i have just pales in comparison. i <b>know</b> its not right to think that. but i also <b>know</b> that its hard to stop.<br />
<br />
i have tried so many things in the past to <i>force</i> creativity - new gear, new blog, new book, new challenge. in fact, this is a result of a combination of a few of those attempts. but maybe thats where im going wrong, im forcing it. im just so afraid that if there is nothing to hold me accountable, i wont do it. but maybe thats OK.<br />
<br />
heres to allowing myself to <b><i>be</i></b> more creative - whatever that means.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9x628TLt1qpJBwLoSoxPeonbM3M-mn7-pws8RGYYFWB5IRgsACZDkinHUKcfdgPaI7s4VHuhhN3xkkLMs6AkTgkurKpN7gyS9ZWRQEcfRdN0keDrcdLlDShUHyTjBnGIXAINC8wyFFFY/s1600/IMG_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9x628TLt1qpJBwLoSoxPeonbM3M-mn7-pws8RGYYFWB5IRgsACZDkinHUKcfdgPaI7s4VHuhhN3xkkLMs6AkTgkurKpN7gyS9ZWRQEcfRdN0keDrcdLlDShUHyTjBnGIXAINC8wyFFFY/s400/IMG_6803.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i took this photo when i traded my old camera in.<br />i was a little sad to have let it go and it made the bag feel heavier than it actually is.<br />i know new gear doesnt necessarily promise creativity, but allow me this one assumption.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-76718831685797546302019-11-16T21:33:00.000-05:002019-11-16T21:33:50.931-05:00cyclesi like to believe that most days, i'm strong.<br />
i am able to let go and move on.<br />
today, i wonder if i actually am.<br />
<br />
maybe i'm not<br />
maybe i'm lying to myself<br />
maybe i just push things away<br />
and choose to forget<br />
<br />
what if i have no choice<br />
what if i'm only able to push aside<br />
only for it to come crashing back<br />
when i'm not expecting it<br />
<br />
one moment i'm disappointed<br />
at how people can easily dismiss<br />
the next i'm asking myself<br />
is it ok for me to be so<br />
<br />
and then it begins<br />
doubt, worry, fear<br />
why me, why not me<br />
"what is wrong with me"<br />
<br />
i wish i knew the answers<br />
i wish i knew how to move on<br />
but really its just cycles0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-89792208494022080522019-10-05T11:49:00.000-04:002019-10-05T12:02:09.831-04:00feels like homenew year.<br />
new domain.<br />
same feeling.<br />
<br />
ive said it before - <i>"<a href="https://www.9-10mm.ca/2017/01/stuck.html" target="_blank">i always find myself coming back here.</a>"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
its like talking to an old friend who knows everything about me. no need to explain, no backstory needed. i just verbal diarrhea anything and everything thats on my mind. i always feel like i need to share it, but other places just didnt feel right. but this, this feels like home.<br />
<br />
lots of things happened between the last time i was here and now.<br />
<br />
most recently, really trying situations.<br />
<br />
i felt it coming. my body was getting tired and my mind not too far behind. i didnt feel present. i didnt feel awake. it was routine that i had little control over and had no joy. but i ignored it.<br />
<br />
i shouldve known better.<br />
<br />
i had the most intense dream about my immediate and extended family last night - the longest and most detailed ive had in a while. when i shared this with my family, my dad said, "you know, that tells me that the time you gave yourself yesterday allowed your brain to reset. thats good."<br />
<br />
i dont know if thats accurate but just hearing that made me feel better.<br />
<br />
today, i feel like im in a much better place. i consciously made decisions today that made me feel like i was actively using my brain.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk5gI54g6BurHlBKsv3vOBwQu_rI3NxcHH3uHveVimKnPNd1Ej0xbIU-6_PZAjQZbjLwFCwDr8afwOdKG67wlS-EP9CvnitaBrqpJsMaXSXfKgQ3h3UKlayGwM1GTKgUVrgy3I78xGJQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-02+at+9.18.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1532" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk5gI54g6BurHlBKsv3vOBwQu_rI3NxcHH3uHveVimKnPNd1Ej0xbIU-6_PZAjQZbjLwFCwDr8afwOdKG67wlS-EP9CvnitaBrqpJsMaXSXfKgQ3h3UKlayGwM1GTKgUVrgy3I78xGJQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-10-02+at+9.18.26+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trying to catch up to 100 days of SwiftUI today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
again, i dont know why im saying this <i>out loud </i>here. maybe its present me wanting to tell something to future me.<br />
<br />
maybe its also a bit of past me trying to remind present me that everything is relative. what i feel now is temporary. there is more to it than right now. i may not FEEL like i can move away from this right now, but even the little things can help me shift.<br />
<br />
i cant wait to let much older me read through all of this.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>what are you like?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>did you come back here because youre having a hard time too?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>or are you so overwhelmed with happiness that you wanted to say it out loud?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>i hope this helped you find what youre looking for.</i></div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-17476506934807675212018-03-25T19:13:00.001-04:002018-03-25T19:13:51.349-04:00Bougie Parfuméei have seasons for things i like - food, music, tv, movies, accoutrements. one second im into all of something and then it slowly fades.<br />
<br />
when i was purging my belongings during the Christmas break, i found a box of scented candled. i sniffed them one by one and wondered why i havent burned any of them in a while. all it took was one candle, burning in the background, to light my candle season - all the puns intended.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3affaiHLONOsb4OXTYva0PFe4z18sww1Umn_uyYnR60YuJuLlpIUP9OVh-8y15fe9HSUEMhjpxFP11s7kYfKnA3jtRCgGGnQLAHjDVbFK6SbqroU_2JC9_r46TvqyhNtpHiJ6oOzeHs/s1600/2018-03-25+06.27.53+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3affaiHLONOsb4OXTYva0PFe4z18sww1Umn_uyYnR60YuJuLlpIUP9OVh-8y15fe9HSUEMhjpxFP11s7kYfKnA3jtRCgGGnQLAHjDVbFK6SbqroU_2JC9_r46TvqyhNtpHiJ6oOzeHs/s640/2018-03-25+06.27.53+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
my favourites are the ones pictured here. <a href="https://www.lelabofragrances.ca/calone-17-342.html?size=245g" target="_blank">Calone 17</a> from <a href="https://www.lelabofragrances.com/landing.html?path=/" target="_blank">Le Labo</a>, <a href="https://www.jomalone.com/product/3560/27607/for-the-home/home-candles/peony-blush-suede-home-candle" target="_blank">Peony and Blush Suede</a> from <a href="https://www.jomalone.com/" target="_blank">Jo Malone</a>, and <a href="https://www.diptyqueparis.com/home-fragrances/scented-luxury-candles-usa/standard-scented-candles-190g/mimosa-candle.html" target="_blank">Mimosa</a> from <a href="https://www.diptyqueparis.com/" target="_blank">Diptyque</a>. these scents are so subtle and yet very long lasting, when i cam back from <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2018/02/hola.html" target="_blank">my trip to Mexico</a>, Calone 17 welcomed me home when i opened the door.<br />
<br />
<u>hot tip:</u> make sure the pool of melted wax reaches the glass before snuffing the flame. et voilá, no candle tunneling! if its taking too long, wrap the candle in foil.0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-62295510916826737582018-03-17T22:23:00.001-04:002018-03-17T22:24:41.162-04:00spectacles<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
i was always one of the tallest kids in my class. this meant that i was always in the back of the line up and i always sat in the back of the class. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
there was one year when we were doing math drills, where the teacher would flash problems and we would solve them quietly at our desks. except i had a problem; i could not see clearly from where i was sitting. so i would run to the front, read the question, and then run back to my seat to solve it. i would do this for every flashcard. my teacher found this very odd so she talked to my parents about it and suggested that i get my eyes checked. i did and voila, we discovered that i needed glasses. i was in fourth grade. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
my prescription then wasnt so bad. maybe about -0.25 on both eyes. this just means that numbers and letters are a bit blurry on the edges but you can function without glasses for the most part. wearing glasses in the fourth grade was <b>not</b> cool. i was afraid i would look like a dork. so i just squinted my way out of it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
bad move. by the time i got my eyes checked again, my prescription was went up to about -1.00 on both eyes. i needed to wear glasses now - for real. it was no longer a difference of SD to HD with glasses; the whole world was a blur and i needed to wear glasses to make it make sense.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
every year since then, my prescription had gone up. my glasses got thicker and thicker. it affected my self-esteem but there was nothing i could do about it. when i turned fifteen, my mom suggested contact lenses and that helped - a lot. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i would still work glasses at home and i did my best to give my eyes a rest from contacts. but the best twenty year-old me could do was not enough. i had a few complications with contacts which resulted to strict glasses only. the first time it happen, i was shook but apparently not enough because it happened again. the second time around, i was so afraid i would not be able to see in the future, i really took it seriously. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
in 2016, i had a check-up and my prescription went up again: -5.50 on the left eye, -4.25 on the right. i was not surprised but i was also not happy. even when i did everything right, my eyes just kept getting worse. this was gonna be my life, higher and higher prescription every time i leave the optometrists office. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03VhFPHwyJVlnu8qCAZLSpUtkJUiU8LUCZWA9swFYDWKZDYLrvsE4DfdjWhi9Wa_0HSHff8B4ObSYDVebqfLKtvmymgQSCrS0PbdIUTfbXg5QGd9oQewUwNhyr0VZ7DVtMGtaLxp3uZg/s1600/2018-03-17+09.45.16+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03VhFPHwyJVlnu8qCAZLSpUtkJUiU8LUCZWA9swFYDWKZDYLrvsE4DfdjWhi9Wa_0HSHff8B4ObSYDVebqfLKtvmymgQSCrS0PbdIUTfbXg5QGd9oQewUwNhyr0VZ7DVtMGtaLxp3uZg/s640/2018-03-17+09.45.16+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new glasses from <a href="https://ca.bonlook.com/" target="_blank">Bonlook</a> - <a href="https://ca.bonlook.com/eyeglasses/men/varna/gold" target="_blank">Varna in gold.</a><br />
these are very similar to the pair i wore when i was thirteen - metal and totally round.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
a couple of weeks ago, i went in for another check-up. the doctor said something that i thought i would never hear: <i>"i think your prescription will be the same based on the machine tests we just ran."</i> say what? </div>
<div>
so then we did all of the physical checks and tests: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>"can you read line five for me"</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>"follow the light"</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>"is number one better or number two? number two or number three?"</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>"cover you left eye and read line six for me please"</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and yes, he guessed right, my prescription was exactly the same. this is the very first time this has happened to me in twenty-three years. this has opened a new possibility for me - Lasik. i can now consider this in the future. </div>
<div>
also, simply being able to use the same glasses i currently have. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i was so amazed and elated, i celebrated. i went out and bought new glasses. <i>go figure. </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>side note: </i>i usually cant wear glasses for too long since they give me headaches. ive been wearing these glasses since i picked them up at noon. its past 10PM now and no headache!<i> it was meant to be.</i></div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-77210910162149035962018-03-10T13:51:00.000-05:002018-03-10T13:51:20.338-05:00slow morningsive always had a morning shift since i started working - either 8AM to 4PM or 9AM to 5PM.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
it wasnt until i took on my current role that lead to an evening shift - 12PM to 8PM.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
it was definitely a big change with pros and cons. however, the pros mostly outweighed the cons. almost two years later and im pretty much settled in and have found even more benefits to working late. on top of that im also more productive now and weirdly enough, more of a morning person now than ever.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
when i worked the morning shifts, i pretty much had to leave running to make it to work by 8 or 9AM. commute was very unpredictable and i hated being late. this meant that i rarely had time to eat breakfast or just have any morning rituals in general. i tried waking up earlier but it just didnt stick. i think my ultimate maximum for wake up time is 6AM - any earlier than that, its not a great time. and because i wake up so early, by the time im done work, i mostly feel like doing nothing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
working the late shift has allowed me to learn how to wake up naturally and still have plenty of time to make and eat breakfast, exercise (if i wanted to), read, make coffee, blah blah. i legit even have time to grind coffee beans these days. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
it didnt start out like that though. ive always been a late(ish) sleeper. the earliest i sleep is probably 11.30PM - this is probably why waking up early was such a pain. with a late shift, i could sleep late and wake up late and still have more sleep than i have ever had. of course, i abused this in the beginning and just started sleeping later and waking up later. that didnt work - i felt as rushed as when i had to be at work for 8AM. thats just ridiculously unnecessary. i also felt very unproductive and sluggish. so i started sleeping earlier and naturally, my body adapted. now, im almost always asleep by 12.30AM (max, 1.30AM) during weekdays and i naturally wake up around 7.30AM. i just allow myself to roll around in bed until 8AM (max, 8.30AM). this has also affected my ability to sleep in but maybe thats also just me getting older. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
my mornings are the slowest part of my day. i allow myself 30 minutes for each activity i would like to accomplish - including the time i allow myself to lazily roll around in bed. i dont know when or why i started doing this but it kind of reminds me of Hugh Grants character in <i>About a Boy.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0H7VtFG9F-c" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
i mentioned this in a <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2018/01/digitally-analog.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, im great at being productive at work but my personal time was more or less unstructured. lately, i am noticing that i am getting better and better at getting through the "must do" stuff. therefore, giving me more time to spend on my "id like to do" stuff. i feel that i am more mindful of the time i spend doing certain things which allows me to pivot faster and having less of the <i>"oh my gosh, its [blahblah time] already?! what have i done today?" </i>moments.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
this sense of accomplishment at the beginning of the day has done wonders for me. i now see mornings as more than a "getting ready" time of day. i can get stuff done in the morning which allows me to just relax in the evening, guilt-free, if i wanted to. sometimes i am also in such high spirits the entire day that i can keep going and just do more stuff in the evening as well like go out and hang out with people. <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2017/12/it-wasnt-easy.html" target="_blank">as an introvert</a>, this is very taxing more often than not, so even i surprise myself sometimes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
one thing that i did have to avoid was to start working as soon as i woke up. i used to bring my laptop home everyday and just got things fired up right away - emails, Slack, everything. i wanted to get caught up right away so that when i get in, im ready to go. this just didnt end up being good for me and my health, mental and physical. instead, i compromised. i tried to get in 30 minutes earlier and this is when i do all the catching up - again with that 30-minute unit of time. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
all in all, i now see mornings in a new light (haha, get it?) and i enjoy them so much more. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div align="center">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BI2Wn5ej4Z9/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 600px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 62.5% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BI2Wn5ej4Z9/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">i always used to skip breakfast and only eat avocado in guac form. things change i guess. #SlowMorningsAreTheBestMornings</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> kae natividad</a> (@0kae) on <time datetime="2016-08-08T13:24:04+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 8, 2016 at 6:24am PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
four months into my new role and shift, i started experimenting with breakfast. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
i remember vividly that this was when i started to appreciate the gift of time in the morning.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and avocados.</div>
</div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-48340458385567931522018-03-03T19:13:00.000-05:002018-03-03T19:13:18.759-05:00internetlast week, a friend of mine was going through the archives of the internet. literally.<br />
<br />
we had a great time looking through old things. internet presence in the early 2000s was just G R E A T - early days of social networking and social media.<br />
<br />
here's a list of my movement through these sites (in order of account creation)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>MySpace</b> - probably around 2002</li>
<ul>
<li>i moved from one side of the world to another when i was 16. i made an account in MySpace to stay connected with my friends back home. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>AsianAvenue</b> - definitely 2003</li>
<ul>
<li>no need to think about why i had one - e v e r y o n e had an account in high school! everyone who wanted to have a fire layout needed to understand a tiny bit of html or at least learn how to steal someones code. of course, we also learned how to stop someone from right-clicking our pages. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwApCqqFMsmcXonjL2wYz5fi8-a0n3neqKphPlUJ8pWF0A5CFeYWs5Ynk9bu5koHaVaauRb5sHkkdewuXLlFFI9dsKivQCuOZnC9sQUnY-le32uXvSpHTuTVLoAiMVvRQ7TrXZqw1_D2Y/s1600/AsianAvenue_com_-_0kae_s_Personal_Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwApCqqFMsmcXonjL2wYz5fi8-a0n3neqKphPlUJ8pWF0A5CFeYWs5Ynk9bu5koHaVaauRb5sHkkdewuXLlFFI9dsKivQCuOZnC9sQUnY-le32uXvSpHTuTVLoAiMVvRQ7TrXZqw1_D2Y/s640/AsianAvenue_com_-_0kae_s_Personal_Page.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a portion of it says:<br />"im at it again. spiral notebooks and 0.5 pilot gelpens. volume III. here we go."<br /><br />i guess my precious layout did not survive the end of AA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><b>LiveJournal</b> - 2004 & back again for a little bit in 2012 & 2013</li>
<ul>
<li>it seemed like a few people had moved on from AsianAvenue (or AA as we called it) and people were linking their LJ accounts to their AA. i started to like livejournal because i was done with the html and i really just wanted to write about anything and everything. i feel i like this was when i really started opening up to the internet. maybe it helped that i was able to lock my account and make it private. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG94_ryXK9N4DdDQvmQWANIR7IB-2N5_Mk_EqC0YyxgNLnp8F5PdsOKeVSOKvSd-m87vQl6v-f7BJais7Mv06Jpsn5tCTZZeymXt5zkcCq9nqlOpi95xwpJYJPdzFApegmSa8YKeDvJME/s1600/may_i_please_speak_with_kae_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1600" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG94_ryXK9N4DdDQvmQWANIR7IB-2N5_Mk_EqC0YyxgNLnp8F5PdsOKeVSOKvSd-m87vQl6v-f7BJais7Mv06Jpsn5tCTZZeymXt5zkcCq9nqlOpi95xwpJYJPdzFApegmSa8YKeDvJME/s640/may_i_please_speak_with_kae_.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is a trick to make a post "stick" to the top - you would enter a date in the future.<br />i remember thinking, "oh yeah, 2020 seems far enough"<br />its legit two years away from now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b><ul>
<li><b>Blogger</b> - 2008</li>
<ul>
<li>i left LJ to go public again. im not 100% sure why i chose blogger but here we are in 2018, and im still here. ten years. wow. i didnt even realize until i started writing this. how fitting.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Tumblr</b> - 2009</li>
<ul>
<li>tumblr came into the scene in 2007 and 2 years later i was on that bandwagon too. that reblog feature was just straight fire. i left briefly to go back to blogger, but then the instagram integration with tumblr was shipped and i was right back into it.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
i jumped between livejournal, blogspot, and tumblr for a few years. i think went to the platform that served my purpose best. honestly, i still have access to all three. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
aside from these, i was an early adopter of twitter, facebook, gmail, and instagram. i remember when facebook only allowed sign-ups with official university/college email addresses. AND, remember when gmail required an invite for you to create an account?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
wow. im just dating myself now.</div>
<div>
if you would like to take a trip down internet memory lane, i invite you to find your old accounts using the <a href="https://web.archive.org/" target="_blank">Wayback Machine</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i will end this post with my first instagram post dated november 04, 2010 (instagram was released october 2010).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div align="center">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Jlv5/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 600px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
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<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Jlv5/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by kae natividad (@0kae)</a> on <time datetime="2010-11-04T17:34:30+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 4, 2010 at 10:34am PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
</div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-82819927343539771772018-02-24T13:32:00.001-05:002018-02-24T19:16:39.106-05:00journeyever since i started posting anything online, there is always some post or other about my hair.<br />
<br />
i like growing my hair, i like cutting my hair, i like dyeing my hair. but its never too extreme. mainly because, truthfully, im lazy.<br />
<br />
the reason why i chop my hair short: cause i dont want to deal with washing a lot of hair<br />
the reason why i grow my hair long: i probably didnt want to bother booking any hair appointments<br />
the reason why i love the ombre and balayage trend: i dont need to worry about roots<br />
<br />
my standard was always long-ish hair. until march of 2011 when i decided to donate 10 inches and i went from long to bob. i think that gave me too much courage and i went for another haircut the next month. and i HATED it. so much so that i just let it grow for years.<br />
<br />
2013, ombre was was everywhere and i finally started dyeing my hair again. still no major hair chop though.<br />
<br />
it was only the fall of 2014 when i made the big jump again.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjCL8mYzL57x3neawytuxlEo47efDpU_yOC3ImCTj9W83JyMPiWQC0XpFsaNHvtDq4rPmZIXcYdpkU7-Rs1s6ODMDwr6ssPPflzMUd56Sfbpc1nuy1LD8fz1lxDFq9-L6fKtfjjadzzU/s1600/kae_natividad_on_Instagram__%25E2%2580%259Cstill_got_africa_on_my_mind_and_around_my_neck_oh_and_i_chopped_off_some_hair%25E2%2580%259D_and_kae_natividad_on_Instagram__%25E2%2580%259Cmatchy_matchy%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjCL8mYzL57x3neawytuxlEo47efDpU_yOC3ImCTj9W83JyMPiWQC0XpFsaNHvtDq4rPmZIXcYdpkU7-Rs1s6ODMDwr6ssPPflzMUd56Sfbpc1nuy1LD8fz1lxDFq9-L6fKtfjjadzzU/s640/kae_natividad_on_Instagram__%25E2%2580%259Cstill_got_africa_on_my_mind_and_around_my_neck_oh_and_i_chopped_off_some_hair%25E2%2580%259D_and_kae_natividad_on_Instagram__%25E2%2580%259Cmatchy_matchy%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">that LOB life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
since then i kept the short-ish hair - going between lobs and bobs.<br />
<br />
and in 2015, the lobs got longer as a chops in between got farther apart (read: lazy)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMfr9guc4eL3Q9v7dSr0ofyb28Oy_CPq9Urnovmq5eTPpeiCzEpqW3wjLm8km98qJWBnhgZrlC8hja-uxfoFjeiJZnQ_rYXXd3Sv9mpTvCHvy5mr7JkJdibkvD6psfJR829yElyb6JtU/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMfr9guc4eL3Q9v7dSr0ofyb28Oy_CPq9Urnovmq5eTPpeiCzEpqW3wjLm8km98qJWBnhgZrlC8hja-uxfoFjeiJZnQ_rYXXd3Sv9mpTvCHvy5mr7JkJdibkvD6psfJR829yElyb6JtU/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015: by this point i had grown out most of my ombre and these were the final pieces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dNAVn4bM3417Gx9ebRTxwRZzmYUDou8KaPrBSXaeDrY9PQObAItBhtIT2JPl-Oi-iteEpCOw5hvApAjB6-WQxYnf1reEkdNv_Wt6B8Yu67B7I3PdQs0emIErcFOkwncOiXwgV9xHFmo/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dNAVn4bM3417Gx9ebRTxwRZzmYUDou8KaPrBSXaeDrY9PQObAItBhtIT2JPl-Oi-iteEpCOw5hvApAjB6-WQxYnf1reEkdNv_Wt6B8Yu67B7I3PdQs0emIErcFOkwncOiXwgV9xHFmo/s400/03.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015: decided to chop all the colour off and went even shorter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0KH1-7KeZDaZI8q83NR4mzZZFzonTdV_KNi4gjC_-j_PGNz-pgYcHCTFs3hg5pJyEKW10MGjpfn4TI-m-l0dZEasyt6FGGsDNpK5kT05YPqb4RmeXJ17nu6f5RdDsb0GwvZ5NFp2G_o/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0KH1-7KeZDaZI8q83NR4mzZZFzonTdV_KNi4gjC_-j_PGNz-pgYcHCTFs3hg5pJyEKW10MGjpfn4TI-m-l0dZEasyt6FGGsDNpK5kT05YPqb4RmeXJ17nu6f5RdDsb0GwvZ5NFp2G_o/s400/04.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 2016: ran with my natural colour for a while</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7PEk096RmFm-gVm4BgLI07jfdDpVE05jqvlL2Q9_cvFM1CQVSveH05lJhhud2jh4HhWNbCWTtVV7_vXcqZ-gXKF3AuG5FJ-WtD6N9ULa-NBR2cmIOwGkMArsvTWXwf1j8YTdFj4483w/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7PEk096RmFm-gVm4BgLI07jfdDpVE05jqvlL2Q9_cvFM1CQVSveH05lJhhud2jh4HhWNbCWTtVV7_vXcqZ-gXKF3AuG5FJ-WtD6N9ULa-NBR2cmIOwGkMArsvTWXwf1j8YTdFj4483w/s400/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016: then cut + balayage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CCFk7VqmeCU5ySgD9zf3xrPls3NPir7cDpf2jeUzByGxjKOvq5lAbEg_4WuEPH4wRqTVRSpRkegSinRQAsPpUvfm97puIkwldii_faB6KIb8DzCeUXe881OKTlayvMwm1HEd4LHWGHk/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CCFk7VqmeCU5ySgD9zf3xrPls3NPir7cDpf2jeUzByGxjKOvq5lAbEg_4WuEPH4wRqTVRSpRkegSinRQAsPpUvfm97puIkwldii_faB6KIb8DzCeUXe881OKTlayvMwm1HEd4LHWGHk/s320/06.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016: then i let it grow out again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC6mx8GUA90rtMg2FGjTNqTwiG9BCAWkhkUDdMbPmx2ILWHYaNKEO5ECdgQeTrU_oRSTTc0rgpqqNLZ-duIAU1ZxuatT32ighnKiADti6L9xQUjFWkfHBudVuXuAkhPWeVa5Ci8zfLQw/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC6mx8GUA90rtMg2FGjTNqTwiG9BCAWkhkUDdMbPmx2ILWHYaNKEO5ECdgQeTrU_oRSTTc0rgpqqNLZ-duIAU1ZxuatT32ighnKiADti6L9xQUjFWkfHBudVuXuAkhPWeVa5Ci8zfLQw/s400/07.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017: cut and refresh of balayage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWJ_tY040_xVxrOcPgWFjyARvsIdhmeS3xq0w0cIRDkuZd7x8D8P5gu8ZQWEYpVWvdX-Vz82CqQhjbSkZdewKa5DrKM6BTEcyOuiAdaGR5Lp_iAuxpNJqLhq-CAp_M44Iw3QE3Fq_IZM/s1600/09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="825" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWJ_tY040_xVxrOcPgWFjyARvsIdhmeS3xq0w0cIRDkuZd7x8D8P5gu8ZQWEYpVWvdX-Vz82CqQhjbSkZdewKa5DrKM6BTEcyOuiAdaGR5Lp_iAuxpNJqLhq-CAp_M44Iw3QE3Fq_IZM/s320/09.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017: and surprise, it grew out again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uGz6ISJynLwejA8Q8XH1YVcGXNXgoDXVrX4w9Dc5Dr4BtIG54RXZbbEZF-eFmcT6M2SYxbGX79HObw7p3Y3vJ3pGEbh5LdNUlBIWp84Gk41ytfjNNX3wTWwX_NAIZIaIIUe01MP3Gm0/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="825" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uGz6ISJynLwejA8Q8XH1YVcGXNXgoDXVrX4w9Dc5Dr4BtIG54RXZbbEZF-eFmcT6M2SYxbGX79HObw7p3Y3vJ3pGEbh5LdNUlBIWp84Gk41ytfjNNX3wTWwX_NAIZIaIIUe01MP3Gm0/s400/10.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017: cut off all the splits and refreshed the balayage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhvmAr4sQV0TaivNZWy74nZghoR-2RlPw5zvDVXyfrl0iVJeYXAPl7kKiLiXM0QpPXkMdgjE2CyfhXmPf0DT0Tp8R-qtNunqzAotH117w-SSbwgl_dy5GOmlbbBequ4URbXKnL-tpaiY/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="779" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhvmAr4sQV0TaivNZWy74nZghoR-2RlPw5zvDVXyfrl0iVJeYXAPl7kKiLiXM0QpPXkMdgjE2CyfhXmPf0DT0Tp8R-qtNunqzAotH117w-SSbwgl_dy5GOmlbbBequ4URbXKnL-tpaiY/s400/11.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017: grew it out but got bangs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ3kzrqT5OnnyuiiEh_IUcRrrKAPaQczbF_a6ECZJ82G53MMfRP_YwrJkddC67ua6CLNLljW8fhdiFsoSVZybKlbtcBIAsyM1d5qerNxMRelMSIk9_yEKdooqvi-IOOEOrSp5_sXiFCQ/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ3kzrqT5OnnyuiiEh_IUcRrrKAPaQczbF_a6ECZJ82G53MMfRP_YwrJkddC67ua6CLNLljW8fhdiFsoSVZybKlbtcBIAsyM1d5qerNxMRelMSIk9_yEKdooqvi-IOOEOrSp5_sXiFCQ/s400/15.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2018: longest i have ever had my hair<br />
oh and it was slightly purple/lavender at this point</td></tr>
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the lastest change was last wednesday. it was just getting too long and too dry and too dull and too warm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNXZd8H-dNEI20ObSkAtH5qbWM_Iwgy9IxEm1supuqNK8jDhkF4cBfPaIpQxRGZwsQAac4KBCoXBNSiv9BUANX9uP2E4mYw98CMS1NQ5qltNuZe0YOPPMUKuQdy4zLNGvlStYjxLcjU4/s1600/20180224_132926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1229" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNXZd8H-dNEI20ObSkAtH5qbWM_Iwgy9IxEm1supuqNK8jDhkF4cBfPaIpQxRGZwsQAac4KBCoXBNSiv9BUANX9uP2E4mYw98CMS1NQ5qltNuZe0YOPPMUKuQdy4zLNGvlStYjxLcjU4/s400/20180224_132926.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the usual, trim + refresh</td></tr>
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im trying to be better with and nicer to my hair. i used to truly be long/short hair, dont care. im slightly at the long hair, kinda hair phase right now. </div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-20484274434240793582018-02-17T11:32:00.001-05:002018-02-17T11:32:42.556-05:00¡hola!<div style="text-align: center;">
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my parents usually go away in february.<br />
they were quite eager to plan a trip especially since winter has been so cold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JFtmrMxNjNInStHWZLNhTZgmGUg-XN7uODZVzq7ay8p09pYz2B_Bezvsy1OfXpsrh6DXpJJlLibYb9UR2kHpC4IQ6El5PomIF6_kbwSkyhwwfoM7eJBo1f6g7d0M4hDkL-bNPjQAQhg/s1600/2018-02-10+03.25.27+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JFtmrMxNjNInStHWZLNhTZgmGUg-XN7uODZVzq7ay8p09pYz2B_Bezvsy1OfXpsrh6DXpJJlLibYb9UR2kHpC4IQ6El5PomIF6_kbwSkyhwwfoM7eJBo1f6g7d0M4hDkL-bNPjQAQhg/s320/2018-02-10+03.25.27+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">im legit cold just looking at this photo</td></tr>
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except this year, they decided to make it a family event.</div>
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¡ hola !</h2>
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from</h2>
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Mexico</h2>
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0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-66351640614886593552018-02-10T15:17:00.000-05:002018-02-10T15:17:14.795-05:00dimsum clubi have a handful of friends who i enjoy eating with. we like talking about food, we like exploring food, we like eating food, we like talking about food while we eat. <div>
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to organize our adventures, we started a <a href="https://slack.com/" target="_blank">slack</a> channel called <i>dimsum-club. </i>why dimsum? was it because we first made the channel in search of good dimsum in the city? was it because we craved dimsum regularly? i dont know actually. </div>
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but one thing i know is we dont limit ourselves to dimsum or even the city. if there is good food, we go. </div>
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the first dimsum club outing of 2018 was to <a href="https://www.assemblychefshall.com/" target="_blank">assembly chef's hall</a>.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHWLkVjvEsDn0u3rmT7pqZ5D7XnV0ZB7Z_l6I_K1opOgkaUe5F8zbiwUrs07jR7ICv6mkA6v32M71mJ5hrzGyXhONJjWd3aos4RIyGtINwBGF0yFIJMiYJcQzYvtXPccGm9oF5kN6qpk/s1600/2018-02-10+02.36.02+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHWLkVjvEsDn0u3rmT7pqZ5D7XnV0ZB7Z_l6I_K1opOgkaUe5F8zbiwUrs07jR7ICv6mkA6v32M71mJ5hrzGyXhONJjWd3aos4RIyGtINwBGF0yFIJMiYJcQzYvtXPccGm9oF5kN6qpk/s640/2018-02-10+02.36.02+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drinks, music, and lots of food to choose from. </td></tr>
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we got there a little late and we got so into talking that some of the spots closed before we could get to them. but thats ok - that just means we gotta go again. </div>
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i wasnt craving anything specific but this one familiar spot was calling my name: <a href="http://www.lovechix.ca/" target="_blank">love chix</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4hCwEXexY-WdYC93UvIgSsHcict9iIUwYSlH42IgZXQbZBQa_HrwogXePl6auE8xqyKi4ZDobOZg9Ajb_nTcFUh9z6zsLOLITTpdKoodUwUllK_QNWCeWH9FP_wd-lgcI7OdRbfC5UM/s1600/2018-02-10+02.36.04+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4hCwEXexY-WdYC93UvIgSsHcict9iIUwYSlH42IgZXQbZBQa_HrwogXePl6auE8xqyKi4ZDobOZg9Ajb_nTcFUh9z6zsLOLITTpdKoodUwUllK_QNWCeWH9FP_wd-lgcI7OdRbfC5UM/s400/2018-02-10+02.36.04+1.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSaQT-X8MRWzZ-cVvJbaeb8S48hTgOwenv5zn7KI3e_PlD6AIhcGu3Rj8d6a2Nw6dK2o0bm885wU4ELwhQ4fLfb69xkUXSh7dZDQOrfxXdsRmYW9dbWKXflgN4Uy2H64Ndu5Xf-B5INg/s1600/2018-02-10+02.36.03+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSaQT-X8MRWzZ-cVvJbaeb8S48hTgOwenv5zn7KI3e_PlD6AIhcGu3Rj8d6a2Nw6dK2o0bm885wU4ELwhQ4fLfb69xkUXSh7dZDQOrfxXdsRmYW9dbWKXflgN4Uy2H64Ndu5Xf-B5INg/s400/2018-02-10+02.36.03+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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their main location is actually a short walk away from the office. <i>went aaaaaall the way downtown to get food from a place down the street. </i>well, no ragrets. cause ive never been but now i know that i can get DELICIOUS brussel sprouts down the street. and oh yeah, the chicken was great as well. </div>
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<i>but those brussel sprouts though. </i>a friend and i finished our portions and we went back to get just a large order of them sprouts! (actually it was extra large cause they dumped another handful before giving it to us).</div>
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after enjoying our food, we had a few drinks and then called it a night. </div>
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its saturday now. </div>
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still thinking about dem sprouts.</div>
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0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-76613294727571576492018-02-03T16:58:00.000-05:002018-02-03T16:59:14.464-05:00new toy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i was in mexico last year for a wedding. the group i was with went on a mini trip to tulum. when we got there, every one pulled out their devices to document the trip. one friend whipped out his <a href="https://www.dji.com/osmo-mobile" target="_blank">dji osmo </a>and the oohs and ahhs ensued.</div>
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i was so impressed at the quality of the videos and how quickly he was able to edit them. i thought about it all month. and then a month turned into two, and then it was christmas. what im trying to say is, i bought myself a new toy for christmas. </div>
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ive made a couple of videos since i got it in the mail. i must say, its super easy to make instagram ready videos with this thing. </div>
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we had a visitor last month and they wanted to visit niagara falls. they've never been and apparently the falls was partially frozen. so away we went. </div>
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it was super cold. so cold that my phone drained from 79% to 8% within 15 minutes of being exposed. BUT, since i had the osmo, i could take videos with gloves on and the shivering was not captured in the video.0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-65519388881196963762018-01-27T11:03:00.001-05:002018-01-27T11:03:41.873-05:00digitally analoglast month, i was doing some online shopping. i thought, "boxing day would be the best time to buy Christmas cards." and as i was going through the usual categories in <a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/" target="_blank">Indigo</a> (<a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2017/04/urges.html" target="_blank">you know my love for stationary</a>), i stumbled upon this video<br />
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and that was it. i was HOOKED. i love journaling in the traditional pen and paper way. in fact, the drafts for this blog are on pen & paper.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUnGmRcl6Rd/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">285|365 the usual suspects. always defaulting back to pen and paper. #Project365 #PhotoADay</a></div>
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A post shared by @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae365/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> 0kae365</a> on <time datetime="2017-05-27T21:32:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 27, 2017 at 2:32pm PDT</time></div>
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but then i realized i needed to be more realistic about this.<br />
1. im too lazy to hand write something like this all the time<br />
2. i would very likely forget to bring the journal with me everywhere<br />
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so i started looking for tips and tricks to make this more sustainable for me. read: make something made to be analog, digital. digitally analog. </div>
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i found <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-evernote-bullet-journal/" target="_blank">this article</a> which was perfect for me since i already use <a href="https://evernote.com/" target="_blank">Evernote</a>. </div>
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i was always organized and productive at work. but free time is a bit of a free for all. which, doesnt work cause i end up being side-tracked ALL DAY. aka. not productive.<br />
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i started right away and bullet journaled the rest of my free time in december and let me tell you, this is the most productive i have been during the Christmas break.<br />
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1 month into it, so far, GREAT!<br />
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0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-32289434142436820802018-01-13T08:19:00.000-05:002018-01-13T08:21:18.326-05:00the list<a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2018/01/just-one-month.html">as promised from last week,</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>here are the books i read in 2017 - in order of completion:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbghyGJN17vb32y3b-HpqGqIhzYpjySFY9hwan9GBUm1-RrA9SXrBBYGbftvazp8agXTNhyphenhyphens22CLXRAycO_mCyDvyJfeo6_9K3gurJ9etVAnNWV5et5xUL1Kwmdg-Yn6-zA3iOpwha2I/s1600/The_Life-Changing_Magic_of_Tidying_Up__The_Japanese_Art_of_Decluttering_and_Organizing_eBook__Marie_Kondo__Amazon_ca__Kindle_Store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="386" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbghyGJN17vb32y3b-HpqGqIhzYpjySFY9hwan9GBUm1-RrA9SXrBBYGbftvazp8agXTNhyphenhyphens22CLXRAycO_mCyDvyJfeo6_9K3gurJ9etVAnNWV5et5xUL1Kwmdg-Yn6-zA3iOpwha2I/s200/The_Life-Changing_Magic_of_Tidying_Up__The_Japanese_Art_of_Decluttering_and_Organizing_eBook__Marie_Kondo__Amazon_ca__Kindle_Store.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00KK0PICK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing</a></b><br />
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- began: 01/13<br />
- completed: 01/14<br />
- i didnt exactly breeze through this book in a day. i had started another book and in my quest for the next one, i stumbled upon this in audiobook format. i heard many people talk about this and how it has helped them declutter. truthfully, i learned a lot of things but there are a lot more in this book that i could have done without. having said that, i recently had an enormous urge to tidy up and declutter and i found myself thinking of some of the methods Marie Kondo had suggested. im very proud of the amount of junk i got rid of (threw out two recycling bags, donated/gave away about four bags of clothes, donated six large paper bags worth of books and things) however, doing it all in one go was one of the suggestions i could not adhere to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDrDd5rXqTCUBBID8tY6H3tI2JE_IftFPMm1clerj83zKesgvO2p6k3K4AjgEZ3lF2Re1tnsNIFXyYcnN_LGvb4K-JZy-VPqW9e645uUok6KfTjt0ph6wlb-xTjzeoUOF_WXlhyNDbQk/s1600/The_Subtle_Art_of_Not_Giving_a_F_ck__A_Counterintuitive_Approach_to_Living_a_Good_Life__Mark_Manson__9780062457714__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="364" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDrDd5rXqTCUBBID8tY6H3tI2JE_IftFPMm1clerj83zKesgvO2p6k3K4AjgEZ3lF2Re1tnsNIFXyYcnN_LGvb4K-JZy-VPqW9e645uUok6KfTjt0ph6wlb-xTjzeoUOF_WXlhyNDbQk/s200/The_Subtle_Art_of_Not_Giving_a_F_ck__A_Counterintuitive_Approach_to_Living_a_Good_Life__Mark_Manson__9780062457714__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062457713" target="_blank">The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life</a></b><br />
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- began: 01/01<br />
- completed: 01/23<br />
- this was one of those books that are just everywhere. when i visited a bookstore early last year, i saw it right up front - the commanding orange sucked me right in. didnt buy it then though. a few days later, i was randomly clicking through instagram and saw this on someones feed - the familiar orange yet again. it was enough for me to pick it up when i saw it again in the bookstore. i found myself nodding 'yes' to many things that was said in this book. definitely not news, many books have attempted to write about a similar topic. however, it is a very welcome reminder. i passed my copy on to someone else hoping that it would be a helpful reminder for them as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVfPAoap0jXnwQRyYINVx90A-U0T4iACGe_L4dbYNv_I6pka9YoF6qCn1ted3pmTw26mRO8dZbGW39-zwum9wT3lVXaxd4_3TZjqPqpKyi5fTvKWYxlBUpA1-JppABw5mH0RH0scpfGs/s1600/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People__Dale_Carnegie__8937485909400__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="352" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVfPAoap0jXnwQRyYINVx90A-U0T4iACGe_L4dbYNv_I6pka9YoF6qCn1ted3pmTw26mRO8dZbGW39-zwum9wT3lVXaxd4_3TZjqPqpKyi5fTvKWYxlBUpA1-JppABw5mH0RH0scpfGs/s200/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People__Dale_Carnegie__8937485909400__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034" target="_blank"><b>How to Win Friends and Influence People</b></a><br />
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- began: 02/04<br />
- completed: 02/24<br />
- when some people heard that i started this list, more than one person recommended this book - <i>"one of those books that you just have to read."</i> i also learned that there is also an updated version, an adaptation of the same principles for the digital age - <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/How-Friends-Influence-People-Digital/dp/1451612591" target="_blank">How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age</a>. Very curious how different the two books might be. Apparently not curious enough to read it in 2017 though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0UUdeAfOl5UtzHCyy9dTsq2Vnnq8VBJyDpbOgbDYCkaMOnph6f6N6CiOZ6500_hr3wHk3ggHP62y4ARGPKDkQBVKcfi1kaf3vtU5tysNP_YAHqsvaOQvInJDbObR60FKOqb6gkA9vSg/s1600/Crucial_Conversations_Tools_for_Talking_When_Stakes_Are_High__Second_Edition__Kerry_Patterson__Joseph_Grenny__Ron_McMillan__Al_Switzler__8580001040288__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="358" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0UUdeAfOl5UtzHCyy9dTsq2Vnnq8VBJyDpbOgbDYCkaMOnph6f6N6CiOZ6500_hr3wHk3ggHP62y4ARGPKDkQBVKcfi1kaf3vtU5tysNP_YAHqsvaOQvInJDbObR60FKOqb6gkA9vSg/s200/Crucial_Conversations_Tools_for_Talking_When_Stakes_Are_High__Second_Edition__Kerry_Patterson__Joseph_Grenny__Ron_McMillan__Al_Switzler__8580001040288__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/1469266822" target="_blank"><b>Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High</b></a><br />
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- began: 02/28<br />
- completed: 08/23<br />
- first thought: wow that took a while for me to finish! this is a book that was selected for the leadership book club at work. we got really swamped at the beginning of the year that we kept pushing it back. i didnt have it in me to read it ahead of the team as well. however, the book club really helped me digest a lot of the topics in this book. i learned a lot about myself as i read and as we discussed this book. it also helped those in the book club have a common language to speak when we need to lean on someone for advice on a crucial conversation to be had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsumb1KaHsHf4oD6qODsWYupGakmCcLGXSvxA2FLAeMeEhVAC17Vll73BihU-y7L-_yS4-52PuezBO9Nv9fsk8sx3nTMdxio5x0-SksSxf3-3lyvBJ_TbIR613mvAea1vmjuGyNI77oq8/s1600/Pachinko__National_Book_Award_Finalist___Amazon_ca__Min_Jin_Lee__Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsumb1KaHsHf4oD6qODsWYupGakmCcLGXSvxA2FLAeMeEhVAC17Vll73BihU-y7L-_yS4-52PuezBO9Nv9fsk8sx3nTMdxio5x0-SksSxf3-3lyvBJ_TbIR613mvAea1vmjuGyNI77oq8/s200/Pachinko__National_Book_Award_Finalist___Amazon_ca__Min_Jin_Lee__Books.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Pachinko-National-Book-Award-Finalist/dp/1455563935" target="_blank"><b>Pachinko</b></a><br />
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- began: 04/08<br />
- completed: 10/08<br />
- remember when i said i judge books by their covers? yeah, this was one of those books. thick, hardcover, pastel colours - in a word, beautiful. i read the jacket and did not let it go. it was quite the challenge just by the sheer size and weight of the book. not gonna lie, it fell on me a few times as i nodded off to sleep. reading in bed is a hazard sometimes. in addition to that, i started this book in my season of dying drive - i read about a third of it, put it down as i let other things get in the way, and hardly picked it up until my end of year blitz. i dont know if i was unconsciously delaying the inevitable. you see, i <b>really</b> love this book. the characters really stuck with me. their stories resonated so loud. maybe i just didnt want it to end. when it did, i could not stop talking about it. this is another book that i have lent to someone else. hoping that it would touch another persons life just like it did mine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXltEEMCG80JNZtH-Uo7emI0zx5trKigesKubKV2u_Yq6Qe1CSCAUg-euNbRj6ZutT4eiSQA3mrxJZWxONO08VxY-sk54dIyeJZGL235YadJZ3GwatPx-NWERSG9i1KGvdtMQoGEOKL0/s1600/Fifteen_Dogs__Andre_Alexis__9781552453056__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXltEEMCG80JNZtH-Uo7emI0zx5trKigesKubKV2u_Yq6Qe1CSCAUg-euNbRj6ZutT4eiSQA3mrxJZWxONO08VxY-sk54dIyeJZGL235YadJZ3GwatPx-NWERSG9i1KGvdtMQoGEOKL0/s200/Fifteen_Dogs__Andre_Alexis__9781552453056__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Fifteen-Dogs-Andre-Alexis/dp/1552453057" target="_blank"><b>Fifteen Dogs</b></a><br />
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- began: 02/24<br />
- completed: 10/09<br />
- yikes! i took even longer with this one. i swear its not because this is a terrible book. it was just one of those that i started, read a bit of, put down, and didnt pick up again because i start other books. this book is similar to other books on this list in that it had been mentioned or it came up in conversation multiple times. i remember i was interviewing someone who used to work at a bookstore and we asked for them to recommend a few books to us: this was one of them. the synopsis piqued my interest (maybe because it is set in a very familiar location. <i>ahem</i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>toronto). another time it popped up was when i was in a meeting and one of the attendees commented on another attendees dog and how it reminded her of one of the characters in this book. that was two mentions in two weeks. i picked up the book shortly after. a very curious topic/genre. definitely something outside of the usual stuff i would pick up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYb89yu7PU0BZaHCXtYGWrXB3H4GJK9NS55XKoxYdkuSyIP4smIuj0ZhxJPQQzp1Qw6y0OzgNh9ZsYsxuBDnrcFY6n0nTsMcuwb2dOdvjbmDC_ktX0ecmtvLEkmXNCJ9A2Fecyv-iReo/s1600/Ready_Player_One__A_Novel__Amazon_ca__Ernest_Cline__Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="354" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYb89yu7PU0BZaHCXtYGWrXB3H4GJK9NS55XKoxYdkuSyIP4smIuj0ZhxJPQQzp1Qw6y0OzgNh9ZsYsxuBDnrcFY6n0nTsMcuwb2dOdvjbmDC_ktX0ecmtvLEkmXNCJ9A2Fecyv-iReo/s200/Ready_Player_One__A_Novel__Amazon_ca__Ernest_Cline__Books.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/0307887448" target="_blank">Ready Player One</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 10/10<br />
- completed: 10/18<br />
- from the book that took the longest to complete, to the book that took the shortest amount of time to complete. i was really hyped about this book. i heard about it in a podcast and the description really got me. i was about to go get the book but my brother told me that he actually owns the book - score! when i brought it to work to show my coworker, she was super pumped for me. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(aside: we got super excited when the extended trailer was shown when our work took us to an early screening of star wars. cant wait for this movie!)</span></i> this book is both the past and the future - hopefully not our future. this was definitely one of those books that i had to tell myself to stop reading so i could get some sleep. 10/10 would recommend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_EKhq8ZE6Eq6iObCMdctAJ7BGTVL7XmAayoj0OrKv4hwBY9FZDLFFpyuIk51PmdjdYYrUs3u3HZwlhOLtJInTlJI8ube0vaNXIkfZWCI-wE25PCEc8CvePAEITZJrODPy5qgO5deX-A/s1600/The_Circle__Dave_Eggers__9780345808592__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="354" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_EKhq8ZE6Eq6iObCMdctAJ7BGTVL7XmAayoj0OrKv4hwBY9FZDLFFpyuIk51PmdjdYYrUs3u3HZwlhOLtJInTlJI8ube0vaNXIkfZWCI-wE25PCEc8CvePAEITZJrODPy5qgO5deX-A/s200/The_Circle__Dave_Eggers__9780345808592__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/159413961X" target="_blank">The Circle</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 10/23<br />
- completed: 11/16<br />
- i remember being so jazzed about finishing the previous book in such a short period of time that i was so determined to do the same with this book. alas, i had a vacation during this time and though i brought it with me (electronically), the call of the water was louder than the book. sorry, Dave Eggers. this is another recommendation - in fact by the woman who inspired me to keep pushing with this goal (the same woman i mentioned above). she had read this book prior to us working together and some of her first day experiences reminded her of the beginnings of this book. i like this book but i dont like it at the same time. it caused me a lot of anxiety because it was just too close to real life. still, i could not put it down. i needed to know more, no matter how eerie it was. one thing: <b>do not</b> watch the movie. my coworker warned me, i did not heed her warning, and i regretted it. deeply.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Rich-People-Problems-Kevin-Kwan/dp/0385689381" target="_blank">Rich People Problems</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 11/16<br />
- completed: 11/26<br />
- i was on a roll and i wanted to start a book as soon as i finished one. since i have read the other two books, this landed on my recommend list. those two combined made it an easy decision. i wanted to know what happens next to the ridiculously rich families in Kevin Kwan's books. this is definitely an easy read. should he decide to write another instalment, i will most likely read it too. he is really good at pushing my <i>"this is so ridiculous but i cant stop reading"</i> buttons. not only that, i read the books years apart but the characters are so colourful its like picking up exactly where you left off - every time. i hear the first book will be a movie soon and that they made pretty solid casting decisions (in that they actually picked Asians to play Asians. #wow #finally).<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Best-We-Could-Do-Illustrated/dp/1419718770" target="_blank">The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 11/26<br />
- completed: 11/26<br />
- yes thats right, i finished this book in one day. i was really craving the "Pachinko" storyline and i was looking for something same same but different. an illustrated memoir of a Vietnamese immigrant family fit the bill exactly. this was old and new at the same time. the story was familiar. i found myself saying 'same tho' for a number of the things she described. but the impact of the illustration was unexpected (but welcomed). im the curious type who Googles until the end of the internet when something interests me. i still know very little about Vietnam but this book has whetted my desire to know more.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Brain-Fire-My-Month-Madness/dp/1451621388" target="_blank">Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 11/26<br />
- completed: 12/04<br />
- i was on fire and i was not about to stop. i visited my cousin this day and with two books completed that day, i wanted to keep going. i wanted to read another book which she said she owned but we couldnt find it. she recommended this instead. she started reading this because one of her students suffered from the same disease and she wanted to understand it better. while i was reading this book, sometimes i had to remind myself that this is non-fiction - Susannah was recounting what had happened to her. it scared me and and it fascinated me at the same time. a very unexpected read for me. i didnt search for this book but it was almost like it found its way to me. i dont know if i will be watching the movie. i dont want another "The Circle" scenario in my hands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrER9xzCYT_u4nl6lksOSloYiliG0VKtKtZBeHUVTfobN2_Kp7gUsIo5z-UEa3Q8gcDQUr3g8A2K7JeD55ID6VZ0ZOpojsXrbX-T9NwROfQh_TMQWRVDNBRI6kfCTNlegFwje6-l-dItA/s1600/Purple_Cow__New_Edition__Transform_Your_Business_by_Being_Remarkable__Seth_Godin__8601419814244__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="396" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrER9xzCYT_u4nl6lksOSloYiliG0VKtKtZBeHUVTfobN2_Kp7gUsIo5z-UEa3Q8gcDQUr3g8A2K7JeD55ID6VZ0ZOpojsXrbX-T9NwROfQh_TMQWRVDNBRI6kfCTNlegFwje6-l-dItA/s200/Purple_Cow__New_Edition__Transform_Your_Business_by_Being_Remarkable__Seth_Godin__8601419814244__Books_-_Amazon_ca.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Purple-Cow-New-Transform-Remarkable/dp/1591843170" target="_blank">Purple Cow</a></b><br />
<br />
- began: 12/05<br />
- completed: 11/29<br />
- last but not least, the final book - just barely squeaking through. i bought this book at the beginning of the year. lent it to my brother who is self-employed, hoping that it would spark something within him in his new venture. got it back and decided that i will wrap up the year with one of the first books i bought in 2017. this was written in 2003 and it is fascinating to see how business has shifted since then. the edition that i have has a bonus section where readers submitted their experiences with companies who they feel have or are Purple Cows. there was a little bit of a surprise for me there as there is a little blurb about the company that i work for now, <a href="https://www.freshbooks.com/" target="_blank">FreshBooks</a>. our customer wrote about something that had happened 10 years ago - and yes, he is still a customer today. this book was recommended to me by my dad. he usually sends me articles that mention FreshBooks so i asked him if this was the reason why he recommended this to me. nope. just a massive coincidence. what a crazy way to go full circle with this adventure.<br />
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when i was preparing to write this, writing down the timelines, it really hit me how quickly i blazed through some of these books. it also surprised me how i was able to really stick to my decision to complete this goal.<br />
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october was definitely the clean up month. all the books i had started i made sure i finished. november 26th was the blitz <b>day</b>. something mustve come over me that day and i really just wanted to blaze through more.<br />
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its mid-January now and i have my 2018 goals and books lined up. with my 2017 accomplishment under my belt, i can see myself really getting better at reading regularly again. im quite excited. i look forward to all the things that i will learn about myself, the world and the people around me - through the books they recommend and the conversations we will have about them and book clubs at work.<br />
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here's to another 12 books in 2018!<br />
<i>maybe more.</i><br />
<br />0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-44229184857187600302018-01-06T16:13:00.000-05:002018-01-06T16:13:03.322-05:00just one a monthlast week, i wrote about <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2017/12/it-wasnt-easy.html" target="_blank">something i accomplished in 2017</a>. i was going through the photos, as i sometimes do, and landed on a particular memory trigger<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>aside:</u> i like that term - memory trigger. i certainly did not invent it but i like calling my 365 photos that term. these days, more than ever, i feel the word "trigger" is mostly attached to negative statements. i definitely see how "memory trigger" could be unpleasant. however, because i am so pleased with the outcome of my imperfect Project365, i just cant read any negativity into that term when i use it in that capacity.</span> </i></div>
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whoa, super long aside. anyway, back to the memory trigger:<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO-q8maho8C/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">147|365 i used to read books all the time. i thought i should start doing that again. so i spent some time at the bookstore to find some inspiration #Project365 #PhotoADay</a></div>
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A post shared by @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae365/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> 0kae365</a> on <time datetime="2017-01-07T22:03:57+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 7, 2017 at 2:03pm PST</time></div>
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i told myself that day that i would commit to reading 12 books in 2017 - one book a month. i did the math and it shouldnt take me an entire month to read even a 500-page book. it seemed very doable. just like with Project365, it started great. in fact, i finished two books in January. until i let it go. one missed day turned into one missed week, and then to one missed month.<br />
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then, i looked up and it was already the end of September and i had only finished four books. i started reading a few others but did not finish them. not that they were bad - i finished almost all of them later. i just lost the drive to keep going. i was very ready to give up and just try again in the new year.<br />
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but there is this woman at work - i always see her with a book and she always visits the library next door. i remember asking her when she finds the time to read and if she sleeps. it was simple, she found books that she liked and found time to read them - on the weekends, in transit, before bed. and if she didnt like the book - bye! <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">i have started saying the same thing to myself: life is too short to read a book you dont like. </span></i>i was inspired and determined to catch up. this meant i had to read eight books in three months. happy to report that on December 29th 2017, i finished my 12th book!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">another aside: i had planned to list all of the books here with details of when i began and completed them and some thoughts i had. i started it and realized how loooooong this one entry would be. so i decided to make a part two of this topic - just for the list. </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2018 goals</span></b><br />
somehow i felt like i didnt do it right. i guess this is my personality type talking again. i was rushed in the end and there was no structure. it was like the wild west - just read something, ANYTHING! so this year i have laid out some rules for myself:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>read books.</b> no audiobooks, no illustrated books. i would like to actually go through the motions of traditional reading. doesnt mean i wont pick up an audiobook or illustrated books - they can count as bonus books.</li>
<li><b>somewhat focused topics.</b> one each quarter of the year</li>
<ul>
<li>leadership</li>
<li>non-fiction</li>
<li>fiction</li>
</ul>
<li><b>one year bible.</b> the last service of the year has compelled me to give this another try. i have tried it before and failed miserably. i have better tools and a better understanding of myself so im hoping this time, i will be able complete it. </li>
</ol>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">so far...</span></b><br />
before the break i signed up for a book club for managers. we will be reading <a href="https://www.radicalcandor.com/" target="_blank">Radical Candor</a> by Kim Scott - scheduled to meet 4 times in January. leadership book for Q1: <i>check! </i><br />
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<i><br /></i>during the break i was perusing the usual sites for boxing day discounts and deals. i noticed that Google Play had a $5 voucher for Google Book. used that sucker almost immediately on <a href="http://www.lisasee.com/books-new/the-tea-girl-of-hummingbird-lane/" target="_blank">The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane</a> by Lisa See. im not gonna lie, when im browsing i usually judge books by their covers and/or titles. this one really caught my eye when it popped up in my recommended books somewhere because of my growing appreciation for tea since my trip to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia/peninsular-malaysia-west-coast/cameron-highlands" target="_blank">Cameron Highlands</a>. i have gone off topic - again. anyway, i think im going to enjoy this book since i have read and enjoyed <a href="http://www.lisasee.com/books-new/shanghai-girls/" target="_blank">Shanghai Girls</a>. also because the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25150798-the-tea-girl-of-hummingbird-lane" target="_blank">goodreads reviews</a> on it are pretty good. cant wait to sip all the tea while i read this. currently drinking: ginger peach tea!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus:</span></b></div>
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press play to view the magic of Cameron Highlands</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDfUgNXBK5z/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">the winding road to cameron highlands led to this #WorthIt #BohTeaPlantation #CameronHighlands #Malaysia #0kaeAsia2016</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> kae natividad</a> (@0kae) on <time datetime="2016-03-28T08:06:03+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 28, 2016 at 1:06am PDT</time></div>
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0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-87385649762562214522017-12-30T15:06:00.004-05:002017-12-30T19:57:29.345-05:00it wasnt easy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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i had an <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2017/04/urges.html" target="_blank">entry this year</a> where i talked about creativity and how i wish had more of it in my life. a couple of years ago i was speaking with a woman at work - someone who is very creative and crafty from my point of view. we got to talking about what she has created and some of her projects. one of them was taking a <a href="https://content.photojojo.com/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/" target="_blank">photo everyday</a>. - Project365, Photo A Day, A Year in Photos, etc.</div>
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ive heard about this many times but was never drawn to it. probably because i always thought that this worked better as a photo + blog combo and i just didnt want to commit to that. i mean look at this blog - three entries in 2017. nice. </div>
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i dont know what happened but some force came over me and i suddenly wanted to make it happen. i knew that i had to make it sustainable for me so i needed to find a way to make it easy and i had to do it right away before the inspiration, drive to prove something, or whatever it was evaporated. the answers:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Instagram</li>
<li>Do it now - dont wait for the new year, dont wait for the beginning of the month, DO IT NOW.</li>
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so i did just that. i created a new instagram account on a saturday and had my first photo up by sunday - August 14, 2016.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJGrty3BYuo/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">1|365 trying to make breakfast a thing. kinda helps when food is cute. #Project365 #PhotoADay</a></div>
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A post shared by @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae365/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> 0kae365</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-14T21:36:14+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 14, 2016 at 2:36pm PDT</time></div>
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for those of you who know their <a href="https://discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/" target="_blank">DiSC Profile</a>, i am a CI-Practitioner with a relatively flat graph and all letters falling in or very close to the blue bar. i took the test for this at work but a quick Google search will give you a few free tests. i havent done any of the free ones so im hesitant to recommend one.<br />
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for those of you who know their <a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/home.htm?bhcp=1" target="_blank">Myers-Briggs Type</a>, i am an ISTJ-T, Logistician. everyone and their their dogs seemed to know their type so i figured i should do it too. ive been listening to <a href="http://lifelistened.com/category/selfie/" target="_blank">Selfie Podcast</a> and they recommended <a href="https://www.16personalities.com/" target="_blank">16 Personalities</a>.<br />
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did i just go off topic? maybe. but i thought those asides would be helpful to understand why it was <b>very difficult</b> for me to start my Project365 (this is the name variation i have decided to adopt for my version) on a rando day and to "cheat" - using my phone vs. my big camera, using instagram vs. using this platform, etc. but i figured this is better than nothing, this is better than overthinking it by trying to cling on to all all the rules while making sure i stick to it and being paralyzed by all the decisions i had to make perfectly. </div>
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theoretically, it sounded easy - one photo a day, minimal caption, done. i also like taking photos and believe that im kinda decent at it (when i really try). this was the perfect solution to both my "i need to me more creative" and "i should really practice taking photos" problems. but just as the title says, it wasnt easy. the first week went well. i posted everyday, i posted early, and i really thought about what to post. </div>
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but then life happened. sometimes, actually, a lot of the times, i forgot. either because i was busy at work or i did absolutely nothing that day. i learned that i should make time for when im busy and i should find something to do or something interesting in the mundane when im not. it got better, but it still wasnt perfect. i still missed some days like when i got really sick last year - i think it was the flu. i learned that first all, i am not immune to sickness. i rarely get sick, but when i do - OH BOY. this year, i still got sick. but i was only out for two days and not five - yas. improvement. the other thing that i learned was that sometimes, i just had to let go - i cant control everything. sometimes, i just have to be okay with not being okay all the time. sometimes, some things are more important. </div>
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honestly, i didnt think that i would learn this much by doing this project. at most, it would be a great way for me to practice taking photos and remember the events of an entire year. <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2015/03/memory-is-funny-thing.html" target="_blank">photos are easy memory triggers for me</a> and having a photo for each day of one year has helped me remember so much - enough to be able to write about it here. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBiSe_g04Dm5Lghyphenhyphenknl7_GPMs0OpCv3QoO040suLxzyedp1Zv6fOLQJEj3f8joeofgF77NlApvRqTCq_fcb_BY_iI1FXaBTYvm9H9WDRkWeo9KpBqttXdoA6dfaHnoyC_CIUwF9AAmUY/s1600/0kae365.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="999" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBiSe_g04Dm5Lghyphenhyphenknl7_GPMs0OpCv3QoO040suLxzyedp1Zv6fOLQJEj3f8joeofgF77NlApvRqTCq_fcb_BY_iI1FXaBTYvm9H9WDRkWeo9KpBqttXdoA6dfaHnoyC_CIUwF9AAmUY/s640/0kae365.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here are some of my memory triggers</td></tr>
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all 365 photos are in my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/0kae365/" target="_blank">0kae365</a> instagram account. i dont plan on shutting it down (for now) - i still like to go through them every now and then. i definitely have favourites but for different reasons - i tried a new technique, the event or activity behind the photo, or simply because the photo turned out nice.</div>
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thanks to that one conversation, i was inspired to make it happen. im glad i did it but im also glad it ended when it did. this was a great start and i would like to try something new now.0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-1950390814971403552017-05-27T17:03:00.000-04:002017-05-27T17:03:20.890-04:00unacceptable<u style="font-weight: bold;">disclaimer:</u> this is longer and more detailed than my usual ways. i'm in a story-telling mood apparently so consider yourself warned<br />
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<b>TL;DR:</b> when trusted establishments, who pride themselves with top-notch quality and service, let you down, it feels heavier than i would like to admit. and while apologies are appreciated, it does not undo what had happened.<br />
disappointment is harder for me to let go than anger. and this week i was disappointed not once, but twice.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
it's one thing to be let down by <i>regular</i> places.<br />
but when you're let down by places who claim to be superior, it's somehow more upsetting.<br />
<br />
am i alone in this or is this expected behaviour?<br />
<br />
this past week, places i trusted sort of let me down.<br />
<i>[trigger warning: incoming - first world problem stories]</i><br />
<br />
<b>earlier this week</b>, i had a goal. i was determined to hit up two boutiques and purchase 3 items.<br />
<br />
<u>first boutique.</u><br />
walked in and made a bee-line for the shoes. found the slippers i wanted, requested for my size, and nodded yes with satisfaction. DONE<br />
took a few steps to the accessories and described what i wanted, not telling the gentleman helping me that i actually had something specific in mind. (why? i don't know exactly. maybe i was testing him? maybe i didn't want to be judged? i really don't know. my brain can't explain.) amazingly, he pulled out the exact style i wanted and even the design i had been eyeing. <i>"it's so meant to be,"</i> i thought to myself.<br />
second item: DONE and it only took me 10 minutes to decide. miracles every where.<br />
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he processed my card and disappeared in the back to pack up my stuff. he emerged with a bag and said, <i>"let me walk you to the door."</i> we did and bid each other goodbye.<br />
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i was satisfied with the experience but i had a nagging feeling that i should open the bag.<br />
i didn't and just went straight to the second boutique - i was on a mission.<br />
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<u>second boutique. </u><br />
i knew the main boutique was closed for renovation. already a bad omen. i went to the <i>department store</i> pop-up and hunted for my prey. it wasn't in plain sight and i knew i might not get what i wanted. i went for another lap and still did not see anything so i had to ask. <i>"it will be released in july,</i>" the helpful lady said. <i>"oh,"</i> i said, sounding more disappointed than i cared to let her know. <i>"give us a call and we will hold one for you,"</i> she offered.<br />
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i let out a bit of a sigh but i was already holding a bag. <i>"2 out of 3 isn't bad,"</i> i told myself.<br />
<br />
still, i had a feeling that i should take a peek in the bag. not the feeling of excitement but the feeling of anxiety. but i didn't listen to my gut. instead i filled it with food and drinks. dinner and stories with friends were had and before i knew it, it was the end of the day.<br />
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finally alone and done with the day, i opened up the bag.<br />
first, the small box. <i>"um, wait a minute. this is not the right one."</i> slightly disappointed and burdened by the thought of having to go back to make the exchange. i reached into the bag to fish for the receipt but i came up with nothing.<br />
<i>"maybe it's in the shoebox.</i>" nope.<br />
<i>"maybe they emailed it to me,</i>" i thought optimistically even though i distinctly remembered the gentleman asking if i wanted my receipt in the bag. no email.<br />
so i have the wrong item with no receipt to exchange it with. great.<br />
<br />
i called the next day to explain and let them know i will be dropping by to get it sorted. they were more than happy to help me.<br />
BUT.<br />
the item i wanted was gone - everywhere. even the one they had showed me yesterday was sold.<br />
nice.<br />
<i>"i'm so sorry. i was doing.... you know what, no excuses this was unacceptable."</i><br />
they did their best to find one, but it's just gone.<br />
<i>"i will return the wrong item and keep a credit for you and pre-purchase it as soon as it comes back so you're guaranteed yours."</i><br />
my heart sank. it was the one i wanted the most. it was right there in front of me, and now it's gone.<br />
i walked away, defeated. it was not meant to be after all.<br />
<br />
<b>later this week</b>, i had an appointment. not just any appointment but one that i had booked months ago. i have been going to this place for years because they always treated me well and i was always satisfied with their work.<br />
<br />
i came in on time, in a great mood, and ready to feel even better. then bad news came. <i>"i'm sorry. when they booked you in, they had forgotten to factor something in and we will only be able to do one thing of the three you requested." </i><br />
doesn't that sound familiar.<br />
<br />
fine. ok. sure. no problem - one of three is still not bad.<br />
<br />
problem: one out of three was taking <i>way</i> longer than i expected. i was the first one in, other people had come and gone and i was still there. i had to stop her and tell her, <i>"i'm sorry, you have to stop because i need to leave." </i><br />
everyone felt bad for all the miscommunication and wanted to help me as much as possible, giving me options here and there. <i>"no i'm sorry. i can't. i just really need to go now. i will call you to schedule the other 2 things."</i><br />
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i called, apologies and discounts were offered. nice but what i wanted to know was how i can avoid this again next time. i thought i did everything i could to ensure everything i wanted was accounted for and the timing was right.<i> "you did, it was our mistake and our miscommunication." </i><br />
OK, fine. what do i need to say next time so that this does not happen again. <i>"from what i know i have a note on my file about how long these procedures take,"</i> i added, slowly feeling anger bubble up.<br />
<i>"you're right, there is a note. we don't know why it was missed or ignored. and i'm so sorry but the earliest we can get you in is july 20th." </i>so 2 months later. right.<br />
that was it. i was done.<i> "fine, book it. but i will be calling if i need to cancel." </i>i'm definitely going to cancel as soon as i find a new place.<br />
<br />
something that was supposed to be celebrated and enjoyed was not because of the <i>miscommunication. </i>what bothers me the most is that now, i will have to say goodbye to them after trusting them for years. it took me a long time to find and trust them and just when i was getting to where i wanted, they had let me down. i have to start from scratch with someone new.<br />
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i'm not one to make a scene at establishments - i know what it's like to be on the other end of a complaint. so in both situations, i had just walked away. i know they're sorry. as sorry as they can be and as much as their job would allow for them to be. but i couldn't shake the feeling that everything could have been avoided if things were done right in the first place. and i just could not let go of the feeling of disappointment which is, to me, heavier than anger.0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-69999784440033167702017-04-22T22:22:00.000-04:002017-04-22T22:42:22.834-04:00urges<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1aOT5mMJIMtc_ixMqsRBYNaMDUGThnV2kLa7R-CpkQS6DzcUtjmd0s8tBJ-INaN4VX92uogxqANnAjylnbpKA0_bpioP7Oe6SjproHvzarUdeVa9Hv92HToEmmQYx7EsfM6oRz9gLTU/s1600/creativity_definition_-_Google_Search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1aOT5mMJIMtc_ixMqsRBYNaMDUGThnV2kLa7R-CpkQS6DzcUtjmd0s8tBJ-INaN4VX92uogxqANnAjylnbpKA0_bpioP7Oe6SjproHvzarUdeVa9Hv92HToEmmQYx7EsfM6oRz9gLTU/s640/creativity_definition_-_Google_Search.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: i Googled it</td></tr>
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i visited <a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/" target="_blank">indigo</a> several times this month. it doesn't matter what my original intentions are, i always visit the stationary section. sometimes i just look around. but most of the time, i buy something. whether i need or not is irrelevant. the one thing i have never been able to justify is buying a beautiful sketchbook.</div>
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i feel like it would be such a waste on me. my reasoning: "i'm not creative enough." i know i'm not using that word properly because every time i think creative, i think, art. when i think art, i think, drawing. allow me to be wrong with my definition this one time. </div>
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i can't draw. i can take photos and post them with text. but drawing, nah. won't it be such a waste to <i>just</i> <b>write</b> on a sketchbook. i mean my writing is not even the trendy calligraphy type. it's just, all caps. very boxy and clinical. so no sketchbooks for me. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVu50TJI0HzpSunSwJ5fbyx-MOQqxlIJ3iMPR_G6994W3HdNjsxhpdNlkCuocnbOjRZb6aPhPR0QCYjwTAooBvrHGVQ4zZrQ88gkyiVqXYIeyp5yEBeljs35lcBKX2QDp1SJevDlZNFc/s1600/2017-04-22+10.08.39+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVu50TJI0HzpSunSwJ5fbyx-MOQqxlIJ3iMPR_G6994W3HdNjsxhpdNlkCuocnbOjRZb6aPhPR0QCYjwTAooBvrHGVQ4zZrQ88gkyiVqXYIeyp5yEBeljs35lcBKX2QDp1SJevDlZNFc/s400/2017-04-22+10.08.39+1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">let's be real<br />
who would want tutorials from this mess</td></tr>
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a few people told me that i should start vlogging. um. excuse me, but what? are you serious?</div>
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<i>"omg you can totally do make-up and hair tutorials."</i></div>
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right. like we don't have enough of those already. </div>
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1. i can barely stand the sound of my own voice. if i vlog it would be non-speaking videos. like all my videos on instagram. who wants that?</div>
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2. i have <i>zero</i> personality for vlogs. sure i like to make faces and sass people in real life but i don't think i would like that to forever be on the internet. which brings me to...</div>
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3. i am too <i>self-conscious</i> for videos. add this to the fact that i'm a bit of a perfectionist and it will take 500 years to film, edit and post one video. </div>
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i have so much respect for people who make a living off of YouTube. that's a lot of hard work. also, to have so many subscribers, to have so many people interested in whatever you post and, to have so many strangers know your business is nuts - the good kind. </div>
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why am i even writing about this. i don't know. maybe mostly because i only watch YouTube and Netflix these days and YouTubers continue to amaze me. i'm jealous of their personalities, creativity and, most of all, their courage. </div>
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just to say that i tried before saying no completely. i posted a speaking video on my instagram story today. it was painful to say the least. </div>
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<i>oh hey look at that</i></div>
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<i>it didn't take me forever and a half to post something new</i></div>
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0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-85010149470954765302017-01-28T21:34:00.000-05:002017-01-28T21:34:01.112-05:00stucki always find myself coming back here<br />
<br />
mostly when i'm trying to articulate something but struggling to say it out loud<br />
weird that i choose to <i>say it out loud </i>on the internet - the most un-private platform. for some reason, it feels like no one can find me here. which is also weird because i don't keep this place a secret. i think its because no one has come up to talk to me about it.<br />
i'm writing in secret<br />
you're reading in secret<br />
works for me<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWkTHJ115DhsF0SAZhSyfsshAiiP5CI6f1NTq_8qn84GZSXGedwymbbbBISlV5SJiKq3cC64BYL_UyituzHpA_H_9Fh5XphIRBXb22gS8rlfbk7Lh4wHC2qmpZbjQgB_mIauHNAfSNA/s1600/20170128_212222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWkTHJ115DhsF0SAZhSyfsshAiiP5CI6f1NTq_8qn84GZSXGedwymbbbBISlV5SJiKq3cC64BYL_UyituzHpA_H_9Fh5XphIRBXb22gS8rlfbk7Lh4wHC2qmpZbjQgB_mIauHNAfSNA/s640/20170128_212222.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another place i always go back to<br /><i>also, snow is only nice when it's falling and untouched</i></td></tr>
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<br />
getting this back up and running got my mind off what i've been obsessing about for a couple of days now. those who know me well know that this is a long time for me to <i>stew</i> on something. usually, i go on research overdrive, find out everything that i can, figure out all the details, and finalize everything. that whole process usually takes a day or two.<br />
<br />
i guess part of it is just that i don't care most of the time. i want something - i get it, i do it. it's very hard for me to convince myself out of something so i don't even try. sometimes, it's a happy ending. sometimes, i have minor regrets. but it was all about the instant gratification - i wanted it and now i have it, i've done it. the rest is just a by-product.<br />
<br />
i don't know what changed, or if anything changed at all. but i can't seem to do that right now. my "<i>i don't care" </i>button is broken. or maybe it got some advanced features that stops me for pushing for everything.<br />
<br />
this started off being about something in particular, but sitting here, writing all of this down, i realize that i've developed this reflex for a lot of things. i guess i started caring about certain things, certain people, certain outcomes.<br />
<br />
now that i've said what i wanted, kind of, i've run out of thoughts.<br />
typical.<br />
<br />
see you again soon.<br />
<i>or in another two years.</i><br />
<i>HA</i>0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-82738641895142042932015-04-14T22:03:00.000-04:002015-04-14T22:03:00.433-04:00double digits<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgv1EBHUPKqgJ74VOojG5c41OQ5XcUTwPRa303EH7BiUsczKNyCKTvLT8i14G7dKLDwkZ5IdGauCmL92MWZ35PnIHgsxabN25_TjnJowzKa7M4KkXF0V-64l1eY7i6IRVlz_prURre3k/s1600/2015-04-14+08.33.57+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgv1EBHUPKqgJ74VOojG5c41OQ5XcUTwPRa303EH7BiUsczKNyCKTvLT8i14G7dKLDwkZ5IdGauCmL92MWZ35PnIHgsxabN25_TjnJowzKa7M4KkXF0V-64l1eY7i6IRVlz_prURre3k/s1600/2015-04-14+08.33.57+1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my running buddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
GREAT day today. finally really felt the double digit temperature.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
first time sitting on the benches at lunch. no jacket - but i did have a blazer on. still felt the sun on my back. it was glorious. so glorious that i actually ate ALL my food - really rare (im not a big eater. im an often eater)</div>
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ANYWAY, on my way home i saw a bunch of people running, jogging, rollerblading, biking, walking. i got jealous. so as soon as i got home, i changed and went for a jog before i could convince myself otherwise. its been a while, pavement. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
the last time i ran outside was after my trip to south africa last year - so that was probably around september. i felt a huge pain on my hip not even 5 minutes into my route and i just could not run anymore. i rested and let the pain go away but it would happen every time i tried. and then winter happened. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
over the winter i tried to do other things to strengthen my right knee (reconstructed ACL) and fix my gait so my left hip wont hurt. i was on my way to recovering but one evening while outdoor ice skating with my cousin i tweaked my knee - hard. add to that the fierce winter we had and i was out of commission - even uncrossing my legs from a sitting position would cause my knee to move in the wrong direction and cause me immense pain which would eventually go away but its just so scary - the last time i felt that pain i wasnt able to unbend me knee for several days and eventually found out i needed knee surgery.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
i digress. this is about getting back into it. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
ive been doing a bit of strengthening and stretching and indoor running since. its gotten better but im not back to the same condition i was after i was released from post-op physiotherapy. mostly because im not as consistent as i used to be. post-op physio was at least twice a week of intense strengthening which ive stopped doing. i know, i shouldnt have. im trying to get back into that as well. i dont think i want a re-do of the surgery.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
so today was the first day i laced up my running shoes and let it hit the outdoor terrain. it was great. i did my usual route. i thought i did way worse that my usual time (which wasnt great to begin with) but it was actually not bad. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj928ya9AglNVfYBC_CcbLU15QscXfpAMZeOzC11XiyQjRMVbhcRzIQ-WLEjsR5SpXW-prZN_ztX-LNGkPxh1qfOU_g1MeIlKt216b6eRfskzeJ_VJt_pLo4fc_D295f4BqYjT1fg12ftU/s1600/2015-04-14+08.38.31+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj928ya9AglNVfYBC_CcbLU15QscXfpAMZeOzC11XiyQjRMVbhcRzIQ-WLEjsR5SpXW-prZN_ztX-LNGkPxh1qfOU_g1MeIlKt216b6eRfskzeJ_VJt_pLo4fc_D295f4BqYjT1fg12ftU/s1600/2015-04-14+08.38.31+1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nice and sunny day in southern ontario</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
it looks like the temperature is slowly rising so this means that i get to go outside more. im nervous and excited. i never thought id be the type to run outdoors. i didnt even know that i liked running. i just tried it one day and it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. i dont even know why i thought it would be "bad." i fell into yoga the same way. a friend asked me if i wanted to join her. i said yes and committed to it before i could even think too much about it. and now we go quite regularly. im no expert yogi but i can definitely go more now than a year ago. ive pushed my body to do things that i didnt think it could. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
im the type to stick to what i said i would do (some times more lasting than others). more so if ive made myself more accountable by saying it out loud in front of other people. my brain automatically thinks, "youve said it. now you really have to do it." theres been a bunch of changes lately. a whole bunch of things i never thought i would do (and actually enjoy) im doing now. i guess this is the power of saying yes and committing. now i just need to battle my problem of getting bored easily. but that a different entry all together. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
say yes. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
commit.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
do it. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
you never know. </div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-17529823580631472142015-04-05T19:44:00.001-04:002015-04-05T19:44:43.529-04:00three decades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW7wn1JfVLApDml8v-R3DRKDtHOGpt6uvU78ud_4zTzKzk7oDwuMi0FA1ukdqBEFdSBA_ucAn7hQEDhsJXHFZNjDqcdy1DKAA78L_PVWD1Uhil6W2_NBxI864Utf54hAkUukR3HNrq0Q/s1600/2015-04-05+06.11.42+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW7wn1JfVLApDml8v-R3DRKDtHOGpt6uvU78ud_4zTzKzk7oDwuMi0FA1ukdqBEFdSBA_ucAn7hQEDhsJXHFZNjDqcdy1DKAA78L_PVWD1Uhil6W2_NBxI864Utf54hAkUukR3HNrq0Q/s1600/2015-04-05+06.11.42+1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
completely unexpected evening.<br />
<br />
everything was perfect - wouldnt have had it any other way. <br />
nothing more, nothing less<br />
<br />
im so glad i met my core early in life. stories from our past and the stories we continue to write make me a better person.<br />
<br />
much thanks.<br />
much love.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAXUFFNji6IKOwfZTX2bb5BlblTZj27CSrg6FNHHdJn5Y6MdIb805LkXfvKV5TGfG6d6_fmIC9S7RK_INpiVdl51IhBhYE0_bDiyK3r7Z4X77D5HVrHPwHPj6zQqgmu1RfcFOI6KMj44/s1600/2015-04-05+06.11.58+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAXUFFNji6IKOwfZTX2bb5BlblTZj27CSrg6FNHHdJn5Y6MdIb805LkXfvKV5TGfG6d6_fmIC9S7RK_INpiVdl51IhBhYE0_bDiyK3r7Z4X77D5HVrHPwHPj6zQqgmu1RfcFOI6KMj44/s1600/2015-04-05+06.11.58+1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-42845904313932885962015-03-27T21:02:00.000-04:002015-03-27T21:04:01.997-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4NBKCc860ACHiIjy1UPRNEAAgAhmeDKmyQ2hDEPxIYhPORh5D9TuBDG1_GcYrp-y399RMUVGKsjF95s6aHj1xJYQRDI__Ul0maakbTyKQ4FjDmCy-yuoE-JwTduGBrBYRygPJgrFQjk/s1600/1427504272823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4NBKCc860ACHiIjy1UPRNEAAgAhmeDKmyQ2hDEPxIYhPORh5D9TuBDG1_GcYrp-y399RMUVGKsjF95s6aHj1xJYQRDI__Ul0maakbTyKQ4FjDmCy-yuoE-JwTduGBrBYRygPJgrFQjk/s1600/1427504272823.jpg" height="640" width="393" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
its been difficult lately.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
and whats making it more difficult is that i dont know exactly why.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
im not asking for much.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
im not asking for anything actually.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
because thats just it,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i dont want to have to ask</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
im a proud person</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
its one of the many flaws in my design.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
its something ive tried to control</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
some days, it works. some days, are today.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
theres this feeling,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i dont know what it is.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
all of a sudden im back in preschool</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
alone and angry</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
why do i have to be here, alone.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
how come the other kids are gone</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
whos coming to get me</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
when are they coming to get me.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
the feeling,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
its somewhere in there.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
rising up to my throat</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
choking me.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i dont like it.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i like being in control</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
and right now,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
im most definitely not.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
ive tried to distract myself</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
ive tried to focus on other things.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
ive tried to ignore it</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
it works and it doesnt.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
the only thing left to do is to face it</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
but how do you face something that is faceless</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
something you cant name</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
something you cant figure out.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i thought i was done with this.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
i thought it was over</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
a long time ago</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
but theres always something</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
something new</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-48459054949243592782015-03-22T17:18:00.000-04:002015-03-22T18:36:41.141-04:00spring cleansing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMXeiVQ_csoRWrb24ykpdtLndocu6sE_Ikr_nsID0qGwXOkXSu46AK742MAuX0wQAAa1EpR2ALO4NqeMrbRmGJsBmOMNb5PbiMAwCof6gER3XbESEQwzFf-8XQVolzZzX5zpRAOt9DVs/s1600/1427049197627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMXeiVQ_csoRWrb24ykpdtLndocu6sE_Ikr_nsID0qGwXOkXSu46AK742MAuX0wQAAa1EpR2ALO4NqeMrbRmGJsBmOMNb5PbiMAwCof6gER3XbESEQwzFf-8XQVolzZzX5zpRAOt9DVs/s1600/1427049197627.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
super productive day yesterday!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
the zipper on my winter jacket broke a couple of weeks ago. ive been meaning to get it fixed but have been ultra lazy to bring it to the tailor recommended by the manufacturer. ive also been meaning to get the handles on my purse repaired, but surprise surprise, ultra lazy yet again.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
but in the spirit of spring cleaning my friend and i decided to make a day out of my errands and added some exploration. first thing was to drop off the jacket at the tailors then the purse at the store. both the tailor and the associates were very helpful. they knew the product and knew exactly what i wanted. all i have to do now is wait 4-6 weeks for them to come back home.<br />
<br />
after all the major errands were done we stopped for coffee (no coffee for me though as per the food restrictions i mentioned <a href="http://www.9-10mm.com/2015/03/its-official-actually-i-forgot.html" target="_blank">previously</a>) and spotted one of <a href="https://www.prairiegirlbakery.com/" target="_blank">Prairie Girl Bakery</a>'s locations. now, i was SUPER excited because i know for a fact that they always have vegan cupcakes on hand.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmfnYFVQIgEcS5w7al9Ez83orlV6hJm_J6oIyMKJCnS_O64FZtF-SUGHJaduI5Ig8OTxmSkTiUr-sOco-yCUkqnKWYAJrDn2ZW80DLLtGFAVrWs572cJOMRUuRiwTTwkJGEjn7CAZzpQ/s1600/1427050880322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmfnYFVQIgEcS5w7al9Ez83orlV6hJm_J6oIyMKJCnS_O64FZtF-SUGHJaduI5Ig8OTxmSkTiUr-sOco-yCUkqnKWYAJrDn2ZW80DLLtGFAVrWs572cJOMRUuRiwTTwkJGEjn7CAZzpQ/s1600/1427050880322.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prairie Girl's vegan red velvet cupcake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
cupcake success! i havent had pastries since my dairy restriction so this is an awesome awesome treat. i couldve ended my day right there but there was lots more to explore.<br />
<br />
we turned the corner to grab some lunch at <a href="http://www.eatnervosa.com/" target="_blank">Trattoria Nervosa</a>. to be honest i thought i was going to have a hard time finding something to eat but to my surprise there is a bunch of stuff i could have. i finally decided on their caesar salad with egg-less dressing and added grilled chicken. it was a very beautiful plate and yummy meal. i really wish i took a photo but as always, when my food comes, i forget everything else and just scarf it down right away.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiMdskKcSNlwfsFo7PBHOxCLICz5lkRKMWDSOsB6f6arh0HcAonXbIBkUxu0UqxrllzHkfiMyKNUrSUnV4trVmGR9pxGVThCjXLEpfRQ1W-MKp0akK70ZcVrjfzVi78bekbD-IRrmSFU/s1600/20150321_162838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiMdskKcSNlwfsFo7PBHOxCLICz5lkRKMWDSOsB6f6arh0HcAonXbIBkUxu0UqxrllzHkfiMyKNUrSUnV4trVmGR9pxGVThCjXLEpfRQ1W-MKp0akK70ZcVrjfzVi78bekbD-IRrmSFU/s1600/20150321_162838.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
we were on our way to <a href="http://www.morocochocolat.com/" target="_blank">Moroco Chocolat</a> but we got a bit distracted because we spotted <a href="http://www.thegoodpress.ca/" target="_blank">The Good Press</a>. definitely had to go in and grab something to go.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXQ1vQZNGK09JEuTPhgCcXEm2fX0nP-3ixiTWsXEs3Ke7lR9vstQ77lyBe3hZ_dSAMhZZAx00gxJIY9fcqtuv9e4Dxox75EbQOjOIXD9eDNcVugMp0T-Y27YeGXIoi6rh6llxKZ77h8I/s1600/1427051232191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXQ1vQZNGK09JEuTPhgCcXEm2fX0nP-3ixiTWsXEs3Ke7lR9vstQ77lyBe3hZ_dSAMhZZAx00gxJIY9fcqtuv9e4Dxox75EbQOjOIXD9eDNcVugMp0T-Y27YeGXIoi6rh6llxKZ77h8I/s1600/1427051232191.jpg" height="238" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1vfRzbWlAUI1I3XfvBooVfg6XqUt46SlK291ErXn9_JsbEeMxZAYva2fcrPhEnlXyH-o1CwyOT6dIKBQ-VAvs5R52oNw9LXJT2Q4xMh9JpjupVa_S0riIPkAd60wWBvEZhqyHwXjjPI/s1600/20150321_171847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1vfRzbWlAUI1I3XfvBooVfg6XqUt46SlK291ErXn9_JsbEeMxZAYva2fcrPhEnlXyH-o1CwyOT6dIKBQ-VAvs5R52oNw9LXJT2Q4xMh9JpjupVa_S0riIPkAd60wWBvEZhqyHwXjjPI/s1600/20150321_171847.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
the smoothies pictured at the top of this post (omega berry and blue banana) and chocolate milk were the spoils of the day. such friendly people and amazing juices (great for cleansing) and smoothies. ps. all their "milks" are non-dairy. another win for me!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDPyhakU8-wNUaPcGVSytb8RYHfmMTEO7p5EQTJhXHaK9zgLKFOs1iSoQ0m-2W2I6C8n2RFpRO4rIwHKsmKeiJGTOqBHWE4ug210fvB-94_eCdl3IWza8APfxGmrqw-HjKnxi5Ed7R4c/s1600/20150321_231140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDPyhakU8-wNUaPcGVSytb8RYHfmMTEO7p5EQTJhXHaK9zgLKFOs1iSoQ0m-2W2I6C8n2RFpRO4rIwHKsmKeiJGTOqBHWE4ug210fvB-94_eCdl3IWza8APfxGmrqw-HjKnxi5Ed7R4c/s1600/20150321_231140.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">made with activated cashew, b-grade maple syrup, <br />
dates, pure vanilla extract, chocosol cacao powder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
after the smoothie break, we resumed our mission to Moroco for some macarons. we really should have gone the day before - <a href="http://www.macarondayto.com/" target="_blank">Macaron Day</a>. this was the first time i walked into Moroco and came out with nothing - very sad day. but i did recommend some of my favourites to my friend. i can have macarons vicariously through him.<br />
<br />
after doing everything we had and wanted to in Yorkvile, we <a href="https://www.uber.com/" target="_blank">Uber</a>-ed our way down to <a href="http://www.muji.com/ca/" target="_blank">Muji</a>. ive heard so much about the Muji pens and just Muji in general so since we were close by we decided to check it out. overall, it was very generic, true to the name of the store. its like a muted IKEA. so if you need something practical and minimal in your home, this is the place to go. i will give it to their pens though (100% fully stocked, which apparently is a rarity). very smooth and clean. so i picked up a few and a small acrylic storage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBuYDn9S4R6DG_oH92VjhZ4hCcPjADiMx54gU98L8NSM8hUOLgHEktzf4r7HObhJ5cJlxLnMFQfCM5fxyLPkBXd3VXkbpEflCthLebulkP-fiTaHA5oZmCuvtXUB0sC1sZolCmObXK-4/s1600/2015-03-22+03.27.04+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBuYDn9S4R6DG_oH92VjhZ4hCcPjADiMx54gU98L8NSM8hUOLgHEktzf4r7HObhJ5cJlxLnMFQfCM5fxyLPkBXd3VXkbpEflCthLebulkP-fiTaHA5oZmCuvtXUB0sC1sZolCmObXK-4/s1600/2015-03-22+03.27.04+1.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
<br />
after Muji we Uber-ed it to Baldwin for dinner at <a href="http://www.kunisushiya.com/" target="_blank">Kuni</a>. met some new people, binged on some sushi and compared festival notes.<br />
<br />
we accomplished all we wanted to do and more yesterday. i couldnt have been happier with everything that we discovered during our mini exploration. it was so relaxed and we just popped into any place we felt like going. its been a while since ive walked around outside and just went with it. im glad spring is here. it a bit cold again today (feels like -18C) but the sun is shining and the snow is melting.<br />
<br />
im gonna go enjoy the last bits of my weekend under the covers, watching youtube videos and snacking on my cupcake and milk.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539016897678022140.post-41325708119573769662015-03-20T21:39:00.000-04:002015-03-22T17:33:30.460-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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its official!<br />
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actually, i forgot. i was pleasantly surprised while i was scanning instagram earlier.<br />
its kind of fitting that i dropped by one of <a href="http://www.terragreenhouses.com/" target="_blank">Terra</a>s greenhouses today and picked up the cuties pictured above.<br />
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it was a total fluke. i was driving home from a doctors feeling a little bummed [+]. terra came up to view, and actually passed. i decided, i should definitely go and check if they have cacti. pulled a u-bomb and walked in.<br />
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theyre super helpful and friendly at terra. i had absolutely no idea what i was doing. all i knew was i wanted a cactus - or two. i was already eyeing two and someone came up to me to help me pick up a pot. it was technically not for sale as a pot only but as a set but they gave it to me anyway for much, much cheaper. so off i went my merry way home to re-pot my plant!</div>
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i was going to document a step-by-step process but i really got into it. the sun was shining and a mild wind was blowing. it really was a great start to spring. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRVtUEVjFtI1BrBvl9PXdE1J0R8nn5FUOxHslrgap0onVyjHUxs4yZ49ksN7RtrJL0gZ4YW7jUgjbojNcAKVR2tY8bPKfWZTdr4j3eCLc_XV49I5hbdmcAvNaeDzntgd2Fi5-0QODff8/s1600/IMG_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRVtUEVjFtI1BrBvl9PXdE1J0R8nn5FUOxHslrgap0onVyjHUxs4yZ49ksN7RtrJL0gZ4YW7jUgjbojNcAKVR2tY8bPKfWZTdr4j3eCLc_XV49I5hbdmcAvNaeDzntgd2Fi5-0QODff8/s1600/IMG_0438.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kinda looks like theyre soaking in a tub</td></tr>
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[+] so i mentioned above that i went to my doctors today - naturopath and family doctor. this is my second attempt at trying to draw blood to run tests related to possible food allergies. they tried four times a few weeks ago and all four times, nothing except for four collapsed veins. so for todays appointment i made sure that i was hydrated. i was sure that they will be able to get at least the two vials they needed. five attempts later, no blood, just more collapsed veins. this is the first time this has ever happened to me. i can usually fill a few vials no problem. </div>
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the doctor decided to give up for now and have the hospital draw blood for the other tests. if that fails too, then there must be something wrong. </div>
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for now, ill just continue to avoid certain foods and hope that we can get some blood (and answers) later. </div>
0kaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15868268427491506694noreply@blogger.com0