New Year's Walk

I went for a walk in the woods behind my Dad's house early on New Year's Eve just to give myself some time to reflect on the past year. 

I began by thinking back to where my head was at this time last year. It really was not far from where it is today, but so much has changed since. New friends, getting to know new family members, getting promoted. You could kinda say that 2014 has been a pretty good year in terms of growth. 

After reflecting on the past year, I began to think of the coming year. What will 2015 hold for me? So many possibilities in a new year. I'm not ruling out anything. 

My Guiding Hand

Happy birthday to my guiding hand. I am so grateful for all that you taught me about life and love. Without you, this blog would never have come to be.

I love you more, Mama Bear.

Rainy Daydream

We're all familiar with that feeling. You open one sleepy eye and hear it - the drip, drip (or sometimes the tap dance) of raindrops. You already know before you even leave your bed, that all you're going to want to do today is close your eyes again and go back to sleep. For me, today was one of those days.

I've felt a bit overextended lately. September has been a very busy month for me, with moving and school starting things have been a little less than relaxing for me. I have been working a lot and on top of that I have had a lot of school work. It has been hard to find some "breathe" time. 

Today I woke up and knew that I was going to need a mental health day. I skipped my first class and decided to use that extra time to run a few errands and catch up on some work. It would have been nice to be able to curl up in my bed with Netflix and a big cup of tea, but we'll see the day isn't over yet.

A

Sanctuary

In Christianity, Judaism, and many other religions, a sanctuary refers a space within a place of worship that is sacred or holy. In this place, one is thought to be closest to god. For me, sanctuary means a place where I can just be; a place where my soul can thrive; where I can be closest to the things that mean the most to me. 

Here is a little peek at my sanctuary.

The quality of light is just amazing in this place. In the morning and throughout the day our rooms are drenched with light. It makes waking up a little easier in the morning. 

It is about day 10 of apartment life and Jacky and I have been adjusting quite well - we're becoming comfortable with our new commutes, who takes a shower when, typical roomie stuff. It feels great to have a space to call our own.

Y'all should come by for a visit…as soon as we get a kitchen table.

Shoutout to Lexii Morton for painting my bureau for me :)

More to come!

Transitioning

It feels good to have a day to just breathe. I feel that I write this often on this blog, because the days that I actually have time to sit and blog are those breathing days. 

On Monday I packed up my life and moved it to Allston. I have been looking forward to this move for MONTHS. Jacky and I found this adorable little place in Allston back in February and on September 1 we were finally able to move in! This space is great - small living area, but huge bedrooms, and lots of light. If there is one thing my room in Winthrop and my apartment have in common, its the amazing windows.

I have had a bit of a gypsy summer. I was always flitting from one home to the other - from my grandmother's house to my dad's or to my aunt's. It feels good to know that I won't have to do that anymore. Everything I need will be right here…as soon as I go home and get the rest of my stuff…

Until then, here's a little taste.

Jet lag

I have never slept so much in my life. I arrived in Boston around 6:00 on Friday night and had just about the best night's sleep of my life. After a 22-hour trip home, I was pretty ready to hit the hay. Typically, to get over jet lag, I tend to try to stick to my usual sleep schedule as best as possible. I was so exhausted yesterday, I couldn't stay awake for the entire day. I spent the better part of Saturday napping on the couch with Netflix. 

I really only had the energy to make myself a yummy spinach and mushroom burrito and kale-banana smoothie. Noms. After all of the rice and noodles and meat I had over in Singapore, some simple, healthy is just what I needed.

Reflection

As I sit here, writing this with my freshly packed suitcase nearly exploding beside me, I feel a little bit more whole. I have always been insanely close with my Dad's side of the family, mostly due to proximity. After my parents met and got married, my mom sort of lost contact with her family in Singapore. As a kid, I always used to wonder what it would be like to be close with my mom's side of the family. I guess you could say that my family life has always been a bit lopsided. After spending some time with my Singaporean family, I feel that the scales have balanced…at least a little bit. 

I feel so blessed to have been able to spend time with my family here, in Singapore. It is crazy to think that the last time anyone here saw me I was 6 (or as they like to say "up to here.") They have all been so good to me. I will never forget the people that I have met and gotten to know. I will take them all with me on my journey home. I hope to be back someday. Hopefully it won't take me another 15 years.

Before my trip, I had been feeling uninspired for quite sometime. My life was beginning to be school and work and not much else. There seemed little to photograph or to write about. A few years ago, when I started my 365 project, I forced myself to go out into the world, to do/see something worth photographing. When I get home I am challenging myself to do this again. 

Life is not about waiting around for something photo-worthy to waltz into your view, it's about doing something worth photographing.

Sunday Snapshots

Just a few snapshots from my Sunday.

Catch Up Day

Rings: thrifted, H&M, and Free People

We all have those days. The ones where we feel like doing nothing but lazing around the house. Catch up days. 

I suppose it began on my birthday. I just turned 21 two weeks ago and ever since then all of my friends have wanted to go out with me do things that only the 21+ population can do. I also worked for a week straight before leaving on my trip. So by the time I stepped on to that plane, I was ready for some downtime.

Plane rides are hardly relaxing. So when I arrived I couldn't quite say that I felt well-rested. The very next day I was thrown into a week full of sight-seeing, shopping, and eating. Not that I don't enjoy doing all of these things, but when done in such a short amount of time, it begins to wear you out.

Needless to say, I was in desperate need of a catch up day. I spent the day catching up on some of my favorite blogs, drank some tea, watched a movie, and all-in-all just chilled out.